تَرْجِعُونَهَآ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ 87
Translations
Bring it back, if you should be truthful?
Transliteration
Tarji'oonaha in kuntum sadiqeen
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah is part of Allah's challenge to those who deny the Quran and the resurrection, asking them to return the soul to the body if they are truthful in their claim that there is no afterlife. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir explain this as a rhetorical challenge demonstrating human powerlessness over life and death, which only Allah controls. The verse emphasizes that if the deniers truly believed their position, they should be able to restore life to the dead—a task only the All-Powerful can accomplish.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Waqi'ah is a Meccan surah revealed during the early period of Islam when the Quraysh denied the resurrection and the Day of Judgment. This ayah appears in the context of Allah's argument against those who reject the Hereafter, using the inability of humans to control life and death as proof of Allah's absolute power and the certainty of the resurrection.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly addresses this specific ayah, Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim contain numerous hadiths about the Day of Judgment and resurrection (e.g., the hadith about the signs of the Hour), which relate thematically to the surah's overall message about the inevitability of the afterlife.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah invites believers to reflect on their complete dependence on Allah for life itself, humbling any human pride or arrogance about controlling their destiny. For modern readers, it serves as a reminder that ultimate power belongs only to Allah, encouraging sincere belief in the Hereafter and submission to His will.
Related Ayahs
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَلَمْ يَعْىَ بِخَلْقِهِنَّ بِقَـٰدِرٍ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يُحْـِۧىَ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ ۚ بَلَىٰٓ إِنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Do they not see that Allāh, who created the heavens and earth and did not fail in their creation, is able to give life to the dead? Yes. Indeed, He is over all things competent.
قَالُوٓا۟ أَتَعْجَبِينَ مِنْ أَمْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ رَحْمَتُ ٱللَّهِ وَبَرَكَـٰتُهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ ٱلْبَيْتِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ حَمِيدٌ مَّجِيدٌ
They said, "Are you amazed at the decree of Allāh? May the mercy of Allāh and His blessings be upon you, people of the house. Indeed, He is Praiseworthy and Honorable."
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.
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,