وَأَنَّ عَلَيْهِ ٱلنَّشْأَةَ ٱلْأُخْرَىٰ 47
Translations
And that [incumbent] upon Him is the other [i.e., next] creation.
Transliteration
Wa anna alayhi an-nasha'ata al-akhrah
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that upon Allah rests the responsibility and power to bring about the final resurrection and the afterlife. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that this statement establishes Allah's absolute authority over creation and the Hereafter, refuting those who deny resurrection. Al-Qurtubi notes that the particle 'anna' (that/indeed) introduces a divine decree, underscoring that the second creation is not merely possible but divinely ordained and guaranteed.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah An-Najm, a Meccan surah revealed during the early period of Islam when polytheists vehemently denied the concept of bodily resurrection. The surah addresses core Islamic beliefs, and this particular ayah counters the prevalent Meccan skepticism about the Hereafter by asserting Allah's omnipotence over both creation and resurrection.
Related Hadiths
Related to Surah Yasin 36:79 where the Prophet (peace be upon him) affirmed that Allah 'knows every creation' and is capable of resurrection. Also thematically related to the hadith in Sahih Bukhari where the Prophet described how Allah will resurrect people on the Day of Judgment, emphasizing divine power over the second creation.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that resurrection is not a matter of philosophical debate but a divine certainty—Allah alone possesses the power to create and recreate. For modern readers, this teaches that faith in the Hereafter should be rooted in confidence in Allah's absolute power rather than rational doubt or materialist objections.
Related Ayahs
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُصَوِّرُكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْحَامِ كَيْفَ يَشَآءُ ۚ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
It is He who forms you in the wombs however He wills. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ ٱللَّهُ ۚ قُلْ أَفَرَءَيْتُم مَّا تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ إِنْ أَرَادَنِىَ ٱللَّهُ بِضُرٍّ هَلْ هُنَّ كَـٰشِفَـٰتُ ضُرِّهِۦٓ أَوْ أَرَادَنِى بِرَحْمَةٍ هَلْ هُنَّ مُمْسِكَـٰتُ رَحْمَتِهِۦ ۚ قُلْ حَسْبِىَ ٱللَّهُ ۖ عَلَيْهِ يَتَوَكَّلُ ٱلْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ
And if you asked them, "Who created the heavens and the earth?" they would surely say, "Allāh." Say, "Then have you considered what you invoke besides Allāh? If Allāh intended me harm, are they removers of His harm; or if He intended me mercy, are they withholders of His mercy?" Say, "Sufficient for me is Allāh; upon Him [alone] rely the [wise] reliers."
إِلَى ٱللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ ۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
To Allāh is your return, and He is over all things competent."
أَمْ أَمِنتُم مَّن فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ أَن يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَاصِبًا ۖ فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ كَيْفَ نَذِيرِ
Or do you feel secure that He who is above would not send against you a storm of stones? Then you would know how [severe] was My warning.