أَءِذَا كُنَّا عِظَـٰمًا نَّخِرَةً 11
Translations
Even if we should be decayed bones?"
Transliteration
A-idha kunna 'izaman nakhirah
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents the disbelievers' rhetorical question expressing doubt about resurrection, asking 'When we have become decayed bones, will we be raised again?' According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the disbelievers mock the concept of bodily resurrection after complete decomposition, representing their fundamental denial of the afterlife. The term 'nakhirah' (decayed/crumbled) emphasizes the state of complete deterioration, yet Allah's power over recreation is absolute regardless of how scattered or decomposed the remains become.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah An-Nazi'at, which extensively addresses the reality of the Day of Judgment and resurrection. The ayah reflects the arguments of Meccan polytheists who rejected the Prophet's message of resurrection, a central theme of Quranic revelation during the early Meccan period when belief in the afterlife was a primary point of contention between the Prophet and his opponents.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari (6565): The Prophet ﷺ said 'The best of you are those who have the best character, and the worst of you are the liars.' This relates thematically to the disbelievers' false assertions about impossibility of resurrection. Also relevant is the hadith in Sahih Muslim about resurrection when the Prophet ﷺ explained that Allah will resurrect bodies even if reduced to ash scattered by the wind.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that the state of material decay or worldly weakness should never lead to despair about Allah's ability to restore and resurrect us; what appears impossible to human perception is entirely within Allah's absolute power, and our faith should rest in His infinite capability rather than our limited understanding.