the first death and then this life
قَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ أَمَتَّنَا ٱثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا ٱثْنَتَيْنِ فَٱعْتَرَفْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا فَهَلْ إِلَىٰ خُرُوجٍۢ مِّن سَبِيلٍۢ ١١
They will say, "Our Lord, You made us lifeless twice and gave us life twice, and we have confessed our sins. So is there to an exit any way?"
— Saheeh International
They will say, “Our Lord, You gave us death twice and You gave us life twice. Now we confess our sins. So, is there any way to come out of here?”
— T. Usmani
ذَٰلِكُم بِأَنَّهُۥٓ إِذَا دُعِىَ ٱللَّهُ وَحْدَهُۥ كَفَرْتُمْ ۖ وَإِن يُشْرَكْ بِهِۦ تُؤْمِنُوا۟ ۚ فَٱلْحُكْمُ لِلَّهِ ٱلْعَلِىِّ ٱلْكَبِيرِ ١٢
[They will be told], "That is because, when Allāh was called upon alone, you disbelieved; but if others were associated with Him, you believed. So the judgement is with Allāh, the Most High, the Grand."
— Saheeh International
(The reply will be, “No.) This is because whenever Allah alone was invoked, you used to disbelieve, and if partners were associated with Him, you used to believe. Now the decision lies with Allah, the High, the Great.”
— T. Usmani
[Al-Quran 40:11-12]
The Quran informs us that we have been given life twice. This is our second chance. We are here on probation. We have been given another chance to accept Allah as the One and Only God, and submit to His Deen (Religion, Law of Recompense), sincerely.
So, how do we know that this life is our second chance? We were dead before we were given this life. After this life, we will be returned to Allah:
كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَكُنتُمْ أَمْوَٰتًۭا فَأَحْيَـٰكُمْ ۖ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ ٢٨
How can you disbelieve in Allāh when you were lifeless and He brought you to life; then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you [back] to life, and then to Him you will be returned.
— Saheeh International
“How is it that you deny Allah, while you were lifeless and He gave you life; then He will make you die, and then He will make you live again, and then to Him you will be returned?
— T. Usmani
[Al-Quran 2:28]
Moreover, The Quran also informs us about the Ratified Covenant taken from the Prophets (Q33:7). The last two ayaat of the same surah (Q33:72-73) inform us of a Trust that the Human undertook, a Trust which was offered to the Skies, the Earth, and the Mountains, but they were afraid to undertake. That is the reason why the hypocrites and the polytheists must be punished:
إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا ٱلْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱلْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَن يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ ظَلُومًۭا جَهُولًۭا ٧٢
Indeed, We offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they declined to bear it and feared it; but man [undertook to] bear it. Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant.
— Saheeh International
We did offer the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to bear its burden and were afraid of it, and man picked it up. Indeed he is unjust (to himself), unaware (of the end).
— T. Usmani
لِّيُعَذِّبَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقَـٰتِ وَٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَٱلْمُشْرِكَـٰتِ وَيَتُوبَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۢا ٧٣
[It[1] was] so that Allāh may punish the hypocrite men and hypocrite women and the men and women who associate others with Him and that Allāh may accept repentance from the believing men and believing women. And ever is Allāh Forgiving and Merciful.
— Saheeh International
The result (of all this) is that Allah will punish the hypocrites, men and women, and the Mushriks, men and women, and will accept the repentance of the believing men and women. Surely Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.
— T. Usmani
[Al-Quran 33:72-73]
The Quran also informs us that Allah is generating the evidence, for/against us, through trials in this life:
أَحَسِبَ ٱلنَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوٓا۟ أَن يَقُولُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ ٢
Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tried?
— Saheeh International
Do people think that they will be left (at ease) only on their saying, “We believe” and will not be put to any test?
— T. Usmani
وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۖ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا۟ وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ ٱلْكَـٰذِبِينَ ٣
But We have certainly tried those before them, and Allāh will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars.
— Saheeh International
Indeed We have tested those who were before them. So Allah will surely know the ones who are truthful, and He will surely know the liars.
— T. Usmani
[Al-Quran 29:2-3]
Allah is the Real King, to whom truly belongs the Kingdom of Skies and Earth and all in between. A King owns His Realm, and governs His Realm. The King decrees Laws to maintain His Kingdom. Those who keep the Law are law-abiding citizens. Those who do not keep the Law are criminals. Crime must be eliminated for the purpose of peace. A Peaceful Realm flourishes with the blessings of The King. Allah will declare Peace upon the Inhabitants of Gardens of the Hereafter. For the purpose of Peace, the criminals will be contained in the Fires of the Hereafter.
۞ قُلْ إِنِّى نُهِيتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَمَّا جَآءَنِىَ ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتُ مِن رَّبِّى وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أُسْلِمَ لِرَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ٦٦
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Indeed, I have been forbidden to worship those you call upon besides Allāh once the clear proofs have come to me from my Lord, and I have been commanded to submit to the Lord of the worlds."
— Saheeh International
Say, “I have been ordered not to worship those whom you invoke beside Allah when clear signs from my Lord have (already) come to me, and I have been ordered that I should submit to the Lord of the worlds.”
— T. Usmani
[Al-Quran 40:66]
The Quran speaks about the purpose of creation of death and life, which is to test who is the best in deeds (Q67:1-2). The Quran also informs us that all the progeny of the sons of Adam were taken out of their backs, and made to testify upon their nafs that Allah is their Rabb (Lord Sustainer) (Q7:172-175). Each nafs is in pledge for what it earns. There was a time when the nafs of both Adam and his wife was in a state of Nur. This was before Adam's Fall. Since then, the nafs of each one of us is in Zulm (darkness). We cannot see it, and we cannot locate it. We know it is there. We know it desires. We know it whispers. We know it commands. We know it inclines towards sin. We know we need to control it. We have been given guidance about it. If we heed to Allah's guidance, He promises to restore our nafs to its original state of Nur. We cannot enter the Gardens of the Hereafter without our nafs reinstalled in our body and restored to its state of Nur. Those who lose their nafs on the Day of Judgement will lose their families and be made to enter the Fires of the Hereafter. That is the clear loss.
We have a choice:
- do we want citizenship of the Gardens of Eternity, inheritance of the Gardens of Eternity, restoration of health and wealth, and an honourable place in the The True King's Realm?
or
- do we want to lose our freedom and our inheritance, lose our health and wealth, and be chained and imprisoned forever in the Fires of Eternity?
There is no compulsion. We are free to choose. Our Eternity depends on whether we choose to submit to The True King, and be protected from the Fire of Eternity by Allah, or do we choose the clear loss?
قُلْ إِنِّىٓ أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصًۭا لَّهُ ٱلدِّينَ ١١
Say, “I am commanded to worship Allah, being sincerely devoted to Him ˹alone˺.
وَأُمِرْتُ لِأَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ ١٢
And I am commanded to be the first of those who submit ˹to His Will˺.”
قُلْ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ إِنْ عَصَيْتُ رَبِّى عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍۢ ١٣
Say, “I truly fear—if I were to disobey my Lord—the torment of a tremendous Day.”
قُلِ ٱللَّهَ أَعْبُدُ مُخْلِصًۭا لَّهُۥ دِينِى ١٤
Say, “It is ˹only˺ Allah that I worship, being sincere in my devotion to Him.
فَٱعْبُدُوا۟ مَا شِئْتُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ ۗ قُلْ إِنَّ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ ٱلَّذِينَ خَسِرُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَهْلِيهِمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۗ أَلَا ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْخُسْرَانُ ٱلْمُبِينُ ١٥
Worship then whatever ˹gods˺ you want instead of Him.” Say, “The ˹true˺ losers are those who will lose themselves and their families on Judgment Day. That is indeed the clearest loss.”
لَهُم مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ ظُلَلٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ وَمِن تَحْتِهِمْ ظُلَلٌۭ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ يُخَوِّفُ ٱللَّهُ بِهِۦ عِبَادَهُۥ ۚ يَـٰعِبَادِ فَٱتَّقُونِ ١٦
They will have layers of fire above and below them. That is what Allah warns His servants with. So fear Me, O My servants!
[Al-Quran 39:11-16, Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran]
...
Time, and the Passing of Time
Looking up the occurrence of the translation 'twice', and use of its Arabic root, it seems to lend meanings to both time and passing:
- Where the Believer is granted permission to divorce his wife, he has a right to revert his decision for two passages of time. If the decision is not taken back before the third period expires, the divorce is finalised. Upon completion of the third and final period, she must leave his home. The marriage contract which they had ratified becomes void. The nikah is annulled. He is no longer her 'qawwam'. He does not have any financial or protection responsibilities towards her, with the exception of if she is carrying his baby.
- The bani Israel did great corruption in the Earth twice, and were punished twice, before the revelation of The Quran. They were the chosen people. They had ratified a covenant with Allah. They were granted The Torah. They were given The Ten Commandments. They were shown many miracles.
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Last updated on: March 7, 2025
