That is, it will be spread out completely, with no mountains, no curvature, and no dwellings. Hence the caller will make them hear, because there will be nothing to block the sound, and they will be seen, meaning that the most distant will be seen as clearly as the closest. All creatures will be gathered on this flat plain with no mountains, rivers, gullies or anything else.”

There is a difference of scholarly opinion as to whether the land of gathering will be on an earth other than the earth of this life, or it will be on the same earth after its features have been changed.

Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "His promise will be fulfilled on the day when the earth will be changed to another earth and so will the heavens, and all people will appear before Allah, the One, the Subjugator." (Ibrahim 14:48)

Al-Sa‘di said, “(His promise will be fulfilled) on the Day when the earth will be changed to another earth and so will the heavens that is, the heavens will be changed to other heavens. This refers to a change in attributes, not in essence, for on the Day of Resurrection the earth will become flat and all mountains and landmarks will be removed from its surface. So it will become a smooth, levelled plain, in which you will see no depression or elevation.”

Al-Hafiz al-Hakami said, “The change of the earth and the heavens will be a change in their condition, otherwise they will be the same as they were. And Allah knows best.”

It was narrated from Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) that a Jewish rabbi asked the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) some questions, one of which was: Where will the people be on the Day when the earth is changed to another earth and so will the heavens? The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “They will be in darkness near the bridge (the sirat).” (Muslim)

Abu’l-‘Abbas al-Qurtubi said, “The words ‘Where will the people be on the Day when the earth is changed to another earth’ indicate that what is meant by this change is the removal of this earth, after which another earth will be brought.”

Al-Qurtubi said, “These hadiths state that the heavens and the earth will be removed and replaced, and Allah will create a new earth on which the people will be after they have crossed the bridge.”

4.3. Description of the gathering of people
There are some general conditions in which all people will be gathered: they will be gathered barefoot, naked and uncircumcised.

It was narrated that ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, 'You will be gathered barefoot, naked and uncircumcised.” ‘A’ishah said: O Messenger of Allah, men and women together, looking at one another? He said: “The matter will be too overwhelming for them to be concerned about that!” Then he recited the verse (interpretation of the meaning), 'As We originated creation, so We will repeat it, a promise binding upon Us. We will indeed fulfil it.'" (al-Anbiya’ 21:104)

Al-Nawawi said: “ ‘barefoot, naked and uncircumcised’… uncircumcised means that the foreskin – which is the piece of skin that is cut in circumcision – has not been removed. … What is meant is that they will be gathered as they were created, with nothing extra such as shoes and clothing and nothing taken away from them; even the foreskin will remain.”

There are some specific characteristics that some people will have; there are a variety of such characteristics, some of which are good and some are bad, according to what the people sent on ahead of good and bad deeds

It was narrated that Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I heard the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say, 'Every slave (of Allah) will be raised in the state in which he died.'"

Al-Nawawi said, “The scholars said: What is meant is that each person will be resurrected in the state in which he died.”

‘Ali al-Qari said, "His saying, 'Will be raised' means he will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection; ‘in the state in which he died’ means according to the deed he was doing, whether it was good or bad, and he will be requited for it.'"

Ibn ‘Allan said, “This hadith offers encouragement to the individual to do good deeds, to adhere to the Sunnah (ways, manners, behaviour and attitudes) of Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in all situations, and to be sincere to Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, alone in all his words and deeds, so that he will die in that praiseworthy state and be resurrected accordingly.”

Examples of that include the following
i. How the arrogant will be on the Day of Resurrection. It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “The arrogant will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection like ants in the shape of people; they will suffer all types of humiliation.” (Al-Tirmidhi, Ahmad; Sahih)

ii. How those who asked people for help when they were not in need will be on the Day of Resurrection. It was narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, 'A man will keep on asking people for help when he is not in need of help until he comes on the Day of Resurrection with not a bit of flesh on his face.'" (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

iii. How those who stole from the war booty will be on the Day of Resurrection
Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Anyone who misappropriates anything from the war booty will carry it with him on the Day of Resurrection. Then every soul will be paid in full what it has earned and no one will be wronged." (Al ‘Imran 3:161)

Al-Qurtubi said, “The words Anyone who misappropriates anything from the war booty will carry it with him on the Day of Resurrection mean that he will come carrying it on his back and shoulders, tormented by having to carry its weight, terrified by its noise, put to shame by the exposure of his betrayal in front of everyone.”

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stood before us one day and mentioned theft from the war booty (ghulul). He declared it to be an extremely serious matter, then he said, 'I do not want to see one of you coming on the Day of Resurrection with a groaning camel on his shoulders, saying, 'O Messenger of Allah, help me!' for I will say. 'I cannot do anything for you. I conveyed (the message) to you.' I do not want to see one of you coming on the Day of Resurrection with a neighing horse on his shoulders, saying, 'O Messenger of Allah, help me!' for I will say, 'I cannot do anything for you. I conveyed (the message) to you.' I do not want to see one of you coming on the Day of Resurrection with a bleating sheep on his shoulders, saying, 'O Messenger of Allah, help me!' for I will say, 'I cannot do anything for you. I conveyed (the message) to you.' I do not want to see one of you coming on the Day of Resurrection with a person crying loudly on his shoulders, saying, 'O Messenger of Allah, help me!' for I will say, ‘I cannot do anything for you. I conveyed (the message) to you.' I do not want to see one of you coming on the Day of Resurrection with flapping clothes on his shoulders, saying, 'O Messenger of Allah, help me!' for I will say, 'I cannot do anything for you. I conveyed (the message) to you.' I do not want to see one of you coming on the Day of Resurrection with a heap of gold and silver on his shoulders, saying, 'O Messenger of Allah, help me!' for I will say, 'I cannot do anything for you. I conveyed (the message) to you.'" (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

iv. How those who did wudu’ will be on the Day of Resurrection, with bright faces and limbs because of the traces of wudu’. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, "You will be the ones with bright faces and limbs on the Day of Resurrection, because of doing wudu’ properly." (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Ibn al-Athir said, “That is, the places washed in wudu’ will be shining brightly, the arms, face and feet.”

Ibn al-Mulaqqin said, “Those who did wudu’ will be raised on the Day of Resurrection with bright faces and limbs because of the traces of wudu’, as an honour to them and a testimony to confirm their deeds in this world so that they will be distinguished by them.”

v. How the martyrs will be on the Day of Resurrection
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, 'By the One in Whose hand is my soul, there is no one who is wounded in Allah’s cause – and Allah knows best who is wounded in His cause – but he will come on the Day of Resurrection with its colour the colour of blood and its scent the scent of musk.'" (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Ibn Battal said, “The words ‘there is no one who is wounded’ mean there is no one who sustains injuries. The words ‘in Allah’s cause’ refer to jihad. This includes every injury sustained in any righteous cause or when engaging in something that Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, has permitted, such as fighting those who rebel against the Muslim state, the Kharijites and thieves, or fighting to enjoin what is right or forbid what is wrong… This hadith indicates that the martyr will be resurrected in the state and appearance in which he died.”

Al-Nawawi said, “The wisdom behind the martyr coming on the Day of Resurrection in the state and appearance in which he died is so that it will be a testimony to his virtue and to his offering his life in obedience to Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted.”

4.4. The first of the people to be resurrected
The first of the people to be resurrected will be Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “I will be the leader of the sons of Adam on the Day of Resurrection, the first one for whom the grave is opened, the first one to intercede and the first one whose intercession will be accepted.” (Muslim)

‘Ali al-Qari said, "His saying, 'The first one for whom the grave is opened’ means that he will be the first one to be resurrected from his grave and to be present in the place of gathering.…'"

The first one to be clothed will be Ibrahim (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “The first of the people to be clothed on the Day of Resurrection will be Ibrahim.” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Al-Halimi said, “It may be that the reason why Ibrahim (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) will be the first one to be clothed is because of the reports which said that there was no one among the first and the last who feared Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, more than Ibrahim, so the reason why he will be the first to be clothed is because of what he went through of fear of Allah, so as to reassure him… Or it may be because those who threw him in the fire stripped him of his clothes in front of the people, as is done to one who is going to be executed, and because what he went through was for the sake of Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, ; when he bore it with patience, sought reward from Allah and put his trust in Him, the harm of the fire was warded off from him in this world and the hereafter, or it may be that as a recompense for that nakedness when he was stripped, Allah will cause him to be the first one whose nakedness will be covered before all people on the Day of Resurrection. And Allah knows best.”

The best nation of believers in the place of gathering will be the ummah of Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him); Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, will single them out in the place of gathering by granting them some characteristics which will distinguish them from other nations

Those characteristics include the following:
i. This ummah will have the greatest number of followers of all the prophets. It was narrated from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “I will be the prophet with the greatest number of followers.” (Muslim)

ii. This ummah will stand out because of a mark by which it will be known, which is that they will come with bright faces and limbs because of the traces of wudu’ The best of the people in the place of gathering, in the most perfect state, will be the Prophets (blessings and peace of Allah be upon them).

The best of the Prophets in condition will be Adam and the five Messengers of strong resolve, namely Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, ‘Isa and Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon them), as is clearly indicated by the hadith of intercession. The people in the place of gathering will go to them in particular from among all the prophets and messengers, asking them to intercede for them with Allah, so that He will grant them relief from the horrors of the place of standing. Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) will be the best of the people in the place of gathering, and his condition will be the best, for he is the one who will be granted the greatest intercession, for which each of the prophets will apologize when asked and will advise the people to seek it from the next one in turn (blessings and peace of Allah be upon them all).

Ibn Hajar said regarding the hadith of intercession, “This highlights the superiority of Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) over all people, because the messengers, prophets and angels are better than all others, and his superiority over them will become clear in this situation. Al-Qurtubi said: ‘If there was nothing else except highlighting the difference between one who says ‘Myself myself’ and one who says ‘My ummah, my ummah,’ that would be sufficient.’ It also highlights the superiority of the prophets mentioned by name over those who are not mentioned by name, because they are qualified for that important role (intercession), to the exclusion of others. It was said that those who are mentioned are singled out for that because of other reasons that have nothing to do with being superior: Adam is mentioned because he is the father of all, Nuh is mentioned because he is the second father of humanity, Ibrahim is mentioned because of the command to follow his path, Musa is mentioned because he had the greatest number of followers, and ‘Isa is mentioned because he is the closest of the people to our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), as is proven in the sahih hadith. Or it may be that they are singled out for that because they brought systems of law that were followed.”

4.5. The gathering of the animals
Animals will not enter Hell or Paradise, because they are not accountable and are not deserving of reward or punishment. But Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, will resurrect them.

Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "There is no creature that moves on the earth, and no bird that flies on its two wings, but they are communities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book of Our decrees, then to their Lord they will be gathered." (al-An‘am 6:38)

Ibn Taymiyah said, “As for the animals, Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, will resurrect them all, as is indicated by the Qur’an and Sunnah.”

Al-Shawkani said, “The words then to their Lord they will be gathered refer to the communities mentioned. This indicates that they will be gathered as the sons of Adam will be gathered.”

Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "And when the wild beasts are gathered." (al-Takwir 81:5)

Al-Sa‘di said, "And when the wild beasts are gathered that is, when they are gathered on the Day of Resurrection so that Allah may settle the scores among them and show people the perfect nature of His justice.” It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Rights will certainly be restored to all creatures on the Day of Resurrection, until even the hornless sheep will settle its score with the horned one.” (Muslim)

Al-Nawawi said, “This is a clear statement that the animals will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection and brought back to life, just as accountable people will be brought back to life, and as children and the insane, and those whom the call of Islam did not reach will be brought back to life. There is corroborating evidence for that in the Qur’an and Sunnah… If there is a religious text and there is no reason – based on rational thinking or another religious text – not to interpret it according to its apparent meaning, then it must be understood according to the apparent meaning. The scholars said: It is not a condition of bringing creatures back to life on the Day of Resurrection that it should be for the purpose of requital, punishment or reward. As for settling scores between the horned and hornless animals, that is not settling scores because of being accountable, because they are not accountable; rather it is settling scores by way of making them even. And Allah knows best.”