Many religions speak about life after death but is life after death a certainty? Let’s think.
Quran on life after death
The Quran teaches that the world we live in will come to an end. God will bring all the humans back to life and judge between us. God will reward the good people and punish the bad ones.
Life after death – fantasy?
The moment people hear about life after death, the question that pops up in most people’s minds is: How can we come back to life after we die? Don’t we become ashes or decay to bones if we are buried?
Even people during the time of Prophet Muhammad had the same question. The Quran captures the doubts of the people.
And they say: When we are reduced to bones and ashes, will we really be raised as a new creation?
Quran Chapter 17 Verse 49
God’s response to people’s question
In the next verse, God responds to their doubt. God says in the Quran:
Say, Yes, even if you become stones, or iron.
Quran Chapter 17 Verse 50
Why stones or iron?
The people asked, how can we come back to life, after we are reduced to bones and ashes? One would expect a response like, yes it is possible, even if you become bones and ashes.
But God responds by saying, even if you become stones or iron. Very strange choice of words. What have stones and iron got to do with their question? Are stones and iron connected to our death and resurrection? Yes, very much! Let’s see how.
Stone fossils – Petrification
Petros means stone. In Petrification, the organism is completely replaced by minerals and the fossil is turned to stone. Petrified wood is an example of stone fossilization.
Iron fossils
Scientists found that the world’s oldest fossils, thought to have formed between 3.77 billion and 4.28 billion years ago, are comprised of tiny tubes, and filaments made of an iron oxide, known as haematite.
Another study found out that fossils are made of hematite, iron oxyhydroxides, such as goethite, and ferrihydrite, and iron-rich aluminosilicate clay minerals.
Precise choice of words
Some might argue, to say even if you become stones or iron might be just a coincidence. While we can concede that using the word ‘stone’ may be considered a coincidence, the same cannot be said about the usage of the word ‘iron’. We say this because, one would not associate ‘iron’ with dead bodies and resurrection. So, we can understand that the word ‘iron’ was used deliberately.
Resurrection will happen even if we become fossils
We know that it takes thousands to millions of years for fossils to form. God highlights that, even if we become stone and iron fossils, even after millions of years, God will still bring us back to life. So, the words, stones and iron, were not used randomly. The precise choice of words that conveys this deep meaning leaves us amazed.
