22. Sura al-Hajj
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
يَا
أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ
إِن كُنتُمْ
فِي رَيْبٍ
مِّنَ الْبَعْثِ...
22: 5. O mankind!
if ye have a doubt about the Resurrection,
C2773. If they really have doubts in their minds about the life after death, they have only to turn their attention either to their own nature, or to the nature around.
How wonderful is their own physical growth, from lifeless matter, to seed, fertilised ovum, foetus, child youth, age, and death!
How can they doubt that the Author of all these wonderful stages in their life here can also give them another kind of life after the end of this life?
Or, if they look at external nature, they see the earth dead and barren and Allah's fertilising showers bring it in to life, growth and beauty in various forms.
The Creator of this great pageant of Beauty can surely create yet another and a newer world.
...فَإِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ... ...
(consider) that We created you out of dust,
...ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ... ...
then out of sperm,
...ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ...
then out of a leech-like clot,
...ثُمَّ مِن مُّضْغَةٍ مُّخَلَّقَةٍ وَغَيْرِ مُخَلَّقَةٍ لِّنُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ...
then out a morsel of flesh, partly formed and partly unformed, in order that We may manifest (Our Power) to you;
C2774. The stages of man's physical growth from nothing till he completes the cycle of this life are described in words whose accuracy, beauty, and comprehensiveness can only be fully understood by biologists.
Parallel to the physical growth, may be understood man's inner growth, also by stages and by Allah's creative artistry.
...وَنُقِرُّ فِي الْأَرْحَامِ مَا نَشَاء إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى...
and We cause whom We will to rest in the wombs for an appointed term,
C2775. That is,
- a male or a female child,
- a fair or an ugly child,
- a good or a rebellious child, etc,
involving countless mysteries of genetics and heredity.
...ثُمَّ نُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلًا ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوا أَشُدَّكُمْ...
then do We bring you out as babes, then (foster you) that ye may reach your age of full strength;
...وَمِنكُم مَّن يُتَوَفَّى...
and some of you are called to die,
...وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرَدُّ إِلَى أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ لِكَيْلَا يَعْلَمَ مِن بَعْدِ عِلْمٍ شَيْئًا...
and some are sent back to the feeblest old age, so that they know nothing after having known (much).
C2776. Cf. 16:70.
In that passage the mystery of our life was used to illustrate Allah abundant mercies and favours to us.
Here it is used to illustrate Allah's power in giving us a future Life of even greater promise.
...وَتَرَى الْأَرْضَ هَامِدَةً...
And (further), thou seest the earth barren and lifeless,
...فَإِذَا أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا الْمَاء اهْتَزَّتْ وَرَبَتْ وَأَنبَتَتْ مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍ بَهِيجٍ ﴿٥﴾
but when We pour down rain on it, it is stirred (to life), it swells, and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs).
C2777. A beautiful nature passage so pregnant in meaning that the earnest student wonders what magic and truth have been conveyed in so few words.
M. Pickthall's Egyptian colleague Prof. Ghamrawi (see M. Pickthall's note on this passage) was but expressing the feelings of every careful student of the Quran.
The "subtlety and wealth of meaning" are indeed marvellous.
Others version:
Arabic Source and Roman Transliteration
يَا
أَيُّهَا
النَّاسُ إِن
كُنتُمْ فِي
رَيْبٍ مِّنَ
الْبَعْثِ
فَإِنَّا
خَلَقْنَاكُم
مِّن تُرَابٍ
ثُمَّ مِن
نُّطْفَةٍ
ثُمَّ مِنْ
عَلَقَةٍ
ثُمَّ مِن
مُّضْغَةٍ
مُّخَلَّقَةٍ
وَغَيْرِ
مُخَلَّقَةٍ
لِّنُبَيِّنَ
لَكُمْ ۚ وَنُقِرُّ
فِي الْأَرْحَامِ
مَا نَشَاءُ
إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ
مُّسَمًّى
ثُمَّ نُخْرِجُكُمْ
طِفْلًا ثُمَّ
لِتَبْلُغُوا
أَشُدَّكُمْ
ۖ وَمِنكُم
مَّن يُتَوَفَّىٰ
وَمِنكُم مَّن
يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰ
أَرْذَلِ
الْعُمُرِ
لِكَيْلَا
يَعْلَمَ مِن
بَعْدِ عِلْمٍ
شَيْئًا ۚ
وَتَرَى الْأَرْضَ
هَامِدَةً
فَإِذَا أَنزَلْنَا
عَلَيْهَا
الْمَاءَ
اهْتَزَّتْ
وَرَبَتْ
وَأَنبَتَتْ
مِن كُلِّ
زَوْجٍ بَهِيجٍ
Ya ayyuha alnnasu in kuntum fee
raybin mina albaAAthi fa-inna
khalaqnakum
min
turabin
thumma
min nutfatin
thumma
min AAalaqatin thumma
min mudghatin
mukhallaqatin waghayri mukhallaqatin linubayyina lakum
wanuqirru fee al-arhami ma nashao ila
ajalin musamman thumma nukhrijukum tiflan thumma
litablughoo ashuddakum waminkum man yutawaffa waminkum
man yuraddu ila arthali alAAumuri likayla
yaAAlama min baAAdi AAilmin shay-an watara al-arda
hamidatan fa-itha anzalna AAalayha
almaa ihtazzat warabat waanbatat min kulli zawjin
baheejin
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22:5
O MEN! If you are in doubt as to the [truth of] resurrection, [remember that,] verily, We have created [every one of] you out of dust, then out of a drop of sperm, then out of a germ-cell, then out of an embryonic lump complete (in itself] and yet incomplete, 4 so that We might make [your origin] clear unto you. And whatever We will [to be born] We cause to rest in the [mothers'] wombs for a term set [by Us], and then We bring you forth as infants and [allow you to live] so that [some of] you might attain to aturity: for among you are such as are caused to die [in childhood], just as many a one of you is reduced in old age to a most abject state, ceasing to know anything of what he once knew so well. 5 And [if, O man, thou art still in doubt as to resurrection, consider this:] thou canst see the earth dry and lifeless - and [suddenly,] when We send down waters upon it, it stirs and swells and puts forth every kind of lovely plant!
[[ Asad’s notes - 4 This rendering conforms with the interpretation of the phrase mukhallaqah wa-ghayr mukhallaqah by Ibn 'Abbas and Qatadah (the latter quoted by Tabari and the former by Baghawi), alluding to
the various stages of embryonic development. In addition, Tabari explains the expression ghayr mukhallaqah as denoting the stage at which the embryonic lump (mudghah) has as yet no individual life - or, in his words, "when no soul has as yet been breathed into it" (la yunfakh fiha ar-ruh). - As regards the expression "created out of dust", it is meant to indicate maris lowly biological origin and his affinity with other "earthy" substances; see in this connection the second half of note 47 on 3:59, and note 4 on 23:12. 5 See note 79 on 16:70. ]]
