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
ٱللَّهُ يَبْدَؤُا۟ ٱلْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُۥ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
Allāh begins creation; then He will repeat it; then to Him you will be returned.
وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّرِيَكَ مَا نَعِدُهُمْ لَقَـٰدِرُونَ
And indeed, We are Able to show you what We have promised them.
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَسَلَكَهُۥ يَنَـٰبِيعَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُ بِهِۦ زَرْعًا مُّخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَٰنُهُۥ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَىٰهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُۥ حُطَـٰمًا ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ لِأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ
Do you not see that Allāh sends down rain from the sky and makes it flow as springs [and rivers] in the earth; then He produces thereby crops of varying colors; then they dry and you see them turned yellow; then He makes them [scattered] debris. Indeed in that is a reminder for those of understanding.
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."