the light of qur'an,sura nabaa,quran,tafsir

sura nabaa
(the great news)
no. 78 (verses 17-20)

17. "verity the day of sorting out is (a day) appointed,"
18. "the day when the trumpet shall be blown and you shall come
forth in groups".
19. "and the heaven shall be opened and become (wide as) gates,"
20 "and the mountains shall be set in motion as if they
were a mirage".

commentary:
finally, the promised day will come.
there were some various evidences for resurrection referred to
in the previous verses. here, as a consequence, the first verse says:
"verily the day of sorting out is (a day) appointed,".

the phrase "yaum-al-fasl" `the day of sorting out' is a very
meaningful one which speaks of isolations on that great day: the
separation of good from evil, the separation of the believing
good-doers from disbelieving sinners, the isolation of parents from child,
and brothers from each other.

the term "miqat" is based on the term "waqt" 'time' which means
`the certain places, where the pilgrims to kaaba put
on their pion appointed tune'.lgrimage dress, are called "miqat" because
they gather there at an appointed time.

* * * *

then, some of the specialties and the events of that great day
are detailed: "the day when the trumpet shall be blown and you shall
come forth in groups".

it is well understood, from the verses of the holy qur'an, that two
great events will happen "...when the trumpet shall be blown". in the first
incident, the order of the universe becomes disturbed and all the
people, over the earth, and those who are in the heavens will die. in
the second case the world will be renewed, the dead will return to life
and the resurrection will occur.

the term "nafkh" means `blow' and the term "sur" means `trumpet'
which is usually sounded for stopping or starting the caravans or troops,
and the people, in them, understand this from its two different sounds
whether they should stop or start.

this is a delicate point referring to those two great events. and
what is said in the above verse, is a hint to the `second blast', when the
dead are revived and the resurrection occurs'.

this verse says that on that day, "...you shall come forth in groups",
while sura maryam no. 19, verse 95 says: "and every one of them
will come to him singly on the day of judgment" and, also, sura asra,
no. 17, verse 71 says: "one day we shall call together all human beings
with their (respective) imams...".

to collect these senses together, we see that `people being in
groups' is not in contrast with `every group enters the resurrection with its
respective imam'. and `every one of them will coming singly' is stated for
the reason that there are several stopovers in the hereafter. people
may come in groups with their respective leaders; leading or misleading,
at the first halting places, but when they stand before the throne of
justice, they stand individually, or as sura qaf, no.50, verse 21 says:
"and there will come forth every soul: with each will be an (angel) to drive,
and an (angel) to bear witness".

it is also probable that they come one by one, because they are
separated from their friends, partners and supporters. since, in the
hereafter, everyone is alone with one's own deeds.

* * * *
"and the heaven shall be opened and becomes (wide as) gates".

* * * *
what are the meanings of `be opened' and `gates'?

some commentators have said that it means that the doors of the
`unseen world' will be opened to the intuition world' where the curtains
will be removed, thus making the world of angels open to the world of
man.1

some others think that this verse points to what is said in other
verses of the holy qur'an, such as in sura inshiqaq, no. 84, verse 1
which says: `when the sky is rent asunder', and on another occasion in
relation to the same sense, but using another word it says: "when the
sky is cleft asunder' (sura infitar, no. 82, verse 1).

in fact, there will appear so many clefts in the celestial spheres
that it will seem as if they have changed into open gates.

there is another probability that man, in the present conditions
of this world, cannot venture through the heavens, and if it were
possible for him to, it would be strictly limited, as if, the present
circumstances had shut the gates of the skies to him. but, in the
hereafter. man will become free from the earthly world and the
gate-ways to the heavens will be opened to him, and then the necessary
conditions will become available.

in other words, on that day, the skies will be `cleft asunder' and
after that new skies and earth will be substituted, as sura ibrahim,
no. 14, verse 48 says: "one day the earth will be changed (into) a
different earth and so will be the heavens..." on this occasion the gates of
the skies are opened for the earthly men to go through and follow their
ways: the righteous go into heaven whose doors will he opened to them:
"...until behold, they arrive there; its gates will be opened; and its keepers
will say: peace be upon you...'. (sura zumar no. 39. verse 73).

it is in the same place that angels come to them from every door
and congratulate them: "... and angels shall enter unto them from every
gate (with the salutation). (sura ra'd, no. 13. verse 23).

and the doors of hell will he opened to the unbelievers: `the
unbelievers will be led to hell in crowds: until when they arrive there, its
gates will be opened...". (sura zumar, no. 39, verse 71).

and. thus. man arrives in a place where the width is as wide as
the phenomenal earth and heavens: "...and for a garden whose width is
that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth..." (sura
al-i-'imran. no. 3, verse 133).

* * * *

and finally, the next verse, explaining the events of the
hereafter, illustrates the status of the mountains and says: "and the
mountains shall vanish as if they were a mirage".

as it is understood from all the different verses of the qur'an
about `the end of the mountains in the hereafter', that mountains will
go through stages: at first they will move: "and the mountains are in
motion", (sura tur, no. 52, verse 10).

then they will be taken off and crushed: "...and the earth and
mountains are lifted up and crushed with a single blow", (sura haqqah,
no. 69. verse 14).

and after that they will he as a poured heap of sand: "...and the
mountains become a slipping heap of sand",(sura muzzmmil, no. 73,
verse 14).

then, they will change like fibers of teased or carded wool which
can be moved about by the winds: `and the mountains will be like carded
wool', (sura al-qari'ah, no. 101. verse 5).

they will turn to dust, then, and scatter about: "and the
mountains shall be crumbled to atoms", "becoming dust scattered ahroa'",
(sura waqi'ah, no. 56. verses 5-6).

and finally, as the current verse denotes, there will remain only a
trace of them as a mirage.

thus, mountains will disappear throughout the earth at last, and
the land will be level: "they ask you concerning the mountains: say, my
lord will uproot them and scatter them as dust"; "he will leave them as
plains smooth and level", (sura ta-ha no. 20, verses 105-106).

the term "sarab" is based on the term "sarab" and means: `a
mirage', a deceitful appearance as of water in the desert. then anything
that has an appearance, but is nothing, indeed, is called 'mirage'.

in fact, the mountains will turn into dust and will be scattered in
the air in a state like a mirage. when high solid mountains will have a
destiny like this, the state of other changes in the world and, also, the
state of people of great authority, in this life, will be obvious there; a
mere mirage.

the following question may arise: do these events happen with
the 'first blast', which is the end of this world, or with the `second blast',
which is the beginning of the resurrection?

since the verse "the day when the trumpet shall be blown and you
shall come forth in groups" certainly relates to the first blast', when
people survive and arrive at the hereafter in groups, this verse must be
concerned with the same blast, too, but its beginning (the movement of
the mountains) may occur with the first blast' and its end (changing as a
mirage) with the `second blast'.

there is another probability that all the stages of the mountains
relate to the first blast, however, since the range of these two blasts are
almost close to each other, they are mentioned together, as in some
other verses of the qur'an. the events of the first blast are mentioned
with the events of the second blast (as in sura takwir and infitar).

it is noteworthy that in the former verses mountains were referred
to as 'pegs' and the earth as a `cradle'; but in these verses it is said that
on the day when the order of the destruction of this world will be
issued, that cradle will be disturbed and those great pegs will be leveled
and, hence, their tangible matter will become decomposed and
shattered.

1 al-mizan, vol. 20, p. 265 (farsi translation)