Day of Judgement يَوْمُ الْقِيَامَة

In review — pending scholar verification

The end of the world and final accounting in Islamic eschatology, when all created beings will be raised, gathered before Allah, judged on their deeds, and assigned to Jannah or Jahannam.

Overview

The Day of Judgement (Arabic: يَوْمُ الْقِيَامَة, Yawm al-Qiyāmah) is the final day of the created world in Islamic eschatology — the day on which the cosmos is unmade, all created beings (humans, jinn, and animals) are raised from the dead, and each is judged by Allah on the record of their deeds. Belief in the Last Day is the fifth article of Iman in the Hadith of Jibril and is mentioned alongside belief in Allah in scores of Quranic verses ("those who believe in Allah and the Last Day"). The Quran refers to it by many names — al-Qiyāmah (the Resurrection), Yawm ad-Dīn (Day of Recompense), Yawm al-Ḥisāb (Day of Reckoning), as-Sāʿah (the Hour), al-Wāqiʿah (the Inevitable), al-Qāriʿah (the Striking), al-Ghāshiyah (the Overwhelming), at-Tāmmah al-Kubrā (the Greatest Calamity), and al-Ḥāqqah (the Reality).

The Day proceeds through a sequence of stages preserved in Quran and authentic hadith: two blasts of the Trumpet blown by the angel Israfil — the first annihilating creation and the second resurrecting it — followed by the gathering (al-Ḥashr), the prolonged standing (al-Mawqif), the distribution of records, the Reckoning, the Scale, the Bridge over Hellfire, the Greater Intercession by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and the final entry into Paradise or Hell.

Surah Al-Waqi'ah (56), Surah Al-Qiyamah (75), Surah At-Takwir (81), Surah Al-Infitar (82), Surah Al-Inshiqaq (84), Surah Al-Ghashiyah (88), Surah Az-Zalzalah (99), Surah Al-Qari'ah (101), and large portions of Surah Al-Mu'minun, Surah Az-Zumar, and Surah Al-Ma'arij are devoted in whole or part to the Day's description. Roughly one-third of the Quran addresses eschatological themes.

Quranic references

Surah An-Nazi'at 79:6–14 — "On the Day the [first] blast will convulse all things, followed by the second… On that Day hearts will be trembling, their eyes humbled. They are saying: Will we indeed be returned to [our] former state? Even if we should be decayed bones?"
Surah Al-Qari'ah 101:1–11 — entire surah on the day of striking, scales, and dwellings.
Surah Az-Zalzalah 99:1–8 — "When the earth is shaken with its [final] earthquake… that Day, the people will depart separated to be shown their deeds. So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it."
Surah At-Takwir 81:1–14 — "When the sun is wrapped up… the seas filled with flame… every soul will know what it has brought."
Surah Al-Infitar 82:1–5 — "When the sky breaks apart, when the stars fall, scattering, when the seas are erupted, and when the [contents of] graves are scattered, a soul will [then] know what it has put forth and kept back."
Surah Al-Qiyamah 75:1–6 — "Nay! I swear by the Day of Resurrection. And I swear by the reproaching soul."
Surah Al-Ma'arij 70:4 — "The angels and the Spirit will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years."
Surah An-Naba 78:17–18 — "Indeed, the Day of Judgement is an appointed time. The Day the Trumpet is blown, you will come forth in multitudes."
Surah Az-Zumar 39:68 — "And the Trumpet will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will fall dead, except whom Allah wills. Then it will be blown again, and at once they will be standing, looking on."
Surah Al-Anbiya 21:47 — "And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all. And if there is the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth."
Surah Al-Mu'minun 23:99–101 — the recurring plea of the wrongdoer for return, refused.
Surah Al-Hajj 22:1–2 — "O mankind, fear your Lord. Indeed, the convulsion of the [final] Hour is a terrible thing."

Major signs of the Hour

Authentic hadith distinguish between minor signs (al-ʿalāmāt aṣ-ṣughrā, many of which the Prophet ﷺ identified as already manifest in his lifetime) and major signs (al-ʿalāmāt al-kubrā) which precede the Hour itself. The classical ten major signs are enumerated in the hadith of Hudhayfah ibn Asid:

Hudhayfah ibn Asid al-Ghifari said: We were sitting and discussing among ourselves when the Prophet ﷺ came out and asked: "What are you discussing?" We said: "We are discussing the Hour." He ﷺ said: "It will not come until you see ten signs before it: the Smoke (ad-Dukhān), the Dajjal, the Beast (Dābbat al-Arḍ), the rising of the sun from its place of setting, the descent of Isa son of Maryam, Gog and Magog (Ya'juj wa-Ma'juj), and three landslides — one in the East, one in the West, and one in the Arabian Peninsula — and finally a fire that comes out of Yemen and drives the people to their place of gathering." — Sahih Muslim 2901

Stages of the Day

The two blasts of the Trumpet

Surah Az-Zumar 39:68 describes two blasts of the Trumpet (aṣ-Ṣūr), separated according to authentic hadith by forty (Sahih al-Bukhari 4814; Sahih Muslim 2955 — the narrator declined to specify whether days, months, or years). The first blast — nafkhat aṣ-ṣaʿq — annihilates all creation; the second — nafkhat al-baʿth — resurrects all who have ever lived. Israfil is the angel charged with the Trumpet (Sunan Abi Dawud 4742, graded Sahih by al-Albani, where the Prophet ﷺ describes Israfil as already holding the Trumpet to his lips, awaiting the command).

The Gathering (al-Hashr)

All humanity is gathered on a single plain — flat, white, with no landmark — barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised:

Aishah reported the Prophet ﷺ said: "You will be gathered barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised." She asked: "O Messenger of Allah, the men and women together — will they not look at one another?" He ﷺ said: "O Aishah, the matter is too grave for that." — Sahih al-Bukhari 6527; Sahih Muslim 2859

The Standing (al-Mawqif) and the sweat

The Day's standing is described in Surah Al-Ma'arij 70:4 as having the extent of fifty thousand years. The sun draws near, and people sweat according to their deeds:

Al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad reported the Prophet ﷺ said: "On the Day of Resurrection, the sun will be drawn near to the people until it is the distance of a mile from them. People will be in a state corresponding to their deeds, immersed in sweat: some up to their ankles, some to their knees, some to their waists, and some will be bridled with sweat." — Sahih Muslim 2864

The records (al-Suhuf)

Each person receives the record of their deeds — in their right hand if they were among the felicitous, in their left hand or behind their back if among the wretched (Surah Al-Inshiqaq 84:7–12; Al-Haqqah 69:19–37).

The Reckoning and the Scale

Each soul is questioned. Al-Hisab, the Reckoning, is detailed; the believer's account is described as a "private discourse" (munājāh) between the servant and the Lord (Sahih al-Bukhari 2441; Sahih Muslim 2768). Deeds are then weighed on the Mizan, the Scale (Surah Al-Anbiya 21:47, Al-Mu'minun 23:102–103, Al-Qari'ah 101:6–11).

Abu Huraira reported the Prophet ﷺ said: "Two phrases are light on the tongue, heavy on the Scale, beloved to the Most Merciful: Subḥān Allāhi wa-bi-ḥamdihi, Subḥān Allāhi al-ʿAẓīm." — Sahih al-Bukhari 6406; Sahih Muslim 2694

The Cistern (al-Hawd)

The Prophet ﷺ has a cistern (Ḥawḍ al-Kawthar, mentioned in Surah Al-Kawthar 108:1) at which his community will drink — its water whiter than milk, sweeter than honey (Sahih al-Bukhari 6579–6592; Sahih Muslim 2292–2304).

The Greater Intercession (ash-Shafaah al-Uzma)

While humanity stands overwhelmed at the Mawqif, they will go in turn to Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, and Isa seeking intercession with Allah to begin the reckoning. Each excuses himself; finally Muhammad ﷺ proceeds, prostrates, and his Greater Intercession is granted (Sahih al-Bukhari 4476, 7510; Sahih Muslim 193). This is the Maqām Maḥmūd — "the praiseworthy station" — promised in Surah Al-Isra 17:79.

The Bridge (as-Sirat)

The Sirat is the bridge stretched over Hellfire; people cross it in groups according to the strength of their deeds (Sahih al-Bukhari 7437; Sahih Muslim 183). The slowest crawl, while the foremost cross "as fast as lightning". Hooks at its sides snatch those whom Allah wills.

Final destination

Those who cross enter Jannah; those who fall enter Jahannam. Sinning monotheists who entered Hell are eventually brought out by intercession or by Allah's grace (Sahih al-Bukhari 7439; Sahih Muslim 184). Disbelievers and those who died upon shirk remain there forever (Surah An-Nisa 4:48, 4:116).

Differences from related concepts

Death — the individual transition out of worldly life; the Day of Judgement is the cosmic and collective event.
Barzakh — the intermediate state of the soul in the grave between death and resurrection; the questioning by Munkar and Nakir occurs in Barzakh, not on the Day itself.
Akhirah — the entire next life, of which the Day of Judgement is the threshold and the abodes of Jannah/Jahannam are the permanent state.
The Hour (as-Sāʿah) — sometimes refers to the moment of arrival of the Day; sometimes to the Day as a whole; the Quran preserves both usages.

Significance

Belief in the Day shapes Muslim ethics in this life: every act, intention, and word is recorded and will be presented (Surah Al-Kahf 18:49). The Quran often pairs belief in Allah with belief in the Last Day (e.g., Surah Al-Baqarah 2:177) — the union of monotheism and accountability. Major works in the genre of raqāʾiq ("the softeners of hearts") and eschatology — Ibn al-Qayyim's al-Rūḥ, al-Qurtubi's at-Tadhkirah, Ibn Rajab's at-Takhwīf min an-Nār — preserve the Companions' and classical scholars' detailed engagement with this teaching.

References

The Quran (Sahih International translation): Surahs Al-Qari'ah; Al-Zalzalah; At-Takwir; Al-Infitar; Al-Inshiqaq; Al-Qiyamah; Al-Ghashiyah; An-Naba 78:17–18; An-Nazi'at 79:6–14; Az-Zumar 39:68; Al-Ma'arij 70:4; Al-Anbiya 21:47; Al-Mu'minun 23:99–103; Al-Hajj 22:1–2; Al-Haqqah 69; Al-Kahf 18:49; Al-Isra 17:79; An-Nisa 4:48, 4:116, 4:177; Al-Baqarah 2:177; Al-Kawthar 108.
Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith nos. 2441, 4476, 4814, 6406, 6527, 6579–6592, 7437, 7439, 7510. Trans. M. Muhsin Khan.
Sahih Muslim, hadith nos. 183, 184, 193, 2292–2304, 2694, 2768, 2859, 2864, 2901, 2955. Trans. Abdul Hamid Siddiqui.
Sunan Abi Dawud 4742, graded Sahih by al-Albani.
al-Qurtubi, at-Tadhkirah fi Aḥwāl al-Mawtā wa-Umūr al-Ākhirah, ed. al-Sadiq ibn Muhammad Ibrahim (Maktabat Dar al-Minhaj).
Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, al-Rūḥ, ed. Bassam Ali al-Amush (Dar Ibn Taymiyyah).
Ibn Kathir, al-Nihāyah fi al-Fitan wa-l-Malāḥim (Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah).
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, at-Takhwīf min an-Nār.
Umar Sulayman al-Ashqar, al-Qiyāmah al-Kubrā (Dar al-Nafaʾis).