أَإِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا ذَلِكَ رَجْعٌ بَعِيدٌ ﴿۳﴾ قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا تَنْقُصُ الْأَرْضُ مِنْهُمْ وَعِنْدَنَا كِتَابٌ حَفِيظٌ ﴿۴﴾ بَلْ كَذَّبُوا بِالْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ فَهُمْ فِي أَمْرٍ مَرِيجٍ ﴿۵﴾

﴾3﴿ 'A-izaa mitnaa wa kunnaa turaaban zaalika raj'um ba'eed
﴾4﴿ Qad 'alimnaa maa tanqu-sul-ardu minhum wa 'indanaa Kitaabun Hafeez
﴾5﴿ Bal kazzaboo bilhaqqi lammaa jaaa'ahum fahum feee amrim mareej

﴾3﴿ Is it far from reason that when we die and become dust, we will be brought back again
﴾4﴿ Indeed, We know what the earth diminishes of them, and with Us is a preserving Book that records their deeds
﴾5﴿ But they denied the truth when it came to them, so they are in a confused state

[3] This is a detailed explanation of the astonishment expressed by the one being shown amazement (minh), and to emphasize this astonishment, the verse begins with a questioning hamzah of rejection (استفهام انکاری).
(بَعِيدٌ) — The meaning here is that such behavior or claim is far from reason and normal human conduct.
[4] This is a refutation of their amazement and their denial of resurrection, and it presents a rational and scientific proof for life after death.
That is: the Being who has complete knowledge — in detail — of every part of the human body and their deeds, even when scattered, is certainly capable of reassembling those parts and bringing them back to life.
(مَا تَنْقُصُ الْأَرْضُ مِنْهُمْ) — There are many interpretations by the commentators.
One is that the earth consumes the entire body, except for the ‘ajab al-dhanab (tailbone), which does not decompose — and this is also mentioned in an authentic hadith.
(وَعِنْدَنَا كِتَابٌ حَفِيظٌ) — This refers to the record in which the angels have written the deeds of humans.
Ḥafīẓ here means that it has preserved all deeds.
Alternatively, it refers to the Lawḥ Maḥfūẓ (Preserved Tablet), in which their names, actions, and other details are recorded.
In this case, ḥafīẓ means maḥfūẓ (well-protected), i.e., protected from devils, alteration, or distortion.
[5] This verse is a rebuke for their denial of the Qur'an, which has conveyed the news of resurrection.
It also adds emphasis, because denial is a greater form of disbelief than mere amazement — and indeed, their amazement leads to denial.
(بِالْحَقِّ) — The word ḥaqq (truth) here may refer to the Qur'an, the Messenger, or the news of life after death.
(مَرِيجٍ) — This means confused and unstable — they do not hold to a firm position about the Qur'an.
Sometimes they say it is magic, then poetry, then soothsaying, then falsehood or dreams.
Another interpretation is that the word refers to their religion — the religion of the polytheists is scattered and inconsistent.