What is meant by the blowing of the Trumpet?
Question

                What is the “Trumpet” mentioned in the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And the Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth will swoon away, except him whom Allaah wills”

[al-Zumar 39:68]? 

How will it be blown?.
Praise be to Allah.
    The word “soor” (translated here as trumpet) means a horn, 
    like a trumpet or bugle. The Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings 
    of Allaah be upon him) was asked about the Trumpet and he explained it in 
    terms of what the Arabs knew in their own language, as narrated in Sunan 
    al-Tirmidhi (3244) and elsewhere from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah 
    be pleased with him) who said: A Bedouin said: “O Messenger of Allaah, what 
    is the Trumpet?’ He said: “A horn that is blown into.” Classed as saheeh by 
    al-Albaani in al-Saheehah, 1080. 

    With regard to the one who will blow into it, it is well 
    known that he is Israafeel (peace be upon him). Some of the scholars 
    narrated that there is consensus on this, and it is stated clearly in some 
    ahaadeeth. See Fath al-Baari, 11/368. 

    The Messenger  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon 
    him) has told us that the one who will blow the Trumpet has been ready to do 
    so since Allaah created him, as it is narrated in al-Mustadrak from 
    Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of 
    Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The gaze of 
    the one who will blow the Trumpet has been fixed since he was entrusted with 
    it, looking towards the throne, ready (to blow it), in case he will be 
    commanded to do so before he blinks, as if his eyes are two shining stars.” 
    Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1078. 

    The majority of scholars are of the view that the Trumpet 
    will be blown twice: the first time all creatures will swoon and the second 
    time the resurrection will come to pass. This is based on the verse in which 
    Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

    “And the Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the 
    heavens and all who are on the earth will swoon away, except him whom Allaah 
    wills. Then it will be blown a second time, and behold they will be 
    standing, looking on (waiting)”

    [al-Zumar 39:68]

    And it is based on the saheeh ahaadeeth which mention these 
    two blowings and what will follow them. al-Bukhaari (4651) and Muslim (2955) 
    narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah  (peace and 
    blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Between the two blowings of the 
    Trumpet there will be forty.” The people said, “O Abu Hurayrah! Forty days?” 
    I said: “I am not sure.” They said, “Forty years?” I said: “I am not sure.” 
    They said, “Forty months?” I said: “I am not sure. Then Allaah will send 
    rain down from the sky and they will grow as herbs grow. There is no part of 
    a man which will not decay except a single bone at the base of the coccyx, 
    from which he will be re-created on the Day of Resurrection.”  

    Al-Nawawi said: what is meant by the words of Abu Hurayrah, 
    “I am not sure” is that he could not be certain as to whether what was meant 
    was forty days or years or months; all that he was certain of was that it 
    was forty in general terms. 

    In Saheeh Muslim (2940) it is narrated that 
    ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of 
    Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “… then the 
    Trumpet will be blown and no one will hear it but he will bend his neck to 
    one side and raise it from the other side. The first one who will hear it 
    will be a man who is busy in setting right the cistern meant for supplyingwater to the camels. He will swoon and the other peoplewill also swoon. Then Allah will send or He will send down rain which 
    will be like dew and there will grow outof it the 
    bodies of people. Then the trumpetwill be blown 
    again, and they will stand up and begin to look
    around.”  

    Some of the scholars said that the trumpet will be blown 
    three times, including the time when it will be blown and all people will be 
    terrified, which will come before the people swoon. … They based this on the 
    verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

    “And (remember) the Day on which the Trumpet will be blown, 
    and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth, will be 
    terrified except him whom Allaah will (exempt). And all shall come to Him, 
    humbled”

    [al-Naml 27:87]

    But the fact that swooning is 
    mentioned in one verse and terror is mentioned in another does not mean that 
    they will not happen at the same time when the Trumpet is blown for the 
    first time. Rather they will happen at the same time, so when the Trumpet is 
    blown the people will be terrified, and will swoon as a result and die. 

    They also quoted as evidence some ahaadeeth in which it is 
    mentioned that the Trumpet will be blown three times. 

    But the hadeeth which they quote as evidence is the lengthy 
    hadeeth about the Trumpet, which is a da’eef (weak) hadeeth, as al-Haafiz 
    ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said. And Allaah knows best. See 
    al-Tadhkirah by al-Qurtubi (184); Fath al-Baari, 11/369. 
From the above it may be 
    understood that when Allaah decrees that all living beings should die, He 
    will command the angel to blow the Trumpet, so he will give a mighty blast 
    which will terrify all creatures, as a result of which they will swoon and 
    die. Then they will stay like that for as long as Allaah decrees, which is 
    described as forty without specifying whether that is years, months or days 
    – Allaah knows best how long it is. Their bodies will decay within this 
    period until there is nothing left but the bone from the base of the coccyx, 
    which is a round bone at the base of the spine. Then Allaah will send a 
    cloud that will release rain, and when the water reaches this bone, the body 
    will grow from it like a plant grows and they will be recreated from this 
    bone, just as Allaah created them the first time, for He is able to do all 
    things. Then he will blow the Trumpet to signal the Resurrection, and the 
    souls will return to their bodies and will come forth from their graves and 
    hasten to the place of gathering. We ask Allaah for His mercy and kindness. 

    What the Muslim has to do is to prepare for these decisive 
    moments by hastening to do righteous deeds and keeping away from evil things 
    and bad deeds. 

    If the one who most feared Allaah said, “How can Ibe at ease when the one who blows the trumpet hasput it to his mouth, bent hisforehead and 
    inclined his ear, waiting to see when he will be ordered toblow it?” – as narrated by al-Tirmidhi in al-Sunan, 243, and 
    others, and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah, 1079 – 
    then what about us who are weak and fall short? We ask Allaah to make us 
    among those who will not be grieved by the greatest terror when the angels 
    will meet them (with the greeting), “This is your Day which you were 
    promised.” (cf. al-Anbiya’ 21:103). 

    And Allaah knows best. 

    See al-Qiyaamah al-Kubra by Shaykh ‘Umar al-Ashqar, 
    33-42; A’laam al-Sunnah al-Manshoorah, 122.