رِّزْقًا لِّلْعِبَادِ ۖ وَأَحْيَيْنَا بِهِۦ بَلْدَةً مَّيْتًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ ٱلْخُرُوجُ 11
Translations
As provision for the servants, and We have given life thereby to a dead land. Thus is the emergence [i.e., resurrection].
Transliteration
Rizqan lil-ibadi wa-ahyayna bihi baldatan maytatan, kadhalika al-khuruj
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to Allah sending down rain as sustenance for His servants and using it to revive dead land, illustrating His power over life and death. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir interpret this as a proof of Allah's ability to resurrect the dead on the Day of Judgment, as the revival of barren earth parallels the resurrection of bodies from graves. The phrase 'kadhalika al-khuruj' (thus is the emergence/resurrection) directly connects the physical phenomenon of rain reviving the earth to the spiritual reality of humanity's emergence from the graves.
Revelation Context
Surah Qaf is a Meccan surah focused on establishing the concept of resurrection and the Day of Judgment. This ayah appears within a passage (50:9-11) that uses natural phenomena as evidence of Allah's creative power and as metaphors for the resurrection—a central theme addressing Meccan polytheists who denied the Hereafter.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The example of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever' (Sahih Muslim 2586). Additionally, Surah Qaf's themes relate to hadiths about resurrection found in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim regarding the signs of the Day of Judgment.
Themes
Key Lesson
Just as Allah revives dead earth with rain, demonstrating His absolute power, believers should reflect on their own spiritual state and recognize that true revival comes from submitting to Allah's guidance. This ayah reminds us that nothing is impossible for the Creator, encouraging trust in His promises of resurrection and the ultimate justice of the Hereafter.