Presented by Zia H Shah MD

Abstract

Qur’an 31:27–28 presents a vivid illustration of God’s infinite knowledge and boundless creative power. Verse 27 draws an analogy: if every tree were a pen and the seas were ink, the “Words of Allah” would still never be exhausted. Verse 28 declares that creating and resurrecting all of humanity is as easy for God as creating or raising a single soul. This commentary explores these verses through scientific, philosophical, and theological lenses, integrating insights from modern discussions like the simulation hypothesis, the concept of guided evolution, and the Islamic doctrine of occasionalism. We examine how the Qur’an’s depiction of reality – an ephemeral world sustained by God’s command – resonates with the simulation metaphor and al-Ghazālī’s view that God directly governs every event. We discuss the unity of life implied by a “single soul” origin in light of evolutionary science, arguing that the diversity of life is a manifestation of God’s limitless creative “words.” The goal is to show how these ancient verses harmonize with contemporary thought: portraying a cosmos that is rich with divine speech (information), purposefully unfolding under God’s guidance, and ultimately as easy for an omnipotent Creator to remake as a re-run of a simulation. This confluence of scripture with modern insights not only deepens our understanding of the verses, but also provides a bridge between faith and reason. In the end, we find that Qur’an 31:27–28 invites us to marvel at a reality that is at once a divine masterpiece and a stage for human moral growth – a reality sustained by infinite divine words and unified by the singular power of the one Creator.

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Introduction

Certain Qur’anic verses pack immense concepts into a few words. Surah Luqmān, verses 31:27–28, is a prime example. These verses read:

• “If all the trees on earth were pens and the ocean [were ink], refilled by seven other oceans, the Words of Allah would not be exhausted. Surely Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.” (Qur’an 31:27)quran.com
• “The creation and resurrection of you all is as simple [for Him] as that of a single soul. Surely Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.” (Qur’an 31:28)quran.com

Together, they convey God’s infinite capacity in knowledge and speech (verse 27) and God’s effortless power over creation (verse 28). The imagery is both poetic and profound: even an infinite library of pens and ink could not record all of God’s words, and bringing an entire humanity to life (or back to life) is, for God, like dealing with one solitary being. These statements highlight attributes central to Islamic theology: God’s omniscience, omnipotence, and immediacy in creation.

This commentary will delve into the meaning and implications of these verses, integrating insights from science and philosophy to enrich our understanding. We will explore how the Qur’an’s portrayal of reality in these verses aligns with modern thought experiments and theological ideas:

• The notion of God’s endless “words” invites comparison to the information content of the universe and even the idea of reality as a divine simulation. Could the “Words of Allah” hint at the code of creation, a concept analogous to the Simulation Hypothesis which posits that reality might be an artificial construct? We’ll see how Qur’anic perspectives on the ephemeral nature of this world resonate with the simulation metaphorthequran.lovethequran.love.
• The idea that all humans’ creation and resurrection are “like a single soul” underscores the unity and interconnectedness of life. This echoes strongly with the scientific concept of a common origin of life — all life forms branching from a single source, as understood through evolutionary theory. We will discuss how a theistic view of evolution, often termed guided evolution, sees the evolutionary process itself as one of God’s “words”, a gradual unfolding under divine guidancethequran.lovethequran.love. This helps reconcile the Qur’anic emphasis on a single origin of humanity with the evidence of biologythequran.love.
• Verse 28’s emphasis on God’s ease in creating or resurrecting multitudes “as one” also brings to mind the Islamic doctrine of occasionalism. Prominently advocated by Imam al-Ghazālī, occasionalism holds that God is the direct cause of every event, at every momentthequran.love. Under this view, there is no difference between creating one being or a trillion beings – each action is directly willed by God. We will see how this perspective dovetails with the verses and even find parallels in modern physics and philosophy. The Qur’an’s language itself, as we’ll explore, often attributes every natural phenomenon to God’s immediate agencythequran.lovethequran.love.

By examining Qur’an 31:27–28 through these lenses, we aim to draw out a richer understanding that speaks to both believers and curious minds. The commentary will remain accessible to a general audience, explaining any specialized concepts (like the simulation hypothesis or occasionalism) in plain terms. Throughout, we will highlight how science and philosophy can complement theological reflection, revealing an unexpected harmony. The Qur’an’s timeless words engage topics as varied as the nature of reality, the story of life, and the interface of divine will with the physical world.

Before diving deeper, it’s important to note the context: these verses occur in a passage where the Qur’an is teaching about God’s signs and wisdom. Immediately after asserting God’s infinite words and effortless creative power, the Qur’an warns: “Let not the life of this world deceive you, nor let the Deceiver deceive you about God.” (31:33) – reminding us that this worldly life can be illusorythequran.love. Indeed, classical commentators explain that the “life of this world” is a deceptive enjoyment (mataa‘ al-ghurūr) compared to the true life of the Hereafterthequran.love. Thus, verses 27–28 are setting the stage: God’s knowledge and power are beyond comprehension, so do not be fooled by the limited reality you experience now. With that in mind, let us turn to the first of these twin verses – “the Words of Allah” that never run out – and explore its meaning and modern resonances.

“If All the Trees Were Pens…” – God’s Infinite Words and the Nature of Reality

Verse 31:27 paints a striking picture to convey the limitlessness of God’s words: even if every tree on Earth were turned into pens and the sea into ink (with seven more oceans added to replenish it), those pens would run dry and those oceans be emptied before “the Words of Allah” could be exhaustedquran.com. What does this mean? Muslim scholars have traditionally understood “God’s words” to refer to God’s knowledge, commands, and creative expressions. In other words, God’s knowledge is infinite – recording all of it would overwhelm any materials imaginable – and His creative power, expressed through “Be!” and the subsequent existence of things, is boundless. Each thing in existence could be seen as a “word” uttered by God’s creative command.

This metaphor invites us to reflect on the information content of the universe. Modern science tells us that the cosmos is rich with information – from the genetic code in a single cell, to the physical laws and constants that govern galaxies. If we attempted to write down all the descriptions of every particle, every event, and every piece of knowledge about the universe, the task would indeed be hopeless. God’s “words” encompass not just scripture, but all knowledge and all creative acts. The verse therefore suggests that God’s creative knowledge is infinite – creation is an ongoing, never-depleting expression of His will and wisdom.

The Simulation Hypothesis Analogy: Reality as Divine “Code”

Such imagery curiously resonates with a modern philosophical idea known as the Simulation Hypothesis. This hypothesis asks us to consider the possibility that our reality is not “base reality” at all, but rather an artificial simulation (for example, a highly sophisticated computer program) run by some advanced intelligencethequran.lovethequran.love. In simpler terms, what we perceive as the physical world might be akin to a virtual environment generated by a “Programmer.” While this idea might sound like science fiction (think of The Matrix), it has been seriously explored by philosophers and scientists. Nick Bostrom’s famous trilemma in 2003 argued that if civilizations can run vastly many simulations of conscious beings, then statistically we are likely in a simulation unless advanced civilizations never come to existthequran.lovethequran.love. Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk popularized this by pointing out how quickly our video games have advanced – suggesting that in the future, simulations indistinguishable from reality could exist, making it “one in billions” that we are in true base realitythequran.lovethequran.love.

What does this have to do with Qur’an 31:27? Consider that in a simulated world, information (the code) underlies everything. The “reality” experienced by the simulated characters is actually a vast tapestry of binary data or programming language – essentially, words (instructions) of the programmer. If we draw an analogy, we can imagine God as the supreme Programmer and the universe as His simulation. In this metaphor, “the Words of Allah” might be likened to the divine code sustaining every atom and every life. Just as a simulation’s complexity is limited by the programmer’s resources, the Qur’an says God’s words are unlimited – no conceivable supply of ink or pens could ever tally them. It’s as if the “code” running reality is infinitely rich and inexhaustible to created minds.

Importantly, the Qur’an does not state that life is literally a computer program (the concept of computers, of course, didn’t exist at the time!). But it does portray this life as temporary, contingent, and somewhat illusory compared to ultimate reality. The Qur’an repeatedly describes the world (Arabic dunyā) as a fleeting illusion or play: “The life of this world is nothing but play and amusement. But the Home of the Hereafter – that is real life indeed, if only they knew.” (Qur’an 29:64)thequran.love. In another verse: “The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception.” (Qur’an 3:185)thequran.love. These verses draw a stark contrast between the deceptively immersive experience of worldly life and the true, enduring reality of the Hereafter. In a way, this aligns with the simulation idea: our current life can be seen as a kind of construct or test environment. It feels real to us, yet it is transient and will be “shut down” at the end of times – much like a simulation that can be turned offthequran.love. The Qur’an explicitly says that on the Day of Resurrection, God will roll up the heavens and earth, replacing them with a new reality (Qur’an 14:48, 21:104). The apocalypse (Qiyāmah) is essentially the termination of the current world-program, after which a permanent realm – the “real life” – is establishedthequran.lovethequran.love.

In light of this, some modern Muslim thinkers have found the simulation hypothesis to be a useful metaphor for understanding Islamic conceptsthequran.love. Dr. Zia H. Shah, for instance, suggests that thinking of this life as a simulation created by the All-Knowing can help us conceptualize the Afterlife as the ultimate realitythequran.love. In his words, “This life is a simulation created by the All Knowing and the Most Merciful and Afterlife is the eternal final reality.”thequran.love. In other words, God’s creation is like a cosmic simulation not in the sci-fi sense of computers, but in the philosophical sense that our reality entirely depends on God’s “programming” and can be effortlessly reset or resumed according to His will. When verse 27 speaks of God’s endless words, we can imagine that as the “data” of this universe – beyond our ability to measure. And when verse 28 speaks of resurrection, we might picture a simulated world being restarted or loaded anew from memory. For an omnipotent God, resurrecting billions is no harder than reloading one character’s save file in a game.

Illustration of the simulation hypothesis – our reality (the visible grid and world) could be a “program” sustained by a higher power. The Qur’an often reminds us that the world is a fleeting test, a stage whose curtains will fall, much like a simulation that can be stopped, revealing a more enduring reality beyond.thequran.lovethequran.love

It’s crucial to note, of course, that the simulation hypothesis is a speculative idea, not established fact. Many scientists are skeptical of whether such cosmic simulations are even possible or testablethequran.lovethequran.love. However, as a thought experiment, it dovetails intriguingly with Qur’anic worldview. The Qur’an teaches that the universe is fully under God’s control at every moment, much like a simulated world is under the constant control of its program. The Qur’an says: “Allah holds the heavens and the earth, lest they cease. And if they should vanish, no one could hold them [in place] after Him.” (Qur’an 35:41)thequran.love. This implies that the stability of the cosmos is not automatic or inherent – it persists because God is actively “holding” it together. That is remarkably similar to saying the universe runs because God’s program continuously executes, not because the world is a self-sustaining machine. In Islamic theology, God is not a watchmaker who wound up the clock and left it; He is more like a programmer running the code of reality in real-time, at all times.

The Islamic concept of continuous creation (tajdīd al-khalq) fits in here. Some theologians, especially in the Ash‘arite tradition, asserted that God recreates the world at each instant anew – a view closely tied to occasionalism which we’ll discuss soon. They interpreted verses like “His command, when He wills a thing, is only to say to it, ‘Be!’ – and it is.” (Qur’an 36:82) to mean that at every moment, every atom only continues to exist because God is saying “Be!” to itthequran.love. Al-Ghazālī in the 11th century emphasized that “existence is renewed at every instant by God’s power.”thequran.love. Think of a movie reel: reality is like frames that God is projecting moment by moment, rather than a self-moving film. Or returning to the simulation analogy, God’s processor is continuously computing every event. If He stopped “holding” the code, the simulation (the universe) would simply cease.

Seen in this light, the inexhaustibility of God’s words in verse 27 can also hint at the ongoing, never-ending nature of God’s creative commands. It’s not only that God has infinite knowledge of things that exist; it’s also that He has infinite novel ways to create and express His will. The universe in all its vastness and complexity is but one “expression” of God’s creative word – He could create endless others and still not run out of creative potential. This underscores a humbling point: no matter how much humanity discovers of science and nature, we have only touched a droplet from an ocean. The Qur’an elsewhere says something very similar: “If the ocean were ink for [writing] the words of my Lord, the ocean would run out before the words of my Lord run out, even if We brought the like of it to replenish it.” (Qur’an 18:109). This is almost identical imagery, emphasizing inexhaustible knowledge. Modern scientists like to say that human knowledge is always expanding – yet with every discovery, new questions arise. In a spiritual sense, every truth we uncover is a word God has uttered in the fabric of reality, and there are infinitely more awaiting beyond.

Interestingly, contemporary science does hint at a “digital” aspect of nature. Physicist James Gates found what looked like error-correcting codes in the equations of string theory, almost as if some kind of programming underlies physical lawthequran.love. Others talk about the universe as “mathematical” at its corethequran.love – everything can be described by math, which is essentially information. While these findings don’t prove we live in a literal computer simulation, they reinforce the idea that information is fundamental in the universe. The Qur’an saying God’s kalimāt (words) never end nicely complements the view of a world rooted in God’s information.

To summarize this section: Qur’an 31:27 tells us that God’s knowledge and creative word is infinite – a concept we illustrated with the simulation analogy. Our world, as the Qur’an depicts, is a deliberately designed, transient arena – “the enjoyment of deception” – meant to test us before a more abiding reality comesthequran.lovethequran.love. Just as a simulation’s purpose is fulfilled and then it’s switched off, the Qur’an says this world will end and God will bring forth the real life of the Hereafter. In that ultimate reality, the veil will be lifted and we will comprehend how much of our experience was like a dream or an interactive playthequran.lovethequran.love. The infinite words of God remind us that there is far more to reality than our minds can grasp. All science and wisdom we accumulate are but a few strokes of the divine pen on an endless canvas.

Having contemplated God’s boundless knowledge and the contingent nature of our universe, we now move to Qur’an 31:28, which complements the picture: it highlights God’s unlimited power by saying our collective creation or resurrection is as effortless for Him as that of a single soul. This verse will take us into discussions about the unity of life (from an evolutionary perspective) and the directness of God’s action in the world (from a theological perspective).

“As a Single Soul” – Unity of Creation, Guided Evolution, and Divine Omnipotence

After emphasizing God’s limitless knowledge in verse 27, the Qur’an in 31:28 emphasizes God’s limitless power: “Your creation and your resurrection are only as [that of] a single soul. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Seeing.”quran.com. The phrasing “not your creation nor your resurrection except as one soul” implies that whether God is creating or re-creating one person or all of humanity, it is all the same to Him – equally easy, requiring only His command. This verse carries two intertwined ideas:

1. Ease and equality of scale for God: There is no difference for God between doing something once and doing it a billion times. Effortlessness is a key attribute of divine omnipotence – God says “Be” and it is, no matter the scope.
2. Unity of origin and return: The verse subtly alludes to the idea that humanity (and by extension all life) shares a common origin (“a single soul”) and will share a common resurrection. This ties into the Qur’anic theme that humanity was created from one essence or entity.

Common Origin: From a Single Soul to Humanity – A Qur’anic Theme

The Qur’an on multiple occasions states that all humans were created from a single soul (nafs wāḥida). For example, “O humanity! Be mindful of your Lord Who created you from a single soul, and from it He created its mate, and through both He spread countless men and women…” (Qur’an 4:1). Also, “He is the One Who created you from a single soul, then from it made its spouse…” (7:189), and “He created you all from a single soul, then from it He made its mate…” (39:6). These verses, along with 6:98 and our verse 31:28, weave a consistent message: humanity has a unified originthequran.lovethequran.love. Traditionally, this was often interpreted to refer to Adam and Eve – one soul (Adam) from whom his mate (Eve) was created, and then humanity descended.

However, modern Muslim scholars have revisited these verses in light of scientific evidence about human origins. Dr. Zia H. Shah argues that when all such verses are considered together, they strongly point to the idea of common ancestry and evolutionthequran.love. He notes that we have essentially two interpretations of “single soul”: either a literal first couple (Adam and Eve as unique, instant creations) or a single origin in the distant past, such as the first life form from which evolution proceededthequran.love. The former interpretation raises scientific and even theological puzzles (e.g. requiring a miraculous creation of Eve from Adam’s rib, which the Qur’an itself does not explicitly endorse)thequran.lovethequran.love. The latter interpretation, in contrast, aligns neatly with the evidence that all life on Earth shares an initial origin – often traced to primitive single-celled organisms about 3.5 billion years ago.

It’s fascinating that the “single soul” phrasing in the Qur’an can accommodate the idea that we ultimately all come from one life source. In fact, Dr. Shah provocatively states that after reading all these verses collectively, “there is no choice left but to believe in evolution, namely the common ancestry of all life forms on Earth.”thequran.love. This may be a strong way to put it, but it underscores that Qur’anic and scientific narratives aren’t necessarily at odds. The Qur’an’s emphasis on a unified origin of humanity (and by extension, life) can be seen as a spiritual way of expressing what science confirms: life proliferated from a single tree of life. The image below, the classical “Tree of Life” concept, illustrates how diverse species branch out from common roots and ultimately from a single trunk – symbolizing the single origin.

A depiction of the “Tree of Life,” illustrating how all diverse forms of life might branch out from one primordial source (a single “mother” cell or organism). The Qur’an’s statement that God “produced you from a single soul” resonates with this idea of common origin, hinting that humanity (and life at large) is one family split into countless branches.thequran.lovethequran.love

It’s important to clarify that when the Qur’an says “single soul,” it’s not giving a biology lesson per se; it’s emphasizing human unity and equality (since we all come from one, no one is inherently superior by birth). But the scientific angle adds a beautiful layer: our unity is quite literal in biological terms. We truly are cousins of each other (and indeed, distant cousins of all living creatures if we trace far enough back).

Guided Evolution: A Theistic Case for Creation’s Masterplan

Now, accepting that evolution describes the development of life, where does God’s guidance come in? Some people mistakenly think evolution leaves no room for God – as if a natural process must be random and purposeless. However, many theologians and even scientists see no contradiction in evolution being the method by which God creates. This perspective is often called theistic evolution or, to emphasize intentionality, guided evolution. The idea is that God designed the laws of nature and oversees the processes such that life’s diversification is precisely His plan, not a series of accidents.

The Qur’an itself hints at gradual creation and guidance in nature. It frequently says that Allah created things “in stages” or through developmental phases. For example, humans are described as created “from clay… then from a drop of fluid… then clots of blood… then lumps of flesh…” etc., mirroring an embryological development (and arguably an evolutionary echo from simple to complex). The Qur’an (21:30) says all life was made from water – which aligns with scientific views that life began in the oceans. It calls God Al-Muṣawwir (the Fashioner) – shaping the forms of His creation – and Ar-Rabb (the Sustainer or Nurturing Lord) – indicating ongoing guidance and nurturing of creationthequran.love. All these imply a continuous creative process rather than one-time events. Indeed, Dr. Zia Shah points out that the Qur’an speaking of life coming from water and clay and proceeding in stages “closely parallels the scientific narrative of life’s gradual development”thequran.love.

The concept of guided evolution finds support in various observations of biology that seem to go beyond pure chance. For instance, one fascinating area of research is the role of viruses in evolutionary innovation. Far from being only agents of disease, ancient viruses have left fragments of their genes in our genomes, some of which have been co-opted for crucial functions. It was discovered that a viral gene enabled the formation of the placenta in mammals – essentially, an invasive retrovirus “taught” early mammals how to develop a placenta to nourish the embryo. Similarly, bits of viral DNA have contributed to the development of the human brain. These seem like wildly lucky accidents on the surface. But a believer might see them as hints of providential design: God utilizing even viruses as tools to advance life’s complexity. Dr. Shah notes that such findings – “mammals (including humans) owe key innovations to viral genes co-opted in their genomes – an ‘accident’ of nature that, in a theistic view, hints at providence rather than chance”thequran.love.

Another clue is convergent evolution: the independent emergence of similar complex features (like eyes, wings, or intelligence) in separate lineages. Eyes evolved at least 30 times in different creatures; flight evolved in insects, birds, bats, etc., all separately. Some scholars argue this suggests that certain beneficial structures were “meant” to appear – as if nature is guided toward certain solutions. It’s as if the script of life had certain goals (sight, flight, consciousness) written into it. This can be seen as evidence of an underlying directionality or purpose in evolution’s grand tapestrythequran.love.

Philosophers and theologians have long argued that randomness in evolution does not contradict God’s guidance. Random mutations can be the mechanism, but God’s will could be behind the scenes, setting the conditions or even determining which mutations occur. As the guided evolution perspective asserts, “random mutations ‘being random’ is entirely compatible with their being caused or utilized by God’s will.”thequran.love. To put it another way, chance is just a human way of saying “we don’t see a pattern.” But God could very well be choosing each so-called random event according to a divine plan. The famous Christian philosopher Alvin Plantinga made a similar point: the claim that evolution is “unguided” is not part of science itself but a metaphysical add-onthequran.love. Science can trace processes, but it cannot pronounce on whether there is an ultimate purpose behind those processes – that’s a philosophical or theological questionthequran.love. So, one can fully accept evolution and also believe God is guiding it; the two operate at different levels of explanation.

Bringing this back to our verse 31:28: The idea of all humans (and by extension all creatures) originating from one fits beautifully with evolution. It underscores the kinship of all life. And if we couple that with the Qur’an’s assertion that God is “All-Hearing, All-Seeing” (meaning He’s fully aware and attentive), we get a picture of a God who is intimately involved with His creation. He didn’t just kickstart a process and walk away; He is aware of every creature at every moment. In fact, another verse in the Qur’an says, “Allah has created you and what you do.” (37:96) and “No creature moves on earth but its provision depends on Allah… He knows its dwelling and its final resting. All is in a clear Record.” (11:6). These verses reinforce that God’s agency and knowledge envelop even the minutest actions of creatures.

In the context of evolution, one might say: every mutation, every environmental change, every turn of life’s story is “written in a clear Record” by God. Thus, the emergence of Homo sapiens from earlier hominids, and indeed the rise of any species from prior forms, is all part of God’s script. This elevates the scientific narrative into a profoundly spiritual one. Evolution becomes a form of God’s speech – a long, unfolding story that God is telling through the fabric of time. In Dr. Shah’s words, “the book of Nature and the book of Scripture tell one coherent story: a story of life guided with wisdom and purpose, testifying to God, ‘the best of creators’ (Qur’an 23:14).”thequran.love.

Occasionalism: Direct Divine Action Makes “One = Many”

Now, let’s examine the other aspect of verse 28: the idea that from God’s perspective, creating or resurrecting multitudes is as simple as doing so for a single soul. This can be appreciated via the concept of occasionalism in Islamic philosophy. Occasionalism, as mentioned earlier, is the doctrine that God is the only true cause in the universe – everything that appears to have a cause-and-effect relationship in nature is actually just God’s habit of doing things in particular sequencesthequran.love. The fire that burns cotton doesn’t truly cause the burning; God directly causes the cotton to burn when in contact with fire, every single time. If He willed, the cotton could touch fire and not burn, and indeed miracles in scripture are understood this way (Prophet Abraham was thrown into the fire but it didn’t burn him, because God didn’t permit it to).

Al-Ghazālī championed this view to safeguard God’s omnipotence and unity – saying that natural laws have no independent efficacy prevents the mistake of attributing power to creation itselfthequran.love. He argued that to think otherwise is to make “partners” with God in powerthequran.love. In occasionalism, causation is an illusion – or rather, a veil over our eyes. In reality, God is doing everything, at every momentthequran.lovethequran.love. If you drop a ball, it falls because God is moving it. If you think a thought, it’s because God created that thought in your mind (without negating your responsibility – a subtle point beyond our scope here). Nature’s regularities (what we call laws of physics) are simply God’s customary way of operating (sunnat Allah). He can make exceptions at will.

In such a view, consider what creation means: it’s not that God created the universe once upon a time and it runs on its own now. It’s that God is re-creating the universe every split second. The 13th-century theologian Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī described it like a rapid succession of flashes, each one a complete creation, giving us the illusion of continuity – much like frames in a movie reel. If this is the case, then how trivial is it for God to create a million people versus one! It’s literally the same effort – just will it, and it is. Verse 28 says exactly that: for God, creating all of you or resurrecting all of you is as easy as that of one soul. Because ultimately, number doesn’t matter to an infinite power. One or one billion – it’s all just “Kun fayakūn” (“Be, and it is”) to Allahthequran.love.

This also demystifies resurrection in a way. People might wonder: “How will God reassemble billions of humans, from dust and scattered atoms, especially those who died ages ago?” The Qur’an replies by analogy: well, He made you the first time; do you think repeating the act is harder? It’s all the same. In modern terms, if the entire history of every person is information stored in God’s knowledge (recall the infinite words!), then resurrection is like reloading that information. No difficulty at all. To borrow the simulation analogy one more time: if the world is like a program, God can save every soul’s “data” and at resurrection, breathe them into new forms. From His perspective, it might as well be copying one file or copying billions – the effort is negligible when you have infinite computing power, so to speak.

Occasionalism underscores this by asserting that God already handles every atom directly, so doing many versus doing one makes no difference. An occasionalist would say that even now, no two events occur “in parallel” outside of God’s attention. It’s not as if God’s busy with one thing and might forget another – He is hearing and seeing all, as the verse reminds: “Indeed, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.”quran.com. In other words, God is fully aware of every detail (Hearing, Seeing are metaphors for complete knowledge). Therefore, re-creating all beings at once is wholly within His power and awareness.

Historically, the Qur’an has provided examples to make this plausible to our imagination. For instance, it asks us to consider our embryonic development – if God can create us from a tiny drop, forming us stage by stage, can we not believe He can do it again from dust? It also points to the revival of dead land to sprout plants after rain as a sign of how He will revive the dead (36:33, 35:9). In fact, Qur’an 35:9–14 (a passage commented on by some scholars in occasionalist termsthequran.love) speaks of winds moving clouds, rain giving life to land, and so forth – all attributed directly to Allah’s doing. One commentary notes this highlights divine agency in every natural processthequran.love. If every drop of rain and every sprout of seed is personally managed by God, then the resurrection – though stupendous to us – is simply God doing what He always does: giving life by His command, but on a larger, all-encompassing scale. In a hadith (saying of Prophet Muhammad), it’s mentioned that God says: “O My servants, all of you are astray except whom I guide… all of you are hungry except whom I feed…” etc. This conveys a similar sense that God personally attends to the needs of all creatures simultaneously.

It is also noteworthy that the verse pairs creation (khalq) and resurrection (ba‘th). In Islamic thought, resurrection is like a second creation – sometimes called al-nash’ah al-ukhrā (the other genesis). The ease with which God can resurrect us is equated to the ease with which He created in the first place. And since the first creation was so easy (just a word), the second is, too. In Qur’an 36:77–79, a skeptic is quoted asking who will revive rotten bones; God replies, the One who made them in the first place, and all He needs to do is will it. The Qur’an even adds in 36:81, “Is not He who created the heavens and earth able to create the like of them [again]? Yes indeed, for He is the All-Knowing Creator.” The inclusion of All-Knowing here is interesting – linking back to the idea of God’s knowledge storing the blueprint of creation, as it were. In other words, God’s knowledge (words) and power go hand in hand. He knows every detail of every soul (hence All-Hearing, All-Seeing in 31:28), and thus can recreate them with perfect fidelity.

Finally, from a spiritual-philosophical angle, verse 28 can also be hinting at something profound about the oneness of humanity. If we are as one soul in God’s eyes, this invites the reflection that we truly are one family – distinctions of race, tribe, nation are superficial. The Qur’an elsewhere explicitly draws this ethical lesson: “O mankind! We created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you.” (49:13). Thus, all humans being from one pair – or one origin – is meant to humble us and make us compassionate to one another. Luqmān (for whom the surah is named) was known for his wisdom, and some reports say he emphasized treating people kindly because we all come from the same source. If God can wipe us all out and bring us back in a flash, it also puts in perspective any arrogance we might have. The ease of our creation to God is a reminder of our fragility and His supremacy.

Epilogue

In these two verses, Qur’an 31:27–28, we are invited to contemplate the grandeur of God’s knowledge and power – and by extension, the nature of reality itself. Our journey through scientific and philosophical reflections has shown that these ancient verses carry a timeless message that can engage even the modern mind:

• God’s “Words” and Reality: We learned that the Qur’an’s metaphor of infinite divine words connects to the idea of a reality saturated with information and meaning. The simulation hypothesis became a useful allegory: if an advanced programmer can create a world of virtually unlimited complexity, how much more so can the Ultimate Creator. The Qur’an essentially tells us: “This world you see is just a drop in an infinite ocean of God’s possibilities.” It cautions us not to be deceived by the glitter of this limited worldthequran.love, reminding us that a far more significant, real existence lies beyond – an existence as different from our current life as a player’s true life is from the character they play in a game. When the “simulation” of worldly life ends, the curtain will rise on the greater reality prepared by Godthequran.lovethequran.love.
• Unity of Life and Purpose: The emphasis on being created from a single soul opened the door for us to see harmony between scripture and science. Rather than oppose the idea of evolution, the Qur’an’s words about common origin illuminate it, and evolution in turn showcases the magnificence of God’s creative plan. We painted a picture of guided evolution where each natural process is a brushstroke of divine artistry. In this view, the evolutionary saga – from the first cell to the vast web of life including humanity – is not a series of happy accidents but a story scripted with intentthequran.love. The innumerable species, the ecosystems, and the conscious minds that have emerged are all expressions of God’s will – His “words” unfolding in time. As Allah’s name Al-Ḥakīm (The Wise) at the end of 31:27 suggests, there is profound wisdom in how the creation is arranged, and nothing is truly random to Himquran.com.
• Divine Presence in Every Moment: Through the lens of occasionalism, we recognized a core Islamic teaching: God is not distant, but intimately involved in sustaining existence at every heartbeat of timethequran.lovethequran.love. This philosophy reinforced what the verses conveyed – that numbers and magnitude mean nothing before God’s power. Whether He is giving life to one or judging an entire world, it requires no effort beyond His command. For us, the difference between one and many is immense; for God, they are one and the same. This realization can fill the heart with both awe and reassurance: awe at God’s majesty, reassurance that we are never outside of God’s care. The very atoms of our being are attentively governed by the Most Merciful. Thus, resurrection becomes not a fanciful wish but the natural outcome of God’s continuous creative mercy. In a sense, every moment is a small resurrection, as God recreates the world, until the Day of the great Resurrection when He will bring forth all souls together as easily as one.

In the end, Qur’an 31:27–28 teaches us humility and hope. Humility, because it confronts us with the reality that our knowledge is negligible next to the divine knowledge – all the libraries of the world could not encompass a fraction of what God knows and has decreedquran.com. It humbles us to realize that we live in a world far more mysterious and contingent than we might assume. And hope, because it assures us that we are not lost in a cold, meaningless cosmos. We are part of a story authored by an Almighty, All-Wise God who can raise us up no matter how scattered our dust becomesquran.com. The same God who fashioned life into being from one essence can reunite the fragments of our existence and give us new life, just as easily.

Standing in a world of scientific marvels and philosophical puzzles, these verses bridge ancient wisdom and contemporary wonder. They invite us to see the sacred in the scientific, to sense a divine simulator behind the cosmic simulation, and to perceive a guiding hand in evolution’s grand pageant. For a general reader, the takeaway is this: the Qur’an portrays a universe brimming with God’s signs – from the trillions of stars to the DNA in our cells – all of it is a testament to an Infinite Intelligence and Power. Our lives here are meaningful, our choices are part of a test, and our reality is but a chapter in an eternal narrative.

As we close this commentary, we recall the beautiful subtlety that the verses end with two pairs of God’s names: Al-‘Azīz, Al-Ḥakīm (Almighty, All-Wise) in 31:27 and As-Samī‘, Al-Baṣīr (All-Hearing, All-Seeing) in 31:28quran.comquran.com. Power with wisdom, and awareness with knowledge. This combination of attributes encapsulates why believers trust in God’s plan. He is capable of anything (so He can bring about whatever good He promises) and He is wise in doing so (so there are profound reasons behind every decree); He hears all prayers and sees all needs (so none of our struggles or efforts are unnoticed). When faced with the vast unknown – the endless “words” of God we haven’t read, and the future resurrection to come – we find comfort that the Author of those words and the Orchestrator of that resurrection is Al-‘Azīz (infinitely Able) and Al-Ḥakīm (infinitely Wise), as well as As-Samī‘ (attentive to our cries) and Al-Baṣīr (watchful of our lives).

In a world hungering for meaning, Qur’an 31:27–28 offers a vision of reality that is at once intellectually compelling and spiritually uplifting. It tells us: Look around, everything is a sign; look within, you are part of a grand design. The trees could be pens and the oceans ink, yet God’s story would never end – and wondrously, we are characters in that story, invited to know the Author and trust in the eventual happy ending that He has written.

Sources:

1. The Holy Qur’an, Surah Luqmān (31), verses 27–28quran.comquran.com
2. Shah, Zia H. “The Glorious Quran: ‘Humanity Came from a Single Soul!’” (February 26, 2025) – Discusses Qur’anic verses about the common origin of humanity, relating them to evolutionthequran.lovethequran.love.
3. Shah, Zia H. “The Simulation Hypothesis and Its Bearing on Afterlife.” (November 30, 2024) – Explores how the simulation argument can illuminate Islamic concepts of this world and the hereafterthequran.love.
4. Shah, Zia H. “The Simulation Hypothesis and Qur’anic Perspectives on Reality.” (May 9, 2025) – Provides a detailed comparison between the simulation idea and Qur’anic worldview (the world as a test, a temporary illusion)thequran.lovethequran.love.
5. Shah, Zia H. “Guided Evolution: A Theistic Case for a Creator’s Hand in Evolution.” (December 8, 2025) – Argues for evolution directed by God’s wisdom, citing scientific evidence like viral contributions to genomes and convergent evolutionthequran.lovethequran.love.
6. Shah, Zia H. “From Simulated Universes to Occasionalist Metaphysics – Bridging the Simulation Hypothesis and al-Ghazali’s Occasionalism.” (May 13, 2025) – Connects the idea of a programmed reality with al-Ghazālī’s doctrine that God directly causes every eventthequran.love.
7. Shah, Zia H. “The Glorious Quran Endorses Al Ghazali’s Occasionalism.” (March 26, 2025) – Highlights Qur’anic verses that align with the view of God’s continuous control over naturethequran.lovethequran.love.
8. Occasionalism category on The Glorious Quran and Science blog – Various articles explaining how Islamic teachings, from classical scholars to the Qur’an itself, emphasize divine causality over naturalistic autonomythequran.lovethequran.love.
9. Quranic verses and commentary references: Quran 18:109, 4:1, 7:189, 39:6, 6:98, 49:13 (unity of human origin); Quran 29:64, 3:185, 57:20 (world as deception vs afterlife as true life)thequran.lovethequran.love; Quran 35:41, 36:82 (God sustaining the cosmos and creating by command)thequran.lovethequran.love; Quran 21:30 (life from water); Quran 11:6, 37:96 (God’s provision and direct creation of acts); Quran 36:77–79 (resurrection analogies). These underpin the analysis given above.

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