32. Surah As-Sajdah

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَقَالُوا أَئِذَا ضَلَلْنَا فِي الْأَرْضِ أَئِنَّا لَفِي خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ...

32:10 [Asad] . And they say: "What! when we lie, hidden and lost, in the earth, shall we indeed be in a creation renewed?"

C3641. Cf. 13:5.

It has been the cry of Materialists and Skeptics through the ages not only to bound their horizon with this brief life, but to deny dogmatically that there can be a future life. Though this is against the professed principles of Skeptics, in practice they take up that attitude.

Here "they" refers to those "who give little thanks" to Allah, mentioned in the last verse. The argument used against them is:

if Allah can produce such a wonderful creation the first time, why can He not make it again?

That points to the possibility: our own general inner hope and expectation of a future life, coupled with Faith in Allah's work, is the ground of our certainty.

... بَلْ هُم بِلِقَاء رَبِّهِمْ كَافِرُونَ ﴿١٠﴾

Nay, they deny the meeting with their Lord!

قُلْ يَتَوَفَّاكُم مَّلَكُ الْمَوْتِ الَّذِي وُكِّلَ بِكُمْ...

32: 11. Say:

"The Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will (duly) take your souls:

C3642. If death is certain, as it is, and this life by itself in no way satisfies our instincts and expectations, we may be sure that the agency which separates our soul from our body will bring us into the new world.

If we believe in a soul at all-the very foundation of Religion-we must believe in a Future, without which the soul has no meaning.

... ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ تُرْجَعُونَ ﴿١١﴾

then shall ye be brought back to your Lord."

وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذِ الْمُجْرِمُونَ نَاكِسُو رُؤُوسِهِمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ...

32: 12. If only thou couldst see when the guilty ones will bend low their heads before their Lord,

... رَبَّنَا أَبْصَرْنَا وَسَمِعْنَا فَارْجِعْنَا ...

(saying:)

"Our Lord! We have seen and we have heard: now then send us back (to the world):

C3643. In life on the new plane, there will be no room for deception or self-deception. The most hardened sinner will see the truth and the justice of the Day of Account. He will wish he could be sent back, but it will be too late. The world as we know it will have already passed away.

... نَعْمَلْ صَالِحًا إِنَّا مُوقِنُونَ ﴿١٢﴾

we will work righteousness: for we do indeed (now) believe."

Asad’s Version:

32:10 [Asad ] For, (many are] they [who] say, "What! After we have been [dead and] lost in the earth, shall we indeed be [restored to life] in a new act of creation?" Nay, but [by saying this] they deny the truth that they are destined to meet their Sustainer! "

32:11 Say: "(One day,] the angel of death who has been given charge of you will gather you, and then unto your Sustainer you will be brought back."

(32: 12) If thou couldst but see [how it will be on Judgment Day), when those who are lost in sin will hang their heads before their Sustainer, [saying:) "O our Sustainer! [Now] we have seen, and we have heard! Return us, then, [to our earthly life) that we may do good deeds: for [now], behold, we are certain [of the truth]!" Yet had We so willed, We could indeed have imposed Our guidance upon every human being: 12 but [We have not willed it thus - and so] that word of Mine has come true: "Most certainly will I fill hell with invisible beings as well as with humans, all together!" 13