Yet if you say...

Yet if you say, ‘You will indeed be raised up after death,’ the faithless will surely say, ‘This is nothing but plain magic’” (Hūd:7) Due to this very reason the Qur’an reminds the disbelievers of resembling phenomena, in order that they do not distance themselves from the reality of Resurrection. On the other hand it also answers the arguments raised to eliminate any doubt.

The Qur’an does not stop here, but also brings the intellectual arguments to prove this covenant of God and its necessity in the following lessons. Phenomena resembling Resurrection a. Plant life The coming back to life of a human being after death is similar to the sprouting of plants from the earth after a dry winter. Contemplation on this phenomenon, which occurs in front of all human beings, is sufficient enough to believe in the possibility of life after death.

In reality this phenomenon is no different from that of life after death but due to man’s forgetfulness and in his being accustomed to or immune to this phenomenon, man has neglected to remember its uniqueness. The Noble Qur’an in order to lift this veil repeatedly reminds man of this phenomenon and compares it with the coming back to life of humans. The Qur’an mentions in one of its noble verses: “So observe the effects of Allah’s mercy: how He revives the earth after its death!

Indeed He is the reviver of the dead, and He has power over all things” (al-Rūm:50) b. The sleep of the people of cave After mentioning the mysterious story of the people of the cave, which has many lessons, the Qur’an says: “So it was that We let them come upon them, that they might know that Allah’s promise is true, and that there is no doubt in the Hour.” (al- Kahf:21) It is without doubt that the fact of this incident whereby a few men awaken after three hundred or so of sleep can have a significant import on dealing with the spurious arguments with regards to Resurrection.

Nevertheless, every sleep of a man resembles death and every awakening is a coming back to life. However in our regular sleep the physiological mechanism continues to function and the return of the spirit when we wake-up does not astonish us. But for someone who slept for three hundred years without utilizing any (form of) food according to the biological make-up must die and deteriorate without allowing the spirit to return.