Surah Al Qiyamah: The Day of Judgment

Introduction

The first two verses present human conscience as evidence for Afterlife. These verses in conjunction with others also present the Islamic theory of psychology, which is not much different from the modern understanding of id, ego and superego.

There are at least four surahs of the holy Quran, almost exclusively devoted to the subject of Afterlife, Al Qiyamah, Al Qari’ah, Al Humazah and Al Takathur. Afterlife is a common theme in the holy Quran and is mentioned in almost every other surah, for example we read in the very beginning of Surah Naml- the Ants:

These are the verses of the Qur’an—a scripture that makes things clear; a guide and joyful news for the believers who keep up the prayer, pay the prescribed alms, and believe firmly in the life to come. As for those who do not believe in the life to come, We have made their deeds seem alluring to them, so they wander blindly: it is they who will have the worst suffering, and will be the ones to lose most in the life to come. You [Muhammad] receive the Qur’an from One who is all wise, all knowing. (27:2-6)

Verses 3-15 of Surah Al Qiyamah talk about Afterlife and the interesting thing about the third verse is that Allah talks about recreating the fingertips of everyone, in an age when there was not the slightest inkling of the role of finger prints in crime and forensics.

Verses 16-19 counsel the prophet Muhammad to receive the revelation of the Quran with patience and trust that God will ensure proper delivery, preservation and understanding of the Quran.

Verses 20-21 highlight the human dilemma of worldly life versus the Afterlife: “You love that which is transitory; and you neglect that which is lasting.”

Verses 22-35 contrast the Afterlife of the believers and the non-believers.

Verses 36-40 talk about different biological stages that the humans have to go through and use the first creation as an argument for Afterlife, similar to what we have described in some detail in the commentary of Surah Al Waqi’ah.

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

75:1-2. I call to witness the Judgment Day; and in support thereof I call to witness the human conscience.	لَا أُقْسِمُ بِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ﴿١﴾ وَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَةِ
75:3-16. Does man think we shall not put his bones back together? In fact, We have the power to restore his very finger tips. But man desires to continue in his evil courses. He keeps asking: When will the Day of Judgment be? When the eye is dazzled, and the moon is eclipsed, and the sun and the moon exhibit the same phenomenon, on that day man will say: Is there a place of refuge? Not at all: there is nowhere to take refuge. On that day, with your Lord alone will be the place of rest. Man will be informed that day of that which he had committed and of that which he had neglected. In truth man is aware of the working of his mind; even though he put forward his excuses.	أَيَحْسَبُ الْإِنسَانُ أَلَّن نَّجْمَعَ عِظَامَهُ ﴿٣﴾ بَلَىٰ قَادِرِينَ عَلَىٰ أَن نُّسَوِّيَ بَنَانَهُ ﴿٤﴾ بَلْ يُرِيدُ الْإِنسَانُ لِيَفْجُرَ أَمَامَهُ ﴿٥﴾ يَسْأَلُ أَيَّانَ يَوْمُ الْقِيَامَةِ ﴿٦﴾ فَإِذَا بَرِقَ الْبَصَرُ ﴿٧﴾ وَخَسَفَ الْقَمَرُ ﴿٨﴾ وَجُمِعَ الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ ﴿٩﴾ يَقُولُ الْإِنسَانُ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَيْنَ الْمَفَرُّ ﴿١٠﴾ كَلَّا لَا وَزَرَ ﴿١١﴾ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْمُسْتَقَرُّ ﴿١٢﴾ يُنَبَّأُ الْإِنسَانُ يَوْمَئِذٍ بِمَا قَدَّمَ وَأَخَّرَ ﴿١٣﴾ بَلِ الْإِنسَانُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ بَصِيرَةٌ ﴿١٤﴾ وَلَوْ أَلْقَىٰ مَعَاذِيرَهُ ﴿١٥﴾ لَا تُحَرِّكْ بِهِ لِسَانَكَ لِتَعْجَلَ بِهِ
75:17-19. Do not move your tongue (Muhammad) with the words of the revelation that you may hurry over it. Upon Us rests its collection and its recital. So when We recite it, do follow its recital. Then upon Us rests the expounding thereof.	إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا جَمْعَهُ وَقُرْآنَهُ ﴿١٧﴾ فَإِذَا قَرَأْنَاهُ فَاتَّبِعْ قُرْآنَهُ ﴿١٨﴾ ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا بَيَانَهُ
75:20-30. You love that which is transitory; and you neglect that which is lasting. On that day some faces will be bright, looking eagerly towards their Lord; and some faces will be dismal, fearing that a backbreaking calamity would befall them. Hearken, when life is fluttering, and it is said: Could any charm-healer save him now? When everyone knows it is the final parting, and the extreme moment is reached, towards your Lord alone at that hour is the advance.	كَلَّا بَلْ تُحِبُّونَ الْعَاجِلَةَ ﴿٢٠﴾ وَتَذَرُونَ الْآخِرَةَ ﴿٢١﴾ وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَّاضِرَةٌ ﴿٢٢﴾ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ ﴿٢٣﴾ وَوُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ بَاسِرَةٌ ﴿٢٤﴾تَظُنُّ أَن يُفْعَلَ بِهَا فَاقِرَةٌ ﴿٢٥﴾ كَلَّا إِذَا بَلَغَتِ التَّرَاقِيَ ﴿٢٦﴾ وَقِيلَ مَنْ ۜ رَاقٍ ﴿٢٧﴾ وَظَنَّ أَنَّهُ الْفِرَاقُ ﴿٢٨﴾ وَالْتَفَّتِ السَّاقُ بِالسَّاقِ﴿٢٩﴾ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْمَسَاقُ
71:31-35. He neither gave alms, nor offered Prayers; but he rejected the truth and turned his back on it; then went to his family strutting haughtily. Closer and closer it comes to you. Closer and closer still!	فَلَا صَدَّقَ وَلَا صَلَّىٰ ﴿٣١﴾وَلَـٰكِن كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ ﴿٣٢﴾ ثُمَّ ذَهَبَ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِ يَتَمَطَّىٰ ﴿٣٣﴾أَوْلَىٰ لَكَ فَأَوْلَىٰ ﴿٣٤﴾ ثُمَّ أَوْلَىٰ لَكَ فَأَوْلَىٰ
75:36-40. Do humans think that they are to be left purposeless? Was he or she not just a sperm drop, emitted? Then he or she became a clot, and then Allah shaped and proportioned him or her, and He decided the gender. Has not such a One the power to bring the dead to life?	أَيَحْسَبُ الْإِنسَانُ أَن يُتْرَكَ سُدًى ﴿٣٦﴾ أَلَمْ يَكُ نُطْفَةً مِّن مَّنِيٍّ يُمْنَىٰ ﴿٣٧﴾ ثُمَّ كَانَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ ﴿٣٨﴾ فَجَعَلَ مِنْهُ الزَّوْجَيْنِ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنثَىٰ﴿٣٩﴾ أَلَيْسَ ذَٰلِكَ بِقَادِرٍ عَلَىٰ أَن يُحْيِيَ الْمَوْتَىٰ

Commentary

75:1-2

The first two verses present human conscience as evidence for Afterlife. These verses in conjunction with others also present the Islamic theory of psychology, which is not much different from the modern understanding of id, ego and superego.

Psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud is important as it gives us not only a secular understanding of human conscience (superego) but also Satan (id). It is important to have secular concepts of human psychology, correlated with religious constructs, because that allows a dialogue across the religious boundaries, which rises above the religious biases and conservatism, which is all too rampant in almost every religion.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica:

Superego, in the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud, the latest developing of three agencies (with the id and ego) of the human personality. The superego is the ethical component of the personality and provides the moral standards by which the ego operates. The superego’s criticisms, prohibitions, and inhibitions form a person’s conscience, and its positive aspirations and ideals represent one’s idealized self-image, or “ego ideal.”

The superego develops during the first five years of life in response to parental punishment and approval. This development occurs as a result of the child’s internalization of his parents’ moral standards, a process greatly aided by a tendency to identify with the parents. The developing superego absorbs the traditions of the family and the surrounding society and serves to control aggressive or other socially unacceptable impulses. Violation of the superego’s standards results in feelings of guilt or anxiety and a need to atone for one’s actions. The superego continues to develop into young adulthood as a person encounters other admired role models and copes with the rules and regulations of the larger society.

Superego or human conscience is mentioned above in the verse: “And He inspired it to know the ways of evil and the ways of righteousness.” (91:8)

To understand how the human conscience came about one has to first appreciate, how long human beings have existed and how they came about from ape like animals.

In June 2017, a multiyear excavation led by Jean-Jacques Hublin of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, revealed that H. sapiens was present at Jebel Irhoud, Morocco, more than 5,000 km (3,100 miles) away from East Africa (the region many paleontologists call “the cradle of humankind”). The team unearthed a collection of specimens that was made up of skull fragments and a complete jawbone (both of which were strikingly similar to those of modern human beings) as well as stone tools—all of which dated to about 315,000 years ago. Read further: Encyclopedia Britannica: Just How Old Is Homo sapiens?

Suggested reading to appreciate the human evolution from ape like animals

Meeting the Quranic Adam with Charles Darwin

The Single Quranic Verse that Can Convince You about Evolution

Surah Al Baqara (The Cow): Section 4: Adam and Eve

Suggested Reading for evolution of human conscience

Book Review: How Humans Became Moral Beings

The first prophet, Adam was some 6000 years ago and that is when formal verbal revelation and religion began to have influence on human culture and our superego or conscience. But humans had long existed before and we have to account for how conscience evolved for 300,000 years before. According to Seyyed Hossein Nasr, in commentary of this surah:

As translated, the verse (91:8) indicates that God taught  the soul the nature of evil and good and set the course for which it should follow. Thus some relate it to 90:8-10: Did We not . . . guide him upon the two highways? (Q, Sh). It could also be rendered, ‘He placed its iniquity and its reverence within it’ (IK). In both translations it can be taken as a reference to God’s instillation of the knowledge of good and evil in every human soul, even before various prophetic revelations. As other verses indicate (e.g., 75:14-15; 81:14; 82:4-5), every soul is intrinsically aware of good and evil, right and wrong, its relation to God, and the covenant to which it attested (see 7:172).

Having defined superego and conscience from several verses of the Quran, mentioned in the above quote, let us move to id. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica:

Id, in Freudian psychoanalytic theory, one of the three agencies of the human personality, along with the ego and superego. The oldest of these psychic realms in development, it contains the psychic content related to the primitive instincts of the body, notably sex and aggression, as well as all psychic material that is inherited and present at birth. The id (Latin for ‘it’) is oblivious of the external world and unaware of the passage of time. Devoid of organization, knowing neither logic nor reason, it has the ability to harbour acutely conflicting or mutually contradictory impulses side by side. It functions entirely according to the pleasure-pain principle, its impulses either seeking immediate fulfillment or settling for a compromise fulfillment. The id supplies the energy for the development and continued functioning of conscious mental life.

Id is best described in the Abrahamic faiths as Satan, as long as we believe that Satan is part of our psyche and not an external being and there are good grounds in the Hadith literature, to believe that.

According to Seyyed Hossein Nasr, as he talks about the verses 91:7-10:

Here the soul can be taken as an allusion to the soul of Adam, or the souls of all human beings. As such, it is a call to meditate upon the true nature of the human being, since God created man in the most beautiful stature (95:4; cf. 40:64: My). The invocation of the soul in the midst of this series of polarities implies that the soul has an inherent duality, as becomes clear in the following verses and in 79:37-41. This duality is seen by many in the pair the soul at peace (89:27), which is in control of its lusts and desires and has attained certainty, and the soul that commands to evil (12:53); an intermediate station between the two is the blaming soul (75:2); see 75:1—2c; 89:27c.

These verses mentioned by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, in the above quote, were first best explained in recent times by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, in his book, The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam.

We believe that our task here is to summarize the ideas as they pertain to the verses of this surah, and translate them in modern language, the present day psychological nomenclature, so every one can benefit from these ideas.

بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَةِ  mentioned in (75:2), in the psychoanalytic theory is called ‘superego’ and conscience in the common parlance. النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ mentioned in (12:53), in the psychoanalytic theory is called ‘id.’

Here ego is the arbiter between the id and superego. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica:

Ego, in psychoanalytic theory, that portion of the human personality which is experienced as the “self” or “I” and is in contact with the external world through perception. It is said to be the part that remembers, evaluates, plans, and in other ways is responsive to and acts in the surrounding physical and social world. According to psychoanalytic theory, the ego coexists with the id (said to be the agency of primitive drives) and superego (considered to be the ethical component of personality) as one of three agencies proposed by Sigmund Freud in description of the dynamics of the human mind.

How we or our ego responds to our id and our superego develops our personality and character. If we follow the ever lasting principles of Islam of compassion and justice, and guide our id by our superego or conscience, we evolve into a moral state. This is what is implied by the verses of this surah: “The one who purifies his soul succeeds,” and “And the one who corrupts it fails.” As we lead a life of compassion, justice and righteousness, our superego grows stronger and better and our id diminishes, in religious parlance it is sometimes referred to as overcoming our Satan.

Our moral states or our souls evolve further, by developing a relationship with God and our spirituality, into a state described as soul at rest (النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ), discussed in Surah Fajr verse 27, which will be detailed further in the commentary of that surah.

75:4

This verse is said to mean, “We are able to create him again precisely as We created him the first time;” please also see 36:78-79 and 17:49-51.

75:14-15

According to Seyyed Hossein Nasr and associates as they talk about these verses:

These verses can be taken as a reference to the  blaming soul (v. 2), which in effect testifies against every bad deed. In this vein, 17:14 says, On this Day, your soul suffices as a reckoner against you (see also 6:130; 7:37). Elsewhere their ears, their eyes, and their skins will bear witness against them for that which they used to do (41:20; see also 24:24.; 36:65). Though he proffer his excuses indicates that even when disbelievers speak to defend themselves, they bear witness against themselves (IK, T) or that none of their false excuses will be accepted (IK, T). Elsewhere the Day of Judgment is described as The Day when the wrongdoers will not benefit from their excuses (40:52).

75:16-18

These verses are about the holy Quran and its revelation. Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times has examined revelations and dreams in a scientific paradigm. The article was published in the Muslim Sunrise in 2011: True Nature of Divine Revelations.

According to Seyyed Hossein Nasr and associates as they talk about these verses:

These verses address the Prophet, encouraging  him to wait patiently for the continuation of the revelation, as in 20:114: Be not in haste with the Qaran before its revelation is completed for thee, but say, “My Lord! Increase me in knowledge!” Both passages are understood as references to the Prophet’s fear of forgetting the verses of revelation, which led him to repeat quickly everything that had been revealed to him, even while the revelation was coming down. Ibn ‘Abbas is reported to have said, “The Messenger of God used to bear the revelation with great trouble and used to move his lips [quickly] with the revelation. . . . So God revealed [75:16—17], meaning that God will make him remember the portion of the Quran that was revealed at that time by heart and recite it.” Then Ibn ‘Abbas said, “So when We recite it, follow its recitation means listen to it and be silent. Then surely it is for Us to explain it [v. 19] means that it is [for God] to make you recite it. Afterwards, the Messenger of God used to listen to Gabriel whenever he came and after his departure he used to recite it as Gabriel had recited it” (IK, Q). It is for Us to gather it thus indicates that God will gather it within the Prophet’s breast, ensuring that he remembers it correctly (IK). These verses can also be taken as an admonition to those who wish to understand the Quran to first read and reflect upon all of its teachings rather than drawing hasty conclusions.

75:19

According to Seyyed Hossein Nasr and associates as they talk about this verse:

This verse means that after the Prophet memorizes  and recites the Quran, God will explain it to him, clarify it, and inspire him to know its meaning according to what God intended and legislated (IK).

75:20-21

A common fallacy of the human condition is described in these verses: “You love that which is transitory; and you neglect that which is lasting.” (75:20-21) The Quran repeatedly teaches us to put our temporary worldly life in the perspective of eternal Afterlife. The common mistake is that most of us do not give the due importance to Afterlife, but, there  is also the possibility of error in the other direction, which is the error of asceticism, in giving up the worldly life, in not realizing that ultimately the results of our eternal life are based on our actions in this very ephemeral life.

According to Seyyed Hossein Nasr and colleagues in the commentary of the first verse of this surah:

Vying for increase in worldly gains distracts people  from obedience to God and remembering the Hereafter (Q, Ts). ‘Distraction’ (lahw) indicates an amusement, something that keeps people from achieving their real goals (Al, Is). In this vein, the Quran advises, Let not the life of this world delude you (31:33; 35:5; see also 45:35). Vying for increase translates takathur, which implies both competing and boasting. It can pertain to anything that people seek for the gratification of their egos rather than for God’s sake. According to a saying attributed to the Prophet, it means gathering wealth without right, withholding it from those to whom it rightfully belongs, and hoarding it (Q).

Islam does not prohibit the use or seeking of the good things of this world; but it certainly condemns those who are wholly engrossed in them and make them the very object and purpose of their lives. In fact the Quran has taught us a prayer to seek good both in this world and the hereafter: “And of them there are some who say: ‘Our Lord, grant us good in this world as well as good in the world to come, and protect us from the torment of the Fire.’” (2:201)

However, the Quran puts the worldly life and the eternal life, constantly into perspective, for example, “The desire of increase in worldly possessions beguiles you till you reach the graves. You will soon realize the vanity of your pursuits; again, you will soon realize how mistaken you are. If you only knew with the certainty of knowledge.” (102:1-5)

We will collect all the instances in the Quran, which highlight this human dilemma of striking the balance between the worldly life and the Afterlife. For starters, please see: 3:14-15; 3:185; 9:37; 10:24; 10:70; 13:26; 18:45-46; 29:64; 35:5; 57:20 and 87:16-19.

This dilemma arising out of finite versus the infinite has also been described in secular literature as Pascal wager.

The desire to progress in one way or another is embedded to a lesser or greater extent in human nature.  Some are more ambitious than the others but every one is pursuing some goal or object.  It is a distinctive characteristic in man which differentiates him from all lower forms of creation. The urge to progress is a healthy one, provided it does not clash with one’s moral development.  However, today it seems that the acquisition of wealth is the main avenue of progress along which men seek to advance.  But, as mentioned before, one who devotes one’s whole attention to increasing ones wealth and neglects one’s moral development is growing away from peace and acquiring miseries for oneself.

While advancement in worldly affairs is encouraged and commended by Islam, nevertheless, greater stress is laid on the development of the soul and progress along the path of righteousness; for God says in the Holy Quran that the most honored in His sight are those who are the most righteous.  Excessive materialism arises in those men who do not look beyond the grave and fail to appreciate the scheme of things in their totality. They give attention only to their material progress as they do not know of any other progress.  On the other hand, the men of God, do not neglect their moral and spiritual progress.  A believer knows that his love for God should excel his love for the things of this world. He yearns to develop within himself the attributes of God; and while he does not ignore the responsibilities of life he is ever watchful in avoiding all temptations liable to hinder his moral and spiritual advancement.

If on one extreme, of love for worldly things, is materialism then on the other extreme is asceticism.  Asceticism is so to speak an escape from our role in this present life.  Both extremes are detrimental to the moral and spiritual progress of man.  Sometimes one opts for asceticism and a kind of resignation in life in order to escape failure and the psychological pain associated with such failure.  This, then becomes  an escape mechanism and religion should not be blamed for such faulty resignation.  Islam just wants to put all things in true perspective and set the priorities right.  If we study the life history of the prophet Muhammad there is no element of escapism in his life.  His monumental accomplishments in a short life span of 63 years will always remain unparalleled.

Materialism leads to such love for these material things that it becomes more and more difficult for one to make moral choices when material stakes are high.  Islam teaches us a balance between the two forces, so that on one hand material progress is not halted and on the other hand moral and spiritual progress is not compromised.  We do not want to lay down proofs of the life after death here for we have pursued that in the commentary of Surah Al Waqi’ah (The Event or the Resurrection).  Whereas, materialism and exclusive focus on this world is short sightedness, as it ignores the life after death, asceticism is ignoring the purpose of life.

When we think about the part of our life, that has passed, it seems like a flash, a wink or twinkling of the eye.  It only leaves a feeling of nostalgia behind, and its existence appears rather unreal.  In short it has a fleeting existence and seems like a dream that is passed.  For those who have passed all their lives and have died, according to the Holy Quran when they look back, it seems to them that they lived only for a moment on this earth (23:112-113).

Bible quotes a moving testimony from King Solomon regarding the futility of taking worldly success as the final goal of one’s life:

I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and Planted vineyards.  I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of  fruit trees in them.  I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house.  I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.  I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.  I acquired men and women singers, and harem as well — the delights of the heart of men. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.

My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.

Yet when I surveyed all that my hand had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun (Bible, Ecclesiastes 2:4-11).

The message in these quotes is not one of asceticism but one of contentment and of simplicity.  These verses mean to put our present life in perspective of our eternal life in the hereafter.  These verses do not deny the useful role of some of the material things in our lives.  As the holy Quran, after naming some worldly goods says, “All these are the provisions of this life”.  It is excessive love and greed for material things that leads to evil and destruction of peace of mind in several ways.  If one recalls and analyzes the events of years ago, very often, one realizes that many of the issues that appeared to be vitally important yesterday, appear trivial and meaningless today.  Among other reasons, it is this perspective, that puts our present life in true colors against the life after death.

It is also very important that what is being criticized here is the act to seek material gains as ends in themselves.  A devout believer will also seek these same material gains, but with an intention to be able to serve God and His creatures with those resources.  The same pursuit becomes a mirage for the worldly inclined (24:39), and a source of spiritual progress for the devout believer.  It is the underlying intention that determines the quality of actions and in many instances the end result.

The story of Korah (Qarun), who was a contemporary of Moses puts our pursuit for worldly wealth into perspective.  His wealth made him very arrogant and exultant. The Holy Quran describes it in some detail.

Indeed, Korah was of the people of Moses, but he behaved tyrannically towards them. And We had given him treasures of hoarded wealth so much that the keys thereof would have weighed down a party of strong men. When his people said to him, ‘Exult not, surely Allah loves not those who exult;  And seek … the Home of the Hereafter (by spending in the way of Allah); and neglect not your people in this world; and do good to others as Allah has done good to you; And seek not to create mischief in the land. Indeed, Allah loves not those who create mischief;’  He said, ‘All this has been given to me because of the knowledge I possess. (Where does Allah come in the picture?)’.  …  So he went forth before his people in all his pomp. Those who were desirous of the life of this world said, ‘Would that we had the like of what Korah has been given!  Truly, he is the master of great fortune.’  But those who had been given true knowledge said, `Woe unto you (on what you long for), Allah’s (lasting) reward (in the hereafter) is best for those who believe and do good works; and it shall be granted to no one except those who are steadfast.’  (Because of arrogant attitude of Korah and his persecution of Moses and his followers).  Then Allah (caused an earth quake) and made the earth to swallow him up and his dwelling; And he had no party to help him against Allah, nor was he of those who can defend themselves.   And those who had coveted his position the day before began to say, ‘… it is indeed Allah Who enlarges the provisions for such of His servants as He pleases and straitens it for whom He pleases. Had not Allah been gracious to us, He would have caused it to swallow us up also. Ah!  the ungrateful never prosper.’  The home of the Hereafter. We give to those who seek not self-exaltation in the earth, …And the good end is for the righteous. (28: 76-83)

Accumulation of wealth and power for personal aggrandizement is hell fire, but the same desire to make money to raise one’s family and to serve humanity becomes a great boon for the believer. Indeed actions are judged by their motives.

75:36-40

Verses 36-40 talk about different biological stages humans have to go through and use the first creation as an argument for Afterlife, similar to what we have described in some detail in the commentary of Surah Al Waqi’ah.

According to Seyyed Hossein Nasr and associates as they talk about these verses:

This is one of several passages that cite the  phases of life from gestation to adulthood as proof of God’s Omnipotence and especially of His ability to resurrect; see also 18:37; 22:5-6c; 23:13-16; 35:11; 40:67; 76:2; 80:18-22. It is reported that when the Prophet recited, Is not such a. one able to give life to the dead? he would say ‘Yea!’ (JJ) and that he counseled others to do the same.

There is only one line of reasoning and proof that the Quran offers about hereafter, Afterlife or resurrection and that is the first creation and that argument is powerfully repeated in verses 47-74 of Surah Al Waqi’ah. A reading of the translation of these verses, without any editorial comments from us should bring the point home nicely.

The Holy Quran discusses reincarnation or resurrection, in equally powerful words in the following verses in Surah Yasin, adding the domain of biology to that of astronomy as the argument is built further, from the first creation:

Does not man see that We have created him from a mere sperm-drop? Yet lo! he is an open quarreler!  And he coins similitudes for Us and forgets his own creation. He says, ‘Who can quicken the bones when they are decayed?’  Say, ‘He, Who created them the first time, will quicken them; and He knows every kind of creation full well. He Who produces for you fire out of the green tree, and behold, you kindle from it.  Has not He Who created the heavens and the earth the power to create the like of them?’ Yea, and He is indeed the Supreme Creator, the All-Knowing.   Indeed,  His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, ‘Be!,’ and it is.  So Holy is He, in Whose hand is the kingdom of all things. And to Him will you all be brought back.  (Al Quran 36:78-84)

Many of such verses are collected in an article by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times: Stephen Hawking: ‘There is no heaven; it’s a fairy story!’