سورة ق

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): This verse was revealed regarding Ubayy ibn Khalaf, who said to Abu Jahl: "Come to me so that I may astonish you concerning Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)!" Then he took a bone, crumbled it, and then said: "Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) claims that this bone will be brought back to life!" So Allah the Exalted said: بَل کَذَّبُوا بِالحَقِّ لمَّا جَاءهُمْ [Nay, they rejected the truth when it came to them].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): As for His argument against the heretics regarding His religion, His book, and His messengers — indeed the heretics acknowledged death but did not acknowledge the Creator; at that point they acknowledged that they had not existed and then came into being. Allah the Exalted said: ق وَ الْقُرْءَانِ الْمَجِیدِ* بَلْ عجَبُواْ أَن جَاءَهُم مُّنذِرٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَقَالَ الْکَافِرُونَ هَذَا شَی‌ْءٌ عجَیبٌ* أَ ءِذَا مِتْنَا وَ کُنَّا تُرَابًا ذَالِکَ رَجْعُ بَعِید [Qaf. By the glorious Quran. Nay, they wondered that a warner came to them from among themselves, so the disbelievers said: This is a wonderful thing. What! When we are dead and have become dust? That is a far return].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): As for the refutation of the Dahriyya, who imagine that time is always in one state and that there is no Creator, no Manager, no Maker, no resurrection, and no life after death — Allah the Exalted expresses their statement thus: مَا هِیَ إِلَّا حَیَاتُنَا الدُّنْیَا نَمُوتُ وَ نَحْیَا وَ مَا یُهْلِکُنَا إِلَّا الدَّهْرُ وَ مَا لَهُمْ بِذَلِکَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ [There is nothing but this worldly life of ours; a group of us dies and another group takes their place, and nothing destroys us except nature and time — they have no certainty about what they say] (Jathiyah/24). And they said: 'When we have become decayed and scattered bones, shall we be given a new creation?' Say: 'Be stones or iron, or any creature that in your view is even harder than that [Allah is still able to bring you back to life again].' They will soon say: 'Who will bring us back?' Say: 'The One who created you the first time,' (Isra/49-51) — and there are many examples of this in the Qur'an. This is a refutation of those who used to say this in the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), while concealing their disbelief and polytheism within and claiming faith outwardly — those who remained after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and became the cause of the destruction of the Ummah. Allah the Exalted brings this argument against them: 'O people, if you are in doubt about the resurrection [take note that] We created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop' (Hajj/5) ... Then He gave a parable for being raised and life after death, saying: وَ تَرَی الْأَرْضَ هَامِدَةً [And you see the earth (in winter) dry and dead] ... (Hajj/5). There are similar things in the Qur'an, and Allah the Glorified says in Surah Qaf, refuting these people: أَ إِذَا مِتْنَا وَ کُنَّا تُرَاباً ذَلِکَ رَجْعٌ بَعِیدٌ قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا تَنْقُصُ الْأَرْضُ مِنْهُمْ ... وَ أَحْیَیْنَا بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَیْتاً کَذَلِکَ الْخُرُوجُ [What! when we are dead and have become dust? That is a far return. We indeed know what the earth diminishes of them ... and with it We give life to a dead land — thus is the coming forth]. This verse and its like are a refutation of the Dahriyya and the heretics who deny being raised and life after death.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): رِزْقاً لِلْعِبَادِ وَ أَحْیَیْنَا بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَیْتاً کَذَلِکَ الْخُرُوجُ [as sustenance for the servants, and with it We gave life to a dead land — thus is the coming forth]; [this is a reply] to the disbelievers' statement when they said: أَ إِذَا مِتْنَا وَ کُنَّا تُرَاباً ذَلِکَ رَجْعٌ بَعِیدٌ [What! when we are dead and have become dust? That is a far return]. That is, Allah says: 'Just as We send down water from the sky and with it cause plants to grow from the earth, in the same way you will be brought forth from the earth.'