Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged)
The Blowing of the Sur and the Day of Resurrection
It has been confirmed in a Hadith that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about the Sur and he replied,
«قَرْنٌ يُنْفَخُ فِيه»
(It is a horn that will be blown into.) It has been related in a Hadith about the Sur, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that it is a huge horn that has a circumference as large as the heavens and the earth. The angel Israfil will blow into it. Another Hadith has been related which states that the Prophet said,
«كَيْفَ أَنْعَمُ وَصَاحِبُ الْقَرْنِ قَدِ الْتقَمَ الْقَرْنَ وَحَنَى جَبْهَتَهُ، وَانْتَظَرَ أَنْ يُؤْذَنَ لَه»
(How can I be comfortable when the one with the horn is holding it in his lips and his forehead is leaning forward, waiting to be given permission (to blow it).) The people said, "O Messenger of Allah, what should we say" He said,
«قُولُوا: حَسْبُنَا اللهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ عَلَى اللهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا»
(Say: Allah is sufficient for us and what a good protector He is. Upon Allah we place our trust.) Concerning His statement,
وَنَحْشُرُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ يَوْمِئِذٍ زُرْقاً
(And We shall gather the criminals blue-eyed.) It has been said that this means having blue eyes due to the severity of their horrifying situation.
يَتَخَـفَتُونَ بَيْنَهُمْ
(They will speak in a very low voice to each other. ) Ibn `Abbas said, "This means whispering among themselves." This means that some of them will be saying to others,
إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلاَّ عَشْراً
(You stayed not longer than ten.) meaning in the abode of the worldly life, you only tarried there for a little while. The time was equivalent to ten days or so. Allah, the Exalted, then says,
نَّحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ
(We know very well what they will say,) This means in their condition of conversing amongst themselves.
إِذْ يَقُولُ أَمْثَلُهُمْ طَرِيقَةً
(when the best among them in knowledge and wisdom will say;) the one with perfect intelligence amongst them,
إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلاَّ يَوْماً
(You stayed no longer than a day!) This is because on the Day of Judgement they will sense the shortness of the worldly life within themselves. For the worldly life, with its repetitious time periods and successive nights, days and hours, is as if it is just one day. For this reason, on the Day of Resurrection the disbelievers will think the worldly life was very short. By this they mean to prevent the establishment of the evidence against them due to the shortness of time that they had. Allah says about this,
وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ يُقْسِمُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ مَا لَبِثُواْ غَيْرَ سَاعَةٍ
(And on the Day that the Hour will be established, the criminals will swear that they stayed not but an hour) until His statement,
وَلَـكِنَّكُمْ كُنتمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ
(but you knew not.") 30:55-56 Allah also says,
أَوَلَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُمْ مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَآءَكُمُ النَّذِيرُ
(Did We not give you lives long enough, so that whosoever would receive admonition could receive it And the warner came to you.) 35:37 Allah, the Exalted, also says,
قَـلَ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ عَدَدَ سِنِينَ - قَالُواْ لَبِثْنَا يَوْماً أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ فَاسْأَلِ الْعَآدِّينَ - قَالَ إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً لَّوْ أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
((Allah will say): What number of years did you stay on earth They will say: "We stayed a day or part of a day. Ask of those who keep account." He (Allah) will say: "You stayed not but a little, if you had only known!") 23:112-114 This means that you only remained in it (the earth) a little while. If you only knew, you would have preferred the eternal life over the temporal life. Yet, you conducted yourselves in an evil manner. You gave the present, temporary life precedence over the eternal and everlasting life.