44:40

إِنَّ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡفَصۡلِ مِيقَٰتُهُمۡ أَجۡمَعِينَ

Inna yawma alfasli meeqatuhum ajmaAAeena

Indeed, the Day of Judgement is the appointed time for them all -

Word by word
  1. إِنَّIndeed
  2. يَوۡمَ(the) Day of Judgment
  3. ٱلۡفَصۡلِ(the) Day of Judgment
  4. مِيقَٰتُهُمۡ(is) an appointed term for them
  5. أَجۡمَعِينَall
Ad-Dukhan · 44:40Makkah

The Day of Sorting is everyone's appointment.

First and last, all gathered


Who is called
the firstearliest people
the lastyou and after you
gathered on
the Day of Judgementthe set time
Whose appointment
maybe not meI will slip by
all of themno one is skipped

Ibn Kathir says this is the Day of Resurrection, when Allah will judge between all creatures. The time appointed for all of them means He will gather the first and the last of them.

Your calendar has a dentist appointment you cannot move. You plan the whole week around it. There is one appointment already booked for you that no one can cancel.

Judgement is something far off that I can think about later.

The Day is an appointment already set, with my name on it.

Try this

Add one small good deed to your calendar for tomorrow, like it is an appointment.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 44:38)

This World was created for a Wisdom

Here Allah tells us of His justice, and that He is far above mere play, folly and falsehood. This is like the Ayah:

وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَآءَ وَالاٌّرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا بَـطِلاً ذَلِكَ ظَنُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنَ النَّارِ

(And We created not the heaven and the earth and all that is between them without purpose! That is the consideration of those who disbelieve! Then woe to those who disbelieve from the Fire!) (38:27)

أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَـكُمْ عَبَثاً وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لاَ تُرْجَعُونَ - فَتَعَـلَى اللَّهُ الْمَلِكُ الْحَقُّ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيمِ

(Did you think that We had created you in play, and that you would not be brought back to Us So Exalted be Allah, the True King: La ilaha illa Huwa, the Lord of the Supreme Throne!) (23:115-116) Then Allah says:

إِنَّ يَوْمَ الْفَصْلِ مِيقَـتُهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

(Verily, the Day of Judgement is the time appointed for all of them) This is the Day of Resurrection, when Allah will judge between all creatures, and He will punish the disbelievers and reward the believers.

مِيقَـتُهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

(is the time appointed for all of them) means, He will gather all of them, the first and the last of them.

يَوْمَ لاَ يُغْنِى مَوْلًى عَن مَّوْلًى شَيْئاً

(The Day when a near relative cannot avail a near relative in aught,) means, no relative will be able to help another relative. This is like the Ayah:

فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِى الصُّورِ فَلاَ أَنسَـبَ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَلاَ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ

(Then, when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no kinship among them that Day, nor will they ask of one another.) (23:101)

وَلاَ يَسْـَلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيماً يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ

(And no friend will ask a friend (about his condition). Though they shall be made to see one another) (70:10-11) which means, he will not ask his brother about how he is, even though he can see him with his own eyes.

وَلاَ هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ

(and no help can they receive,) means, no relative will help another, and no help will come to him from outside.

إِلاَّ مَن رَّحِمَ اللَّهُ

(Except him on whom Allah has mercy.) means, and nothing will be of any avail that Day except the mercy of Allah towards His creation.

إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

(Verily, He is the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful.) means, he is the Almighty, with immense mercy.