Tafsir of Surah Yunus - Verse 56

The Resurrection is Real

Allah said that they ask you to inform them (saying):

أَحَقٌّ هُوَ

("Is it true") asking about the return and the Resurrection from the graves, after the bodies become sand.

قُلْ إِى وَرَبِّى إِنَّهُ لَحَقٌّ وَمَآ أَنتُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ

(Say: "Yes! By my Lord! It is the very truth! And you cannot escape it!") meaning that becoming sand does not make Allah incapable of bringing you back, since He originated you from nothing.

إِنَّمَآ أَمْرُهُ إِذَآ أَرَادَ شَيْئاً أَن يَقُولَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ

(Verily, His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, `Be!' - and it is!)36:82 There are only two other Ayat in the Qur'an similar to this. Allah commands His Messenger to give an oath by Him to answer those who deny the return. He said in Surah Saba',

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لاَ تَأْتِينَا السَّاعَةُ قُلْ بَلَى وَرَبِّى لَتَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ

(Those who disbelieve say: "The Hour will not come to us." Say: "Yes, by my Lord!, it will come to you.") (34:3) The second is in Surat At-Taghabun, He said:

زَعَمَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ أَن لَّن يُبْعَثُواْ قُلْ بَلَى وَرَبِّى لَتُبْعَثُنَّ ثُمَّ لَتُنَبَّؤُنَّ بِمَا عَمِلْتُمْ وَذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ

(The disbelievers claimed that they will never be resurrected. Say: "Yes! By my Lord! you will certainly be resurrected, then you will be informed of (and recompensed for) what you did; and that is easy for Allah.") (64:7) Then Allah informed us that when the Resurrection is established the disbelievers will wish that they could ransom themselves from Allah's punishment with the equivalent of the weight of the earth in gold.

وَأَسَرُّواْ النَّدَامَةَ لَمَّا رَأَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ وَقُضِىَ بَيْنَهُمْ بِالْقِسْطِ وَهُمْ لاَ يُظْلَمُونَ

(And they would feel in their hearts regret when they see the torment, and they will be judged with justice, and no wrong will be done unto them.)

It was said in verse أَثُمَّ إِذَا مَا وَقَعَ آمَنتُم بِهِ ۚ آلْآنَ. It means: ` Would you believe when Divine punishment actually descends down upon you - whether at the time of death, or even before it? But, at that time, the response to your believing will be: آلْآنَ ('al'an: now?) meaning: Is it now that you have come to believe while the time of believing has already passed? This is similar to what the Pharaoh said while drowning: آمَنتُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا الَّذِي آمَنَتْ بِهِ بَنُو إِسْرَ‌ائِيلَ وَأَنَا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ ﴿90﴾ ("I believe that there is no god except the One in whom the Children of Isra'il believe - 10:90). In answer, it was said: آلْآنَ ('al'an: now?) and this believing by him was not accepted. In Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said, ` Allah Ta` ala keeps accepting the repentance of His servant until he is seized by the agony of death.' It means that believing and repenting at the time of the agony of death is not credible in the sight of Allah. Similarly, in the mortal world, Taubah (repentance) could be accepted if done before the actual falling of the Divine punishment. Once the punishment strikes, Taubah is not accepted. The event related to the people of Sayyidna Yunus going to appear towards the end of the Surah in which their Taubah was accepted falls under this very rule. They had seen the punishment coming from a distance. Moved earnestly, weeping and wailing, they made their Taubah in all sincerity. Therefore, the punishment was withdrawn. Had it struck them, their Taubah would have remained unaccepted.

Man is a sensitive being. He cannot bear trouble. As long as he is not confronted with retribution, he ridicules the Truth; he spurns it with unconcern. But when the retribution of the Hereafter is before him, he will be stricken with such terror that everything will appear insignificant to him. Even if he possessed the wealth of the entire world and all the bounties of the world, all that will appear so valueless to him seeing the punishment before him that he will fervently desire that he should be relieved of that chastisement in exchange for all the bounties. But the issue in the Hereafter is not that of bargaining. It is the question of facing the consequences for the deeds performed. It is an essential part of God’s plan regarding life and death. It is the demand of Divine Justice that it should happen; and God’s omnipotence is the sure guarantee that it will take place. The seeming delay in the occurrence of this is only due to having to await that appointed hour, when the period of the present test will be over, and all human beings will be presented before God to face their final fate.