Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection): (6) He asks, "When is the Day of Resurrection?"

Know that the denial of the Resurrection sometimes stems from doubt (shubha) and sometimes from desire (shahwa).

As for denial stemming from doubt, it is what Allah the Exalted recounted by His saying: {Does man think that We will not assemble his bones?} (Al-Qiyamah: 3).

The argument is that man is this body. When he dies, the parts of the body scatter, those parts mix with the rest of the dust, and they disperse to the east and west of the earth. Therefore, distinguishing them afterward from other things becomes impossible, making the Resurrection impossible.

Know that this doubt is invalid for two reasons:

1. We do not concede that man is this body. Why should it not be possible that he is something governed/directed toward this body? If this body decays, he remains alive as he was. In that case, Allah the Exalted is capable of returning him to whatever body He wills and intends. Based on this view, the question collapses. In the verse, there is an indication of this because He swore by the self-reproaching soul (an-Nafs al-Lawwāmah), then said: {Does man think that We will not assemble his bones?}, which is an explicit statement differentiating between the soul and the body.
2. Even if we concede that man is this body, why do they claim that after its parts are scattered, it cannot be reassembled? This is because Allah the Exalted knows all particulars, so He knows the specific part that constituted 'Amr's body. He is capable of all possibilities (mumkināt), and this composition [of the body] was among the possibilities, otherwise, it would not have existed in the first place. Therefore, He must be capable of composing it. Once it is established that He is knowing of all particulars and capable of all possibilities, no difficulty remains in the issue.

As for the second type, which is the denial based on desire, it is what Allah the Exalted recounted by His saying: {Nay, but man desires to continue in his wickedness} (Al-Qiyamah: 5).

Its meaning is that the human being, whose nature inclines toward indulging in desires and accumulating pleasures, can hardly accept the gathering and resurrection of the dead, lest his physical pleasures be spoiled. Thus, he is perpetually a denier of it, saying mockingly and scornfully, "When is the Day of Resurrection?"

Then, Allah the Exalted mentioned the signs of the Resurrection, saying: