Transliteration:( Kaifa takfuroona billaahi wa kuntum amwaatan fa ahyaakum summa yumeetukum summa yuhyeekum summaa ilaihi turja'oon. )
"How can you disbelieve in Allah when you were lifeless and He brought you to life? Then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you back to life once again, and then to Him you will return. [55]"
Here, “dead” refers to the state of lifelessness—before birth—not those who were once alive and then died.
As Allah says in Surah Ar-Rum (30:19):
“And He gives life to the earth after its death,”—this implies revival after lifelessness.
The verse outlines the entire human journey:
You were initially non-existent, without life.
Allah breathed life into you, beginning your earthly existence.
You will then die—returning to a lifeless state.
You will be resurrected for eternal life in the Hereafter.
Finally, you will return to Allah for judgment.
This emphasizes that life in the Hereafter depends on how we live this worldly life.
If one’s deeds are righteous, rewards await. If the earthly life is spent in sin, the result will be punishment. This verse serves as a reminder of purpose, accountability, and the certainty of return to Allah.
28. How can you disbelieve in Allah seeing that you were dead and He gave you life Then He will give you death, then again will bring you to life (on the Day of Resurrection) and then unto Him you will return.
Allah testifies to the fact that He exists and that He is the Creator and the Sustainer Who has full authority over His servants,
(How can you disbelieve in Allah)
How can anyone deny Allah’s existence or worship others with Him while;
(You were dead and He gave you life) meaning, He brought them from the state of non-existence to life. Similarly, Allah said,
(Were they created by nothing Or were they themselves the creators Or did they create the heavens and the earth Nay, but they have no firm belief) (52:35-36) and,
(Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was not a thing worth mentioning) (76:1).
There are many other Ayat on this subject. Ibn Jarir reported from `Ata’ that Ibn `Abbas said that,
(Seeing that you were dead and He gave you life) means, “You did not exist beforehand. You were nothing until Allah created you; He will bring death to you and then bring you back to life during Resurrection.” Ibn `Abbas then said, “This is similar to Allah’s statement;
(They will say: “Our Lord! You have made us to die twice and You have given us life twice.”) (40:11)”
(2:28) How can you be ungrateful to Allah Who bestowed life upon you when you were lifeless, then He will cause you to die and will again bring you back to life so that you will be returned to Him.
There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.
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