Quran Universe
14:43

مُهۡطِعِينَ مُقۡنِعِي رُءُوسِهِمۡ لَا يَرۡتَدُّ إِلَيۡهِمۡ طَرۡفُهُمۡۖ وَأَفۡـِٔدَتُهُمۡ هَوَآءٞ

MuhtiAAeena muqniAAee ruoosihim la yartaddu ilayhim tarfuhum waafidatuhum hawaon

Racing ahead, their heads raised up, their glance does not come back to them, and their hearts are void.

Word by word
  1. مُهۡطِعِينَRacing ahead
  2. مُقۡنِعِيraised up
  3. رُءُوسِهِمۡtheir heads
  4. لَاnot
  5. يَرۡتَدُّreturning
  6. إِلَيۡهِمۡtowards them
  7. طَرۡفُهُمۡۖtheir gaze
  8. وَأَفۡـِٔدَتُهُمۡand their hearts
  9. هَوَآءٞ(are) empty
Ibrahim · 14:43Makkah

Rushing forward, eyes fixed, hearts empty.

The terror of the Day of Gathering

On that Day
hasteningtoward the caller
heads raisedeyes not blinking
hearts emptyfrom fear
What I can do now
ignore the thoughttoo heavy
seek refugeprepare while it is calm

Ibn Kathir says people will rise from their graves and hurry to the Gathering, heads raised, eyes staring, afraid to blink. Their hearts are empty from fear. He adds: we seek refuge with Allah from this end.

You know the feeling of a racing heart before a big interview, a blank mind in an exam. Multiply that. The calm you build now with prayer and repentance is preparation.

Thinking about that Day is just frightening.

Remembering that Day helps me prepare while I still have calm days.

Try this

Say today, sincerely: O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the terror of that Day.

Related54:820:10870:43
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 14:42)

Consider not that Allah is unaware of that which the wrongdoers do, but He gives them respite up to a Day when the eyes will stare in horror (42)(They will be) hastening forward with necks outstretched, their heads raised up (towards the sky), their gaze returning not towards them and their hearts empty (43)

Allah gives Respite to the Disbelievers and is never unaware of what They do

Allah says, 'O Muhammad, do not think that Allah is unaware of what the unjust disbelievers do. Do not think because Allah gave them respite and delayed their punishment that He is unaware or ignoring punishing them for what they do. Rather, Allah keeps full account of this for them and keeps it on record against them,

إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الْأَبْصَارُ

(but He gives them respite up to a Day when the eyes will stare in horror.) from the horror of the Day of Resurrection.' Allah next mentions how they will all be raised up from their graves and hurriedly gathered for the Day of Gathering,

مُهْطِعِينَ

(hastening forward), in a hurry. Allah said in other Ayat,

مُّهْطِعِينَ إِلَى الدَّاعِ

(Hastening towards the caller.)[54:8]

يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَّبِعُونَ الدَّاعِيَ لَا عِوَجَ لَهُ

(On that Day mankind will follow strictly Allah's caller, no crookedness will they show him.)[20:108] until,

وَعَنَتِ الْوُجُوهُ لِلْحَيِّ الْقَيُّومِ

(And (all) faces shall be humbled before the Ever Living, the Sustainer.)[20:111] Allah said: another Ayah,

يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًا

(The Day when they will come out of the graves quickly.)[70:43] Allah said next,

مُقْنِعِي رُءُوسِهِمْ

(with necks outstretched) meaning, raising their heads up, according to Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid and several others. Allah said next,

لَا يَرْتَدُّ إِلَيْهِمْ طَرْفُهُمْ

(their gaze returning not towards them) meaning, their eyes are staring in confusion, trying not to blink because of the horror and tremendous insights they are experiencing, and fear of what is going to strike them, we seek refuge with Allah from this end. This is why Allah said,

وَأَفْئِدَتُهُمْ هَوَاءٌ

(and their hearts empty.) meaning, their hearts are empty due to extreme fear and fright. Qatadah and several others said that the places of their hearts are empty then, because the hearts will ascend to the throats due to extreme fear. Allah said next to His Messenger ,