وَٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَرْسَلَ ٱلرِّيَـٰحَ فَتُثِيرُ سَحَابًا فَسُقْنَـٰهُ إِلَىٰ بَلَدٍ مَّيِّتٍ فَأَحْيَيْنَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ ٱلنُّشُورُ 9
Translations
And it is Allāh who sends the winds, and they stir the clouds, and We drive them to a dead land and give life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness. Thus is the resurrection.
Transliteration
Wallahu alladhi arsala ar-riyaha fathiru sahaban fasaqnahu ila baladin mayyitin fa-ahyayna bihi al-arda ba'da mawtiha, kadhalika an-nushur
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes Allah's power and mercy through the natural phenomenon of rain-bearing winds: He sends the winds that stir up clouds, directs them to a dead land, and revives the earth through rainfall. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir emphasize that this vivid description of Allah's life-giving sustenance serves as a profound metaphor for the resurrection (al-nushur)—just as Allah revives the barren earth with rain, He will resurrect the dead on the Day of Judgment with similar ease and perfection.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Fatir (Chapter 35), a Meccan surah that emphasizes Allah's creative power and dominion. The broader context addresses the signs of Allah in creation and serves to convince the Meccan disbelievers of Allah's omnipotence and the certainty of the afterlife, countering their denial of resurrection.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said regarding rain: 'The wind brings the clouds, and Allah drives the clouds to a dead land and sends down the rain' (a report in this general sense appears in various hadith collections). Additionally, hadith literature emphasizes contemplation of Allah's signs in creation as a means of strengthening faith.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah invites believers to observe the natural world as proof of Allah's power and to reflect on how just as Allah effortlessly revives dead earth with rain, the resurrection of humanity is equally certain and effortless for Him. It teaches that contemplation of creation strengthens faith and provides comfort in trusting Allah's ultimate justice and power.
Related Ayahs
ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱصْطَفَيْنَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا ۖ فَمِنْهُمْ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِۦ وَمِنْهُم مُّقْتَصِدٌ وَمِنْهُمْ سَابِقٌۢ بِٱلْخَيْرَٰتِ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَضْلُ ٱلْكَبِيرُ
Then We caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants; and among them is he who wrongs himself [i.e., sins], and among them is he who is moderate, and among them is he who is foremost in good deeds by permission of Allāh. That [inheritance] is what is the great bounty.
وَإِن يُكَذِّبُوكَ فَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِكَ ۚ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ ٱلْأُمُورُ
And if they deny you, [O Muḥammad] - already were messengers denied before you. And to Allāh are returned [all] matters.
وَمَا يَسْتَوِى ٱلْبَحْرَانِ هَـٰذَا عَذْبٌ فُرَاتٌ سَآئِغٌ شَرَابُهُۥ وَهَـٰذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ ۖ وَمِن كُلٍّ تَأْكُلُونَ لَحْمًا طَرِيًّا وَتَسْتَخْرِجُونَ حِلْيَةً تَلْبَسُونَهَا ۖ وَتَرَى ٱلْفُلْكَ فِيهِ مَوَاخِرَ لِتَبْتَغُوا۟ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
And not alike are the two seas [i.e., bodies of water]. One is fresh and sweet, palatable for drinking, and one is salty and bitter. And from each you eat tender meat and extract ornaments which you wear, and you see the ships plowing through [them] that you might seek of His bounty; and perhaps you will be grateful.
وَمَا يَسْتَوِى ٱلْأَحْيَآءُ وَلَا ٱلْأَمْوَٰتُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُسْمِعُ مَن يَشَآءُ ۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِمُسْمِعٍ مَّن فِى ٱلْقُبُورِ
And not equal are the living and the dead. Indeed, Allāh causes to hear whom He wills, but you cannot make hear those in the graves.