Tafsir of At-Tariq 86:8

Al-Tariq (The Nightcomer): (8) Indeed, He is Able to Return Him...

There are two issues concerning this verse:

The pronoun in Innahu (Indeed, He) refers to the Creator, even though He was not explicitly mentioned before. There are two interpretations for this:

1. Inference from Creation: The preceding mention of creation itself implies the Creator. The meaning is: That Being who created [this marvelous thing] is capable of returning him.
2. Implicit Mention: Although the Creator was not mentioned explicitly by name, what indicates Him (Allah, the Exalted) was previously mentioned. It is an established principle in basic reasoning that the One capable of these actions is Allah, the Exalted. Since this is extremely evident, it is treated as if it were explicitly mentioned.

Al-Raj'u (Return) is the verbal noun derived from Raj'atu al-shay' (I returned the thing). To what does the pronoun in ‘alā raj‘ihi (to return him) refer? There are two views:

1. The Closer View (The Human Being): This pronoun refers back to the human being. The meaning is: The One who was capable of creating man initially must also be capable of bringing him back to life after death. This is supported by His saying: "Say, 'He will give life to them who produced them the first time'" (Yā-Sīn: 79), and His saying: "And He is the easiest for Him" (Ar-Rūm: 27).
2. Other Views (Referring to the Seed/Sperm): The pronoun does not refer to the human being. Mujāhid said it refers to the ability to return the water (semen) to the urethra (al-iḥlīl). Al-'Ikrimah and Al-Ḍaḥḥāk said it refers to returning the water to the loins (al-ṣulb). It is also narrated from Al-Ḍaḥḥāk that He is capable of returning the human being to the state of water as he was before. Muqātil ibn Ḥayyān said: If He wills, He can return him from old age to youth, from youth to childhood, and from childhood to the seminal drop (al-nuṭfah).

Conclusion: The first view (referring to the resurrection of the human being) is the soundest, supported by the subsequent verse: "The Day when the secrets will be tested," meaning He is capable of resurrecting him on the Day of Judgment.

After establishing the proof for the validity of resurrection and the Hereafter, the Exalted describes the state of man on that Day, saying: