Surah Ghafir (40) — Ayah 67

(Ayah 67) ➊ { هُوَ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَكُمْ مِّنْ تُرَابٍ … :} This verse is also evidence of the existence of Allah, His oneness, and the establishment of the Resurrection. Its explanation has already been detailed in Surah Al-Hajj (5) and Surah Al-Mu’minun (12 to 14). However, here a brief explanation of a few words is given.
➋ In both {’’ ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوْۤااَشُدَّكُمْ ‘‘} and {’’ ثُمَّ لِتَكُوْنُوْا شُيُوْخًا ‘‘}, the “lam of purpose” relates to an omitted verb which is understood by itself: {’’ ثُمَّ يُرَبِّيْكُمْ ‘‘} meaning, then He continues to nurture you (so that you reach your youth, then so that you become old) or {’’ ثُمَّ يُبْقِيْكُمْ ‘‘}, meaning, then He keeps you (so that you reach your youth, then so that you become old).
➌ { وَ مِنْكُمْ مَّنْ يُّتَوَفّٰى مِنْ قَبْلُ:} meaning, some are taken in death before being born (in the case of miscarriage), some before reaching youth, and some before reaching old age.
➍ {وَ لِتَبْلُغُوْۤا اَجَلًا مُّسَمًّى:} The connection of this {’’ لِتَبْلُغُوْۤا ‘‘} will not be with the previously implied verb for {’’ لِتَبْلُغُوْۤا ‘‘}, rather, a separate implied verb will have to be assumed for it, for example, {’’وَ فَعَلَ لَكُمْ ذٰلِكَ لِتَبْلُغُوْا أَجَلًا مُّسَمًّي‘‘} “And He has dealt with you in this way so that you may reach the appointed time of death which has been fixed for each of you.” That is, some die after reaching the stage of ‘alaqah, some after reaching the stage of mudghah or bones, some after birth, some after childhood, some after youth, and some after reaching old age. (Ibn Juzayy)
➎ { وَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُوْنَ:} meaning, Allah causes you to pass through these different stages of life so that when you reflect on this amazing system, you understand that there is a Creator who has made all this, and He is One, He has no partner. Otherwise, in this system of the universe, there would not be such tremendous harmony and compatibility between everything, nor could this system run or remain for even a moment. And so that you also understand that after every stage here, there is another stage; for the One who creates from dust and a drop, and after bringing it to a certain time, takes it back, it is not difficult to bring you back to life again and take your account. That is, if you reflect, from this process of creation, the existence of Allah, His oneness, and His power to resurrect you can easily be understood. Shah Abdul Qadir writes: “That is, so many states have passed over you, perhaps one more state will also pass (and) that is, living after dying.” (Muwadhih)

67. 1. That is, He created your father Adam (علیہ السلام) from clay, which necessitates that all his progeny are also created from clay. Then, for the continuity and preservation of the human race, He linked human creation to the drop of fluid (nutfah). Now every human is created from that nutfah which settles in the womb after coming from the loins of the father, except for Isa (علیہ السلام), whose birth occurred miraculously without a father, as is clear from the details mentioned in the Noble Quran and upon which there is consensus of the Muslim Ummah.

67. 2. That is, the One who takes you through all these states and stages is the same Allah, who has no partner.

67. 3. That is, after passing through various stages in the mother's womb, before coming out, some die in the womb, some in childhood, some in youth, and some before old age.

67. 4. That is, Allah does this so that everyone reaches the age that Allah has decreed for them, and spends that much life in the world.

67. 5. That is, when you reflect on these stages and phases—from nutfah to alaqah, then mudghah, then a child, then youth, maturity, and old age—you will know that your Lord is also One and your deity is also One; there is no deity except Him. Besides this, you will also understand that the Allah who does all this, for Him, resurrecting humans on the Day of Judgment is not difficult, and He will certainly resurrect everyone.

He is the One Who created you from dust, then from a drop of fluid, then from a clinging clot, then He brings you forth as a child. Then (He develops you) so that you reach your full strength, then (further) so that you reach old age. And among you is he who is taken in death [90] earlier, so that you may reach a specified term, and so that you may use reason.

[90]
Evidence for Resurrection After Death from the Creation of Man and the Various Stages of Life:

That is, Allah Almighty produced food for you from the lifeless particles of the earth. From this lifeless food, after passing through several stages, semen is produced within you, and according to physicians, semen is produced as a result of the fourth digestion. Then, when this drop of semen enters the mother's womb and the womb accepts it, it passes through several phases, and later the soul is breathed into it. After a fixed period, it emerges from the mother's womb with a beautiful form and astonishing abilities. At that time, it can neither walk, nor speak, nor understand anything. Then, gradually, those abilities begin to develop in it which Allah Almighty has placed in its nature. As a person grows, his intellect, understanding, physical strength, stature—everything continues to increase. Then, when the time of old age comes, despite eating the same foods as before, growth stops and other abilities begin to decline. The final stage is death. Sometimes it comes in childhood, sometimes there is a miscarriage, sometimes a person dies in youth, and sometimes, even after becoming a very old and frail person, he keeps struggling on his deathbed but death does not come to him. Just think! Is any of these stages within your own control? Then, if another stage—resurrection after death—passes over you, why do you consider it impossible?

Some Unalterable Facts About Death:

Then, death is such a compulsory matter and unalterable reality that it encompasses many bitter truths within itself. No pauper, no rich man, no king has ever escaped its grasp, nor will anyone ever be able to in the future. The appointed time for it cannot be advanced or delayed. Sometimes a person escapes countless accidents and is saved from the jaws of death. And sometimes a minor incident proves fatal for him. No king, even after being admitted to the best of hospitals and availing the services of expert doctors, can delay the time of death. And the lesson in this for a true believer and a person of understanding is that, no matter how hard the enemies of Islam try, no matter how many conspiracies they devise, they cannot harm a single hair of anyone until his appointed time of death arrives. Sayyiduna Khalid bin Walid participated in nearly a hundred battles of jihad, but when death came, it came to him at home on his deathbed. This belief instills immense courage in a mujahid. Then, there is another aspect worth considering: a piece of land in which the same type of seed is sown, irrigated with the same kind of water, the season and climate are the same, the care is the same, all the plants in that land receive almost the same upbringing and life. But six children of the same parents, whose food is the same, climate is the same, home is the same, parents are the same, yet their lifespans are all different—some die in childhood, some in youth, and some become so old and miserable that they themselves wish Allah would take them from this world, but death does not come to them. Do not all these things indicate the reality that an All-Powerful Being rules over our life and death? No deity, no saint, no prophet, no star, no shrine-holder has any part in this, otherwise at least the doctors and wise men themselves would not die. Everyone's helplessness is the same, so how can such helpless beings be considered worthy of worship? And how foolish are those people who accept the divinity of others besides Allah.