Al-Anbiyaa (The Prophets)

34. “And We appointed immortality for no man before you. Then if you die, can they be immortal?”

35. “Every soul shall taste of death; and We try you with evil and good for a testing, and unto Us you shall be returned.”

Through a part of the previous verses, we were acquainted with the fact that some polytheists objected about the Prophet (S) as why he was a human being. This verse refers to some other objections that they had. Sometimes they said that the fame that the Prophet (S), or as they called him ‘that poet,’ had got was not lasting and everything would be vanished by his death.¹

Sometimes they thought such that since this man believes that he is the seal of the prophets, he should not die in order to protect his religion, and, therefore, his death in future will be the reason for the falseness of his claim.

The Qur’an answers them for their false imagination in a short sentence. It says:

“And We appointed immortality for no man before you.…”

This is the invariable law of creation that no one has an eternal life. Besides that, do these people, who are happy for your death just now, live immortally after your death?

The verse says:

“…Then if you die, can they be immortal?”

The duration of a religion, creed, and a sacred law does not need the ever permanence of its bringer. His successors may continue his line after him.

Then the Holy Qur’an states the general law of death for all souls, with no exception, as follows:

“Every soul shall taste of death;…”

After mentioning the general law of death, there will arise this question that: What is the aim of this ephemeral life, and what is the use of it?

In the continuation of this holy verse, the Qur’an states as follows:

“…and We try you with evil and good for a testing, and unto Us you shall be returned.”

The Divine trial is harder when it is done by means of afflictions.

Your main abode has not been assigned in this world. It is somewhere else. You have come here only for taking examinations, and after the end of the examination and gaining the necessary development, you will go to your main abode, the world of the Hereafter.

By the way, Amir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (as), concerning the Qur’anic sentence, saying:

“…and We try you with evil and good for a testing…”,

said:

“Health and self-sufficiency is ‘good’, and sickness and poverty is ‘evil’ and both of them are for trial.”2