In the lengthy report of Abū Hurayrah—recorded by Ibn Jarīr, al-Ṭabarānī, Abū Yaʿlā in his Musnad, al-Bayhaqī in al-Baʿth, Abū Mūsā al-Madīnī, and others—he said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ related to us:
“Once Allah had concluded the creation of the heavens and the earth, He created the Trumpet and entrusted it to Isrāfīl. He has placed it upon his mouth, his gaze fixed on the Throne, waiting for the command to blow.
I asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, what is the Trumpet?’ He replied, ‘A horn.’ I said, ‘And what is it like?’ He answered, ‘Vast indeed: the circumference of its opening is as great as the breadth of the heavens and the earth.
It will be blown three times: the first is the Blast of Terror, the second the Blast of Death, and the third the Blast of Standing before the Lord of all beings.
Allah will order Isrāfīl to give the first blast, saying, ‘Blow the blast of terror.’ He will blow, and every creature in heaven and on earth will be struck with dread—except those whom Allah wills. Then He will command him to prolong it, lengthen it, and not pause, and it is regarding this that Allah the Exalted says: ‘They are but waiting for a single Cry, after which there will be no pause.’ ⦗1⦘
Allah will set the mountains in motion so that they pass like clouds and become a mirage. The earth will shake with its inhabitants, rocking like a heavily laden ship on a stormy sea, or like a lamp hanging from the Throne, swayed by gusts of wind. Concerning this Allah says: ‘On the Day the quaking one quakes, followed by the subsequent one.’ ⦗2⦘
The earth will pitch people about upon its back: nursing mothers will forsake their infants, pregnant women will miscarry, children’s hair will turn grey, and the devils will flee in terror until they reach the horizons, where the angels will meet them, strike their faces, and drive them back. People will turn and run, calling out to one another, and it is about this that Allah the Exalted says: ‘The Day of the Call—when you will turn in flight; you will have no protector against Allah.’ ⦗3⦘
While they are in that state, the earth will split open, rending from edge to edge, and they will behold an awesome sight. They will then look to the sky and find it like molten metal; it will split apart, its stars scattering, and the sun and the moon eclipsed.”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ added, “On that Day the dead will be aware of none of this.”
I asked, “Messenger of Allah, who are those whom Allah excepted in His words, ‘except those whom Allah wills’ ⦗4⦘?” He replied, “They are the martyrs; the terror reaches only…"