Creation, Resurrection, and Return
1. Human Origin
“Do people not see that We created them from a sperm-drop…?” (36:77)
The Qur’ān reminds the human being of his beginning.
Creation starts from something unseen and insignificant, yet by Allāh’s will it becomes a conscious being.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever knows himself, knows his Lord.”
(Reported meaning, supported by narrations from Ahlul Bayt)
2. Forgetfulness of Creation
“They argue with Us, forgetting they were created.” (36:78)
Denial of resurrection comes from forgetting the first creation.
The Qur’ān identifies forgetfulness—not lack of evidence—as the root problem.
Imam ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (grandson of the Prophet ﷺ) said:
“How astonishing is the one who doubts the Hereafter, while he witnesses the first creation.”
(Nahj al-Balāghah, meaning)
3. Proof by First Creation
“They will be revived by the One Who created them the first time.” (36:79)
The Qur’ān answers doubt with certainty.
The One who began creation retains full knowledge and power over it.
Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (grandson of the Prophet ﷺ) said:
“The proof of resurrection is the creation that preceded it.”
(al-Tawḥīd, meaning)
4. Life from Opposites
“He gives you fire from green trees.” (36:80)
Allāh brings opposites from one another:
life from death, fire from greenery, existence from nonexistence.
Imam Muḥammad al-Bāqir (grandson of the Prophet ﷺ) said:
“Allāh brings forth what He wills from what appears impossible to people.”
(Meaning)
5. Greater Creation, Lesser Doubt
“Can the One Who created the heavens and the earth not resurrect them?” (36:81)
The Qur’ān on the Vastness of Creation
“The creation of the heavens and the earth is far greater than the creation of mankind.”
(Qur’ān 40:57)
“We built the universe with power, and surely We are expanding it.”
(Qur’ān 51:47)
“You will not see any flaw in the creation of the Most Merciful. Look again—do you see any cracks?”
(Qur’ān 67:3–4)
“Are you harder to create, or the heaven? He built it.”
(Qur’ān 79:27)
The Prophet ﷺ on Scale
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The seven heavens compared to the Kursī are like a ring thrown into a vast desert.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“And the Kursī compared to the Throne is like a ring in a vast desert.”
Imam Muḥammad al-Bāqir (grandson of the Prophet ﷺ) said:
“Beyond these stars are creations unknown to you, all under the dominion of Allāh.”
(Meaning)
6. Divine Command
“He only says to it: ‘Be!’—and it is.” (36:82)
Creation and resurrection are not effort-based for Allāh.
They occur by command alone.
Imam ʿAlī ibn Mūsā al-Riḍā (grandson of the Prophet ﷺ) said:
“Allāh does not create through movement or tools. His command is sufficient.”
(ʿUyūn Akhbār al-Riḍā, meaning)
7. The Final Return
“To Him you will all be returned.” (36:83)
The Qur’ān closes with return—not annihilation.
Ownership belongs to Allāh before creation, during life, and after resurrection.
Imam ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (grandson of the Prophet ﷺ) said:
“You were created for the Hereafter, not for this world;
and you were created to remain, not to perish.”
(Nahj al-Balāghah, meaning)
“So glory be to the One in Whose Hands is the dominion of all things, and to Him you will be returned.” (36:83)
