Al-Israa (The Night Journey)

51. “Or any (other) creature harder in your minds!’ They will immediately say: ‘Who will return us?’ Say: ‘He Who created you the first time.’ Then, they will shake their heads at you, and say: ‘When will it be? Say: ‘Maybe it will be nigh’.”

Man will be dismembered and turned into dust after death, but the earth is the source of everything which provides man with life. Plants grow out of soil and living beings flourish on the soil.

Therefore, to re-enliven the dead out of soil is not to be considered as an ordeal by the Lord, given the fact that you have such materials as iron and stone even creatures in mind which are harder than soil and which are far more remote from life than soil, the Lord is, hence, capable of re-enlivening and re-invigorating them as well as everything.

The verse says:

“Or any (other) creature harder in your minds!’…”

The rejecters of Resurrection have got no reason for denying it. The only question relating to the fact as to when and how are we going to be enliven, and by who? The answer provided by the Qur’an is that that same Lord Who has created you in the first place, has also got the power to re-create you as well. The timing of this is not at all far away; maybe it is coming soon.

The verse continues saying:

“…They will immediately say: ‘Who will return us?’…”

Ultimately, to their astonishment, they shake their heads at you, asking you when this resurrection occurs and has its timing?

The verse adds:

“…Say: ‘He Who created you the first time.’ Then, they will shake their heads at you, and say: ‘When will it be?…”

By raising this objection, in fact, they wanted to unveil this matter that supposing this ‘earthly matter’ is convertible into human shape and supposing we accept the power of Allah with respect to this, this issue is a long-term promise which is far from clear as to when that will take place.

The Qur’an, answers them:

“…Say: ‘Maybe it will be nigh’.”

Certainly, it is approaching soon, for the entire life-span of this world is very short and is just a passing moment when compared to the endless life in the Hereafter.

Moreover, if the resurrection was to be regarded as far away by our small and limited criteria, the threshold of the resurrection day, which is death, is not far away, for your death is ‘a minor resurrection day’ as compared to the ‘major resurrection’ when it is time for the evaluation of the acts of human beings.