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.