Every Nation will follow its Deity

 At the close of this day i.e. the Day of Resurrection, the slave will be discharged either to al-Jannah or Jahannam. Both are the final abodes to which all the slave of Allah will return. After death, there is no abode other than al-Jannah and Jahannam.

At the end of that great Day, each nation shall be ordered to seek the god to which they were devoted in the world and they will follow it. Whoever used to sorship the sun will follow the sun and the worshippers of the moon will also follow it. Idol worshippers will also find the image of their gods in front of them and they will follow it. Those who used to worship Fir´aun will follow him and be will be their false god. Just as they followed their false gods in the world so will they follow them until their gods fall into the Fire; and their worshippers will also plunge into the Fire after them. Allah says concerning Fir´aun:

´´He will go ahead of his people on the Day of Resurrection, and will lead them into the Fire, and evil indeed is the place to which they are led.´´ (Hud:98)

no one will remain after that except the Muslims and the remnants of the people of the Book. The Prophet salla alayhi wa sallam has explained all of these in the following hadith:

´´´when the Day of Resurrection comes, a mu´azzin (a caller) will proclaim: ´Let every person follow what they ysed to worship. Then all who worshipped idols and stones besides Allah will fall into the Fire, until only the righteous and the sinner among those who worshipped Allah and some of the people of the Book remain.

Then the Jews will be summoned, and it will be said to them: ´What did you worship?´

They will say: ´We worshipped ´Uzair, son of Allah.´

It will be said to them: ´You tell a lie; Allah had never had a spouse or a son. What do you want now?´

They will be directed (to a certain direction) and asked: ´Why don´t you go there to drink water?´ Then they will be gathered towards the Fire which will appear to them like a mirage (i.e. they will find to their great dismay that it was but amirage) (and the raging flames of fire) will be consuming one another; and they will fall into the Fire.

Then the Christians will be summoned and it wil be said to them: ´What did you used to worship?´

They will say: ´We worshipped Jesus, son of Allah.´

It will be said to them: ´You tell a lie; allah did not take for Himself either a spouse or a son.´

Then it will be said to Them: ´What do you want?´

They will say: ´We are thirsty, O Lord Quench our thirst.´

They will be directed (to a certain direction) and asked. ´Why don´t you go there to get water?´ But they wil be gathered together towards the Hell, which will appear like a mirage to them, and the flames will consume one another. They will fall into the Fire, until no one is left except he who worshipped Alah, whether pious or sinful. The Lord of the universe, Glorified and Exalted, will come to them in a form least recoginisable to them and He will say: ´What are you waiting for? Everyone follow that which they worshipped.´

They will say: ´Our Lord, we kept overselves separate from the people in the world, though we were in great nedd of them; however, we did not assiciate ourselves with them.´

He will say: ´I am your Lord.´

They will say: ´We seek refuge with Allah from You and we do not associate anything with Allah.´ They will repeat it thrice, until some of them will be about to turn back.

It will be said: ´Is there any sign between you and Him bu which you will recognize Him?´

They will say: ´Yes.´ And the shin would be laid bare. These who used to prostrate themselves before Allah of their own accord will be permitted by Allah to prostrate themselves. However, there will be none who sued to prostrate our of fear (of people= and ostentation except Allah will make his back a single piece (of bone), and whoever he will attempt to prostrate he wil fall on his back. Then they will raise their heads and He would assume the form in which they had seen Him the first time and will say: ´I am your Lord.´

They will say: ´You are (indeed) our Lord.´ Then the bridge will be set up over the Hell and intercession will be allowed and they will say: ´O Allah, keep us safe, keep us safe.´

It was asked: ´´O Messenger of Allah salla alayhi wa sallam, what is this bridge?´´´

He said: ´´Then abyss in which one is likely to slip in which there will be hooks, tongs, spits like the thorn that is found in Najd and is known os Sa´dan. The believers will then pass over within the twinkling of an eye, like lightning, like wind, like a bird, like the finest horses and camels. Som will escape and be safe, some will be lacerated and let go, and some will be pushed into the fire of Hell.´55

This is a general description of what will happen to different nations prior to the command to cross the Bridge. None wil remain at the plain of Gathering except those who attribute themselvesto Islam in their different shades, including both the reighteous and the sinful; the obedient follower and the innovator. There will also remain along with them remnants of the people of the Book.

What will transpire afterwards?

How will the cross the Bridge?

How will the disbelievers be driven to the Hellfire?

The explanation of these is accomplished in the following pages: