How will they go to the place of gathering?

The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said in explaining the three categories: “People will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection in three categories: one category on foot, one category on riders, and one category on their faces.” Here, O son of Adam, offer yourself either honor and hospitality or humiliation and disgrace: The first person whose grave will split open will be the master of creation, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and perhaps the prophets after him – then Abu Bakr and Umar, then the people of Al-Baqi’, who will be gathered with the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, then the people of Mecca { On the Day the earth will split open from them quickly. That is an easy gathering for Us. } [Qaf: 44]. People will go to the place of assembly in three states: 1) The first category:  They are of two types: the unjust disbeliever and the unjust monotheist. The disbelievers rise from their graves, their faces blue and dusty, covered with shame and humiliation, terrified and frightened, their anxiety , thirst and hunger having reached a level that only God knows. They whisper to one another: And they whisper among themselves about the short duration of this world and the speed of the Hereafter. Some of them say, “You have only remained ten days,” and some of them say something else. And God knows their whispering and hears what they say when the best of them in method says, meaning the most just of them and the closest to the estimate, “You have only remained one day.” What is meant by this is great regret, for how they wasted the short times and spent them heedlessly, distracted, turning away from what benefits them and turning toward what harms them. So now the recompense has arrived and the threat is true, so nothing remains but regret and supplication for woe and destruction (2). They wonder at the horror of the tragedy, saying, “ Who has raised us from our beds… ” Then they respond to themselves, “ This is what the Most Merciful promised, and the messengers spoke the truth.” [Yasin: 52] Because at that time they will have known and the truth that they denied will have become clear to them, so they will believe where belief is of no use, or they will hear that response from the angels who are witnesses against them. When they rise, they will find themselves unable to walk on their feet, hands, legs, or as animals do. They will also not be able to remain in their graves if they are unable to walk. Rather, they will find themselves compelled to rise, walking on their faces, blind, unable to see their way, deaf, unable to hear warnings or alerts, and mute, unable to speak, God forbid. { And We will gather the criminals on that Day blue-eyed. } [Ta-Ha: 102]. { And faces, that Day, will be covered with dust . Darkness will cover them .} [Abasa: 40-41] { And We will gather them on the Day of Resurrection on their faces, blind, dumb, and deaf. } [Al-Isra: 97]. As for the unjust monotheist, it has been said that whoever says there is no god but God will not turn back on his face, and it has been said that he will be resurrected like them because he knew the truth and then turned away from it. In the hadith: “ If an alcoholic dies, he will meet God like an idol worshipper. ” (3) But whoever prostrates to God in a prostration may not turn back, and how can he turn back when it has been reported that God honors him in the fire , and He orders it not to touch the places of prostration, as has been proven in the hadith. (4) And God knows best. 2) The second category: They are the people of the right who walk on their feet. 3) The third category:  They are the group of riders who do not walk, but are carried on the purebred camels of Paradise, which are the white camels of Paradise , on which are golden saddles. We see such distinctions between people in this world: { See how We have favored some of them over others. And the Hereafter is greater in degrees and greater in preference .} [Al-Isra: 21]. In this world, we find that the distinguished group is the rich and those in position and prestige. They have a special world where they are not equal to the rest of humanity. At airports, we find them special reservations and reception rooms befitting their likes. In hotels, they have distinguished suites. In banks, you see people crowding and standing in lines to take care of their needs. As for these people, they have air-conditioned rooms, where they are served various kinds of sweets and coffee while their affairs are taken care of. People point to them with their fingers, for they are the group who have won the race and occupied the high position. We hear people say about them, “These are people who have arrived…” But I swear to God, I do not know where they have arrived… ? One of them may have reached his current level of wealth through usury and consuming people’s money unjustly, or he may have reached fame and position through trickery and deceit, but in any case, this one who arrived is, in the eyes of the people, deficient. As for these people, they have reached the honor of their Lord, the Almighty, and their registration with Him in the lists of honor. They are people who have reached the pinnacle of sublime things. Their natures are good, and their character is upright. White camels, carrying golden saddles, come to their graves and welcome them. They rise from their graves in tranquility and reassurance. They do not panic when people panic, and they do not grieve when people grieve. They shake the dust off themselves and say, “Praise be to Allah, who has removed our grief.” These are the ones brought near, the forerunners in good deeds. They have always stayed up in obedience to their Lord while people were asleep. They have always stood up to perform the night prayers in the dead of night while people were lost in their pleasures. One of the righteous predecessors used to prolong his night prayers, and his little daughter used to see him doing that and felt compassion for him. She asked him once, “Oh…” Father, I see that you spend a long time praying at night. You have exhausted yourself. He said to her: My daughter, I want their rest. Let them be at ease now and enjoy rest, distinction, and high status. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said in explaining the three categories: “ People will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection in three categories: one category on foot, one category on riders, and one category on their faces .” They said: “O Messenger of God, how will they walk on their faces?” He said: “ The One who made them walk on their feet is able to make them walk on their faces. But they protect themselves with their faces from every hump and thorn. ” (5) 1) The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “The first one from whom the earth will split will be me, then Abu Bakr, then Umar. Then I will come to the people of al-Baqi’ and it will split open for them, and I will be sent among them.” Narrated by al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn, vol. 3, p. 72. He said: Its chain of transmission is sound, but they did not include it in their collections. In another narration: “I will be the first one from whom the earth will split, then Abu Bakr, then Umar. Then I will come to the people of al-Baqi’ and they will be gathered with me. Then I will wait for the people of Makkah until they are gathered between the two sanctuaries.” Al-Arna’ut classed it as weak in Sahih Ibn Hibban, no. 6899. (2) See Al-Saadi’s interpretation, Vol. 1, p. 513. (3) Musnad of Imam Ahmad. Al-Albani mentioned it with the wording, “An alcoholic is like an idol worshipper,” and authenticated it in Sahih al-Jami’. (4) See the hadith in Sahih Ibn Majah by al-Albani, No. 51. See Fath al-Bari, Vol. 11, p. 340, Chapter: Whoever struggles with his soul in obedience to God. (5) Narrated by Ahmad, and Al-Arna’ut said: It is a good hadith, and its number is 8632.