﴿1 - 6﴾ “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. No indeed! I swear by the Day of Resurrection, and no indeed! I swear by the ever-self-reproaching soul. Does man think that We will never gather his bones? Yes indeed! We are fully able to restore even his fingertips. Rather, man desires to go on sinning in what lies ahead. He asks, ‘When will the Day of Resurrection be?’”

The particle “no” is not [here] a negation, [nor is it superfluous]. Rather, it is used as an opening and to draw attention to what follows. Since it frequently occurs with oaths, it is not unusual to use it as an opening, even though it was not originally assigned that function.

Thus, in this passage, what is sworn by is also what the oath is intended to affirm: resurrection after death, people rising from their graves, and then standing as they await the Lord’s judgment concerning them.

“And no indeed! I swear by the ever-self-reproaching soul.” This includes every soul, righteous or wicked. Souls are called “self-reproaching” because they frequently waver and reproach themselves, never remaining constant in any one state, and because, at death, the soul reproaches its owner for what it has done (1). Indeed, the believer’s soul reproaches him even in this world for any neglect, failure to fulfill a right, or heedlessness on his part. Thus, He combined an oath by the recompense, an oath affirming the recompense, and mention of the one deserving it.

He then stated that, despite this, some obstinate rejecters deny the Day of Resurrection. He said: “Does man think that We will never gather his bones?” after death. As He says in another verse: “He says, ‘Who will give life to bones after they have decayed?’” Out of ignorance and transgression, he deems it far-fetched that Allah could recreate his bones, which form the body’s supporting framework. Allah therefore responds: “Yes indeed! We are fully able to restore even his fingertips”—that is, the tips of his fingers and their bones. This necessarily entails recreating every part of the body, for once the fingertips and fingers have been brought into being, the body’s creation is complete. His denial of Allah Most High’s power is not due to any deficiency in the evidence establishing it. Rather, this [arose] because his aim and desire are to deny (2) the resurrection that lies ahead of him. Here, “sinning” means deliberate lying.

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He then described the events of the Resurrection, saying: