Enyi watu! Ikiwa mnatilia shaka ufufuo, basi kumbukeni kwamba Sisi tumekuumbeni kutokana na udongo, kisha kutokana na manii, kisha kutokana na pande la damu linalong'ang'ania, kisha kutokana na kipande cha nyama kilichopangwa na kisichopangwa, ili Tuwabainishie. Na Tunamweka tulia katika mienendo ya uzazi tunayoitaka kwa muda maalumu, kisha Tunakutoeni mkiwa watoto wachanga, ili mfikie utu uzima wenu.
Mankind! If you are in doubt as to the resurrection, remember that We have created you out of dust, then out of a gamete, then out of a clinging cell mass, then out of an organized and unorganized embryo, so that We might make things clear to you. We cause to rest in the [mothers’] wombs whatever We please for an appointed term, and then We bring you forth as infants, that you may grow up and attain your prime.
Baadhi yenu hufa mapema, na wengine hufikia uzee wa kudhoofika hadi wasijue tena yale waliyojua zamani. Unauona ardhi kavu na tasa; lakini [ghafla,] tunapoiteremshia maji, huchangamka na kuvimba na kutoa kila aina ya maua mazuri yenye kung'aa.
{Aya ya 5}
Some of you die young, and some live on to abject old age when all that they once knew they know no more. You can see the earth dry and barren; and [suddenly,] when We send down water upon it, it stirs and swells and puts forth every kind of radiant bloom. (Verse 5)
Ufufuo ni kurejea kwenye uhai ambao tayari umewahi kuwepo. Hivyo, kwa viwango vya kibinadamu, ni rahisi kuliko kuanzishwa kwa uhai mwanzoni, ingawa, kwa viwango vya Mwenyezi Mungu, dhana ya rahisi au ngumu haijitokezi. Kwake Yeye, kuanzisha kitu kutokana na kutokuwepo na kurejesha uhai uliokwisha kuisha ni jambo lile lile. Yote mawili ni matokeo ya mapenzi Yake: "Anapotaka jambo liwe, huliambia tu, 'Kuwa!' – nalo likawa." (36:
Resurrection is a return to a life that has been in existence. Thus, by human standards, it is easier than the origination of life in the first place, although, by God’s standards, the notion of easier or more difficult does not arise. To Him, initiating something out of nothing and restoring a life that had ended are the same. Both are the result of His will: “When He wills a thing to be, He only says to it, ‘Be’– and it is.” (36:
82) Lakini Qur'ani huwahutubu watu kulingana na viwango vyao wenyewe, fikra zao za kimantiki na ufahamu wao. Huielekeza mioyo yao kutafakari yale wanayoyaona yakitokea kila wakati katika maisha yao. Laiti wangeyatafakari kwa makini, wangegundua kwamba ni miujiza. Lakini ili kuithamini kama hivyo, wanahitaji kuiangalia kwa moyo ulio wazi na akili inayotafakari. Ole! Mara chache sana hufanya hivyo.
82) But the Qur’ān addresses people according to their own standards, rational thinking and understanding. It directs their hearts to reflect on what they see happening at every moment in their lives. If only they would reflect on it carefully, they would realize that it is miraculous. But to appreciate it as such, they need to look at it with an open heart and a reflective mind. Alas! They rarely ever do so.
Wajiulize wenyewe: watu hawa wanaowazunguka ni nani? Wameumbwa na nini? Wametoka wapi? Walikuwa nini kabla ya kuchukua umbo na sura hii? Na wamepitia hatua gani?
Let them ask themselves: what are these people all around them? What are they made of? Where have they come from? What were they before they took this shape and form? And what stages have they gone through?
"Tumekuumbeni kutokana na udongo." Mwanadamu ni mwana wa ardhi. Alianzia, akapata umbo, na akaishi kutokana na mavumbi yake. Hakuna hata kipengele kimoja kilichomo katika muundo wa mwanadamu ambacho hakina mfano wake katika vipengele vilivyomo katika ardhi, mama yetu. Pekee ni ile siri laini ambayo Mwenyezi Mungu aliiweka ndani yake alipompulizia roho yake, na hivyo kuleta tofauti kubwa kati ya mwanadamu na vile vipengele vinavyounda udongo. Hata hivyo, ukweli unabaki kuwa mwanadamu yuko karibu sana na udongo, kwa muundo wake na pia kwa chakula chake. Vitu vyote vinavyoonekana na kuguswa ndani ya mwanadamu vinatokana na mavumbi ya ardhi.
“We have created you out of dust.” Man is a son of the earth. He originated, took form and lived out of its dust. Not a single element does man have in his constitution but has its parallel in the elements present in mother earth. The only exception is that gentle secret God placed in him when He breathed of His soul into–man, thus bringing about the great difference between man and those elements constituting dust. The fact remains, however, that man is closely related to dust both in his constitution and his food. All tangible elements in man are from the dust of the earth.
Hata hivyo, pengo ni kubwa kati ya mavumbi na binadamu. Atomi za msingi zilizopo katika mavumbi ziko mbali sana na uumbaji huu wenye utata mkubwa, unaojitenda kwa hiari yake na kujibu wengine. Kiumbe wa kibinadamu huathiriwa na mambo mbalimbali yaliyo katika mazingira yake, na kwa namna hiyo hiyo huwaathiri wengine. Miguu yake imewekwa juu ya ardhi, lakini roho na moyo wake vinaweza kuruka mbinguni. Akili yake huelea hadi katika ulimwengu unaozidi ule wa ulimwengu wa kimwili, ambao unajumuisha mavumbi ambayo kutoka kwake aliumbwa mara ya kwanza.
Nevertheless, the gap is great between dust and man. The basic atoms that are present in dust are far removed from this highly complex creation that acts on his own behest and responds to others. The human creature is influenced by different factors in his surroundings and similarly influences others. His feet are placed on earth, but his soul and heart can fly to heaven. His mind floats to realms beyond that of the physical world that includes the dust from which he was first created.
Ni tofauti kubwa inayotenganisha hali ya kwanza na ya mwisho. Inaashiria uweza wa kufufua, yule aliyeumba mwanzo.
It is a great divide separating the first status and the last. It points to the power that can bring about the resurrection, having brought about the initial creation.
Kisha kutoka kwenye tone la mbegu, kisha kutoka kwenye donge linalong'ang'ania, kisha kutoka kwenye kijusi kilichokamilika na kisichokamilika, ili Tuwabainishie. Tunamweka katika matumbo ya mama zao chochote Tutakacho kwa muda uliopangwa, kisha Tunawatoa kama watoto wachanga...6 (Aya ya 5)
Then out of a gamete, then out of a clinging cell mass, then out of an organized and unorganized embryo, so that We might make things clear to you. We cause to rest in the [mothers) wombs whatever We please for an appointed term, and then We bring you forth as infants...6 (Verse 5)
Pengo kubwa kati ya vipengele visivyo hai, vya kizembe vilivyopatikana kwenye vumbi na chembe-uzazi, yaani chembe hai moja, ni kubwa mno. Pengo hilo lina siri kuu ya uhai, ambayo binadamu wanajua kidogo sana, licha ya kupita kwa mamilioni ya miaka ambapo idadi isiyohesabika ya vipengele vya kizembe imegeuzwa kuwa chembe hai katika mchakato endelevu usiokoma. Ni siri ambayo tunaweza tu kuiangalia na kuirekodi, bila kamwe kuweza kuianzisha, bila kujali tunavyokuwa na tamaa kubwa. Kisha zipo siri nyingine, kama ile ya kugeuka kwa chembe-uzazi kuwa kundi la chembe linaloshikamana, na ile ya kugeuka kwa kundi hilo la chembe kuwa kiinitete, ambacho nacho hugeuka kuwa binadamu.
Again the gulf between the primitive, idle elements found in dust and the gamete, a single living cell, is great indeed. It enfolds the great secret of life about which human beings know only a very little, despite the passage of millions of years in which countless numbers of idle elements have been transformed into living cells in a continuous process that never stops. It is a secret that we can only observe and record, without ever being able to initiate, no matter how ambitious we may be. And then there are other secrets, like that of the transformation of the gamete into a clinging cell mass, and the transformation of this cell mass into an embryo which is then transformed into a human being.
Gameti hii ni nini basi? Huanza na shahawa ya mwanaume, ambayo tone moja tu lina mbegu za kiume maelfu mengi. Hata hivyo, ni mbegu moja tu kati ya hizo zisizohesabika, yaani gameti, inayohitajika kurutubisha yai la mwanamke, ambalo kisha hupandikizwa kwenye mfuko wa uzazi. Katika yai hili dogo lililorutubishwa, lililopandikizwa kwenye mfuko wa uzazi, zimehifadhiwa, kwa mapenzi na uwezo wa Mungu, sifa zote za kipekee za binadamu atakayezaliwa baadaye: umbo lake la nje likiwemo urefu wake, kimo chake, uzuri wake, nguvu zake na hali ya afya yake, pamoja na sifa zake za akili na kisaikolojia, zikiwemo mielekeo yake, mapendeleo na chuki zake za asili, uwezo wake na vipaji vyake.
What is this gamete, then? It begins with man’s semen, a single drop of which contains many thousands of sperms. Yet only one of these countless sperms, or gametes, is needed to fertilize the woman’s egg, which is then implanted in the uterus. In this little fertilized egg, implanted in the uterus, are stored, by God’s will and power, all the unique characteristics of the human being yet to be born: his physical appearance including his height, stature, beauty, strength and health status as well as his mental and psychological characteristics, including his tendencies, natural likes and dislikes, abilities and talents.
Nani anaweza kufikiria kwamba yote haya yamehifadhiwa katika chembe hii ndogo inayoshikamana na mfuko wa uzazi, ambayo baada ya muda inakuwa kiumbe chenye muundo tata kiasi hiki? Hata hivyo, kila mtu katika jamii hii ya binadamu ni tofauti sana na watu wengine wote, kiasi kwamba hakuna watu wawili wanaofanana kabisa katika kipindi chochote cha maisha yao.
Who can imagine that all this is stored in this little speck clinging to the uterus which, in time, becomes such a complex being? Yet every individual in this race is extremely different from all other individuals, to the extent that no two individuals are ever identical over any period of time.
Kisha donge hili linaloshikamana hubadilika na kuwa kiinitete ambacho mwanzoni hakina umbo wala utofauti. Baadaye hupitia mabadiliko yanayompa umbo linaloanza kwa mifupa, ambayo baadaye hufunikwa kwa nyama. Vinginevyo, mfuko wa uzazi unaweza kukikataa ikiwa Mungu atapenda kisikamilishe mzunguko wake.7
Then this clinging cell mass is transformed into an embryo which at first is without shape or distinction. Subsequently a transformation overtakes it to give it a form that begins with a skeleton that is later fleshed up. Alternatively, the uterus may reject it if God wills not to let it complete its cycle.7
“Ili Tuweze kukubainishia mambo.” (Aya ya 5) Kifungu hiki kinaonyesha kwamba kuna kipindi cha kusimama kati ya hatua ya kiinitete na mtoto. Kifungu hiki kinarejelea alama nyingi za uwezo usio na mipaka wa Mungu, na marejeo haya yanaendana na kuonekana kwa viungo katika kiinitete.
“So that We might make things clear to you.” (Verse 5) This clause indicates that there is a pause between the embryonic stage and the child. This clause refers to the numerous signs of God’s limitless power, and the reference coincides with the appearance of organs in the embryo.
Aya hiyo inaendelea kutaja hatua inayofuata katika ukuaji wa kijusi: "Tunaweka tumboni mwa [mama zao] kile Tunachokitaka kwa muda uliowekwa." (Aya 5)
The verse moves on to refer to the next stage in the development of the foetus: “We cause to rest in the [mothers] wombs whatever We please for an appointed term.” (Verse 5)
Kile ambacho Mwenyezi Mungu anataka kukamilisha mzunguko wake kitabaki tumboni mwa mama yake hadi wakati wa kuzaliwa kwake. "Kisha tunakutoeni nyote kama watoto wachanga." (Aya ya 5)
Tena tunasema, ni pengo kubwa kiasi gani kati ya hatua ya kwanza na hatua hii ya mwisho! Kwa upande wa muda, kwa kawaida ni miezi tisa, lakini kwa upande wa tofauti kati ya asili ya seli ya uzazi na asili ya mtoto, pengo hilo ni kubwa zaidi ya hapo. Seli ya uzazi haionekani kwa jicho la kawaida, wakati mtoto ni kiumbe changamano na chenye mpangilio wa hali ya juu, chenye viungo na mifumo mingi, sifa, uwezo, vipaji, mielekeo na matamanio. Akili yenye busara inaweza kuthamini pengo hili kubwa tu baada ya kutafakari kwa unyenyekevu, mara kwa mara, juu ya uweza mkubwa nyuma ya uumbaji.
Whatever God wills to complete its cycle will rest in its mother’s womb until its time of birth. “Then We bring you forth as infants.” (Verse 5) Again we say, what a wide gulf separating the first stage and this final one! In terms of time, it is normally nine months, but in terms of the difference between the nature of the gamete and the nature of the child, it is far greater than that. The gamete cannot be seen by the naked eye, while the child is a highly complex and sophisticated creation, with numerous organs and systems, features, qualities, talents, tendencies and desires. An intelligent mind can only appreciate this great divide after it has humbly reflected, time and again, on the great power behind creation.
Sūrah-hiyo inaendelea na mzunguko mpya unaoanza na mtoto mchanga, baada ya kutoka mahali pake pa kujificha ambako alipitia mfululizo wa miujiza mikubwa, mbali na macho ya wote. Kisha inakuja hatua mpya, ili “mfikie ukomavu wenu.” (Aya ya 5) Mtafikia ukuaji wenu kamili: kimwili, kiakili na kisaikolojia. Pengo lililopo kati ya mtoto mchanga na mtu mzima, katika sifa zao husika, ni kubwa zaidi kuliko muda unaotenganisha mmoja na mwingine. Pengo hili, hata hivyo, linaunganishwa na mapenzi ya Mungu aliyempa mtoto huyo mdogo sifa zote za mtu mzima aliyekomaa. Zaidi ya hayo, Mungu amempa mtoto huyu aina mbalimbali za vipaji na uwezo vinavyoweza kujitokeza wakati wake unaofaa. Ni mapenzi hayohayo ya kimungu yanayompa yai lililorutubishwa, linapopandikizwa kwenye mfuko wa uzazi, sifa zote za mtoto wa binadamu. Hata hivyo, yai hilo lililorutubishwa ni matokeo ya majimaji yasiyo na thamani.
The sūrah continues with a new cycle that starts with the newborn child, after it has left its hiding place where it went through a series of great miracles, away from all beholders. Then it is time for a new phase, so that “you may grow up and attain your prime.” (Verse 5) You will attain your full growth: physically, mentally and psychologically. The gulf between a newborn child and an adult, in their respective characteristics, is much wider than the time separating one from the other. This gulf, however, is bridged by God’s will who has given the little infant all the characteristics of a mature adult. What is more is that He has given this child a great variety of talents and potentialities that may rise to the surface at their appropriate times. It is the same divine will that gives the zygote, as it is implanted in the uterus, all the qualities of a human child. Yet that fertilized egg is the product of worthless fluid.
"Baadhi yenu hufa wakiwa vijana, na baadhi yenu huishi hadi uzee wa kudhalilika ambapo yale yote waliyoyajua hawayajui tena." (Aya ya 5) Yule anayekufa akiwa mdogo hukutana mapema na mwisho wa kila kiumbe hai. Kuhusu wale wanaoishi hadi uzeeni, wanatoa funzo muhimu la kutafakari. Ingawa kila mmoja wao alikuwa mtu wa elimu, ukomavu na hekima, sasa wamerudi kuwa watoto kwa hisia zao, miitikio yao, ufahamu wao, maarifa yao, mwenendo wao na usimamizi wao. Kama mtoto, jambo dogo linaweza kuwafurahisha sana, na jingine likawafanya walie. Kumbukumbu zao huhifadhi kidogo sana na kukumbuka kidogo sana. Na kama mtoto, huyachukulia matukio kimoja kimoja, bila kuweza kuyahusisha wao kwa wao au kutazamia mwisho ambao yanaelekea.
“Some of you die young, and some live on to abject old age when all that they once knew they know no more.” (Verse 5) The one who dies young meets at an early stage the end of every living thing. As for the ones who live to old age, they provide an important case for reflection. Although each one was a person of knowledge, maturity and wisdom, now they are again children in their feelings, reactions, awareness, knowledge, dealings and management. Like a child, one little thing may give them great pleasure, and another may cause them to cry. Their memory retains very little and retrieves very little. And like a child, they take events individually, unable to relate them to one another or to look ahead to the conclusion to which they lead.
Wanasahau tu mwanzo kabla hawajafika mwisho. Ni kama Mungu asemavyo:
They simply forget the beginning before they reach the end. It is like God says:
"Wakati yote waliyokuwa wakiyajua yanapotoweka kabisa." Wanapoteza elimu iliyokuwa chanzo cha fahari kwao, hadi kufikia kubishana kuhusu Mungu, kuwepo kwake na sifa zake. Sasa elimu yote ya namna hiyo inatoweka akilini mwao na katika fahamu zao.
“When all that they once knew they know no more.” They lose the knowledge that once was a source of pride to them, leading them even to argue about God, His existence and His attributes. Now all such knowledge disappears from their minds and consciousness.
Aya inaendelea kuelezea matukio mengine ya uumbaji na viumbe hai vilivyopo duniani na katika ulimwengu wa mimea. "Unaiona ardhi ikiwa kavu na tupu; lakini tunapoteremsha maji juu yake, huanza kutikisika na kuvimba, na huotesha kila aina ya maua yanayong'aa." (Aya 5)
Hali ya kuwa 'kavu na tupu', ambayo katika maandishi ya Kiarabu imeelezwa kwa neno moja, ĥāmidah, ni hali iliyo katikati ya uhai na kifo. Hivyo ndivyo ardhi ilivyo inapokosa maji, kiungo cha msingi cha uhai na viumbe hai. Kwa hiyo, maji ya mvua yanapomwagwa juu yake, 'huanza kutikisika na kuvimba.' Huu ni mwendo wa ajabu ambao Qur'ani ilikwishauandika karne nyingi kabla ya elimu ya binadamu. Ardhi inapokuwa kavu sana kisha mvua ikaianguka, hufanya mwendo kama wa kutikisika au kuchanganyika. Hunyonya maji na kuvimba. Kisha hujaa uhai, ikiotesha mimea inayochanua na kung'aa kwa furaha. Je, kuna kitu chochote kinachopendeza jicho zaidi ya kuona uhai ukichanua mahali palipokuwa pakavu kwa muda mrefu?
The verse then moves on to portray other scenes of creation and living creatures on earth and in the world of plants. “You can see the earth dry and barren; and [suddenly,] when We send down water upon it, it stirs and swells and puts forth every kind of radiant bloom.” (Verse 5) The state of being ‘dry and barren’, which is expressed in the Arabic text with one word, ĥāmidah, is a state in between life and death. This is how the earth is when it is starved of water, the basic ingredient for life and the living. Thus, when rain water is poured over it, ‘it stirs and swells.’ This is a remarkable movement which the Qur’ān recorded many centuries before human science. When soil is very dry and then rain falls over it, it makes a movement like shaking or stirring. It absorbs the water and swells. It is then full of life, bringing forth blooming vegetation that radiates pleasure. Is there anything more pleasing to the eye than seeing life bloom in an area that has long remained barren?
Hapa tunaona jinsi Qur’ani inavyozungumzia uhusiano kati ya viumbe hai wote, ikiviorodhesha vyote kuwa miongoni mwa ishara nyingi za Mungu. Hii ni dalili ya kustaajabisha kwamba kiini cha uhai ni kimoja kwa viumbe vyote hai, na kwamba nia moja inayoleta uhai duniani, kama vile katika mimea, wanyama na binadamu, ni moja.
Here we see how the Qur’ān speaks of a bond between all living creatures, citing them all as one of God’s numerous signs. This is a remarkable reference to the fact that the essence of life is one in all the living, and to the unity of the will that brings life into being on earth, as in plants, animals and man.