وَنُفِخَ فِى ٱلصُّورِ فَإِذَا هُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَجْدَاثِ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَنسِلُونَ 51
Translations
And the Horn will be blown; and at once from the graves to their Lord they will hasten.
Transliteration
Wa nufikha fi as-suri fa-idha hum min al-ajdathi ila rabbihim yansilun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the blowing of the trumpet (Israfil's horn) on the Day of Resurrection, after which the dead will emerge from their graves and hastily return to their Lord for judgment. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this depicts the second blast of the trumpet when resurrection occurs—the first blast causes death and destruction, while the second brings life to all creation. The word 'yansilun' (they hasten/rush) emphasizes the urgency and inevitability of this divine event, as all souls are compelled by Allah's command to proceed toward accountability.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah Ya-Sin's broader theme of resurrection and the certainty of the afterlife, revealed in Mecca during the period when the Quraysh disputed the concept of resurrection. The surah addresses disbelievers' denials of the Day of Judgment by presenting vivid descriptions of how resurrection will unfold, making it undeniably real and imminent.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said regarding the trumpet: 'The trumpet will be blown and all who are in the heavens and all who are in the earth will faint except those whom Allah wills.' (Sahih Muslim 2782). Additionally, 'Between the two blasts there will be forty' (length of time debated among scholars) - related in various hadith collections regarding the duration between death and resurrection.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that resurrection is an absolute certainty—not a matter of doubt or speculation—and that all souls will be brought before Allah to account for their deeds. It should inspire urgency in preparing for that inevitable day through righteous action and sincere repentance, recognizing that death is merely a transition to eternal consequence.
Related Ayahs
ٱلْيَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلَىٰٓ أَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَتُكَلِّمُنَآ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَتَشْهَدُ أَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
That Day, We will seal over their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will testify about what they used to earn.
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَمَا خَلْفَكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
But when it is said to them, "Beware of what is before you and what is behind you; perhaps you will receive mercy..."
ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَن لَّا يَسْـَٔلُكُمْ أَجْرًا وَهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ
Follow those who do not ask of you [any] payment, and they are [rightly] guided.
وَإِن نَّشَأْ نُغْرِقْهُمْ فَلَا صَرِيخَ لَهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُنقَذُونَ
And if We should will, We could drown them; then no one responding to a cry would there be for them, nor would they be saved