Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Commentary on Qur’an 36:77–83 and 17:99

Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD

Abstract

Qur’an 36:77–83 concludes Surah Yā Sīn with a powerful proof of bodily resurrection, intertwining theology, rational argument, and natural analogies thequran.love. These verses remind humans of their humble origin from a mere drop, yet challenge the skeptic who doubts that decayed bones can be revived thequran.love. Classical commentators like al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, and Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī emphasized that the Creator who originated life from nothing can surely re-create it thequran.love. Philosophically, the passage dismantles the assumption that resurrection is impossible, highlighting that God’s perfect knowledge and power bridge any gap in reassembling our identities thequran.love. Scientifically, it invites reflection on observable phenomena – human embryonic development, fire emerging from green wood, and the vastness of the heavens – as signs of the divine ability to bring life from death thequran.love. Similarly, Qur’an 17:99 asks whether the One who created the heavens and the earth could not create the likes of humans anew, affirming that He has set an appointed time (the Day of Resurrection) beyond doubt thequran.love islamicstudies.info. The section in Yā Sīn culminates in a declaration of God’s absolute sovereignty and the inevitability of our return to Himthequran.love. Together, these verses provide a holistic argument – engaging heart and mind – for the possibility and certainty of the afterlife in Islamic thought thequran.love. In what follows, we examine these verses in detail, drawing on classical exegesis and contemporary insights (such as those of Zia H. Shah MD) to explore their scientific, philosophical, and theological dimensions.

Human Origin and the Arrogance of Skepticism (Qur’an 36:77)

“Does man not consider that We created him from a mere drop of sperm, and behold – he is an open adversary?” (36:77). This verse opens the argument for resurrection by pointing to the lowly biological origin of every human. From a humble nutfah (a sperm-drop), a full human being develops – yet that same human often becomes an open disputant against his Creator thequran.love thequran.love. Classical commentators note the irony: a being fashioned from “something insignificant, weak and despised” (as Ibn Kathīr describes the sperm-drop) now dares to argue against God’s power thequran.love thequran.love. The verse was revealed, according to early reports, in response to a specific skeptic in Mecca (variously identified as Ubayy ibn Khalaf or Al-‘Āṣ ibn Wā’il) who scoffed at the idea of resurrection thequran.love. Yet its wording – “Does man (al-insān) not see…?” – addresses all of humanity, inviting each person to reflect on their own origin thequran.love. Modern Quranic commentators like Amīn Ahsan Islāhī point out the psychological insight: only someone who “forgets his own creation” would arrogantly question resurrection thequran.love. In sum, 36:77 confronts us with a dual reality – our lowly biological origin versus our lofty (but often misused) capacity for argument – a combination that ought to inspire humility and faith, not vain denial thequran.love.

From a scientific perspective, this verse also prompts awe at human development. Every person’s journey from a microscopic fertilized egg to a conscious being is itself a miracle. The Qur’an elsewhere highlights stages of embryonic growth – ‘alaqah (“a clinging form”) and so on – as signs of divine wisdom (cf. 75:36–38) thequran.love thequran.love. Modern embryology has illuminated how the embryo literally clings to the womb via the placenta, an organ crucial to nurturing life. The placenta is a temporary yet astonishing organ that attaches the embryo to the mother, facilitating oxygen and nutrient exchange, immune protection, and waste removal in a manner no human technology can yet replicate thequran.love thequran.love. This “marvel of the placenta,” largely unknown to people in the 7th century, exemplifies the Qur’anic reminder of our origins. By drawing attention to the fragile beginnings of human life, the Quranic message underscores that the God who guides a lifeless drop into a complex, thinking human surely has the power to re-create that human after death thequran.love thequran.love. Indeed, as Syed Abul A‘lā Maududi wrote, the very process of human creation “starting from the emission of a sperm-drop till its development into a perfect man” proves that “the God Who brings about man in the world also has the power to bring the same man into being once again” thequran.love. Thus, before ever directly addressing the skeptic’s challenge, the Qur’an appeals to a profound truth of both biology and theology: our existence is intentional and guided, not an accident – and remembering this should humble us into recognizing God’s power over life and death.

Read further in Microsoft Word file: