When Allah mentions the day of resurrection in the Quran, “The Day that the caller will call (them) to a terrible thing...” (Quran 54:6); the terror of this day is something that human beings cannot know because they have never encountered anything like it. Only Allah knows the arrival time of that day. People's learning about this day is limited to what is related in the Quran. The day of resurrection will come all of a sudden when nobody expects it. This day may seize people when they work in their office, sleep at their home, talk on the phone, read a book, laugh, cry or drop their children off at school. Furthermore, this seizure will be so horrifying that no one will have seen anything like it in his lifetime.

“Then, when the Trumpet is sounded; Truly, that Day will be a Hard Day, Far from easy for the disbelievers “ (Quran 74:8-10); when this sound is heard all over the world, those who have not used the time given to them by Allah for gaining His good pleasure will be seized by a great fear. Allah describes in the Quran the horrifying events that will happen on that day:

“Nay, but the Hour is their appointed time (for their full recompense), and the Hour will be more grievous and more bitter” (Quran 54:46)

As the verses relate, the sounding of the trumpet is followed by a great tremor and a roaring so violent as to deafen the ears. In the intensity of this din, the mountains start to shake and slide with the earth beneath them (Refer Quran 99: 1-8).

Mountains will be powdered to dust (Quran 56: 5). At that moment, people very well understand how trivial are the things that they have hitherto cherished. All the material values they have pursued throughout their lives suddenly vanish:

“But when there comes the greatest catastrophe (i.e. the Day of Recompense, etc.), The Day when man shall remember what he strove for, And Hell-fire shall be made apparent in full view for (every) one who sees” (Quran 79:34-36)

On that day, even the mountains made up of stones, earth and rocks are dispersed like carded wool (Quran 101:5). Man now becomes aware that this power is not the power of nature. For on that day, nature also is laid low. A tremendous fear and horror rule over all that happens that day. People, animals, and nature are all overwhelmed by this horror. People see that the oceans burst forth (Quran 82:3) and that they are set on fire (Quran 81:6).

The heavens start shaking just like the earth and they start to be torn away, in a way hitherto un-witnessed. The usual blue colour of the sky that people are accustomed to is transformed and resembles molten brass (Quran 70:8). On this day, everything in the sky that used to give light is suddenly darkened; the sun is folded up (Quran 81:1), the moon is cleft asunder (Quran 54:1), and the sun and the moon are joined together. (Quran 75:9). Pregnant women lose their children because of the horrifying fear of that day. The fear makes children hoary-headed (Quran 73:17). At length, when there comes the deafening noise, that day shall a man flee from his own brother, and from his mother and his father, and from his wife and his children. Each one of them, that day, will have enough concern (of his own) to make him indifferent to the others. (Chapter 80:33-37)

Just imagine what will be our stage if we ignore the following words of Allah:

“Allah is He Who created you in (a state of) weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then after strength gave (you) weakness and grey hair. He creates what He wills. And it is He Who is the All-­Knowing, the All-­Powerful. And on the Day that the Hour will be established, the Mujrimun (criminals, disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, etc.) will swear that they stayed not but an hour, thus were they ever deluded [away from the truth (i.e they used to tell lies and take false oaths, and turn away from the truth) in this life of the world)]. And those who have been bestowed with knowledge and faith will say: "Indeed you have stayed according to the Decree of Allah, until the Day of Resurrection, so this is the Day of Resurrection, but you knew not. So on that Day no excuse of theirs will avail those who did wrong (by associating partners in worship with Allah, and by denying the Day of Resurrection), nor will they be allowed (then) to return to seek Allah's Pleasure” (Quran 30:54-57)