| Q: (3) A'idhā matnā wa kunnā...

When they expressed astonishment at his prophethood, they expressed the improbability of his message. This is similar to what the Almighty said about them: {They said, "This is not but a man who wishes to avert you from what your fathers were worshipping"} (Saba: 43), and {They said, "This is not but a fabricated lie"} (Saba: 43).

There are several issues here:

Issue 1: His statement, {A'idhā matnā wa kunnā turāban} (Shall we, when we die and become dust?), is their denial, either verbally or by implication, indicated by the Almighty's statement: {A warner has come to them} (Q: 2). Since the warning was only about perpetual punishment and painful retribution, it implied the Resurrection. Therefore, they said, {A'idhā matnā wa kunnā turāban}.

Issue 2: Dhālika (That) refers to what he said, which is the warning. And {Hādhā shay'un 'ajīb} (This is a strange matter) (Q: 2) refers to the coming [of the Hour/Resurrection], as we have explained. Since the two descriptions differ, we say that the coming (the event) and the one who brings it (the warner) are both present. As for the warning, even though the warner is present, because the thing warned about (the punishment) was not yet present, they described it as dhālika (that).

Al-Raj'u (الرجع) is the verbal noun (maṣdar) when the verb is transitive (muta'addī), and al-Rujū' (الرجوع) is its verbal noun when the verb is intransitive (lāzim). Likewise, al-Raj'ī (الرجعي) is a verbal noun for the intransitive form. Al-Raj'u can also correctly be a verbal noun for the intransitive form.

Therefore, it is possible that what is meant by {Dhālika raj'un ba'īd} (That is a distant return) is an intransitive return (rujū' ba'īd). It is also possible that it means the transitive raj'u (return/being returned). The Almighty's statement {Indeed, to your Lord is the return} (Al-'Alaq: 8) supports the first interpretation, while His statement {Are we indeed to be returned?} (Al-Nāzi'āt: 10)—meaning, are we to be made to return—supports the second, as it derives from the transitive raj'u. If we hold that it is from the transitive form, then they denied that it was possible in itself.

! 7 < { Qad 'alimnā mā tanquṣu al-arḍu minhum wa 'indanā kitābun hafīẓ } > 7 !

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{ We certainly know what the earth consumes of them, and with Us is a preserved record. }