Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (533)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(5–7) “O mankind, if you are in doubt about the Resurrection, then surely We created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clinging clot, then from a lump of flesh, formed and unformed, so that We may make it clear to you. We cause whatever We will to remain in the wombs for an appointed term; then We bring you forth as infants, and then raise you until you reach full maturity. Some of you die, while others are reduced to the most decrepit age, so that after having knowledge they know nothing. And you see the earth lifeless, but when We send down water upon it, it stirs, swells, and brings forth every delightful kind.”

Allah Most High says: “O mankind, if you are in doubt about the Resurrection”—that is, if you harbor doubt and uncertainty and do not know that it will occur, although you are obliged to believe your Lord and His messengers concerning it—then, if you insist upon doubting, here are two rational proofs that you can witness. Each conclusively proves that which you doubt and dispels doubt from your hearts.

The first is the proof furnished by the initial creation of the human being: the One who originated him will recreate him. Allah says concerning this: “Surely We created you from dust.” This was through the creation of Adam, the father of mankind, peace be upon him. “Then from a sperm-drop,” meaning semen. ⦗534⦘ This is the beginning of the process of formation. “Then from a clinging clot,” meaning that the sperm-drop, by Allah’s permission, becomes red blood. “Then from a lump of flesh,” meaning that the blood becomes a lump—a morsel of flesh about the size of something that can be chewed. Sometimes this lump is “formed,” meaning that the human form takes shape from it, and at other times it is “unformed,” when the womb expels it before it takes shape. “So that We may make it clear to you”—that is, the origin of your creation. Although Allah Most High is able to complete its creation in a single instant, He brings it through these stages to demonstrate to us the perfection of His wisdom, the greatness of His power, and the vastness of His mercy.

“We cause whatever We will to remain in the wombs for an appointed term”; that is, We cause whatever pregnancies the wombs do not expel to remain there for as long as We will, until the appointed term, which is the period of pregnancy. “Then We bring you forth” from your mothers’ wombs “as infants,” knowing nothing and possessing no power. We make your mothers devoted to your care and cause your provision to flow for you from their breasts. You then pass from one stage to another until you reach full maturity, meaning the perfection of strength and reason.

“Some of you die” before reaching the age of full maturity, while others live beyond it and are “reduced to the most decrepit age”—that is, its lowest and most abject stage. This is the age of senility and mental decline, in which reason fades and disappears, just as the rest of one’s strength fades and weakens.

“So that after having knowledge they know nothing”; that is, so that this aged person no longer knows anything that he previously knew, due to the weakness of his reason. Human strength is thus bounded by two states of weakness: the weakness and deficiency of infancy, and the weakness and deficiency of old age. As Allah Most High says: “Allah is the One who created you in weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then gave you weakness and gray hair after strength. He creates whatever He wills, and He is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful.”

The second proof is the revival of the earth after its death. Allah says concerning it: “And you see the earth lifeless,” meaning still and dust-covered, with neither vegetation nor greenery. “But when We send down water upon it, it stirs,” meaning that it moves with growing vegetation, “and swells,” meaning that it rises after its lowly stillness because its vegetation increases, “and brings forth every kind”—that is, every variety of plant—“delightful,” meaning that it delights those who behold it and pleases those who contemplate it. These two decisive proofs establish the following five truths.

﴿٥ - ٧﴾ ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ فِي رَيْبٍ مِنَ الْبَعْثِ فَإِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ مُضْغَةٍ مُخَلَّقَةٍ وَغَيْرِ مُخَلَّقَةٍ لِنُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ وَنُقِرُّ فِي الأرْحَامِ مَا نَشَاءُ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى ثُمَّ نُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلا ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوا أَشُدَّكُمْ وَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُتَوَفَّى وَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُرَدُّ إِلَى أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ لِكَيْلا يَعْلَمَ مِنْ بَعْدِ عِلْمٍ شَيْئًا وَتَرَى الأرْضَ هَامِدَةً فَإِذَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا الْمَاءَ اهْتَزَّتْ وَرَبَتْ وَأَنْبَتَتْ مِنْ كُلِّ زَوْجٍ بَهِيجٍ﴾ . يقول تعالى: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ فِي رَيْبٍ مِنَ الْبَعْثِ﴾ أي: شك واشتباه، وعدم علم بوقوعه، مع أن الواجب عليكم أن تصدقوا ربكم، وتصدقوا رسله في ذلك، ولكن إذا أبيتم إلا الريب، فهاكم دليلين عقليين تشاهدونهما، كل واحد منهما، يدل دلالة قطعية على ما شككتم فيه، ويزيل عن قلوبكم الريب. أحدهما: الاستدلال بابتداء خلق الإنسان، وأن الذي ابتدأه سيعيده، فقال فيه: ﴿فَإِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ تُرَابٍ﴾ وذلك بخلق أبي البشر آدم ﵇، ﴿ثُمَّ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ﴾ أي: مني، ⦗٥٣٤⦘ وهذا ابتداء أول التخليق، ﴿ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ﴾ أي: تنقلب تلك النطفة، بإذن الله دما أحمر، ﴿ثُمَّ مِنْ مُضْغَةٍ﴾ أي: ينتقل الدم مضغة، أي: قطعة لحم، بقدر ما يمضغ، وتلك المضغة تارة تكون ﴿مُخَلَّقَةٍ﴾ أي: مصور منها خلق الآدمي، ﴿وَغَيْرِ مُخَلَّقَةٍ﴾ تارة، بأن تقذفها الأرحام قبل تخليقها، ﴿لِنُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ﴾ أصل نشأتكم، مع قدرته تعالى، على تكميل خلقه في لحظة واحدة، ولكن ليبين لنا كمال حكمته، وعظيم قدرته، وسعة رحمته. ﴿وَنُقِرُّ فِي الأرْحَامِ مَا نَشَاءُ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى﴾ أي: ونقر، أي: نبقي في الأرحام من الحمل، الذي لم تقذفه الأرحام، ما نشاء إبقاءه إلى أجل مسمى، وهو مدة الحمل. ﴿ثُمَّ نُخْرِجُكُمْ﴾ من بطون أمهاتكم ﴿طِفْلا﴾ لا تعلمون شيئا، وليس لكم قدرة، وسخرنا لكم الأمهات، وأجرينا لكم في ثديها الرزق، ثم تنتقلون طورا بعد طور، حتى تبلغوا أشدكم، وهو كمال القوة والعقل. ﴿وَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُتَوَفَّى﴾ من قبل أن يبلغ سن الأشد، ومنكم من يتجاوزه فيرد إلى أرذل العمر، أي: أخسه وأرذله، وهو سن الهرم والتخريف، الذي به يزول العقل، ويضمحل، كما زالت باقي القوة، وضعفت. ﴿لِكَيْلا يَعْلَمَ مِنْ بَعْدِ عِلْمٍ شَيْئًا﴾ أي: لأجل أن لا يعلم هذا المعمر شيئا مما كان يعلمه قبل ذلك، وذلك لضعف عقله، فقوة الآدمي محفوفة بضعفين، ضعف الطفولية ونقصها، وضعف الهرم ونقصه، كما قال تعالى: ﴿اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ ضَعْفٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنْ بَعْدِ ضَعْفٍ قُوَّةً ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنْ بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ ضَعْفًا وَشَيْبَةً يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْقَدِيرُ﴾ والدليل الثاني، إحياء الأرض بعد موتها، فقال الله فيه: ﴿وَتَرَى الأرْضَ هَامِدَةً﴾ أي: خاشعة مغبرة لا نبات فيها، ولا خضر، ﴿فَإِذَا أَنزلْنَا عَلَيْهَا الْمَاءَ اهْتَزَّتْ﴾ أي: تحركت بالنبات ﴿وَرَبَتْ﴾ أي: ارتفعت بعد خشوعها وذلك لزيادة نباتها، ﴿وَأَنْبَتَتْ مِنْ كُلِّ زَوْجٍ﴾ أي: صنف من أصناف النبات ﴿بَهِيجٍ﴾ أي: يبهج الناظرين، ويسر المتأملين، فهذان الدليلان القاطعان، يدلان على هذه المطالب الخمسة، وهي هذه.