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naḥnu qaddarnā baynakumu l-mawta wa-mā naḥnu bi-masbūqīna
We have ordained death among you, and We are not to be outmaneuvered
— Ali Quli Qarai
56Al-WāqiʿahالواقعةVerse 60 of 96
The Inevitable56. Al-Wāqiʿahالواقعة
al-Wāqi‘ah
The Event
MeccanVerse 60 of 96
Surah al-Waqi‘a - Verses 57-61
57. We created you then why do you believe not?
58. Have you seen what is emitted into wombs?
59. Is it you who create it in the form of man, or are We the Creator?
60. We have decreed death to you all, and We are not outstripped.
61. To transfigure you and create you in forms that you know not.
Resuming the treatment of deniers of Resurrection, the blessed Verses in question deal with the arguments substantiating Resurrection. Such arguments strengthen the pillars of faith and belief in Resurrection and ensure man of the Divine Promises concerning those nearest unto Divine Threshold, the people on the Right Hand, and the people on the Left Hand. They open with saying that God Almighty created you. Why do you not believe in recreation? Why are you surprised on Resurrection and physical raising of the dead after having been turned to dust? Did He not create you from earth? Why do you deny it?
The argument is like the one attested elsewhere in the Glorious Qur’an3 saying:
"And he puts forth for Us a parable and forgets his own creation. He says: "Who will give life to these bones after they are rotten and have turned into dust?" Say: "He shall give life to them Who created them for the first time! And He is the Omniscient of every creation!"
The blessed Verses 58 and 59 read:
"Have you seen what is emitted into wombs? Is it you who create it in the form of man [through different embryonic stages], or are We the Creator [Who each and every day turns the insignificant and worthless semen into a new form and recreate everything]?"
Do you cause all these astonishing developments perplexing all thinkers or is it God Almighty Who causes them? Is the He Who is All-Able to Recreate everything unable to raise the dead on the Day of Resurrection? Furthermore, taking into account the findings of modern scientists concerning this seemingly insignificant drop, it becomes manifest that it is a combination of male sperm and female ovum. Sperm constitutes microscopic cells and two to five hundred million spermatozoa, as large as the population of a number of countries, upon each ejaculation.4
It is a source of surprise that such microscopic cell grows with an astounding speed following its intermingling with ovum and makes human cells. Although all the cells are seemingly alike, but they immediately divide and form the heart, the limbs, the ears and eyes and each of them move to its particular place. In short, semen undergoes drastic development in the embryonic stage until the infant sees the light. All these developments occur in the light of constant Divine Creatorship. It is worthy of note that the form of human beings is simply made through the ejaculation of semen into womb. Is it not a manifest argument for Resurrection substantiating that Divine Omnipotence shall raise the dead?
The blessed Verse 60 is saying that God Almighty decreed death to all and He is not outstripped by anyone. He shall never be vanquished. Decreeing death does not mean that He cannot bestow everlasting life. Consequently, the blessed Verse 61 is saying that decreeing death aims at taking away some of you and substituting you with others and finally at recreating you in another world unknown to you. Thus, the law of death clearly reflects that the world is a passage rather than a permanent abode. It is like a bridge rather than the destination, since had it been the destination, it would have been intransient.
In short, based on these blessed Verses, one may draw three conclusions. Firstly, the creation and emergence of human beings and all the world of existence is dependent upon Divine Omnipotence and he is outstripped by no one. Secondly, human survival and life span are dependent upon Divine Will. Thirdly, God Almighty Who created you out of nothing is All-Able to turn you into those like you. It may intend to say that God Almighty is All-Able to make you perish and recreate human beings like you. It may also indicate that He is Omnipotent to turn you into beings upon Resurrection of whom you are unaware. In other words, God Almighty is All-Able to make you appear in your own dispositions and characters.
The last justification rests on the blessed Qur’anic Verse:
"And We make you in forms of which you are unaware"
and also many traditions reflecting that mankind shall enter the Plain of Resurrection in the forms of their deeds.
Footnotes