Surah Al-Ma'arij, Ayah 16

Terrors of the Day of Judgement

Allah says that the torment will befall the disbelievers.

يَوْمَ تَكُونُ السَّمَآءُ كَالْمُهْلِ

(The Day that the sky will be like the Al-Muhl.) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ata, Sa`id bin Jubayr, `Ikrimah, As-Suddi and others have all said, "Like the residue of oil."

وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ

(And the mountains will be like `Ihn.) meaning, like fluffed wool. This was said by Mujahid, Qatadah and As-Suddi. This Ayah is similar to Allah's statement,

وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ الْمَنفُوشِ

(And the mountains will be like carded wool.) (101:5) Concerning Allah's statement,

وَلاَ يَسْـَلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيماً يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ

كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ نَزَّاعَةً لِّلشَّوَىٰ (By no means! It is the flaming fire, that will pull out the skin of the scalp...70:15, 16). The pronoun of innaha (it) refers to 'Fire' and the word laza means 'the flaming fire'. The word shawa is the plural of shawah and it refers to 'the scalp or the skin of the human head, and also the skin of the hands and the legs'. The verse describes that the Fire of Hell would be a raging blaze that will pull out the skin of the scalp.

The scenes of Doomsday cannot either be revealed in reality or truly described in the present world. However, in the Quran, these have been allegorically conveyed by allusions and examples, so that man should have a brief idea of their significance. When Doomsday arrives, it will be so terrible that man will forget this relations and the interests to which he gives the utmost importance today and for which he ignores the Truth.