Epigraph:

God brings creation into being; in the end He will reproduce it and it is to Him you will be recalled. (Al Quran 30:11)

By Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times

The two fundamental beliefs of Islam are the One God or Monotheism and our accountability to Him in Afterlife. These two beliefs are mentioned in almost every Surah of the holy Quran except some of the very short Surahs.

What is a fundamental beauty of the Quran is that it does not simply profess its teachings but elaborates them with reason and logic. The Quran is filled with various arguments for the One God of the Abrahamic faiths. Similarly, when it comes to Afterlife the holy Quran does not simply mention it as an axiom of fundamental belief set but also offers proofs for its veracity and truth.

The main argument that the Quran offers for Afterlife is argument from God’s creativity or His First Creation. It is perhaps best enunciated in the end of Surah Yasin:

Can man not see that We created him from a drop of fluid? Yet–– lo and behold!–– he disputes openly, producing arguments against Us, forgetting his own creation. He says, ‘Who can give life back to bones after they have decayed?’ Say, ‘He who created them in the first place will give them life again: He has full knowledge of every act of creation. It is He who produces fire for you out of the green tree–– lo and behold!–– and from this you kindle fire. Is He who created the heavens and earth not able to create the likes of these people? Of course He is! He is the All Knowing Creator: when He wills something to be, His way is to say, ‘Be’–– and it is! So glory be to Him in whose Hand lies control over all things. It is to Him that you will all be brought back.’ (Al Quran 36:77-83)

It is then repeated in numerous other Surahs with different angles or perspectives to drive the point home. In Surah Bani Israel we read:

They also say, ‘What? When we are turned to bones and dust, shall we really be raised up in a new act of creation?’ Say, ‘[Yes] even if you were [as hard as] stone, or iron, or any other substance you think hard to bring to life.’ Then they will say, ‘Who will bring us back?’ Say, ‘The One who created you the first time.’ Then they will shake their heads at you and say, ‘When will that be?’ Say, ‘It may well be very soon: it will be the Day when He calls you, and you answer by praising Him, and you think you have stayed [on earth] only a little while.’ (Al Quran 17:49-52)

And again in Surah Bani Israel we read:

‘What? When we are turned to bones and dust, how can we be raised in a new act of creation?’ Do they not see that God, who created the heavens and earth, can create the likes of them [anew]? He has ordained a time for them–– there is no doubt about that–– but the evildoers refuse everything except disbelief. (Al Quran 17:98-99)

Today, I want to highlight how Monotheism and Afterlife are taught and connected in Surah Rome. In a long passage Allah highlights His creativity and I am quoting from the translation by Muhammad Abdel Haleem, from Oxford University:

So celebrate God’s glory in the evening, in the morning – praise is due to Him in the heavens and the earth – in the late afternoon, and at midday. He brings the living out of the dead and the dead out of the living. He gives life to the earth after death, and you will be brought out in the same way. One of His signs is that He created you from dust and – lo and behold! – you became human and scattered far and wide. Another of His signs is that He created spouses from among yourselves for you to live with in tranquility: He ordained love and kindness between you. There truly are signs in this for those who reflect. Another of His signs is the creation of the heavens and earth, and the diversity of your languages and colors. There truly are signs in this for those who know. Among His signs are your sleep, by night and by day, and your seeking His bounty. There truly are signs in this for those who can hear. Among His signs, too, are that He shows you the lightning that terrifies and inspires hope; that He sends water down from the sky to restore the earth to life after death. There truly are signs in this for those who use their reason. (Al Quran 30:17-24)

Allah then connects His creativity to Afterlife:

Among His signs, too, is the fact that the heavens and the earth stand firm by His command. In the end, you will all emerge when He calls you from the earth. Everyone in the heavens and earth belongs to Him, and all are obedient to Him. He is the One who originates creation and will do it again – this is even easier for Him. He is above all comparison in the heavens and earth; He is the Almighty, the All Wise. (Al Quran 30:25-26)

The theme is repeated a little later in the Surah with slightly different metaphors and emphasis:

Another of His signs is that He sends out the winds bearing good news, giving you a taste of His grace, making the ships sail at His command, enabling you to [journey in] search of His bounty so that you may be grateful. Before you [Muhammad], We sent messengers, each to their own people: they brought them clear proofs and then We punished the evildoers. We make it Our duty to help the believers. It is God who sends out the winds; they stir up the clouds; He spreads them over the skies as He pleases; He makes them break up and you see the rain falling from them. See how they rejoice when He makes it fall upon whichever of His servants He wishes, though before it is sent they may have lost all hope. Look, then, at the imprints of God’s mercy, how He restores the earth to life after death: this same God is the one who will return people to life after death–– He has power over all things. (Al Quran 30:46-50)

The holy Quran does not indulge in pointless repetition. There is a method to it and a profound purpose:

In this Quran, We have put forward all kinds of metaphors and illustration for people, so that they may take heed–– 28 an Arabic Qur an, free from any distortion–– so that people may be mindful. (Al Quran 39:27-28)

And:

If We had sent this Quran down to a mountain, you [Prophet] would have seen it humbled and split apart in its awe of God: We offer people such metaphors and illustrations so that they may reflect. (Al Quran 59:21)

My other main articles on the theme of how First Creation reasons and leads to Afterlife are: Surah Qaf: The First Creation as the Foremost Proof for Afterlife and Surah Al Waqi’ah (The Event or the Resurrection).

When Allah has so repeatedly and beautifully explained Monotheism and Afterlife in the holy Quran, why is it that still a majority of humanity is not convinced? At the end of Surah Rome, Allah gives us the answer to this key question as well:

In this Quran We have set every kind of illustration before people, yet if you [Prophet] brought them a miracle, the disbelievers would still say, ‘You [prophets] deal only in falsehood.’ In this way God seals the hearts of those who do not know, so be patient, for God’s promise is true: do not let those with no firm beliefs discourage you. (Al Quran 30:58-60)