فَاسْتَفْتِهِمْ Then ask them اَهُمْ Are they اَشَدُّ a stronger خَلْقًا creation اَمْ or مَّنْ (those) whom خَلَقْنَا ؕ We have created اِنَّا Indeed We خَلَقْنٰهُمْ created them مِّنْ from طِیْنٍ a clay لَّازِبٍ sticky بَلْ Nay عَجِبْتَ you wonder وَ یَسْخَرُوْنَ۪ while they mock وَ اِذَا And when ذُكِّرُوْا they are reminded لَا not یَذْكُرُوْنَ۪ they receive admonition وَ اِذَا And when رَاَوْا they see اٰیَةً a Sign یَّسْتَسْخِرُوْنَ۪ they mock وَ قَالُوْۤا And they say اِنْ Not هٰذَاۤ (is) this اِلَّا except سِحْرٌ a magic مُّبِیْنٌۚۖ clear ءَاِذَا Is it when مِتْنَا we are dead وَ كُنَّا and have become تُرَابًا dust وَّ عِظَامًا and bones ءَاِنَّا shall we then لَمَبْعُوْثُوْنَۙ be certainly resurrected اَوَ اٰبَآؤُنَا Or our fathers الْاَوَّلُوْنَؕ former قُلْ Say نَعَمْ Yes وَ اَنْتُمْ and you دَاخِرُوْنَۚ (will be) humiliated فَاِنَّمَا Then only هِیَ it زَجْرَةٌ (will be) a cry وَّاحِدَةٌ single فَاِذَا then behold! هُمْ They یَنْظُرُوْنَ will see وَ قَالُوْا And they will say یٰوَیْلَنَا O woe to us! هٰذَا This یَوْمُ (is the) Day الدِّیْنِ (of) the Recompense هٰذَا This یَوْمُ (is the) Day الْفَصْلِ (of) Judgment الَّذِیْ which كُنْتُمْ you used to بِهٖ [of it] تُكَذِّبُوْنَ۠ deny
(37:11) So ask them (that is, human beings): “Were they harder to create than the objects We created?”8 We created them from sticky clay.9
(37:12) You marvel (at the wondrous creations of Allah) and they scoff at it,
(37:13) and when they are admonished, they pay no heed;
(37:14) and if they see any Sign, they laugh it away
(37:15) and say: “This is nothing but plain sorcery.10
(37:16) Is it ever possible that after we die and are reduced to dust and (a skeleton of) bones, we will be raised to life?
(37:17) And so also shall our forefathers of yore be raised to life?”
(37:18) Tell them: “Yes; and you are utterly helpless (against Allah).”11
(37:19) There will be a single stern rebuff and lo, they will be observing with their own eyes (all that they had been warned against).12
(37:20) They will then say: “Woe for us. This is the Day of Judgement.”
(37:21) “Yes, this is the Day of Final Decision that you used to deny as a lie.”13
8. This is in response to the Makkan unbelievers’ doubts about the Hereafter. Indeed, they ruled out the Hereafter as something impossible.
It was inconceivable for them that the dead would be brought back to life.
The Qur’an advances a series of arguments in order to corroborate the doctrine of the Hereafter. First, it raises the question: if the unbelievers think that God does not have the power to resurrect mankind, then what is their position regarding the fact that God created the heavens and the earth? This, not to mention the innumerable other objects that exist in the heavens and the earth! There is, therefore, no reason for them to think that God lacks the power to bring the dead back to life.
9. There is nothing all that unusual about-man. After all, what he was made from was sticky clay and he can be created from the same material again.
The present verse means that the first man was created from sticky clay and, thereafter, the human race multiplied from the semen of that first man. It also means that every human being is made from sticky clay: in so far as the whole substance of man’s existence is derived from earth.
The semen of which man is created is a product of food. From the time of man’s conception till the moment of his death, man’s whole body is made of constituents drawn from food. Whether food is derived from animal or vegetable origins, its ultimate source is clay. When clay is combined with water it becomes possible to grow grain and vegetables and fruit, and also to nourish animals which supply milk and meat for man’s consumption. The basis of the argument is as follows: had the clay not been invested with the ability to receive the essence of life, how could people be alive today? On the other hand, if clay already has the ability to receive the essence of life — something that is clearly proved by the existence of human beings — then why is it not plausible that through the _ same clay it will be possible to recreate them at some future date?
10. The unbelievers reject every notion about the Hereafter as belonging to the realm of magic and sorcery. For them, the Next Life the Prophet (peace be on him) talks about, one which involves the revival of the dead, the holding of God’s Court of Reckoning, the award of Paradise and Hell, was just fantasy. Alternatively, this can be taken to mean that they regarded the Prophet (peace be on him) as enchanted, as someone who, under the spell of enchantment, talked of such bizarre things.
11. The unbelievers are told that God has the absolute power to make them as He wants. When God so willed He brought human beings into * existence by simply hinting at what He wills. Likewise, whenever God so wills all human beings will instantly perish. By the same token, they will be resurrected whenever He so wills.
12. When the time for it comes, recreating the world will not be a difficult task for God to accomplish. A mere “rebuff” from God will suffice “to awaken the dead. The Qur’anic expression employed in this context seems to suggest that all human beings, from the very the beginning of time up till the Last Day, have been in a state of sleep. Then there will be a sudden, reproachful command: “Wake up!” All will then be instantly up and awake.
13. This might be the remark made by the believers to the unbelievers, or by the angels. It is also possible that the prevailing state of affairs in the Hereafter will convey this message to them. Alternatively, this might be the reaction of concerned people as a part of their soliloquy. In other words, addressing themselves, they will say: “You thought all along that there would be no Day of Judgement. Now, that Day is come and woe has betaken you”.