قالَ لَهُ صاحِبُهُ وَهُوَ يُحاوِرُهُ أَكَفَرتَ بِالَّذي خَلَقَكَ مِن تُرابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُطفَةٍ ثُمَّ سَوّاكَ رَجُلًا

His companion said to him, as he conversed with him: ‘Do you disbelieve in Him who created you from dust, then from a drop of [seminal] fluid, then fashioned you as a man?

EXEGESIS     

A-kafarta (do you disbelieve) comes from kufr, which literally means to hide something. It is the interrogative form of kafara, the imperfect verb meaning to do kufr. It is not uncommon in Arabic to use the past tense for something in the present or future. In this context it refers to denying the truth; that is denying God or His message, or some other vital foundation of faith.

Nuṭfah (drop of fluid) means a limpid water, and has been used for the seminal fluid of the male.^{‎[1]Raghib, p. 811.} The mixture of the male and female reproductive material is also called nuṭfah.^{‎[2]Tibyan, 9/437.}

Sawwāka (fashioned you) comes from taswiyah meaning to shape something in a specific form or fashion. Sawwāka rajulan then means He completed your form to that of a man.^{‎[3]Tibyan, 7/44.} When a boy becomes a man it is said qad istawā (he has grown up).^{‎[4]Qurtubi, 7/178.}

EXPOSITION

After having patiently given his friend the chance to speak his mind, the faithful man now took his turn to reply to the rich man. He attempted to get him to consider things more deeply, so that he should realise the mistakes in his thinking.

His companion said to him, as he conversed with him: the repetition of the phrase as he conversed with him is emphatic, and could be to indicate that the faithful man did not get angered by his companion’s belittling and boastful attitude, but rather maintained his composure and replied respectfully.^{‎[5]Mizan, 13/312.} Furthermore, he stood by his beliefs, not kowtowing or acting servile simply because the other man was wealthier than him, perhaps hoping to earn some favour or boon like some people do. He was not afraid to be critical of his friend and point out his mistakes.^{‎[6]See Mudarrisi, 6/415.}

Do you disbelieve in Him who created you from dust: the retort Do you disbelieve (a-kafarta) has raised the question amongst the exegetes as to what specifically was it that the wealthy man said which was indicative of his kufr? Some have said the verse can be considered evidence that doubt regarding resurrection and the Day of Judgement is itself a type of kufr.^{‎[7]Tibyan, 7/43.} Certainly, denying the resurrection is kufr, And woe to the polytheists – those who do not pay the zakat and disbelieve in the hereafter (41:6-7). This is similar to someone who disbelieves in the Prophet, as it is kufr in God by extension.^{‎[8]Zamakhshari, 2/722.} Or it could be that by seeing himself independent of God he has committed polytheism and claimed that causality is not under the command of the sovereign Lord.^{‎[9]Mizan, 13/312-313.}

The first option is the most attractive. By asking his friend Do you disbelieve, the faithful man is trying to ascertain if he means what he has said and considered its true implications, like when God asked Satan: He said: ‘O Iblis! What keeps you from prostrating before that which I have created with My [own] two hands? Are you arrogant, or are you [one] of the exalted ones?’ (38:75).

As for the man being created from dust, that is because his forefather Adam (a) was created from dust.^{‎[10]Tibyan, 7/43; Tabari, 15/162; Qurtubi, 7/177.} By creating his origin, God has created him, causing him to come into being.^{‎[11]Zamakhshari, 2/722.} This is likewise a reminder to the wealthy man about the power of God. The same God who created him from dust is capable of resurrecting him again for the Day of Judgement.^{‎[12]Nemuneh, 12/432.} If you are in doubt about the resurrection, [consider that] We indeed created you from dust, then from a drop of [seminal] fluid (22:5). This is also a twofold reminder, reminding that he will one day die and return to the dust from which he was created. Just as he shall perish, so too shall his possessions.

Another option is that since human food grows from the ground and seminal fluid is produced from the nutrition of that food, thus man is created from dust, since that is one of the elements somehow involved in his creation.^{‎[13]Tibyan, 7/43; Qurtubi, 7/177. This is the interpretation adopted in Nemuneh, 12/431-432.}

Then from a drop of [seminal] fluid: while his forefather Adam (a) – and one of the earliest links in the causal chain – was created from dust, the man himself was born from the mixture of the reproductive material of his parents. This humble beginning of every person’s life is a powerful reminder of his powerlessness, and that he is a being of immense weakness, It is Allah who created you from [a state of] weakness, then He gave you power after weakness (30:54). Surely consideration of this should destroy any facade of pride erected by hubris.

Then fashioned you as a man: finally he then reached his current state, the state which caused him to grow so proud of his own supposed power and accomplishments. But certainly his companion should realise that even that is temporary; Then, after power, He ordained weakness and old age (30:54).

All of this is meant to be an answer to the man’s claim of independence and that he himself has earned and brought about his own success. In effect it is drawing his attention to how he got to where he is, by reminding him that his origin was from dust, then from seminal fluid, going through these various stages and childhood until he finally grew into a man. If he was the cause of his own material success, should he then not also be responsible for all the causes that brought him to where he is now? If he accepts that he was not the cause for these things he should ask who then is the one responsible for all that. By following the causal chain, he should then find the one who has actually granted him success.^{‎[14]See Mizan, 13/313-314.} Who has granted him intelligence? And made him an upright and healthy man? And created the circumstances necessary for his success?

To frame it in another example, if a man is gifted a vast sum of money by a donor, which he then proceeds to invest and become wealthy, can he attribute his success solely to himself? Or should he say that the donor is the one who enabled his success? Naturally, in the case of God, not just the capital, but everything else has also been gifted by Him.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Tabatabai criticises the position of Zamakhsharī (which was also shared by Ṭūsī) that the kufr of the wealthy man was his doubting resurrection. He bases his criticism on the following points: 1. The faithful man says in the next verse, “He is Allah, my Lord,” and I do not ascribe any partner to my Lord. For Tabatabai, this should be in reply to his partner ascribing independence to causes other than God. Otherwise the faithful man should have said: ‘I believe in the resurrection.’ 2. Some have claimed that the wealthy man was a polytheist, who are generally deniers of resurrection. Tabatabai argues that actually the wealthy man was not a polytheist, as otherwise he would not have said, if I am returned to my Lord, since the polytheists do not consider God their lord, but their creator.^{‎[15]Mizan, 13/313.}

As can be seen, the arguments put forward are not definitive, however there is no need to claim contradiction between the two viewpoints. Rather we may say that the wealthy man was guilty of more than one type of kufr, both associating independence to causality and of doubting the resurrection. This is more in line with what is both explicitly and implicitly stated in the verses.

Makārim Shīrāzī entertains two other possibilities for the kufr of the wealthy man. Firstly, he says it could be that he claimed independence in his ownership of things and thinking his possessions would last forever. Secondly, it may be that he said something which amounted to denial of God, but that statement has been omitted from the conversation related to us in the Quran.^{‎[16]Nemuneh, 12/432.} Neither of these options is as attractive as what we mentioned earlier, although they are not necessarily in contradiction either.

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. Remember, I pray, that You have made me as the clay. And would You return me to dust?^{‎[17]Job 10:9.}
2. See, this only have I found: that God made man upright.^{‎[18]Ecclesiastes 7:29.}

[1] Raghib, p. 811.
[2] Tibyan, 9/437.
[3] Tibyan, 7/44.
[4] Qurtubi, 7/178.
[5] Mizan, 13/312.
[6] See Mudarrisi, 6/415.
[7] Tibyan, 7/43.
[8] Zamakhshari, 2/722.
[9] Mizan, 13/312-313.
[10] Tibyan, 7/43; Tabari, 15/162; Qurtubi, 7/177.
[11] Zamakhshari, 2/722.
[12] Nemuneh, 12/432.
[13] Tibyan, 7/43; Qurtubi, 7/177. This is the interpretation adopted in Nemuneh, 12/431-432.
[14] See Mizan, 13/313-314.
[15] Mizan, 13/313.
[16] Nemuneh, 12/432.
[17] Job 10:9.
[18] Ecclesiastes 7:29.