The Greatest Terror · Islam Museum

Depth

At a glance

Overview

The Greatest Terror is a Qur'anic phrase in surat al-Anbiya': 'the Greatest Terror shall not grieve them; the angels shall receive them — this is your day that you were promised' the verse of the Greatest Terror ¹.

In exegesis

The exegetes differ on its exact referent — the severest fright of the Day, the blast itself, or the terror of the gathering in general — while agreeing that those for whom God's best has preceded are not grieved by it ¹ ² ³.

People and things also explored

Al-barzakh· The Basin (al-Hawd) of the Prophet on the Day of Resurrection· The Reckoning· The major signs of the Hour· The rivers of Paradise· The causes that remove punishment for sins· The Throne-Bearers· The endings of deeds (khawatim)

Sources

Tafsir Ibn Kathir
al-Mufhim li-ma Ashkala min Talkhis Kitab Muslim, vol. 7
Jami' al-Bayan 'an Ta'wil Ay al-Qur'an, ed. Ahmad Muhammad Shakir and Mahmud Muhammad Shakir, vol. 16 (Maktabat Ibn Taymiyya, Cairo)

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The Greatest Terror”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/al-faza-al-akbar/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-12.

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Wing

Ideas

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Al-barzakh

The barrier between this world and the next in which souls remain until the day they are raised; in it are the grave's bliss and its punishment as the texts report.