Kinds of Gathering

 Has been mentioned earlier that al-Hashr is the gathering and assembling. The creatures will be divided into two on the Day of Resurrection. Some of them will be dead in their graves and other will be alive when the Hour will be established, and them they will swoon at the first blowing of the Trumpet.

It is well-known that the Hour will be established on the worst of men. Allah will send a soothing wind which will take the souls of the believers. Afterwards, the destruction will be completed on those who remain on the earth from amongst the living. There are shariah texts in the Quran and Sunnah detailing the manner of the Gathering. Allah did not leave the matter to peoples conjectures and assumptions.

The Gathering are of two kinds:

The First Kind:

The Gathering of The living

This is the gathering of the living beings. They will be gathered from every direction of the earth to one place in the land of gathering in shaam. What will drive them is the first which will emanate from the depth of Adem.

The Prophet salla alayhi wa sallam said,

The Hour will not occur till there are ten signs.. i.e. till you see as its prelude. Some signs from the major signs and the Prophet salla alayhi wa sallam mentioned these signs and then said,

and the fire which would emanate from the lower part of Adan will dirve the people to the place of gathering. It will alight with them wherever they alight and wherever they take a rest.

The Porphet salla alayhi wa sallam also said,

As for the first of the signs of the Hour, it the fire that will gather the people from East to the Wast.

He also said,

You will be gathered on foot and on a mount and you will be dragged on your faces towards here, and he gestured with his hands towards Shaam.

What is understood from thesr ahadith is that this fire will drive the people from different directions of the earth to one place in Shaam and then the first trumpet will be blown and they will swoon.

The Last people to be Gathered

At the time when the fire will rage and drive the people, they will be bust with their regular live chores and means of lielihood. The fire will then startle them. The Prophet salla alayhi wa sallam informed us of the last of the people to be gathered when he said,

The last people who will be gathere will be two shepherds from the tribe of Muzaina, who will be driving their sheep towards Madinah, but will find is desolate, and when they reach the valley of Thaniyat-alWada, they will fall down on their faces dead.

In the hadith, the Prophet salla alayhi wa sallam explained that these two shepherds will be driving their sheep and yelling at them but they will have turned wild and they will flee from the shepherd after they had been meek and tamed. Tjen, the shepherds will travel towards the direction of shaam en route Madinah, and when they reach Thaniya-al-wada, they will fall on their faces (i.e. they will fall down.

This is first kind of gathering which is that of the living and their driving, As for the dead in their graves, for them will be a different kind of gathering.

The Second Kind:

The Gathering of The Dead:

That will occur after the first blowing of the trumpet and after an interval of time, which if forty. Afterwards, Allah will send down rain from underneath the Arsh from which the bodies of Allahs slaves will germinate in their graves in their different locations on the earth.

When their bodies have been completely restored, the second blowing into the trumpet will sound and the dead will emerge from their gtraves. and will be driven to the land of gathering the living who had died with the first blowing of the trumpet.

Description of The Gathering

All creatures, in their numerous species - man animals, birds, fishes, big and small, believers and unbelievers, will be gathering and assembled on a day in which there is no doubt. This is as Allah says,

And that is a Day when all (the dwellers of the heavens and the earth will be present. (Surah Hud: 103)

Allah also says,

Say (O Muhammad salla alayhi wa sallam): (Yes) verily, those of old, and those of later times. All will surely be gatherd together for appinted Meeting of a known Day. (Surah Al-Qaaqiah 49-50)

Allah, the Exlated, is Great and nothing incapacitates Him, whenever, the slaves are completely perished, Allah is Able to bring them back to life as He says,

wheresoever you may be, Allah will bring you together (on the Dau of Resurrevtion). Truly. Allah is Able to do all things. (Surah Al-Bawarah: 148)

Allah has described the various types of gathering and they include:

The Gathering of All Creatures

This is as Allah says,

And we shall Gather them all together  so as to leave not on of them behind. (Surah Al-Kahf: 47)

The Gathering of the Animals

This is as Allah says,

And when the wild beasts shall be gathered together. (Surah At-Takweer: 5)

The Gathering of the Criminals

These are the sinners of different shades of sins and crimes, whether the sin reaches the leves of disbelief or less than that. All of them will be gathered in a difficult situation and whit blues eyes due to the terror of that situation. This is as allah says,

We shall gather the Mujrimin (Criminals) Zurqa: (blue or blind eyed with black faces). (Surah Taha: 102)

The Gathering of the Unjust and Their Kinds

Adulterers will be gathered along along with other adulterers and consumers of usury will be gathered along with their peers in sin as Allah sais,

It will be said to the Angels): Assemble those who did worng, together with their awwaaj (from the devils) and what they used to worship. Instead of Allah, and lead them on to the way of flamming Fire (Hell). (surah As-Saafaat: 22-23)

What is meant by their azwaaj in the words of Allah is their companions, their kinds and peers.

Will the Beasts be Gathered?

The answer is yes, the beasts will also be gathered just as the remainder of Allahs creatures. Allah says,

There is not a moving (living) reature on earth, nor a bird that flies with its two wings, ut are communities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book, then unto their Lord they (all) shall be gathered. (Surah Al-An-aam: 38)

And when the wild beasts shall be gathered together. (surah At-Takweer:5)

Allah says,

And among His ayat (proofs, evidences, Lessons, signs, etc.) is the creation of the heavens and the eart, and whatever moving (living) creatures He has dispered in them both. And He is All-Potent over their assembling (i.e. resurrection them on the Day of Resurrection after their death, and dispersion of their bodies) whenever He will. (surah Ash-Shuura: 29)

It is not a condition of gathering restorations and assembling on the Day of Resurrection that the beasts share the same experience with humans in terms of requital, punishment, reward, admittance into Paradise and Hellfire. As for retaliation of a himless ram against the horned, then this will occur on the plain of assembly, then it will be said to them all, Be you all dust.

Allahs Messenger salla alayhi wa sallam said,

Rights will be restored to their respective owners so much that the hornless sheep will get its right from the horned sheep.

What is The Greatest Terror?

This is what the slave sill experience when they are resurrected from their graves. As for the righteous, they will not be terrified like the other because they had prepared for the Day of Resurrection and they loved to meet Allah as He says,

Verily, We fear from our Lord a Day, hard and distressful, that will make the faves look horrible (from extreme dislikeness to it). So Allah saved them from the evil of the Day, and gave them Nadratan (a light of beauty) and joy. And their recompense shall be Paradise, and silken garments, because they were patient. (Surah Al-Insaan: 10-12)

The Messenger of Allah ssalla alayhi wa sallam also said,

Allah sayd, By My Honour, I will combine for My servant two securities and two fears. If he felt secured against Me (i.e. My Punishment) in the world, I will terrify him on the day I will assemble My slaves. If he feared Me in the world, I will make him (feel) secured on the day in which I will assemble My slaves.