Allah rebukes those who deny the Resurrection and the Final Gathering.

﴿قُتِلَ الإِنسَـنُ مَآ أَكْفَرَهُ ﴾

(Qutila mankind!) Ad-Dahhak reported from Ibn `Abbas that he said,

﴿قُتِلَ الإِنسَـنُ﴾

(Qutila mankind!) "May man be cursed.'' Abu Malik also made a similar statement. He said, "This refers to the rejecting type of man, due to his abundant denial without any supporting argument. Rather he denies simply because he thinks it is farfetched and because he lacks knowledge of it.'' Ibn Jurayj said,

﴿مَآ أَكْفَرَهُ﴾

(How ungrateful he is!) "This means none is worse in disbelief than he is.'' Qatadah said,

﴿مَآ أَكْفَرَهُ﴾

(How ungrateful he is!) "This means none is more cursed than he is.'' Then Allah explains how He created him from something despised and that He is able to bring him back to life just as He created him initially. Allah says,

﴿مِنْ أَىِّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقَهُ - مِن نُّطْفَةٍ خَلَقَهُ فَقَدَّرَهُ ﴾

(From what thing did He create him From a Nutfah He created him, and then set him in due proportion.) meaning, He decreed his life span, his sustenance, his deeds, and whether he would be miserable or happy.

﴿ثُمَّ السَّبِيلَ يَسَّرَهُ ﴾

(Then He made the path easy for him.) Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas, "Then He made his coming out of his mother's belly easy for him.'' This was also said by `Ikrimah, Ad-Dahhak, Abu Salih, Qatadah, As-Suddi, and it was the explanation preferred by Ibn Jarir. Mujahid said, "This is similar to Allah's statement,

﴿إِنَّا هَدَيْنَـهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِراً وَإِمَّا كَفُوراً ﴾

(Verily, We guided him on the path, he is either grateful or ungrateful.) (76:3) meaning, We explained it to him, clarified it, and made it easy for him to act upon.'' Al-Hasan and Ibn Zayd both said the same. This is the most correct view and Allah knows best. Concerning Allah's statement,

﴿ثُمَّ أَمَاتَهُ فَأَقْبَرَهُ ﴾

(Then He causes him to die and puts him in his grave.) After creating man, Allah causes him to die and makes him the inhabitant of a grave. Allah said;

﴿ثُمَّ إِذَا شَآءَ أَنشَرَهُ ﴾

(Then when it is His will, He will resurrect him.) meaning, He resurrects him after his death and this is called Al-Ba`th (resurrection) and An-Nushur (resuscitation).

﴿وَمِنْ ءَايَـتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَكُمْ مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ إِذَآ أَنتُمْ بَشَرٌ تَنتَشِرُونَ ﴾

(And among His signs is this that He created you from dust, and then behold, you are human beings scattered.) (30:20)

﴿وَانظُرْ إِلَى العِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا﴾

(And look at the bones, how We bring them together and clothe them with flesh.) (2:259) In the Two Sahihs it is narrated by way of Al-A`mash from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said,

«كُلُّ ابْنِ آدَمَ يَبْلَى إِلَّا عَجْبَ الذَّنَبِ، مِنْهُ خُلِقَ، وَفِيهِ يُرَكَّب»

(All of the Sons of Adam (men) will decay except for the bone of coccyx (tailbone). From it he (man) was created and by it he will be reconstructed.)'' Concerning Allah's statement,

﴿كَلاَّ لَمَّا يَقْضِ مَآ أَمَرَهُ ﴾

(Nay, but has not done what He commanded him.) Ibn Jarir said, "Allah is saying, `Nay, the matter is not as this disbelieving man says. He claims that he has fulfilled Allah's right upon him regarding himself and his wealth.

﴿لَمَّا يَقْضِ مَآ أَمَرَهُ﴾

(But he has not done what He commanded him.) Allah is saying that man has not fulfilled for his Lord the obligations that were imposed upon him.'' What seems apparent to me of its actual meaning -- and Allah knows best -- is that the Ayah

﴿ثُمَّ إِذَا شَآءَ أَنشَرَهُ ﴾

(Then when it is His will, He will resurrect him.) means, He will resurrect him.

﴿كَلاَّ لَمَّا يَقْضِ مَآ أَمَرَهُ ﴾

(Nay! But he has not done what He commanded him.) means, He has not done it (resurrected them) as of yet, until the time period has expired and the extent of the earthly life of humanity is complete, according to the lives of all whom Allah has written it to exist from the time they are brought into existence into the world. Verily, Allah has decreed the existence of mankind, and its duration, therefore, when that is finished with Allah, He resurrects the creatures and repeats their creation just as He initially created them.