أَحْيَآءً وَأَمْوَٰتًا 26
Translations
Of the living and the dead?
Transliteration
Ahyaa'an wa amwatan
Tafsir (Explanation)
This phrase refers to Allah's power to resurrect people in both states—alive and dead—emphasizing His complete dominion over life and death. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as referring to the Day of Judgment when Allah will raise the dead from their graves, demonstrating His unparalleled ability to create and recreate. This ayah serves as a stark reminder of divine omnipotence and the certainty of resurrection, which is central to Islamic theology.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Mursalat is a Meccan surah primarily concerned with warning disbelievers about the Day of Judgment and divine punishment. This particular ayah appears within a passage (77:20-26) describing Allah's creative power and sovereignty, emphasizing His ability to resurrect humanity regardless of their state, which refutes the disbelievers' denials of the afterlife.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family' (Tirmidhi). More directly, the hadith in Sahih Muslim states that on the Day of Judgment, 'Allah will gather all the people, and they will be called to account,' affirming the reality of resurrection referenced in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that Allah's power over life and death is absolute and that no one—whether alive or dead—is beyond His reach or knowledge. For modern readers, this serves as a profound call to consciousness and accountability, urging us to live righteously with the awareness that we will ultimately face judgment before the Creator.
Related Ayahs
لِّنُحْـِۧىَ بِهِۦ بَلْدَةً مَّيْتًا وَنُسْقِيَهُۥ مِمَّا خَلَقْنَآ أَنْعَـٰمًا وَأَنَاسِىَّ كَثِيرًا
That We may bring to life thereby a dead land and give it as drink to those We created of numerous livestock and men.
يَوْمَ تُبَدَّلُ ٱلْأَرْضُ غَيْرَ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتُ ۖ وَبَرَزُوا۟ لِلَّهِ ٱلْوَٰحِدِ ٱلْقَهَّارِ
[It will be] on the Day the earth will be replaced by another earth, and the heavens [as well], and they [i.e., all creatures] will come out before Allāh, the One, the Prevailing,
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى يَبْدَؤُا۟ ٱلْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُۥ وَهُوَ أَهْوَنُ عَلَيْهِ ۚ وَلَهُ ٱلْمَثَلُ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
And it is He who begins creation; then He repeats it, and that is [even] easier for Him. To Him belongs the highest description [i.e., attribute] in the heavens and earth. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
قُلِ ٱللَّهُ يُحْيِيكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يَجْمَعُكُمْ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
Say, "Allāh causes you to live, then causes you to die; then He will assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt, but most of the people do not know."