Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 70

(Ayah70) ➊ {وَ اللّٰهُ خَلَقَكُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَفّٰىكُمْ…:} After mentioning the signs of Allah’s power in rain and its effects, cattle and the milk obtained from them, dates and grapes and the things derived from them, and the amazing performance of the honeybee, now a few of the signs found within man himself are mentioned. In this verse, four or five stages of human life are mentioned. First is birth, along with which death is mentioned; the remaining stages are mentioned later, because after birth, it is not necessary for every person to pass through all those stages. Death sometimes occurs in the womb itself, sometimes at another stage of life. Some people are returned to the most feeble age, in which a person becomes as weak as in childhood. His helplessness is such that his senses are taken away, and whatever he had learned or experienced in life, he forgets all of it. He becomes dependent on others for everything. The stages between childhood and the most feeble age are not mentioned, because they are self-evident. Childhood, adolescence, youth, reaching the peak of strength, middle age, old age, and finally the most feeble age. If Allah wills, He can turn any of these stages into the most feeble age. For further explanation of this verse, see Surah Ar-Rum (54) and Surah Ya-Sin (68).

➋ { ثُمَّ يَتَوَفّٰىكُمْ:} Here, after birth, death is also mentioned as a sign and a blessing. As a sign, it is for both believers and disbelievers, but as a blessing, it is only for the believer, no matter at which stage of life he dies, because there is no way to be saved from the most feeble age except through it, and at whatever stage of life one dies, there is no way out of the prison except through it. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اَلدُّنْيَا سِجْنُ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَجَنَّةُ الْكَافِرِ ] [ مسلم، الزھد والرقائق، باب الدنیا سجن للمؤمن وجنۃ للکافر : ۲۹۵۶، عن أبي ھریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ] “The world is a prison for the believer and a paradise for the disbeliever.” Then how can there be any doubt that death is a blessing.

➌ Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Seek refuge with these words with which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to seek refuge: [ اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْجُبْنِ وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْبُخْلِ وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ أَنْ أُرَدَّ إِلٰی أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الدُّنْيَا وَعَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ ] [ بخاری، الدعوات، باب الاستعاذۃ من أرذل العمر… : ۶۳۷۴ ] ‘O Allah! I seek refuge in You from cowardice, and I seek refuge in You from miserliness, and I seek refuge in You from being returned to the most feeble age, and I seek refuge in You from the trials of the world and the punishment of the grave.’”

➍ {اِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَلِيْمٌ قَدِيْرٌ :} All these stages of life and death—no one can create them except with perfect knowledge and power, and that being is only Allah, the Exalted.

➎ Some scholars have said that practicing scholars are protected from the most feeble age; even if their age is advanced, their intellect and memory remain intact. This is indicated by some interpretations of this verse: «{ ثُمَّ رَدَدْنٰهُ اَسْفَلَ سٰفِلِيْنَ (5) اِلَّا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ }» [ التین : ۵، ۶ ] “Then We reduced him to the lowest of the low, except those who believe and do righteous deeds.” Shanqiti (may Allah have mercy on him) and many hadith scholars, despite being over a hundred years old, retained their intellect and memory.

70. 1. When a person exceeds the natural lifespan, then his memory also becomes weak and sometimes the intellect is impaired, and he becomes like an ignorant child. This is the prolonged life from which the Prophet ﷺ also sought refuge.

70. Allah created you, then He will cause you to die, and among you are those who are brought back to the most abject stage of life [69], so that after having knowledge, they know nothing. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.

[69]
No Creature Can Exceed Its Appointed Limit:

After these external examples, Allah Almighty has presented the example of man himself: first, he is a child, he eats food for his upbringing, through which his height increases, his strength grows, and his intellect and knowledge also increase, which stops after reaching a specific limit. After that, man continues to eat the same foods he used to eat before, but their effects begin to appear completely opposite. Instead of strength, weakness starts to occur in his body, his intellect diminishes greatly, his memory weakens, to the extent that he even begins to forget things he had learned before. His limbs become feeble, and despite his grown stature, he starts to speak like children, insist like children, and act like children, to the extent that he is no longer aware of his own body. Even though he eats the same food he used to eat in childhood, or even better foods, still he has to drink the bitter cup of death.

Refuge from the Most Decrepit Age:

Has man ever thought why this happens? Or what conclusion can be drawn from this? It shows that there is a Powerful and Wise Being who, according to His will, brings about such changes in man and can do so, and there is no deity besides Allah who can prevent these changes. Yes, if Allah wills, He can protect a person from such humiliation even in this most decrepit age. Thus, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to seek refuge from such a life. [بخاري، كتاب التفسير]
And there are two ways to avoid such an age: one is that Allah Almighty grants death before such a time comes; the second is that even when such a time comes, He keeps the person healthy and preserves his senses, and Allah is capable of both these things.