بَلَىٰ قَـٰدِرِينَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّسَوِّىَ بَنَانَهُۥ 4
Translations
Yes. [We are] Able [even] to proportion his fingertips.
Transliteration
Balā qādireen 'alā an nusawwī banānahu
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah affirms His absolute power to reconstruct and restore the human body after death, specifically mentioning His ability to perfectly restore even the finest details—the fingerprints (banān). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret this as a response to the disbelievers' denial of resurrection, emphasizing that the One who created these intricate details in life can easily restore them in the afterlife. This ayah highlights both the perfection of Allah's original creation and His complete dominion over all matters of resurrection.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Qiyamah, a Meccan chapter that directly addresses the disbelievers' mockery of the concept of bodily resurrection. The surrounding verses (75:1-4) present Allah's oath and rhetorical affirmation against those who deny the Day of Judgment, establishing the context of refuting resurrection denial.
Related Hadiths
The theme of resurrection and divine power is reinforced in the hadith: 'Every son of Adam will return to dust except the coccyx (tailbone) from which he was created, and from it he will be resurrected' (Sahih Muslim 2955). Additionally, Surah Al-Qiyamah 75:3-4 is directly referenced in tafsir works as emphasizing Allah's power over the smallest details of creation.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that Allah's power extends to every detail of existence, no matter how minute, and that denying resurrection is unreasonable given the complexity and precision of initial creation. For modern readers, it invites reflection on the intricate design of the human body as evidence of divine wisdom and capability, strengthening faith in the certainty of the Day of Judgment.
Related Ayahs
قَالَ هَـٰذَا رَحْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّى ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعْدُ رَبِّى جَعَلَهُۥ دَكَّآءَ ۖ وَكَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّى حَقًّا
[Dhul-Qarnayn] said, "This is a mercy from my Lord; but when the promise of my Lord comes [i.e., approaches], He will make it level, and ever is the promise of my Lord true."
وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بَنَيْنَـٰهَا بِأَيْي۟دٍ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ
And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [its] expander.
۞ وَإِن تَعْجَبْ فَعَجَبٌ قَوْلُهُمْ أَءِذَا كُنَّا تُرَٰبًا أَءِنَّا لَفِى خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ ۗ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِرَبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلْأَغْلَـٰلُ فِىٓ أَعْنَاقِهِمْ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ
And if you are astonished, [O Muḥammad] - then astonishing is their saying, "When we are dust, will we indeed be [brought] into a new creation?" Those are the ones who have disbelieved in their Lord, and those will have shackles upon their necks, and those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.
وَنُفِخَ فِى ٱلصُّورِ فَإِذَا هُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَجْدَاثِ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَنسِلُونَ
And the Horn will be blown; and at once from the graves to their Lord they will hasten.