- Prophet Muhammad (s) said: ‘Whoever would like to perceive the Day of Judgement, let him read [the chapter] idhā al-shamsu kuwwirat.’[1]Tabrisi, 10/441; Daqaiq, 9/143.
- It is also reported from Prophet Muhammad (s) in another tradition: ‘Whoever desires to perceive the Day of Judgement as if he were witnessing it with his own eyes, should read the following three surahs: idhā al-shamsu kuwwirat [81], idhā al-samāʾu infaṭarat [82], and idhā al-samāʾu inshaqqat [84].’[2]Suyuti, 6/318. This is because these surahs present the signs and events of the Day of Judgement in such a vivid form that the reader of these surahs is rendered as if he is witnessing the Day of Judgement with his own eyes.
- It is reported that when Abū Bakr asked Prophet Muhammad (s) the reason for the appearance of signs of old age in him, he replied: ‘The surahs of al-Hūd [11], al-Wāqiʿah [56], al-Mursalāt [77], ʿamma yatasāʾalūn [al-Nabaʾ – 78], and al-Takwīr have made me old!’[3]Nur, 5/513; Daqaiq, 9/143. This response of the Prophet may be appreciated in light of the contents of these chapters wherein the frightening events of the Day of Judgement are so clearly illustrated that they have the potential to turn a pious person hoary.
[1] Tabrisi, 10/441; Daqaiq, 9/143.
[2] Suyuti, 6/318.
[3] Nur, 5/513; Daqaiq, 9/143.
