This des c r i p tion has come only once in the Qura’n and tell us about another aspect of that great Day. In verse 17 of Surah Muzammil God addresses the disbelievers and the polytheists:

“How will you save yourselves if you disbelieve, on the Day when children will turn grey headed?” (1 and 2)

It is a very lucid des c r i p tion that reveals the terror of that day. The moment these events begin they will engulf even the mountains and the deserts and turn them upside down. They will terrorize mankind so much that the children will become grey haired.

Some commentators have taken this verse in the literal sense that actually the signs of age will appear in the children though there is a great distance between childhood and old age. They have given proof e.g. we sometimes find some people in this world whose hairs have turned white due to some horrifying event in some days or even some hours. If the events of this world can be so horrifying while the events of the Day of Reckoning will be far severe so this can certainly take place.

Some have taken it to mean symbolically because this symbolism is often used in the Arabic language to describe some terrifying even and they say, “This event has made me an old man.”

Both interpretations of the verse are possible though it is very far fetched as some say that children will age because the Day will be very long. This verse explains the severity of the events of that Day and the verse preceding has told us that even the mountains will be razed

(1 and2) Some commentators feel that in the above verse the words “Yoma” is an adverb of time or place for “Tattaqun” but this may denote action and the “Azab” may have been taken as fate so the word “Sheeb” which is the plural of “Asheeb” which means aged and can be taken to mean becoming grey haired.