كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰهُم مِّمَّا يَعْلَمُونَ 39
Translations
No! Indeed, We have created them from that which they know.
Transliteration
Kallā, innā khalaqnāhum mimmā ya'lamūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah refutes the disbelievers' claim that they will not be resurrected, asserting that He created them from something they fully know—referring to semen (nutfah). Ibn Kathir explains this as Allah's affirmation that just as He created them initially from a despised fluid, He is certainly capable of recreating them after death. Al-Tabari emphasizes that this ayah demolishes the logical fallacy of those who deny resurrection by pointing to the undeniable reality of their own creation from humble origins.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah Al-Ma'arij, which addresses the disbelievers' rejection of the Day of Judgment and the resurrection. The broader context (70:36-44) presents arguments against those who deny the afterlife, with this specific verse serving as a rhetorical counter-argument based on observable creation.
Related Hadiths
The concept of creation from nutfah (semen) is referenced in Sahih Bukhari (3332) where the Prophet ﷺ describes the stages of human creation in the womb. Additionally, Surah Al-'Alaq (96:1-2) complements this with the command to 'Read! In the name of your Lord who created man from a clot.'
Themes
Key Lesson
The ayah teaches us that denying resurrection is illogical when we witness our own creation from humble beginnings, reminding believers that just as Allah created us once, His power to resurrect us is absolute and undeniable. This should strengthen our conviction in the Day of Judgment and humble us before Divine wisdom.
Related Ayahs
أَحْيَآءً وَأَمْوَٰتًا
Of the living and the dead?
أَمْوَٰتٌ غَيْرُ أَحْيَآءٍ ۖ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَ
They are [in fact] dead, not alive, and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected.
إِلَيْهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا ۖ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقًّا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ يَبْدَؤُا۟ ٱلْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُۥ لِيَجْزِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُونَ
To Him is your return all together. [It is] the promise of Allāh [which is] truth. Indeed, He begins the [process of] creation and then repeats it that He may reward those who have believed and done righteous deeds, in justice. But those who disbelieved will have a drink of scalding water and a painful punishment for what they used to deny.
قَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ أَمَتَّنَا ٱثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا ٱثْنَتَيْنِ فَٱعْتَرَفْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا فَهَلْ إِلَىٰ خُرُوجٍ مِّن سَبِيلٍ
They will say, "Our Lord, You made us lifeless twice and gave us life twice, and we have confessed our sins. So is there to an exit any way?"