Yā Sīn: (52) They said, "Woe to us!"...

This refers to what they said when they were resurrected, because His saying: {And the Trumpet will be blown} (Yā Sīn: 51) indicates that they were resurrected. In this regard, there are several issues:

Issue 1: The Order of Speech and Action

If someone were to ask: Would it not have been more appropriate if God Almighty had said, "Then behold, they, from their graves, will rush forth to their Lord, saying, 'Woe to us!'", we would say, "God forbid!" This is because His saying, {Then behold, they, from their graves, will rush forth to their Lord} (Yā Sīn: 51), as we previously explained, points to the fact that God, in the swiftest moment, gathers their particles, composes them, revives them, and sets them in motion, such that their rushing forth occurs at the very moment of the blowing [of the Trumpet]. This happens despite the necessity of gathering and composing them first.

If the text had said, "they will say" (yaqūlūna), it would imply that the saying occurred simultaneously with the rushing forth, meaning they rushed forth while saying, "Woe to us!" This is not the case. Their saying, "Woe to us!" precedes their rushing forth. The mention of rushing forth was included for the benefits we have already discussed.

Issue 2: The Difference Between God's Narration and Their Utterance

If someone asks: We understand the meaning of the call in phrases like Yā ḥasrata (O regret!) or Yā waylanā (Woe to us!), but what is the difference between their saying and God's saying when He stated: {O regret for the servants} (Yā Sīn: 30), without attribution (possessive pronoun), while they said: Yā ḥasratā, Yā ḥasratnā, and Yā waylanā?

The answer is: When the speaker is the accountable person (the individual), no one has knowledge except of their own state or the state of those near them. Thus, each person was preoccupied with themselves, and each one said: "Woe to us!" Therefore, His saying {They said, "O our father..."} implies that each individual said, "Woe to me!"

However, when God speaks, He speaks in a general manner, encompassing the totality of His knowledge regarding their condition.

Issue 3: The Connection Between "Woe to Us" and "Who has sent us forth from our resting places?"

What is the connection between {Woe to us!} and their subsequent statement: {Who has sent us forth from our resting places?}

When they were resurrected, they remembered what they used to hear from the Messengers. They said: "Woe to us! Who has sent us forth? Has God sent us forth—the promised resurrection—or were we merely asleep and have now been awakened?"

This is similar to a person who was promised that an overwhelming enemy would come to him. Then, he sees a terrifying figure approaching him; he trembles internally and asks, "Is this him, or not?"

The mention of their resting places supports our interpretation. By referring to the graves as marqad (resting place), they indicated their doubt: Were they merely asleep and now awakened, or were they dead? Since the dominant assumption in their minds was resurrection, they combined both possibilities. They said, {Who has sent us forth?} indicating their belief that it was the promised resurrection, and they said, {from our resting places} indicating their consideration of the possibility of merely being awakened from sleep.

Issue 4: The Referent of "This" (Hādhā)

What is the object of reference for {This} (Hādhā)? There are two views:

1. It refers to the resting place (marqad). It is as if they said: "Who has sent us forth from this resting place?" In this case, it functions as an adjective for the resting place, similar to saying, "My speech is true."
2. {Hādhā} refers to the resurrection itself, meaning: This resurrection is what the Most Merciful promised, and the Messengers spoke truthfully about.

Issue 5: If "This" Refers to the Resting Place

If {Hādhā} is an adjective for the resting place, how can the following statement be correct: {What the Most Merciful promised, and the Messengers spoke truthfully}?

In this case, {What the Most Merciful promised} (mā waʿada ar-raḥmān) would be the subject, and its predicate would be omitted, meaning: "What the Most Merciful promised is true." And {the Messengers spoke truthfully} (wa ṣadaqa al-mursalūn).

Alternatively, one could say: "What the Most Merciful promised, and what the Messengers spoke truthfully about is true." The first interpretation is clearer due to less implied meaning.

Another possibility: {What the Most Merciful promised} is the predicate of an omitted subject, meaning: "It is what the Most Merciful promised—the resurrection, not merely an awakening from sleep—and the Messengers spoke truthfully about what they informed you."

Issue 6: The Answer to Their Question

Whether {Hādhā} refers to the resting place or the resurrection, the answer to their interrogative statement {Who has sent us forth?} is contained in the subsequent phrase.

Since their goal in asking {Who has sent us forth?} was to ascertain whether it was resurrection or awakening, the answer is provided by saying: This is the resurrection promised by the Most Merciful, not an awakening.

This is analogous to a fearful person asking another, "What will happen? Will so-and-so kill me?" The other person can reply, "Do not fear," and stop there, because the goal was to remove the terror, and this reply achieves that goal.

Then, the Almighty said:

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