Qãf

During the time of the Prophet, some idol-worshippers questioned Judgment Day, and made fun of Allah's ability to bring people back to life.

In response, Allah revealed this surah, telling them to just open their eyes and look around to see what He has created.

Allah has the power to bring everyone back to life for judgment just like He is able to bring plants out of the earth.

Everyone will be rewarded or punished according to what they did in this world.

The Arabic alphabet has 29 letters, 14 of them appear as individual letters or in groups at the beginning of 29 surahs, like Qaf, Nun, and Alif-Lam-Mim. According to Imam Ibn Kathir, in his explanation of 2:1, these 14 letters can be arranged into an Arabic sentence that reads 'نص حكيم له سر قاطع' which translates to: 'A wise text with authority, full of wonders.' Although Muslim scholars have tried to explain these 14 letters, no one knows their actual meaning except Allah.

Those who deny Allah's power are asked to think about this earth and the universe. There are many wonders that Allah has created in nature. The awesome sky is filled with billions of galaxies, planets, and stars. They are different in size and nature. You can fit planet Mercury 18 times inside the earth. You can fit 1,300,000 earths inside the sun. And you can fit 3.69 billion suns inside a giant star known as UY Scuti. Each planet travels perfectly in an orbit. The chance of two planets crashing together is like two boats—one in the Indian Ocean and the other in Lake Ontario—bumping into each other.

Also, someone may ask, 'Why do we refer to Allah as 'He' if Allah is not male or female?' The reason is that in the Arabic language we use 'he' if someone is male or if we don't know their gender (known as neutral, which is similar to 'it' in English). We wouldn't call Allah 'it' in English, because 'it' usually refers to objects. 'He' is the default, neutral pronoun in Arabic. For example, if your aunt gives birth in another country and you don't know if the baby is a boy or a girl, you may ask (in Arabic), 'Is he a boy or a girl? What did you name him?' We do the same thing in English to avoid using 'it' while referring to Allah out of respect for Him.

If someone asks you, 'Who made this phone?' you might answer, 'Maybe someone in Vietnam.' The next question might be: 'Who created that person in Vietnam?' and you might answer, 'Allah.' Then they might ask, 'Who created Allah?' The problem with this question is that it assumes that Allah is just like us. According to Surah Al-Ikhlas (112), the Creator cannot be like His creation—we are created; He is not.

because of the one before it, and that one fell because of the one before it, and so on. It is logical to assume that someone (who is not a domino) pushed the very first domino, causing all the next ones to fall. In the same way, all creation was caused by Allah, Who Himself is not part of His creation. Think of it this way: if you make a Lego tower, you don't become the tower. Also, if you make 20 cones of vanilla ice cream

it doesn't mean that you become vanilla ice cream. The Prophet said that when this question comes to your mind, you should seek the protection of Allah against the tricks of Shaytan. {Recorded by Imam Muslim}

The workplace will collapse, their family will be shattered, and maybe the stars will fall from the sky. Life doesn't stop after the death of anyone. Great prophets and leaders passed away, and life went on. If we die, the world will be just fine, our families will get over it, our boss will wish we had left much sooner, and the stars will continue to shine in the sky. The only thing we should worry about is where we will end up after death. We should always be ready for the Next Life, keeping in mind that we are not here to stay. Think of our life as a bus ride—when someone's stop comes, they get off the bus. It doesn't matter if they are ready or not, old or young. Sooner or later, we will leave this world and answer for our actions and choices in this life.

On the first day of the new school year, two twin brothers, Zayan and Sarhan, moved to a new school. According to their report cards, Zayan is very bright and hardworking. He goes to school every day and does his homework. As for Sarhan, he is always playing. He ignores all rules and never does his homework. By looking at the report cards, the principal decides that Zayan will pass and Sarhan will fail at the end of the year. So, on the first day of school, she gives Zayan an A+ and Sarhan gets an F. Now, Sarhan protests. He tells the principal that she shouldn't judge him based on his report card. He says that if she gives him the chance, he will prove that he too deserves an A+. The only way for the principal to prove him wrong is to let him study and take the test at the end of the year. In the same way, if the disbelievers are thrown into Jahannam as soon as they are created, they will argue, 'Let me take the test of life and I'll show you that I too deserve to go to Jannah.' This is why Allah gives everyone equal opportunity in this life.

Someone may ask, "If Adam didn't eat from that tree, wouldn't we be in Jannah, we wouldn't be here in this world. Why did he do this?". By reading the story of Adam in **2:30-39**, we realize that:

The Next two passages talk about those who fail and those who pass the test of life.

Like many people, Abdullah wants the best for himself and his family. His first cellphone was as big as a shoe. Then he switched to a smaller phone. He now has a new smartphone, but wishes for a better one. His first car was manual, made in 1970. His new car is automatic, but he wishes for a more advanced car. He used to live in a small apartment, then he moved to a townhouse. He dreams of buying a big house for his growing family.

As we will see in Surah 112, Allah is not like us—He doesn't get tired, and He doesn't need rest or sleep. He is Al-Qawi (the Most Strong). If He wants to create something, He just says 'Be!' and it comes into existence.