Understanding the Quranic Verse: “Atee Amru Allah”
In the opening of Surah An-Nahl, Allah -the Exalted- states: “Atee Amru Allah, Fa La Tasta’jilohu, Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala Amma Yushrikoon” (The Command of Allah has come, so do not hasten it. Glory be to Him and Exalted is He above what they associate with Him). The renowned Islamic scholar Ibn Kathir interprets this verse as an indication from Allah -the Exalted- regarding the impending arrival of the Hour (the Day of Judgment). The use of past tense, as seen in Allah’s statement: “Iqtarab li-nasi hisabahum wa hum fi ghaflah mu’ridun” (Their reckoning has drawn near, yet they remain in heedlessness and turning away), emphasizes the certainty of this event. The phrase “Fa La Tasta’jilohu” suggests that the pronoun could refer to either Allah -the Exalted- or to the punishment, indicating that people should not hasten the punishment. Al-Dahhak has been reported to have said that “Atee Amru Allah” refers to His obligations and decrees. However, Ibn Jarir countered, stating that there is no record of anyone having hastened the obligations and commands before their establishment, unlike the punishment, which was hastened by those in disbelief who rejected its possibility.
In his work, Al-Jami’ Al-Bayan, Al-Tabari mentions that the scholars of interpretation have diverged in their understanding of the “command” that Allah -the Exalted- has informed His servants about. Some interpret it as His laws and commandments, while others believe it pertains to the announcement of the approaching Hour, representing a warning to the polytheists whose due punishment is near. It has also been narrated from Ibn Jurayj that when the verse “Atee Amru Allah, Fa La Tasta’jilohu” was revealed, some hypocrites mocked it, claiming that it suggested the command had already arrived, hence they refrained from their actions until they observed what would transpire. Eventually, when they witnessed no punishment, they asserted that nothing had descended upon them. Allah then revealed: “Wa La’in Akharnā ‘anhum Al-‘Adhāba ila Ummatin Ma’dudah, Layaqulunna Ma Yahbihsu” (And if We delay their punishment until a fixed time, they will say: ‘What is keeping it back?’ The Day it comes to them, it will not be turned away from them, and what they used to ridicule will envelop them). Al-Tabari favored the perspective that this indicated a threat from Allah -the Exalted- to the disbelievers, alerting them to the proximity of doom and punishment. He noted that he found no evidence suggesting that any of the companions of the Prophet -may Allah be pleased with them- hastened the obligations before they were defined. As such, it would be unfounded to tell them that the obligations have come, so do not hasten them, while many disbelievers had indeed hastened the punishment. Additionally, Allah -the Exalted- concluded the verse with “Amma Yushrikoon,” which illustrates His transcendence over polytheism. Variations exist among the readers of the Quran regarding the reading of “Amma Yushrikoon”; some readers from Medina and certain Kufa and Basra scholars recited it with a ‘yaa,’ indicating a reference to the disbelievers, addressing the companions regarding the hastening, while the majority of Kufa readers recited it with a ‘taa,’ directing the discourse on hastening to the polytheists.
Signs of the Approaching Hour
Numerous signs indicate the approach of the Day of Judgment, some of which have occurred and concluded, while others remain present, and yet more have yet to manifest. Among these signs are the lesser signs of the Hour, of which the Prophet Muhammad -peace be upon him- mentioned several, stating: “Count six signs before the Hour: My death, the conquest of Bayt al-Maqdis, a plague that will afflict you like the death of sheep, an abundance of wealth so that a man will receive a hundred dinars yet remain dissatisfied, a fitna (trial) that will enter every Arab household, and a truce that will occur between you and the Romans, during which they will betray you, coming upon you under eighty flags; beneath each flag will be twelve thousand.” The details of these signs are as follows:
- The prophethood and passing of the Messenger -peace be upon him-, as his message signifies the commencement of the signs of the Hour; he is the final prophet, with no other prophet between him and the Hour. He said: “I was sent and the Hour is like these two,” while indicating with his index and middle fingers.
- The conquest of Jerusalem, which occurred during the time of Umar ibn al-Khattab -may Allah be pleased with him-.
- The Plague of Amwas, which is likely the ‘death’ mentioned by the Prophet -peace be upon him- as it occurred in the 18th year of Hijra, resulting in the deaths of 25,000 Muslims, including Abu Ubaidah and Amir ibn al-Jarrah -may Allah be pleased with him-.
- The conflict between Ali ibn Abi Talib and Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan -may Allah be pleased with them both-.
Events of the Hour
The events leading to the Day of Judgment commence with the sounding of the trumpet, awakening the inhabitants of the graves, who will emerge disheveled from their graves, dirt-laden and astonished, as mentioned in Allah’s Word: “Wa Nufikha Fi Al-Sur Fa Iza Hum Min Al-Ajdath Ila Rabbihim Yansiloon” (And the trumpet will be blown, and behold, they will rise from their graves and hasten towards their Lord). It is noteworthy that Allah -the Exalted- has entrusted the responsibility of blowing the trumpet to one of His mighty angels, Israfil (peace be upon him), who has been prepared for this task since the day Allah assigned it to him. The trumpet, as indicated in prophetic traditions, is likened to a horn in shape. There was an occasion when a Bedouin inquired about the trumpet, and the Prophet -peace be upon him- described it as: “A horn that will be blown into.” When Allah commands Israfil (peace be upon him) to sound the first blast of the trumpet, known as the blast of death, all beings in the heavens and the earth will perish, except whoever Allah wills to spare, as affirmed by Allah’s statement: “Wa Nufikha Fi Al-Sur Fa Sariqa Man Fi Al-Samawat Waman Fi Al-Ard Illa Man Sha’a Allah” (And the trumpet will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will fall dead except whom Allah wills). Subsequently, a second blast will be blown, and the dead will rise again, finding themselves in a gathering place. The period between the two blasts may be forty days, forty months, or forty years, as Abu Huraira -may Allah be pleased with him- reported hearing the Messenger of Allah -peace be upon him- say, “Between the two blasts is a period of forty.” However, he did not specify this period, as the Prophet left it ambiguous without delineating a specific day, month, or year.