Page 36 - The Day of Judgment

34 THE DAY OF JUDGMENT

solid appearance and bow to Allah's will. Everything will be
finished by Allah's command "Be!," for they have obeyed Allah's
order and fulfilled their roles as His submissive servants. When the
mountains are destroyed and scattered like colored wool, and when
the ground gives up its contents, Allah's infinite greatness will be
reflected. As Allah reveals in the Qur'an, the oceans will be ablaze
and boil over on that Day.

The Inferno of the Oceans
It is almost impossible to imagine the oceans, which cover three-
fourths of Earth's surface, coming to a furious boil all at once. Even
when forcing the limits of their minds, people can have only a vague
idea of just how terrifying that event will be. So far, our personal
experience probably consists of images of erupting volcanoes or
burning crude oil tankers seen on television or in photographs.
However, the descriptions given in the verses are beyond
comparison. Only our knowledge of Allah's infinite greatness,
power, and might can give an idea about the scale of these expected
calamities, for He can alter or overturn the universe's order.
Along with everything else being spewed out of the ground, hot
o
o
lava, having an estimated temperature of 4,500 C (9,000 F) will spill
over wherever it can, including into the oceans. Those who have
seen lava emerging from the bottom of the ocean in documentaries
have witnessed this really amazing scene. The scenes on the Day of
Judgment, however, will be very different, for they will be all-
encompassing and far more terrifying. The oceans will burn, and an
inescapable wall of fire will engulf people. On that Day, all oceans
will be set alight.
As Allah says in the Qur'an:

When the seas are filled with flame. (Surat at-Takwir, 6)