Surah Qaaf (50) — Ayah 4

(Ayah 4) ➊ { قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا تَنْقُصُ الْاَرْضُ مِنْهُمْ:} They were calling resurrection impossible because, after becoming dust, all its particles become alike, so when the dust of one is indistinguishable from the dust of another, how can they be resurrected again? Allah Almighty, refuting their doubt, said: « قَدْ عَلِمْنَا » “Indeed, We have already known”—meaning, We already know which parts of their bodies the earth will diminish after death and where those parts, as they turn to dust, will be. Not even a single particle is outside Our knowledge. In {’’ مِنْهُمْ ‘‘}, the word {’’مِنْ‘‘} is for partiality; in this is an indication that not all parts of a human become dust, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ لَيْسَ مِنَ الْإِنْسَانِ شَيْءٌ إِلَّا يَبْلٰي إِلَّا عَظْمًا وَاحِدًا وَ هُوَ عَجْبُ الذَّنَبِ وَ مِنْهُ يُرَكَّبُ الْخَلْقُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ] [ مسلم، الفتن، باب ما بین النفختین : ۲۹۵۵، عن أبي ھریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ] “Everything of the son of Adam decays except for one bone, which is the tailbone, and on the Day of Resurrection, the creation will be assembled from it.”

➋ { وَ عِنْدَنَا كِتٰبٌ حَفِيْظٌ:’’ حَفِيْظٌ ‘‘} is an intensive form. Since people consider written records more reliable, taking into account their common habit, it is said that, in addition to every particle being within Our knowledge, it is also recorded in that book which preserves all things. Then, what difficulty is there for Us in resurrecting those particles? Most commentators have taken {’’ كِتٰبٌ حَفِيْظٌ ‘‘} to mean the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz), in which Allah Almighty has already written everything that is to happen in the future, and in it, the whereabouts of every particle of theirs is also recorded. {’’ كِتٰبٌ حَفِيْظٌ ‘‘} can also mean such a book in which every person’s name, his deeds, and all the conditions he passes through in life and after death are recorded alongside, even to the extent that after death, where each particle of his body is transferred and where it is present. Therefore, denying the Resurrection on the basis that those particles cannot be gathered after becoming dust, is not correct. To instill certainty of resurrection in the disbelievers, this meaning of {’’ كِتٰبٌ حَفِيْظٌ ‘‘} is closer to the words. (And Allah knows best)

4. 1. That is, the earth consumes and decomposes the flesh, bones, hair, etc. of a human, meaning it breaks them into pieces. Not only is this within Our knowledge, but it is also recorded in the Preserved Tablet (لوح محفوظ). Therefore, gathering all these parts and resurrecting them is absolutely not a difficult matter for Us.

We know what the earth diminishes [5] of them, and with Us is a Book in which everything is preserved.

[5]
The Answer to the Second Objection:

In fact, their objection is merely due to their lack of understanding and ignorance of Allah. They cannot even imagine the vastness of Allah’s knowledge and power. Firstly, not everything of theirs goes into the earth; rather, their soul goes into the possession of Allah. Secondly, even if the particles of their bodies mix with the earth, all those particles remain within Allah’s knowledge. And whenever He wills, He can gather those particles, reshape them into a human form, and place the soul back into it to bring it to life again. Thirdly, not only does Allah have knowledge of their particles, but everything is already written and preserved with Him. Then, when something is both within knowledge and has been recorded in writing, what doubt can remain about its certainty?