Hashr (The Gathering)

What is the Hashr?

The Hashr is the Gathering: the moment, after the resurrection of the bodies, when every human and jinn — from the first to the last — is assembled on a vast plain (ard al-mahshar) before Allah, awaiting the reckoning. It is one of the central stages of the Day of Judgement and forms part of the believer's faith in the Last Day.

Its Description in the Quran

Allah says: "And [warn of] the Day when We will remove the mountains and you will see the earth prominent, and We will gather them and not leave behind from them anyone" (Quran 18:47). And: "On the Day when the [first] blast [of the Trumpet] convulses [the world], followed by the second one — hearts that Day will tremble..." (Quran 79:6-9). Surah 59 is named Surah al-Hashr — "The Gathering" — and opens with the gathering of the Banu al-Nadir, a worldly hashr that mirrors the great one to come.

How the Hashr Will Be

• The Prophet ﷺ said: "You will be gathered barefoot, naked and uncircumcised, just as you were originally created"; 'A'ishah asked, "Will the men and women look at one another?" He said: "O 'A'ishah, the matter is too grave for them to look at one another" (Bukhari 6527, Muslim 2859).
• The sun will be drawn near to creation, and people will be in their sweat according to their deeds (Muslim 2864).
• Among those given shade by Allah on that Day — when there is no shade but His — are the seven categories described in the famous hadith (Bukhari 660, Muslim 1031).

Its Place in the Sequence of the Last Day

After the Trumpet and the resurrection, the Hashr is the great assembly; then the reckoning (hisab) begins, then the Balance (mizan), the giving of records, the Bridge (sirat), and finally Paradise or Hell. The Hashr is the moment in which every claim, every wrong, and every reward becomes visible before the One who knows all.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Hashr different from the Qiyamah?

The Qiyamah is the whole Day of Resurrection and Judgement. The Hashr is one specific stage within it — the gathering of all creation onto the plain after they have been resurrected and before the formal reckoning begins.

Will the animals be gathered too?

The Quran says: "And there is no creature on [or within] the earth or bird that flies with its wings except [that they are] communities like you. We have not neglected in the Register a thing. Then to their Lord they will be gathered" (Quran 6:38). The scholars have spoken in detail about the gathering and the way animals' affairs are settled before Allah.