This verse, according to the majority of exegetes, points to the Resurrection (Hashr). However, what has become clear to me after prolonged contemplation and seeking guidance from God's bounty is that it might refer to the breathing of the human spirit into the fetus. This is because the noble soul (not the commanding soul, *al-nafs al-ammārah*) mixes with the dense, dark bodies, and it is through this soul that God honored the children of Adam. This is alluded to in His saying: "Then We clothed the bones with flesh, then We developed him into another creation" (Al-Mu'minūn: 14), which is distinct from the creation from the sperm drop, the clot, and the lump of flesh. It is through this "other creation" that man is distinguished from other animal species and shares in intellectual perceptions with the angels. Just as He said there, "Then We created the drop of semen" (Al-Mu'minūn: 14) after the initial creation of the drop, here He says: "And that upon Him is the other creation" (*al-nash’ah al-ukhrā*). Thus, He made the breathing of the spirit another creation, just as He made it another development there. What necessitates this interpretation is that His saying, "And that to your Lord is the final limit" (Al-Najm: 42), is understood by most as explaining the Return (Resurrection), and His saying, "Then He will recompense him with the fullest recompense" (Al-Najm: 41), is likewise so. Therefore, mentioning the "other creation" here refers to the Resurrection. Furthermore, He says after this: "And that He it is Who enriches and makes sufficient" (Al-Najm: 48), which pertains to worldly affairs. If we adopt my interpretation, the sequence becomes perfectly harmonious: He created the male and female, breathed the noble human spirit into them, then enriched them with the mother's milk and the father's provision in their infancy, and then made them self-sufficient (*aqnā*) through earning after they grew up.

If one objects, saying that the "other creation" is mentioned concerning the Resurrection in His saying: "So observe how He began creation; then Allah gives [life to] the other creation" (Al-'Ankabūt: 20), we reply: The word *al-ukhrā* (the other) here comes from *al-ākhir* (the latter/final), not from *al-ukhrā* (the other, implying a second instance of the same type). Furthermore, it was established there [in Surah Al-Mu'minūn] that when He mentioned the beginning, it was understood as the Resurrection. Here, however, He mentions creation from a drop of semen, just as He said: "Then We created the drop of semen as a clinging clot..." and then said: "Then We created the drop of semen" (Al-Mu'minūn: 14).

In this verse, there are several issues:

Issue 1: The meaning of "upon Him" (*'alayhi*)

The word *'alā* (upon) usually implies obligation (*wujūb*). But God is not obligated to bring about the Return (Resurrection). So, what is the meaning of His saying: "And that upon Him is..."? Al-Zamakhsharī, following his rationalist school of thought, says that obligation stems from wisdom (*ḥikmah*), as recompense requires the Resurrection, thus making it rationally obligatory upon Him. We do not hold this view. We offer two interpretations: 1. **Obligation by Promise:** It is incumbent upon Him by virtue of His promise, as He said: "Indeed, it is We who give life to the dead" (Yā-Sīn: 12). Thus, it is incumbent upon Him due to His promise, not due to rational necessity or religious law. 2. **Obligation by Designation/Specification:** It means it is designated for Him. If someone is present before a group, attempts something, and fails, it is said: "It is incumbent upon you to do it," meaning it has become designated for you to perform.

Issue 2: The reading of *al-nash’ah*

It has been recited as **"al-nash’ah"** (with a *fatḥah* on the *nūn* and *shīn*) as a verbal noun (*maṣdar*) like *al-ḍarbah* (a strike), following the pattern *fa'lah*, which denotes a single instance (like *ḍarbatayn* meaning striking repeatedly). This implies that the creation occurs once more upon Him. It has also been recited as **"al-nashā’ah"** (with *madd*), as a verbal noun following the pattern *fa'ālah* (like *al-kafālah*). Regardless of the recitation, it derives from the root *n-sh-a* (to originate/grow). Since *nasha’a* is an intransitive verb, one might expect the phrasing to be "upon Him is the origination" (*al-inshā’*). We say there is a subtle benefit here: using *al-nash’ah* confirms the actual existence of the creation once again. If He had said *al-inshā’*, someone might argue that *inshā’* is like *ijlās* (causing someone to sit), where one might say, "I made him sit, but he did not sit" (*ajlastuhu fa-mā jalasa*). Similarly, one might say, "He intended to create him (*ansha’ahu*) but he did not come into being (*mā nasha’a*)." By saying **"upon Him is *al-nash’ah*,"** it means the creation (*al-nash’*) will exist and be realized definitively.

Issue 3: The difference between "another creation" and "the other creation"

Is there a difference between saying: "Upon Him is creation another time" (*nash’ah ukhrā*) and His saying: "Upon Him is **the** other creation" (*al-nash’ah al-ukhrā*)? Yes, there is. If one says "creation another time" (*nash’ah ukhrā*), it does not necessarily imply that the nature of this creation was previously known. But when He says **"the other creation"** (*al-nash’ah al-ukhrā*), it implies that the reality of this other creation is already known [to the listener/recipient of the message], so He states what is known to be incumbent upon Him.

[Then He said:] # And that He it is Who enriches and makes sufficient.