Lit., "they became, in their homes, prostrate on the ground". Ibn 'Abbas - as quoted by Razi - explains the term sayhah (lit., "vehement cry" or "sound") occurring in this verse as a synonym of sa'iqah' a "thunderbolt" or the "sound of thunder". Since the same event is described in 7:78 as "violent trembling" (rajfah), which in that context apparently denotes an earthquake, it is possible that the "vehement sound" mentioned here and in several other places describes the subterranean rumbling which often precedes and accompanies an earthquake and/or the thunder-like noise of a volcanic eruption (see surah {7}, note [62]). However, in view of the repeated use of this expression in varying contexts, we may assume that it has the more general meaning of "blast of punishment" or - as in 50:42, where it indicates the Last Hour - of "final blast".