36:77 Yaseen (Yaseen)

هذه الآيات الكريمات، فيها [ذكر] شبهة منكري البعث، والجواب عنها بأتم جواب وأحسنه وأوضحه، فقال تعالى: { أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الْإِنْسَانُ } المنكر للبعث و الشاك فيه، أمرا يفيده اليقين التام بوقوعه، وهو ابتداء خلقه { مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ } ثم تنقله في الأطوار شيئا فشيئا، حتى كبر وشب، وتم عقله واستتب، { فَإِذَا هُوَ خَصِيمٌ مُبِينٌ } بعد أن كان ابتداء خلقه من نطفة، فلينظر التفاوت بين هاتين الحالتين، وليعلم أن الذي أنشأه من العدم، قادر على أن يعيده بعد ما تفرق وتمزق، من باب أولى.

قال مجاهد وعكرمة وعروة بن الزبير والسدي وقتادة جاء أبي بن خلف لعنه الله إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وفي يده عظم رميم وهو يفته ويذروه في الهواء وهو يقول يا محمد أتزعم أن الله يبعث هذا؟ قال صلى الله عليه وسلم "نعم يميتك الله تعالى ثم يبعثك ثم يحشرك إلى النار" ونزلت هذه الآيات من آخر يس "أو لم ير الإنسان أنا خلقناه من نطفة" إلى آخرهن وقال ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا علي بن الحسين بن الجنيد حدثنا محمد بن العلاء حدثنا عثمان بن سعيد الزيات عن هشيم عن أبي بشر عن سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال: إن العاص بن وائل أخذ عظما من البطحاء ففته بيده ثم قال لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أيحيي الله هذا بعد ما أرى؟ فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "نعم يميتك الله ثم يحييك ثم يدخلك جهنم" قال فنزلت الآيات من آخر يس ورواه ابن جرير عن يعقوب بن إبراهيم عن هشيم عن أبي بشر عن سعيد بن جبير فذكره ولم يذكر ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما وروى من طريق العوفي عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال: جاء عبدالله بن أبي بعظم ففته وذكر نحو ما تقدم وهذا منكر لأن السورة مكية وعبدالله بن أبي بن سلول إنما كان بالمدينة وعلى كل تقدير سواء كانت هذه الآيات قد نزلت في أبي بن خلف أو العاص بن وائل أو فيهما فهي عامة في كل من أنكر البعث والألف واللام في قوله تعالى: "أو لم ير الإنسان" للجنس يعم كل منكر للبعث "أنا خلقناه من نطفة فإذا هو خصيم مبين" أي أو لم يستدل من أنكر البعث بالبدء على الإعادة فإن الله ابتدأ خلق الإنسان من سلالة من ماء مهين فخلقه من شيء حقير ضعيف مهين كما قال عز وجل "ألم نخلقكم من ماء مهين فجعلناه في قرار مكين إلى قدر معلوم" وقال تعالى: "إنا خلقنا الإنسان من نطفة أمشاج" أي من نطفة من أخلاط متفرقة فالذي خلقه من هذه النطفة الضعيفة أليس بقادر على إعادته بعد موته كما قال الإمام أحمد في مسنده حدثنا أبو المغيرة حدثنا جرير حدثني عبدالرحمن بن ميسرة عن جبير بن نفير عن بشر بن جحاش قال إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بصق يوما في كفه فوضع عليها أصبعه ثم قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "قال الله تعالى بني آدم أنى تعجزني وقد خلقتك من مثل هذه حتى إذا سويتك وعدلتك مشيت بين برديك وللأرض منك وئيد فجمعت ومنعت حتى إذا بلغت التراقي قلت أتصدق وأنى أوان الصدقة؟" ورواه ابن ماجه عن أبي بكر بن أبي شيبة عن يزيد بن هارون عن جرير بن عثمان به.

The Denial of Life after Death, and the Refutation of this Idea

Mujahid, `Ikrimah, `Urwah bin Az-Zubayr, As-Suddi and Qatadah said, "Ubayy bin Khalaf, may Allah curse him, came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with a dry bone in his hand, which he was crumbling and scattering in the air, saying, `O Muhammad! Are you claiming that Allah will resurrect this' He said:

«نَعَمْ، يُمِيتُكَ اللهُ تَعَالَى، ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُكَ، ثُمَّ يَحْشُرُكَ إِلَى النَّار»

(Yes, Allah, may He be exalted, will cause you to die, then He will resurrect you and will gather you into the Fire.)" Then these Ayat at the end of Surah Ya Sin were revealed:

أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الإِنسَـنُ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَـهُ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ

(Does not man see that We have created him from Nutfah.) -- until the end of the Surah. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Al-`As bin Wa'il took a bone from the bed of a valley and crumbled it in his hand, then he said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: `Will Allah bring this back to life after it has disintegrated' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«نَعَمْ، يُمِيتُكَ اللهُ، ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكَ، ثُمَّ يُدْخِلُكَ جَهَنَّم»

(Yes, Allah will cause you to die, then He will bring you back to life, then He will make you enter Hell.) Then the Ayat at the end of Surah Ya Sin were revealed." This was recorded by Ibn Jarir from Sa`id bin Jubayr. Whether these Ayat were revealed about Ubayy bin Khalaf or Al-`As bin Wa'il, or both of them, they apply to all those who deny the resurrection after death. The definite article "Al" in

أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الإِنسَـنُ

(Does not man (Al-Insan) see...) is generic, applying to all those who deny the Resurrection.

أَنَّا خَلَقْنَـهُ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ فَإِذَا هُوَ خَصِيمٌ مٌّبِينٌ

(that We have created him from Nutfah. Yet behold he (stands forth) as an open opponent.) means, the one who is denying the resurrection, cannot see that the One Who initiated creation can re-create it. For Allah initiated the creation of man from semen of despised fluid, creating him from something insignificant, weak and despised, as Allah says:

أَلَمْ نَخْلُقكُّم مِّن مَّآءٍ مَّهِينٍ - فَجَعَلْنَـهُ فِى قَرَارٍ مَّكِينٍ - إِلَى قَدَرٍ مَّعْلُومٍ

(Did We not create you from a despised water Then We placed it in a place of safety, for a known period) (77:20-22)

إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الإِنسَـنَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ

(Verily, We have created man from Nutfah) (76:2). which means, from a mixture of different fluids. The One Who created man from this weak Nutfah is not unable to re-create him after his death. Imam Ahmad recorded in his Musnad that Bishr bin Jahhash said, "One day the Messenger of Allah ﷺ spat in his hand and put his finger on it, then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى: ابْنَ آدَمَ أَنَّى تُعْجِزُنِي وَقَدْ خَلَقْتُكَ مِنْ مِثْلِ هَذِهِ، حَتْى إِذَا سَوَّيْتُكَ وَعَدَلْتُكَ، مَشَيْتَ بَيْنَ بُرْدَيْكَ، وَلِلْأَرْضِ مِنْكَ وَئِيدٌ، فَجَمَعْتَ وَمَنَعْتَ، حَتْى إِذَا بَلَغَتِ التَّرَاقِيَ قُلْتَ: أَتَصَدَّقُ، وَأَنَّى أَوَانُ الصَّدَقَةِ؟»

(Allah, may He be exalted, says: "Son of Adam, how can you outrun Me when I have created you from something like this, and when I have fashioned you and formed you, you walk in your cloak on the earth and it groans beneath your tread. You accumulate and do not spend until the death rattle reaches your throat, then you say, `I want to give in charity,' but it is too late for charity.")" It was also recorded by Ibn Majah. Allah says:

وَضَرَبَ لَنَا مَثَلاً وَنَسِىَ خَلْقَهُ قَالَ مَن يُحىِ الْعِظَـمَ وَهِىَ رَمِيمٌ

(And he puts forth for Us a parable, and forgets his own creation. He says: "Who will give life to these bones after they are rotten and have become dust") meaning, he thinks it unlikely that Allah, the Almighty Who created the heavens and the earth, will re-create these bodies and dry bones. Man forgets about himself, that Allah created him from nothing and brought him into existence, and he knows by looking at himself that there is something greater than that which he denies and thinks impossible. Allah says:

قُلْ يُحْيِيهَا الَّذِى أَنشَأَهَآ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ خَلْقٍ عَلِيمٌ

(Say: "He will give life to them Who created them for the first time! And He is the All-Knower of every creation!") meaning, He knows about the bones in all areas and regions of the earth, where they have gone when they disintegrated and dispersed. Imam Ahmad recorded that Rib`i said: ""Uqbah bin `Amr said to Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, `Will you not tell us what you heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ' He said, `I heard him say:

«إِنَّ رَجُلًا حَضَرَهُ الْمَوْتُ، فَلَمَّا أَيِسَ مِنَ الْحَيَاةِ أَوْصَى أَهْلَهُ: إِذَا أَنَا مُتُّ فَاجْمَعُوا لِي حَطَبًا كَثِيرًا جَزْلًا، ثُمَّ أَوْقِدُوا فِيهِ نَارًا، حَتْى إِذَا أَكَلَتْ لَحْمِي، وَخَلَصَتْ إِلَى عَظْمِي فَامْتُحِشْتُ، فَخُذُوهَا فَدُقُّوهَا فَذَرُّوهَا فِي الْيَمِّ، فَفَعَلُوا، فَجَمَعَهُ اللهُ تَعَالَى إِلَيْهِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ: لِمَ فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ: مِنْ خَشْيَتِكَ، فَغَفَرَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَه»

(Death approached a man and when there was no longer any hope for him, he said to his family, "When I die, gather a lot of firewood, then set it ablaze until my flesh is consumed and it reaches my bones and they become brittle. Then take them and grind them, and scatter them in the sea." So they did that, but Allah gathered him together and said to him: "Why did you do that" He said, "Because I feared You." So Allah forgave him.)' `Uqbah bin `Amr said, `I heard him say that, and the man was a gravedigger."' Many versions of this Hadith were recorded in the Two Sahihs. One of these versions mentions that he commanded his sons to burn him and then grind his remains into small pieces, and then scatter half of them on land and half of them on the sea on a windy day. So they did that, then Allah commanded the sea to gather together whatever remains were in it, and He commanded the land to do likewise, then he said to him, "Be!", and he was a man, standing. Allah said to him. "What made you do what you did" He said, "The fear of You, and You know best." Straight away He forgave him.

الَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ الشَّجَرِ الاٌّخْضَرِ نَاراً فَإِذَآ أَنتُم مِّنْه تُوقِدُونَ

(He Who produces for you fire out of the green tree, when behold you kindle therewith.) means, the One Who initiated the creation of this tree from water, when it has become green and beautiful, bearing fruit, then He changes it until it becomes dry wood with which fires are lit. For He does whatever He wills and He is able to do whatever He wills, and none can stop Him. Qatadah said concerning the Ayah:

الَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ الشَّجَرِ الاٌّخْضَرِ نَاراً فَإِذَآ أَنتُم مِّنْه تُوقِدُونَ

(He Who produces for you fire out of the green tree, when behold you kindle therewith.) this means, the One Who brought forth this fire from this tree is able to resurrect him. It was said that this refers to the Markh tree and the `Afar tree, which grow in the Hijaz. If one wants to light a fire but has no kindling with him, then he takes two green branches from these trees and rubs one against the other, and fire is produced from them. So they are just like kindling. This was reported from Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him.

Or has man — namely the like of al-‘Āsī b. Wā’il — not seen has he not realised that We created him from a drop of sperm and so on in stages until We made him powerful and strong. Then lo! he is an open adversary severely antagonistic towards Us openly making this manifest by his denial of resurrection.

Commentary

The last five verses of Surah Ya Sin were revealed in the background of a particular event. This event has been attributed to Ubayy Ibn Khalaf in some narrations, and to 'As ibn Wa'il in some others. And there is no improbability in that such an event came to pass with both of them. The first narration was reported by al-Baihaqi in Shu` abul-'Iman, and the other reported by Ibn Abi Haatim from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ says that 'As Ibn Wa'il picked up a bone from the sandy and pebble-strewn valley of Makkah and after breaking it with his hands rubbed it into a handful of bone meal and then said to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، "Will Allah revive this bone you are seeing in my hands?" The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "Yes, Allah Ta’ ala will put you to death, then bring you back to life and then He will put you in Hell." (Ibn Kathir)

The expression: خَصِيمٌ مُّبِينٌ (an open adversary) in verse 77 means that this man was created from a lowly drop, yet he has the audacity to challenge Allah, and refuse to accept His power.