وَعُرِضوا عَلىٰ رَبِّكَ صَفًّا لَقَد جِئتُمونا كَما خَلَقناكُم أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ ۚ بَل زَعَمتُم أَلَّن نَجعَلَ لَكُم مَوعِدًا

They will be presented before your Lord in ranks: ‘Certainly you have come to Us just as We created you the first time. Rather, you maintained that We shall not appoint a tryst for you.’

EXEGESIS

ʿUriḍū (they will be presented) comes from the root of ʿarḍ, meaning width. It is then utilised for a variety of usages, all of which share in the meaning of presenting something to someone for inspection.^{‎[1]Tahqiq, ʿ-r-ḍ.}

Ṣaffan (in ranks) is an adverb of manner (ḥāl) describing how the presentation (ʿarḍ) will take place. Ṣaff is a row. It could be understood as plural or singular.^{‎[2]Tibyan, 7/54;} It is more likely that the plural is meant, like in the verse, He brings you forth as infants (ṭiflan) (40:67),^{‎[3]Razi, 21/469-470.} where the singular ‘infant’ is used to mean in the state of infanthood; in other words, everyone is born as a child.

Zaʿamtum (you maintained) from zaʿm means to assume the correctness of something that is false. It is used in the Quran critically to detract the people doing it.^{‎[4]Raghib, p. 380.}

Mawʿid (tryst) comes from waʿd meaning a promise. A mawʿid is an agreement or engagement that has been promised. Here it means that which has been promised by the prophets sent to you, namely the meeting with God – for judgement – that mankind has been informed of by every messenger, O man! You are labouring toward your Lord laboriously, and you will encounter Him (84:6).^{‎[5]Zamakhshari, 2/726; Muhit, 7/188.}

EXPOSITION

Continuing with the descriptions of what the observer will see on the Day of Judgement we are now taken to the scene of the maḥshar, where the resurrected peoples will gather.

They will be presented before your Lord in ranks: some have said they come in one row (ṣaff), others say it is in multiple rows (ṣufūf), like in prayer.^{‎[6]Tibyan, 7/54.} It has been suggested that a single rank is intended, so that there is no difference between people due to the status they had in the world.^{‎[7]Mizan, 13/322.} This would relate then to the next statement in the verse. Other suggestions have been that it means standing (qiyāman),^{‎[8]Baghawi, 3/195.} or all together, like in the verse, then come in ranks (ṣaffan) (20:64).^{‎[9]Qurtubi, 10/417.} None of these are necessarily contradictory.

The purpose of being gathered in ranks is to be presented for judgement.

Certainly you have come to Us just as We created you the first time: God is directly addressing the people on the Day of Judgement. There is an omission of something to the effect of ‘and God said: “Certainly you have come …”’ This omission serves to portray God as distant and wrathful, as if His mercy and closeness is removed from those He is addressing. It also brings to mind that no one will have doubt of who He is and His authority on that day. When He speaks, everyone knows who is addressing them, including the observer.

As We created you the first time does not mean as infants, or even that necessarily the bodies we possess in the hereafter are like the bodies we have now, since those bodies will be eternal. Those bodies may look very different as well. The believers will be beautified, their faces adorned and brightened, whilst the faces of the wicked will be darkened and disfigured. Yes, people may still recognise one another from this life, but certainly this recognition will not be based on looks alone as we know that people will still recognise each other even though they may appear young there, whilst having known each other as old in this life, and so on.

Hence, as We created you the first time means you are gathered to the place and time where God is the only one in possession of anything, you do not possess anything, like you did not possess anything when you were first created, as is in the verse, Certainly you have come to Us alone, just as We created you the first time, and left behind whatever We had bestowed on you (6:94).^{‎[10]Razi, 21/470. See also Tibyan, 7/54; and verses 19:77-80, 95.} No children, or wealth, or any other worldly attachments shall accompany or benefit them.^{‎[11]Tabrisi, 6/732.}

Naturally, coming to God does not mean that God is physically present in that place and people come to stand before Him and see Him – as some have understood from the verse And your Lord and the angels arrive in ranks (89:22) – but instead that they will come to the appointed place where they must stand for God’s judgement and be questioned by Him.^{‎[12]Razi, 21/470.}

Rather, you maintained that We shall not appoint a tryst for you: Rather (bal) here is a rhetoric device to move from one topic to another and does not intend to nullify what was said before.^{‎[13]Muhit, 7/188.} The expression brings to mind the statement of the man with two gardens: I do not think that the hour will ever set in (verse 36). It conveys the baseless doubt (zaʿm) that those people maintained regarding the resurrection, meaning while they were in the present world they thought that there would be no Day of Judgement.^{‎[14]Tibyan, 7/54.} They were distracted by their wealth and children and the other adornments of this world.^{‎[15]Mizan, 13/323.}

Naturally, the faithful who believed in the Day of Resurrection will also be amongst those gathered, however the address here is to the deniers only.^{‎[16]Tabari, 15/168.}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

There are two sets of narrations that seek to explain the expression as We created you the first time:

1. From the Prophet: ‘They will be gathered naked and barefoot.’ ʿĀʾishah then asked: ‘Will they not be ashamed?’ The Prophet replied: ‘That day each of them will have a task to keep him preoccupied [80:37].’^{‎[17]Tibyan, 7/54; Tabrisi, 6/732; Ahmad 6/53, 90. The expression of people being gathered on the Day of Judgement ‘naked and barefoot’ is one that appears in many narrations. See for example Ahmad, 1/220; Bukhari, 7/195; Muslim, 8/156.} There is a longer version in which she asks: ‘Even the women?’ to which he replies affirmatively. When she questions him as to if they will not be ashamed, he replies: ‘O ʿĀʾishah, the situation will be far too arduous for them to think about looking at each other.’^{‎[18]Muslim, 8/156; Ibn Majah, 2/1429, h. 4276; Baghawi, 3/197; Qurtubi, 10/418.}
2. A similar hadith is reported from Ibn Abbas that the Prophet said this and then followed it by saying: ‘The first to be clothed on that day is Abraham. Then some of my companions will be taken to the left and I will call out: “My companions! My companions!” Then it will be said: “They turned away on their heels and remained apostates after you left them.” Then I will say as the righteous servant [Jesus (a)] said: And I was a witness to them so long as I was among them. But when You had taken me away, You Yourself were watchful over them, and You are witness to all things [5:117].’^{‎[19]Ahmad, 1/235; Bukhari, 4/110, 142-143, 5/191, 240; Muslim, 8/157; Baghawi, 3/196; Mufīd, al-Ifṣāḥ (Beirut: Dār al-Mufīd, 1993), p. 51.}
3. From Imam Ali (a): ‘They will come to it [the earth] as they left it, naked and barefoot. They have migrated from it with their actions to the eternal life and the lasting abode. Like God – praise be to Him – has said: We will bring it back as We began the first creation – a promise [binding] on Us. [That] indeed We will do [21:104].’^{‎[20]Nahj, sermon 111. A similar statement is reported from Prophet Muhammad (s) as well, see ʿAbd-Allāh al-Dārimī (Damascus: Maṭbaʿah al-Ḥadīthiyyah, 1349 AH), 2/326.}

Note: These narrations are also alluding to a significant aspect of the Day of Judgement: it is a time when the reality of things will become apparent. In this world the outer appearance of things may bely their true nature. A believer and unbeliever may perhaps seem completely similar on the surface. However, in the hereafter the inner aspect of things is brought out and its true nature revealed. Like we discussed in the previous verse, you will see the earth in full view. Similarly, people are exposed, their bodies and souls laid bare for judgement.

The second set of narrations says that people will be resurrected whilst clothed in their burial cloths:

4. From Abū Khadijah, that Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said: ‘Select good burial cloths, for they will be resurrected in them.’^{‎[21]Kafi, 3/149; Faqih, 1/146, h. 408; Tahdhib, 1/449, h. 1454. Ṭūsī reports it through another chain from Ibn Sinān.}
5. From Ibn Abī ʿUmayr, that Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said: ‘Select good burial cloths, for they are their adornment.’^{‎[22]Kafi, 3/148; Faqih, 1/149; Thawab, p. 197.}
6. Imam Ali (a) was asked one day if people are resurrected naked, to which he replied: ‘Rather they are resurrected in their burial cloths.’ The enquirer said: ‘How will they have burial cloths, as they have rotted away?’ He said: ‘The one who gives life to their bodies will renew their burial cloths.’ He then asked: ‘What about the one who dies without a burial cloth?’ He replied: ‘God will cover his nakedness with what He wishes.’ He was then asked: ‘Will they be brought forth in ranks?’ He said: ‘Yes, they will on that day be 120,000 ranks, spread across the earth.’^{‎[23]Ihtijaj, 2/98. The hadith is very long and has been quoted partially.}

Note: These narrations may appear contradictory, although it is possible that the second set is referring to certain people who will be resurrected with burial cloths as clothing. Another possibility is that people will be initially naked and then be given clothing like their burial cloths (this is the apparent meaning of one of the above narrations, which says Prophet Abraham (a) is the first to be clothed). The former is however a more reasonable interpretation, especially considering that the context of this verse is likely talking about the wrongdoers only, as attested to by the statements, you maintained that We shall not appoint a tryst for you, and you will see the guilty (verse 49), which are clearly directed at the wrongdoers, so it is reasonable to assume that they are the ones who will be resurrected naked. This is perhaps also what can be derived from the following narration:

7. The Prophet said: ‘Once I talked about the Day of Resurrection to Fatimah bint Asad and how people are brought back naked, to which she reacted, by exclaiming: “Woe to the disgrace!” I then promised her that God would resurrect her clothed. And I mentioned the squeezing of the grave, to which she replied: “Woe to the weakness!” So I promised her that God would help her with that. I then shrouded her in my own shirt and laid in her grave for that reason.’^{‎[24]Kafi, 1/453-454. For a similar hadith see also Rāwandī, al-Kharāʾij wa al-Jarāʾiḥ (Qum: Muʾassasat al-Imām al-Mahdī, 1409 AH); Nur, 1/747. The narrations are long and only partially quoted here.}

Note: If this narration is accepted then it is an indication that being resurrected while clothed in burial cloths is a blessing reserved for some faithful; and God knows best.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Other meanings have been suggested for you have come to Us just as We created you the first time, such as:

1. ^{‎[25]Thalabi, 6/175.}
2. ^{‎[26]Thalabi, 6/175.}
3. You have come means: you have been resurrected. In other words: you have been resurrected by Us, the same way We created you.^{‎[27]Zamakhshari, 2/726.}

[1] Tahqiq, ʿ-r-ḍ.
[2] Tibyan, 7/54;
[3] Razi, 21/469-470.
[4] Raghib, p. 380.
[5] Zamakhshari, 2/726; Muhit, 7/188.
[6] Tibyan, 7/54.
[7] Mizan, 13/322.
[8] Baghawi, 3/195.
[9] Qurtubi, 10/417.
[10] Razi, 21/470. See also Tibyan, 7/54; and verses 19:77-80, 95.
[11] Tabrisi, 6/732.
[12] Razi, 21/470.
[13] Muhit, 7/188.
[14] Tibyan, 7/54.
[15] Mizan, 13/323.
[16] Tabari, 15/168.
[17] Tibyan, 7/54; Tabrisi, 6/732; Ahmad 6/53, 90. The expression of people being gathered on the Day of Judgement ‘naked and barefoot’ is one that appears in many narrations. See for example Ahmad, 1/220; Bukhari, 7/195; Muslim, 8/156.
[18] Muslim, 8/156; Ibn Majah, 2/1429, h. 4276; Baghawi, 3/197; Qurtubi, 10/418.
[19] Ahmad, 1/235; Bukhari, 4/110, 142-143, 5/191, 240; Muslim, 8/157; Baghawi, 3/196; Mufīd, al-Ifṣāḥ (Beirut: Dār al-Mufīd, 1993), p. 51.
[20] Nahj, sermon 111. A similar statement is reported from Prophet Muhammad (s) as well, see ʿAbd-Allāh al-Dārimī (Damascus: Maṭbaʿah al-Ḥadīthiyyah, 1349 AH), 2/326.
[21] Kafi, 3/149; Faqih, 1/146, h. 408; Tahdhib, 1/449, h. 1454. Ṭūsī reports it through another chain from Ibn Sinān.
[22] Kafi, 3/148; Faqih, 1/149; Thawab, p. 197.
[23] Ihtijaj, 2/98. The hadith is very long and has been quoted partially.
[24] Kafi, 1/453-454. For a similar hadith see also Rāwandī, al-Kharāʾij wa al-Jarāʾiḥ (Qum: Muʾassasat al-Imām al-Mahdī, 1409 AH); Nur, 1/747. The narrations are long and only partially quoted here.
[25] Thalabi, 6/175.
[26] Thalabi, 6/175.
[27] Zamakhshari, 2/726.