Tafsir of Surah Yunus - Verse 4

The Return of Everything is to Allah

Allah tells us that the return of the creatures on the Day of Resurrection is to Him. He will not leave anyone of them without bringing everyone into being as He brought them in the beginning. Then Allah states that He is going to bring all the creatures into being.

وَهُوَ الَّذِى يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ وَهُوَ أَهْوَنُ عَلَيْهِ

(And He it is Who originates the creation, then He will repeat it (after it has perished); and this is easier for Him.) (30:27),

لِيَجْزِىَ الَّذِينَ ءامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَاتِ بِالْقِسْطِ

(that He may reward with justice those who believed and did deeds of righteousness.) meaning, the reward will be with justice and complete recompense.

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكْفُرُونَ

(But those who disbelieved will have a drink of boiling fluids and painful torment because they used to disbelieve.) meaning, because of their disbelief they will be punished on the Day of Resurrection by different forms of torment, such as fierce hot winds, boiling water, and the shadow of black smoke.

هَـذَا فَلْيَذُوقُوهُ حَمِيمٌ وَغَسَّاقٌ - وَءَاخَرُ مِن شَكْلِهِ أَزْوَجٌ

(This is so! Then let them taste it; a boiling fluid and dirty wound discharges. And other (torments) of similar kind all together!) (38: 57-58)

هَـذِهِ جَهَنَّمُ الَّتِى يُكَذِّبُ بِهَا الْمُجْرِمُونَ - يَطُوفُونَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ حَمِيمٍ ءَانٍ

(This is the Hell which the criminals denied. They will go between it (Hell) and the fierce boiling water!) (55:43-44)

The fourth verse describes the ` Aqidah of 'Akhirah (Belief in the Hereafter) إِلَيْهِ مَرْ‌جِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا (Towards Him is the return of you all). The announcement is asserted by saying: وَعْدَ اللَّـهِ حَقًّا (a real [ and true ] promise from Allah). That it must be as promised has been explained through the simple logic of: إِنَّهُ يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ (Surely, He originates the creation, then He will bring it again). The sentence is telling us that there is nothing surprising about it and that there is no sense in worrying about as to how this entire universe would start pulsating with life after it has been eliminated. The reason is that the Sacred Power who has the mastery to create something the first time, without any pre-existing matter and without any prototype of form and shape, should hardly find any difficulty in creating once again everything He had made then unmade.

Studies indicate that the appearance of the many different kinds of natural phenomena in the universe did not occur at one time, but gradually over a period. The Quran divides this phase—the divine creation into six periods. This proves that the creation of the universe was done according to a conscious plan. Then, the study of the universe shows that it is running according to hard and fast laws. Everything behaves in exactly the manner in which it is required to behave, in consideration of overall requirements. This is clear proof of the fact that this universe is made to function by an Active and Alive Planner who directly controls it at all times. This wonderfully regulated system of the universe itself makes the powerful statement that its Lord is so Perfect and so Great that there is no question of any recommendation being useful to Him. The universe reflects the image of its Creator in the mirror of its amazing characteristics. The system of justice (qist) prevails throughout the universe. Here, whatever one does, one is confronted with commensurate results; everyone is rewarded according to whatever he has done. This is true of material results; but in the matter of moral outcome, the picture of the world seems to be entirely different. A man performs righteous deeds, but he does not receive the fruits of his righteousness. A man indulges in arrogance, and his arrogance goes on unpunished. Why is it that God’s will, which is operative in the case of His other creatures, does not seem to be operative in the case of human beings? The reason for this is that the manifestation of godly justice in the life of human beings has been deferred by God till the life Hereafter. The first life has been given to man for the performance of deeds. The second life will be given to him so that he may be requited for his deeds; and the possibility of the occurrence of the second life (the life of the hereafter) is as certain as that of the first life.