The Believers — Verse 16

The Sign of Allah in the progressive creation of Man from Clay then from Nutfah and thereafter Allah tells us how He initially created man from an extract of Tin. This was Adam, peace be upon him, whom Allah created from sounding clay of altered black smooth mud. Ibn Jarir said, "Adam was called Tin because he was created from it." Qatadah said, "Adam was created from Tin." This is the more apparent meaning and is closer to the context, for Adam, upon him be peace, was created from a sticky Tin, which is a sounding clay of altered black smooth mud, and that is created from dust, as Allah says: وَمِنْ ءَايَـتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَكُمْ مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ إِذَآ أَنتُمْ بَشَرٌ تَنتَشِرُونَ (And among His signs is this that He created you (Adam) from dust, and then -- behold you are human beings scattered!) 30:20 Imam Ahmad recorded from Abu Musa that the Prophet said: «إِنَّ اللهَ خَلَقَ آدَمَ مِنْ قَبْضَةٍ قَبَضَهَا مِنْ جَمِيعِ الْأَرْضِ، فَجَاءَ بَنُو آدَمَ عَلَى قَدْرِ الْأَرْضِ، جَاءَ مِنْهُمُ الْأَحْمَرُ وَالْأَبْيَضُ وَالْأَسْوَدُ وَبَيْنَ ذلِكَ، وَالْخَبِيثُ وَالطَّيِّبُ وَبَيْنَ ذلِك» (Allah created Adam from a handful which He picked up from throughout the earth, so the sons of Adam came forth accordingly, red and white and black and in between, evil and good and in between.) Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi recorded something similar. At-Tirmidhi said, "It is Sahih Hasan. " ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَـهُ نُطْفَةً (Thereafter We made him a Nutfah.) Here the pronoun refers back to humankind, as in another Ayah: الَّذِى أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقَهُ وَبَدَأَ خَلْقَ الإِنْسَـنِ مِن طِينٍ - ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسْلَهُ مِن سُلاَلَةٍ مِّن مَّآءٍ مَّهِينٍ (and He began the creation of man from clay. Then He made his offspring from semen of despised water.) 32:7,8 meaning, weak, as He says: أَلَمْ نَخْلُقكُّم مِّن مَّآءٍ مَّهِينٍ - فَجَعَلْنَـهُ فِى قَرَارٍ مَّكِينٍ (Did We not create you from a despised water Then We placed it in a place of safety.) 77:20-21 meaning the womb, which is prepared and readily equipped for that, إِلَى قَدَرٍ مَّعْلُومٍ - فَقَدَرْنَا فَنِعْمَ الْقَـدِرُونَ (For a known period. So We did measure; and We are the Best to measure) 77:22-23 meaning, for a known period of time, until it is established and moves from one stage to the next. Allah says here, ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا النُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً (Then We made the Nutfah into a clot,) meaning, `then We made the Nutfah, which is the water gushing forth that comes from the loins of man, i.e., his back, and the ribs of woman, i.e., the bones of her chest, between the clavicle and the breast. Then it becomes a red clot, like an elongated clot.' `Ikrimah said, "This is blood." فَخَلَقْنَا الْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً (then We made the clot into a little lump of flesh,) which is like a piece of flesh with no shape or features. فَخَلَقْنَا الْمُضْغَةَ عِظَـماً (then We made out of that little lump of flesh bones,) meaning, `We gave it shape, with a head, two arms and two legs, with its bones, nerves and veins.' فَكَسَوْنَا الْعِظَـمَ لَحْماً (then We clothed the bones with flesh,) meaning, `We gave it something to cover it and strengthen it.' ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَـهُ خَلْقاً ءَاخَرَ (and then We brought it forth as another creation.) means, `then We breathed the soul into it, and it moved and became a new creature, one that could hear, see, understand and move. فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَـلِقِينَ (So Blessed is Allah, the Best of creators.) ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَـهُ خَلْقاً ءَاخَرَ (and then We brought it forth as another creation. ) Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said, "We change it from one stage to another until it emerges as an infant, then it grows up through the stages of being a child, adolescent, youth, mature man, old man and senile man." Imam Ahmad recorded in his Musnad that `Abdullah -- Ibn Mas`ud -- said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the Truthful One, told us: «إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيُجْمَعُ خَلْقُهُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا نُطْفَةً، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ عَلَقَةً مِثْلَ ذلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ مُضْغَةً مِثْلَ ذلِكَ، ثُمَّ يُرْسَلُ إِلَيْهِ الْمَلَكُ فَيَنْفُخُ فِيهِ الرُّوحَ وَيُؤْمَرُ بِأَرْبَعِ كَلِمَاتٍ: رِزْقِهِ، وَأَجَلِهِ، وَعَمَلِهِ، وَهَلْ هُوَ شَقِيٌّ أَوْ سَعِيدٌ، فَوَ الَّذِي لَا إِلهَ غَيْرُهُ إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا إِلَّا ذِرَاعٌ، فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ فَيُخْتَمُ لَهُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ فَيَدْخُلُهَا، وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا إِلَّا ذِرَاعٌ، فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ فَيُخْتَمُ لَهُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَيَدْخُلُهَا» (The creation of anyone of you is gathered for forty days in his mother's stomach as a Nutfah, then he becomes a clot for a similar period of time, then he becomes a little lump of flesh for a similar length of time. Then the angel is sent to him and he breathes the soul into it, and four things are decreed: his provision, his life-span, his deeds, and whether he will be wretched or blessed. By the One besides Whom there is no other god, one of you may do the deeds of the people of Paradise until there is no more than a forearm's length between him and it, then the decree will overtake him and he will do the deeds of the people of Hell and thus enter Hell. And a man may do the deeds of the people of Hell until there is no more than a forearm's length between him and it, then the decree will overtake him and he will do finally the deeds of the people of Paradise and thus enter Paradise.) This was recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim. فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَـلِقِينَ (So Blessed is Allah, the Best of creators.) means, when Allah mentions His ability and subtlety in creating this Nutfah and taking it from stage to stage until it takes the shape of a perfectly formed human being, He says, فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَـلِقِينَ (So Blessed is Allah, the Best of creators.) ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ بَعْدَ ذلِكَ لَمَيِّتُونَ (After that, surely you will die.) means, after first being created from nothing, you will eventually die. ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ تُبْعَثُونَ (Then (again), surely you will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection.) means, you will be created anew. ثُمَّ اللَّهُ يُنشِىءُ النَّشْأَةَ الاٌّخِرَةَ (and then Allah will bring forth the creation of the Hereafter) 29:20 means, the Day of Return, when the souls will be restored to their bodies and all of creation will be brought to account. Everyone will be rewarded or punished according to his deeds -- if they are good then he will be rewarded, and if they are bad then he will be punished.

Then on the Day of Resurrection you shall surely be raised for reckoning and requital.

ثم إنكم بعد الموت وانقضاء الدنيا تُبْعثون يوم القيامة أحياء من قبوركم للحساب والجزاء.

" ثم إنكم يوم القيامة تبعثون " يعني النشأة الآخرة ثم الله ينشئ النشأة الآخرة يعني يوم المعاد وقيام الأرواح إلى الأجساد فيحاسب الخلائق ويوافي كل عامل عمله إن خيرا فخير وإن شرا فشر.

ثم إنكم يوم القيامة تبعثون من قبوركم للحساب والجزاء .وهكذا نجد هذه الآيات الكريمة تذكر الإنسان بأطوار نشأته . وبحلقات حياته : وبنهاية عمره . وبحتمية بعثه .وفى هذا التذكير ما فيه من الاعتبار للمعتبرين ، ومن الاتعاظ للمتعظين ، ومن البراهين الساطعة على وحدانية الله - تعالى - .

وإنما قيل: (ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ لَمَيِّتُونَ) ؛ لأنه خبر عن حال لهم يحدث لم يكن. وكذلك تقول العرب لمن لم يمت: هو مائت وميت عن قليل، ولا يقولون لمن قد مات مائت، وكذلك هو طمع فيما عندك إذا وصف بالطمع، فإذا أخبر عنه أنه سيفعل ولم يفعل قيل: هو طامع فيما عندك غدا، وكذلك ذلك في كلّ ما كان نظيرا لما ذكرناه.

" ثم إنكم يوم القيامة تبعثون ".

ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ تُبْعَثُونَ (16)وهي قوله { ثم إنكم يوم القيامة تبعثون } وهو المقصود . فهو كقوله : { الذي خلق الموت والحياة ليبلُوكم أيكم أحسن عملاً } [ الملك : 2 ] . وهذه الجملة لها حكم الجملة الابتدائية وهي معترضة بين التي قبلها وبين جملة : { ولقد خلقنا فوقكم سبع طرائق } [ المؤمنون : 17 ] . ولكون { ثم } لم تفد مهلة في الزمان هنا صرح بالمهلة في قوله بعد ذلك . والإشارة إلى الخلق المبين آنفاً ، أي بعد ذلك التكوين العجيب والنماء المُحكم أنتم صائرون إلى الموت الذي هو تعطيل أثر ذلك الإنشاء ثم مصيرهُ إلى الفساد والاضمحلال . وأكد هذا الخبر ب ( إن ) واللام مع كونهم لا يرتابون فيه لأنهم لما أعرضوا عن التدبر فيما بعد هذه الحياة كانوا بمنزلة من ينكرون أنهم يموتون .وتوكيد خبر { ثم إنكم يوم القيامة تبعثون } لأنهم ينكرون البعث . ويكون ما ذكر قبله من الخلق الأول دليلاً على إمكان الخلق الثاني كما قال تعالى : { أفعيينا بالخلق الأول بل هم في لبس من خَلق جديد } [ ق : 15 ] ، فلم يحتج إلى تقوية التأكيد بأكثر من حرف التأكيد وإن كان إنكارهم البعث قوياً .ونقل الكلام من الغيبة إلى الخطاب على طريقة الالتفات ، ونكتته هنا أن المقصود التذكير بالموت وما بعده على وجه التعريض بالتخويف وإنما يناسبه الخطاب .

{ ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ تُبْعَثُونَ } فتجازون بأعمالكم، حسنها وسيئها. قال تعالى: { أَيَحْسَبُ الْإِنْسَانُ أَنْ يُتْرَكَ سُدًى* أَلَمْ يَكُ نُطْفَةً مِنْ مَنِيٍّ يُمْنَى* ثُمَّ كَانَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقَ فَسَوَّى* فَجَعَلَ مِنْهُ الزَّوْجَيْنِ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنْثَى* أَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ بِقَادِرٍ عَلَى أَنْ يُحْيِيَ الْمَوْتَى }

ثم أخبر بالبعث بعد الموت فقال : ثم إنكم يوم القيامة تبعثون .

The young one of a human being grows in the womb of his mother. In ancient times, the period from conception till child-birth was shrouded in mystery. It was only in the twentieth century that modern scientific developments made it possible to observe the development of a baby in the mother’s womb and obtain direct information about it. The vivid Quranic description of the various developmental stages of the formation and birth of human beings, is surprisingly identical with modern scientific findings. This provides a clear proof of the fact that the Quran is the Book of God. Had it not been so, such similarity between the findings of modern research and the statements of the Quran, revealed fourteen hundred years ago, would not have been possible. The development of the embryo in the mother’s womb shows that the Creator of this world is the most perfect Being. Our knowledge of the creation of man from the very beginning, is sufficient to make us believe that a second creation will take place and will occur in exactly the manner described by the prophets.

ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ تُبْعَثُونَ (Then you are to be raised again on the Day of Judgment - 23:16) so that his deeds and actions in this world may be weighed and he may be sent to Paradise or Hell as he deserves. This is how a man's life would end. Further on there is a brief mention of the events which will take place in the intervening period between his life in this world and the life to come, and of the gift and blessings which Allah will bestow upon him. This is prefaced by a reference to the creation of the skies.

Then lo! on the Day of Resurrection ye are raised (again)) you will be given life again.