قُل هُوَ الَّذي ذَرَأَكُم فِي الأَرضِ وَإِلَيهِ تُحشَرونَ
Say: ‘It is He who created you on the earth, and toward Him you will be mustered.’
EXEGESIS
Dharaʾa means to spread out, manifest, and bring out. In the Quran, it has been used for the growing of plants and animals, as well as the human being. In this verse, it does not merely concern the creation of mankind, but also the aspect of their appearance in masses and multitudes. This complies with the end of the verse, which talks about when they are all gathered and taken toward their Lord. It could also refer to mankind’s dominance and livelihood on the earth, which would comply with verse 15 (It is He who made the earth tractable for you).
EXPOSITION
This verse says that the story of your creation is not limited to the life of this world. In other words, your dealing with your Lord is not over, for you shall be mustered and resurrected toward Him in the hereafter. The truth of afterlife is what makes religion and God’s injunctions credible. That is, you cannot be negligent of your duties toward your Lord, and you cannot go past these verses indifferently because there is a hereafter when you will be held accountable for your acts and beliefs.
[1] Raghib; Tahqiq, under dh-r-ʾ.