A051
Surah: 036 - Ayah: 051
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36:51
Sur (Trumpet) of Resurrection
Q. 40. In the verse (36:51), God says: "And (when) the air will be blown they will (come out) from their graves and will hie unto their Lord". Several questions arise from this verse. First, what is the nature and reality of sur-i Israfil and what is the wisdom in it? Secondly, is the soul buried in the physical grave or is there a ta'wil of this? Thirdly, when people will be rushing unto their Lord, what will be the state of their existence? Will they be in a physical state or a spiritual one? Fourthly and lastly, since these souls have to be in the presence of God, where will He manifest Himself, Who is free from and above time and place?
A. a) Sur-i Israfil is a magnificent event and a highly mysterious voice of the place of spirituality. It is neither a horn nor a bugle, rather, it resembles a unique, melodious, extremely touching and fascinating hautbois (shai- nay) and a flute. This is the da*wat-i haqq (the true mission) of the final stage. This is the melody of true love from which, the Prophets and friends of God can duly benefit. On the one side of it, there is fana (annihilation) and on the other, there is bag5 (lasting life). This angelic melody is extremely soul-nourishing and highly soothing, so that the people, who are infatuated with this world, by listening to it, may finally be sure of the realities and gnoses of spirituality. Thus, there are so many wisdoms in the sur-i Israfil. that it is impossible to describe them.
b) It is an irrefutable reality that souls are not buried in the physical grave, hence, there are ta'wili (esoteric) wisdoms hidden in the teachings of the Qur'an and Tradition, related to the physical grave. Thus, according to ta'wil, the grave and graveyard are the live body of man, in which are buried so many souls that, except God, nobody knows their number. Is it not true that man is the microcosm, i.e. the world of spirituality? If you accept this, then it means that all that exists materially in the macrocosm, exists spiritually in the microcosm. Thus, in the microcosm, there are certainly graves also. For, when death occurs to a person and the soul leaves the body, it is buried in the physical grave and the soul becomes buried in a spiritual grave, which is a living personality. In Chapter 19 of Wajh-i Din is mentioned the Prophetic Tradition: "Between my grave and pulpit there is a garden from among the gardens of paradise". Thus the blessed grave of the Prophet was his legatee, namely Mawla All, his pulpit the qa'imu'l-qivamat and the garden, the dacwat-i haqq (the true mission.
c) When the tsur-i Israfil is blown and the people hie unto their Lord, they will not be in this present body; rather, they will be in a spiritual state and attached to the particles of the subtle body which, in addition to this series of questions and answers, has been mentioned in our other writings also.
d) There is no doubt that God is free from and above space and spacelessness, but His holy light is ever present in this world and it is this light which is His presence. Thus, it is obvious that, Israfil will blow the sur where there is the Divine light and the people will hide unto this voice and this exalted court, flying in the form of spiritual particles.
This verse has been referred 4 times.