Will people hear blowing of trumpet & see subsequent destruction of earth. If yes, Then how can a human witness such destruction!

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

According to the most preponderant opinion of the scholars the blowing of the Trumpet will take place twice, as Allaah Says (what means): {And the Trumpet will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will fall dead except whom Allaah wills. Then it will be blown again, and at once they will be standing, looking on.}[Quran 39:68] Allaah also Says (what means): {On the Day the blast [of the Trumpet] will convulse [creation]. There will follow it the subsequent [one].}[Quran 79:6-7]

Moreover, the Prophet said: "Between the two blows (of the Trumpet), there are forty.” So, the Prophet informed us that there will be two blows. Besides, the saying of Allaah (which means): {And [warn of] the Day the Trumpet will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will be terrified except whom Allaah wills.}[Quran 27:87]; does not necessitate that it is a separate blow; rather, it is the same blow that will cause the live people on earth to become very terrified and then they will fall dead, all of them, except whom Allaah wills. Ibn Hajar said: “The fact that falling dead is different from being terrified does not mean that both things will not take place together in the first blow.”

Furthermore, Al-Qurtubi said in his Book entitled “At-Tathkirah”: “The blow that will cause the people to be terrified is the same blow that will cause them to fall dead, as both matters are collateral events after the blow of the Trumpet, i.e. the people will be very terrified to an extent that they will die because of it.”

Therefore, the people who will be then alive on the face of the earth will hear this blow that will cause the end of the world, and all of a sudden they will be struck insensible and will fall dead to an extent that none of them will be able to make a will. Allaah Says (what means): {They do not await except one blast, which will seize them while they are disputing. And they will not be able [to give] any instruction, nor to their people can they return.}[Quran 36:49-50]

On the other hand, a Hadeeth reads: “Then the Trumpet will be blown, and no one hears it except that he will bend his neck to one side (in an attempt to listen to it) and raise it from the other side.” Then he [the Prophet ] said: “And the first to hear it (the Trumpet) will be a man who is busy in repairing the tank meant for supplying water to his camels. He [the Prophet ] said: “He will fall dead and the people will also fall dead.” Moreover, the Prophet told us about the speed of the death of the people when the Hour will take place, as he said: “The Hour will occur while two men spreading a garment in front of them but they will not be able to sell it, nor fold it up; and the Hour will be established when a man has milked his she-camel and has taken away the milk but he will not be able to drink it; and the Hour will be established before a man repairing a tank (for his livestock) is able to water (his animals) in it; and the Hour will be established when a person has raised a morsel (of food) to his mouth but will not be able to eat it."

Thus, the above are some details about the textual evidence about the blowing of the Trumpet that will cause people to die. As for what will happen between the two blows of the Trumpet, then the people will not be aware of it. Then, the second blow of the Trumpet will happen, and people will stand before the Lord of the Worlds. At this time, the sun will be wrapped up [in darkness], and the stars will fall dispersing, and the seas will be filled with flame, and the mountains will be blown away, among the events which Allaah told us of the enormous and great horrors that will take place on that Day and which will be seen by all the humans, and then the people’s glance will not come back to them and their hearts will reach their throats, and the people will face an intense anguish on a Day that will make the children white-haired.

Finally, we ask Allaah to protect us and bestow on us His Mercy as there is neither refuge nor safe haven from Him except in Him.

Allaah Knows best.