Surah 37:17
Show Full Scripture Context (37:11-19) — 9 Verses
فَٱسۡتَفۡتِهِمۡ أَهُمۡ أَشَدُّ خَلۡقًا أَم مَّنۡ خَلَقۡنَآۚ إِنَّا خَلَقۡنَٰهُم مِّن طِينٖ لَّازِبِۭ
So ask them for a pronouncement: ‘Are they a stronger creation, or those (others) whom We have created?’ Surely We created them from sticky clay.
بَلۡ عَجِبۡتَ وَيَسۡخَرُونَ
But you are amazed when they ridicule,
وَإِذَا ذُكِّرُواْ لَا يَذۡكُرُونَ
and, when they are reminded, do not take heed,
وَإِذَا رَأَوۡاْ ءَايَةٗ يَسۡتَسۡخِرُونَ
and, when they see a sign, ridicule,
وَقَالُوٓاْ إِنۡ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا سِحۡرٞ مُّبِينٌ
and say, ‘This is nothing but clear magic.
أَءِذَا مِتۡنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابٗا وَعِظَٰمًا أَءِنَّا لَمَبۡعُوثُونَ
When we are dead, and turned to dust and bones, shall we indeed be raised up?
أَوَءَابَآؤُنَا ٱلۡأَوَّلُونَ
And our fathers of old (too)?’
قُلۡ نَعَمۡ وَأَنتُمۡ دَٰخِرُونَ
Say: ‘Yes, and you will be humbled.’
فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ زَجۡرَةٞ وَٰحِدَةٞ فَإِذَا هُمۡ يَنظُرُونَ
(For) it will only be a single shout, and suddenly they will see,
Allah says: ‘Ask these people, those who deny the resurrection, which is harder to create? Are they more difficult to create or the heavens, the earth, the angels, devils, the mighty creatures - everything in between them?’ Ibn Mas’ud said that they admitted that these things were harder to create than they were. If this is the case, then why do they deny the resurrection?
“And they say : "This is nothing but evident magic!"”
means, ‘this that you have brought is nothing but plain magic.’
“When we are dead and have become dust and bones, shall we (then) verily be resurrected? And also our fathers of old?”
They thought that this was unlikely to happen, and they did not believe it.
“Say: "Yes, and you shall then be humiliated".”
means, ‘tell them, O Muhammad: Yes, you will be raised up on the Day of Resurrection, after you have become dust and bones, and you will be humiliated,’ i.e., put to shame before His great might. This is like the Ayat
“And all shall come to Him, humbled” (27:87), and
“Verily, those who scorn My worship, they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!” (40:60)
Then Allah says:
“It will be a single Zajrah, and behold, they will be staring!”
means, it will be a single command from Allah, He will call them once to come forth from the earth, then they will be standing before Him, staring at the horrors of the Day of Resurrection. And Allah knows best.