Surah Qaf (Qaf) 50 : 42

Explanatory Note

A further touch is added to this portrait of the universe. The Prophet is instructed to have patience and to perform all this glorification and worship while remaining on the alert, expecting the great event that may come at any moment of the night or day. Only those who are totally oblivious of the truth will pay no attention to it. It is the event that provides the central theme of the surah: "And listen out for the day when the caller will call from a nearby place, the day when they will in truth hear the mighty blast; that is the day when they will come out [of their graves]. It is We who grant life and deal death; and to Us all shall return. On the day when the earth will be rent asunder all around them, letting them rush out. That gathering will be easy for Us." (Verses 41-44)

What we have here is a new scene depicting that most difficult day. When the first reference to it is made in the surah, it is shown differently: "The trumpet will be blown: 'This is the day [you were] warned of' Every soul will come attended by one who will drive it on and another to bear witness..." (Verses 20-21) Here the blowing of the trumpet is referred to as a 'mighty blast'. It gives us a picture of how they will rush out as the earth is rent asunder all around them. This includes all those countless creatures of all generations, arising from graves they may have been buried in for a very long time. They are all ripped open, bringing up what remains of bones, dust, and lost cells in the earth. None except God knows their whereabouts. This, then, is an amazing image, one that the human mind can barely imagine.