Summary of Aqida - 3. The Trumpet blast

| aqadia

3. The Trumpet blast

The Trumpet blast is one of the issues connected to the Last Day in which we must believe without the slightest doubt or hesitation. The Trumpet is a large horn; no one knows how great it is except the One Who created it, then those of His creation whom Allah has informed of it.

3.1. Meaning of the Trumpet blast
It was narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn ‘As (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "A Bedouin came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and said: What is the Trumpet? He said: “A horn that is blown into.” (Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, Ahmad; sahih) Al-Baghawi said, “The Trumpet is a horn that is blown into. Mujahid said: It looks like a bugle (buq).”

3.2. Evidence for the Trumpet blast
3.2.1. Evidence from the Holy Qur’an affirming the Trumpet blast
i. Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "And remember the day when the Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and on earth will be struck with terror, except whomever Allah wills, and all will come to Him, utterly humbled." (al-Naml 27:87) Al-Sa‘di said, “Here Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, alerts His slaves to what lies ahead of them on the Day of Resurrection, with all its trials and distress, which will cause alarm.

And (remember) the day when the Trumpet will be blown, because of which all who are in the heavens and on earth will be struck with terror and filled with alarm, and they will surge like waves against one another, out of fear of what awaits them, except whomever Allah wills of those whom He will honour, make steadfast and protect from terror and all creatures, when the Trumpet is blown, will come to Him, utterly humbled.”

ii. Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Then when a single blast is sounded on the Trumpet, and the earth and the mountains are lifted up and dashed to bits at a single blow." (al-Haqqah 69:13) Al-Nasafi said, “Then when a single blast is sounded on the Trumpet this will be the first Trumpet blast, at which everyone will die, and at the second Trumpet blast they will be resurrected. and the earth and the mountains are lifted up that is, they will be lifted up from their places, and dashed to bits at a single blow, broken and crumbled; that is, they will be struck against one another until they crumble and become like heaps of loose sand and scattered floating specks of dust.”

3.2.2. Evidence from the Sunnah affirming the Trumpet blast
i. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “I will be the first one to raise my head after the final Trumpet blast, and I will see Musa holding onto the Throne, and I will not know whether he had been in that state all the time or it was after the Trumpet blast.” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

ii. It was narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn ‘As (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "A Bedouin came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and said, 'What is the Trumpet?' He said, 'A horn that is blown into.'" (Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, Ahmad; sahih)

The scholars are unanimously agreed that the Trumpet will be blown on the Day of Resurrection:
Abu’l-Hasan al-Ash‘ari said, discussing matters on which there is consensus among Ahl al-Sunnah: “They are unanimously agreed that the torment of the grave is true… And that the Trumpet will be blown before the Day of Resurrection, and all those who are in the heavens and on earth will swoon except whomever Allah wills, then it will be blown a second time, and they will be standing, looking around.”

3.2.3. Number of Trumpet blasts
Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "And remember the day when the Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and on earth will be struck with terror, except whomever Allah wills, and all will come to Him, utterly humbled." (al-Naml 27:87) "The Trumpet will be blown and all those who are in the heavens and on earth will swoon, except whomever Allah wills. Then it will be blown again, whereupon they will be standing, looking around." (al-Zumar 39:68)

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “What is between the two Trumpet blasts is forty. Then Allah will send down water from heaven and they will grow as herbs grow. There is no part of man that will not decay except one bone, which is the tailbone. From it he will be recreated on the Day of Resurrection.” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Al- Qurtubi said, “The correct view regarding the Trumpet blasts is that there will be two blasts, not three. The blast which will cause alarm is that at which people will swoon, because the two matters are not connected to time. In other words, the people will be alarmed and will die as a result of that. Or it may be that it is the blast at which they will be resurrected. This is the view favoured by al-Qushayri and others, as he said, when discussing this verse (al-Naml 27:87), ‘What is meant is the second Trumpet blast. In other words, they will come back to life in a state of alarm, saying: Who has roused us from our resting place? Ya-Sin 36:52. They will see with their own eyes things that will terrify and alarm them. This Trumpet blast will be like the bugle call signalling people to gather in the land of requital.”

Ibn Baz said, “The correct view is that the Trumpet will be blown twice, and this is what is known, as is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and in the sahih hadiths.”

3.2.4. The angel who is appointed to blow the Trumpet
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “The gaze of the bearer of the Trumpet has been looking towards the Throne since he was appointed, fearing lest the order come before he opens his eyes again after blinking, as if his eyes are two shining stars.” (Abu’l-Shaykh, al-Hakim, Abu Nu‘aym; sahih)

Some of the scholars narrated that there is consensus that the angel who is appointed to blow the Trumpet is Israfil (peace be upon him), even though this is not proven by any sahih hadith. Ibn al-Haj al-Qinawi said, “The ummah and all nations are agreed that the one who will blow the Trumpet is Israfil (peace be upon him).” Ibn Hajar said, “It is widely known that the one who will blow the Trumpet is Israfil (peace be upon him), and al-Halimi narrated that there is consensus on that.”