َ ثُمَّ نُتْبِعُهُمُ الْآخِرِينَ ﴿۱۷﴾ كَذَلِكَ نَفْعَلُ بِالْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴿۱۸﴾ وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِلْمُكَذِّبِينَ ﴿۱۹﴾ أَلَمْ نَخْلُقْكُمْ مِنْ مَاءٍ مَهِينٍ ﴿۲۰﴾ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ فِي قَرَارٍ مَكِينٍ ﴿۲۱﴾ إِلَى قَدَرٍ مَعْلُومٍ ﴿۲۲﴾ فَقَدَرْنَا فَنِعْمَ الْقَادِرُونَ ﴿۲۳﴾ وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِلْمُكَذِّبِينَ ﴿۲۴﴾ أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الْأَرْضَ كِفَاتًا ﴿۲۵﴾ أَحْيَاءً وَأَمْوَاتًا ﴿۲۶﴾

﴾17﴿ Summa nutbi'uhumul aakhireen
﴾18﴿ Kazzalika naf'alu bilmujrimeen
﴾19﴿ Wailunw yawma 'izil lil mukazzibeen
﴾20﴿ Alam nakhlukkum mimmaaa'im maheen
﴾21﴿ Faja'alnaahu fee qaraarim makeen
﴾22﴿ Illaa qadrim ma'loom
﴾23﴿ Faqadarnaa fani'mal qaadiroon
﴾24﴿ Wailuny yawma 'izil lilmukazzibeen
﴾25﴿ Alam naj'alil arda kifaataa
﴾26﴿ Ahyaaa'anw wa amwaataa

﴾17﴿ We bring back those who come after.
﴾18﴿ Thus do We deal with the criminals
﴾19﴿ Destruction on that day is for the deniers
﴾20﴿ Did We not create you from a humble water
﴾21﴿ Then We placed it in a firm lodging
﴾22﴿ Until a predetermined time
﴾23﴿ So We have power, and how excellent is Our ability
﴾24﴿ Destruction on that day is for the deniers
﴾25﴿ Did We not make the earth a container
﴾26﴿ For the living and the dead

[19] Here, the deniers referred to are those who do not accept the stories and destruction of the previous criminals, nor do they affirm the warnings directed at the later criminals—as mentioned in the three preceding verses.
[20,21,22] This is a rational, self-evident proof—the creation of the first human—to establish resurrection after death. (مَاءٍ مَهِينٍ) refers to the drop of fluid, which is weak and insignificant, meaning it is something that people find repulsive, regardless of whether it is pure or impure. Therefore, the argument is not based on its impurity. The term ماءٍ (water) refers to the fluid from both man and woman, because it is proven from other texts that the child is created from both. (قَرَارٍ مَكِينٍ) refers to the womb of the mother, where the fetus is preserved despite its weight. (إِلَى قَدَرٍ مَعْلُومٍ) refers to the known time of birth, which is typically six to nine months according to most customs, though sometimes it may exceed this. مَعْلُومٍ is known according to the general customs and knowledge of women. (فَقَدَرْنَا) — some linguists differentiate between the light and heavy forms of the word. The lighter form is derived from qudrah (power), emphasizing that the creation of the human in this detailed manner is solely from the power of Allah the Exalted—no one else possesses such power of creation. Others say both forms mean the same—taqdeer (measuring or determining), so Allah the Exalted has determined the time of birth and all the conditions of the child, including its future happiness or misery. Thus, قَادِرُونَ here means مُقَدِّرُونَ (those who determine), indicating the concept of divine decree.
[24] Here, the deniers referred to are those who do not acknowledge the creation of the human being in this manner as being by the power of Allah the Exalted, and they also do not accept the concept of divine decree.
[25,26] This is the second rational, external (afaqi) and lower (earthly) proof. (كِفَاتًا) is a generic noun, meaning anything that gathers or contains. (أَحْيَاءً وَأَمْوَاتًا)—it gathers the living on its surface; through it, they build, farm, travel, and derive other benefits. And it gathers the dead by burying them. This serves as a proof that burying the dead is necessary. Al-Qurtubi also said that similarly, one should bury their hair and nails in the earth.