Muhammad the Prophet of Mercy

7. After
dying and becoming dust, shall we then be resurrected?

The disbelievers of Quraish received
the Prophet r
and his Message with derision and denial. Khabab t narrated:

I came to Al-‘Asi
bin Wail As-Sahmi to demand from him money that he owed me.

He said, “I will not
give you (your money) until you disbelieve in Muhammad.”

I said, “No, until
you die and then be resurrected.”

He said, “Will I die
and then be resurrected!”

I said, “Yes.”

He said, “Then I
will have wealth and children there and pay you back.”

As a consequence, the following Ayah was revealed1: (Have
you seen him who disbelieved in Our Ayat and yet said, “I shall certainly be
given wealth and children (if I live again).”)2

The
disbelievers swore their most solemn oaths that Allah U will not resurrect the dead. Although
they acknowledged that Allah exists, they negated the belief that He will
resurrect the dead, seeing it as impossible after death, decay, and becoming
dust3:

(And
they swear by Allah their strongest oaths that Allah will not resurrect one who dies.
But yes (He will resurrect them) – (it is) a promise (binding) upon Him in
truth, but most of mankind know not. In order that He may make manifest to them
the truth of that wherein they differ, and that those who disbelieved (in
Resurrection, and in the Oneness of Allah) may know that they were liars.)4

They uttered words similar to the past nations who disbelieved
and denied the hereafter, their hearts resembling one another:

(“This
is not but a human being like
you; he eats of that which you eat, and drinks of what you drink. If you were
to obey a human being like yourselves, then verily, you indeed would be losers. Does he promise you that
when you have died and have become
dust and bones, you shall be brought out (of the graves)? How far, how far, is
that which you are promised? Life is not but our worldly life. We die and we live.
And we will not be resurrected. He is only a
man who has invented a lie against Allah, and we are not going to
believe in him.”)5

They were blind to the first miracle of bringing them into
existence, and blind to the nature of Divine Power, which must not be measured
by human mentality or against human abilities. Bringing something into being is
nothing for Divine Power. It is enough to will a thing to be and it is:

(Verily,
Our Word to a thing when We intend it is only that We say to it, “Be!”
and it is.)6

To Divine Power there is nothing difficult or easy, possible or
impossible; directing the Intention towards a thing is enough to bring it into
being or back to being, whatever it be.7

It was narrated that Ubai bin Khalf brought some decayed bones
and started crumbling and scattering them in the air before the Prophet r
while wondering: Who can give life to bones that have rotted?

(Does
not man see that We have created him from Nutfah
(mixed drops of male and
female sexual discharge). Yet behold! He stands forth as an open
opponent. And he puts forth for Us an example, and forgets his own
creation. He says, “Who will give life to
these bones when they have rotted away and became dust?”)8

Humans do not doubt that this fragile fluid, comprised of a
mixture of male and female discharge without form or worth, constitutes their
origin.

A semen drop contains thousands of cells… one of these
thousands of cells joins with an egg to become an embryo, then this man who
argues with and opposes his Lord, haughtily demanding evidence.

(Let
man see from what he is created. He is created from a fluid, ejected.
Proceeding from between the backbone and the ribs. Indeed, Allah is Able to
bring him back (to life).)9

Divine Power of Creation is what makes this semen drop into a
man, who then believes it to be too hard for this Power to bring him back and
resurrect him after decay and oblivion. (Those who disbelieve
have claimed that they will never be resurrected. Say, “Yes. By my Lord, you
will surely be resurrected; then you will surely be informed of (and
recompensed for) what you did. And that, for Allah, is easy.”)10

Does the semen drop show more life, power, or worth than
decayed bones? Does not man come from this drop? Is it not the first creation?
Is He not Who transformed this drop into a man who defies and opposes, able to
make his decayed bones living again?11

An answer of simple logic was sent down to push back the
denying questioner to the limits he haughtily overstepped:

(Say
(O Muhammad), “He will give life to them Who created them for the first time.
And He is the All-Knower of every creation.”)12

A more challenging answer is given to the deniers in another Ayah:

(Say
(O Muhammad), “Be you stones or iron, or some created thing that is yet greater
(or harder) in your breasts.” Then, they will say, “Who shall bring us back (to
life)?” Say, “He Who created you first.” Then, they will shake their heads at
you and say, “When will that be?” Say, “Perhaps it is near!”)13

Bones and mortal remains still contain the smell of humanity
and the relics of life, whereas iron and stones are more devoid of life. Thus,
be you (deniers) stones or iron – or any other creation further removed from
life than stones and iron, and even more difficult in your thoughts to be given
life and resurrected – Allah U shall certainly resurrect
you.14

As to how will this be,
the Prophet r
directs the inattentive eyes to the
source and substance of mankind’s own
creation, nutrition, and place of return: to land, dust, and water – the
element of life:

Abu Razin t asked, “O Messenger of Allah, how will Allah bring the dead to life?”

He r
said, “Have you not passed by a barren valley, then passed by it green?”

Abu Razin said, “Yes,
I have.”

He r
said, “Thus Allah brings the dead to
life.”15

A barren land or a grain
in the darkness of the earth is still and dry without water, neither dead nor
alive; then the fall of rain stirs life into it and, by the Will of Allah, it becomes
verdant gardens laden with ripe fruits of every kind:

(And you see the earth barren, but when We send
down water (rain) on it, it is stirred (to life). It swells and puts forth
every lovely kind (of growth). That is because Allah is the Truth, and it is He
Who gives life to the dead, and it is He Who is Able to do all things. And
surely, the Hour is coming, there is no doubt about it. And surely, Allah will
resurrect those in the graves.)16

Is resurrection anything
other than this? (And He revives the
earth after its death. And thus shall you be brought out (resurrected).)17

Bringing bodies forth
from graves is nothing more than causing a plant in the darkness of the earth
to come forth and grow:

(And
We send down blessed water (rain) from the sky, then We produce therewith
gardens and grain (every kind of harvests) that are reaped. And tall date palms,
with ranged clusters; a provision for (Allah’s) servants. And We give life
therewith to a dead land. Thus will be the resurrection (of the dead).)18

The Prophet r
said, “Allah shall send down
rain, as if it is dew, and there will grow out of it the bodies of people.”19

The earth and whatever is
on it is only a small, modest creation compared to the immense existence beyond
it, and the creation of people compared to the universe is but simple. (The creation of the heavens and the earth is
indeed greater than the creation of mankind, yet most of mankind know not.)20

How can man find it hard
to believe that one who has built a lofty palace, with towering pillars, can
rebuild a simple cottage after its destruction? (And if you (O Muhammad) wonder (at these Mushrikin who deny your Message), then wondrous is their
saying, “When we are dust, shall we indeed then be (raised) in a new creation?”)21

Resurrection is a truth
beyond doubt, which needs for its inevitable journey a provision of good,
righteous deeds. Its back and forth journey from death to life is the everyday
journey of awakening after sleep.

The Prophet r delivered a
sermon at the beginning of his mission, in which he r said, “By
Allah, you shall die the same as you sleep, be resurrected the same as you wake
up, and be recompensed for your deeds, good for good and evil for evil. And it
is either Paradise forever or Hellfire forever.”22