Shia theologians have quoted verse 83 of Surah an-Naml as evidence for proving that the return of some of the dead to the world is certain, and it is the words of Allah Almighty that has said: ﴿وَيَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ مِنْ كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ فَوْجًا مِمَّنْ يُكَذِّبُ بِآيَاتِنَا فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ﴾; “And on the Day when We will gather from every nation a group of those who denied Our signs, and they will be assembled in rows,” with this interpretation that the gathering of a group of people who denied Allah’s signs cannot happen on the Day of Judgment; because on the Day of Judgment, all people will be gathered, not just a group of them; as Allah Almighty has said: ﴿وَحَشَرْنَاهُمْ فَلَمْ نُغَادِرْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا﴾[1]; “and We will gather them all, leaving not a single one behind.” Therefore, the verse indicates the return of a group of people who denied Allah’s signs before the Day of Judgment[2]. However, to be fair, this interpretation is not correct; because the word «الفوج»; “group” in the verse refers to «الأمّة»; “nation” before it refers to “those who denied Allah’s signs”; as Allah Almighty has said: ﴿مِنْ كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ فَوْجًا﴾; “from every nation a group,” and this is because those who deny Allah’s signs from every nation are not all of them, but only a group of them; considering that there were believers in every nation; as those who deny Allah’s signs from every nation are only a group of the deniers of Allah’s signs, not all of them; considering that there were deniers of Allah’s signs in other nations as well. Therefore, the verse does not mean that some of those who deny Allah’s signs will not be gathered, but it means that they will all be gathered in droves and then ﴿يُوزَعُونَ﴾; “will be assembled in rows,” meaning that they will join each other. This is what has been made clear by other verses; such as the verse that says: ﴿يَوْمَ يُنْفَخُ فِي الصُّورِ فَتَأْتُونَ أَفْوَاجًا﴾[3]; “The Day when the Trumpet is blown and you come forth in droves.” and the verse that says: ﴿وَسِيقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَى جَهَنَّمَ زُمَرًا﴾[4]; “And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups,” and the verse that says: ﴿كُلَّمَا أُلْقِيَ فِيهَا فَوْجٌ سَأَلَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَذِيرٌ﴾[5]; “Every time a group is cast into it, its keepers will ask them: ‘Did a warner not come to you?’” What further confirms that the verse refers to the Day of Judgment is the verse that follows it, which says about the gathered groups: ﴿حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءُوا قَالَ أَكَذَّبْتُمْ بِآيَاتِي وَلَمْ تُحِيطُوا بِهَا عِلْمًا أَمَّاذَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ﴾[6]; “Until when they come, He will say: ‘Did you deny My signs while you had no comprehensive knowledge of them?! Or what was it that you did?!” This is because it is widely accepted that this divine reproach and address will take place on the Day of Judgment, not in the world. Therefore, it is clear that the verse indicates the Day of Judgment, and consequently, it is not possible to accept a few narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt that have interpreted it as referring to raj‘ah; considering that the Ahl al-Bayt never say anything that contradicts the Book of Allah; as they have said: «مَا أَتَاكُمْ عَنَّا مِنْ حَدِيثٍ لَا يُصَدِّقُهُ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ فَهُوَ بَاطِلٌ»[7]; “Whatever hadith comes to you from us that is not confirmed by the Book of Allah, then it is false,” and said: «كُلُّ حَدِيثٍ لَا يُوَافِقُ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ فَهُوَ زُخْرُفٌ»[8]; “Any hadith that is not in line with the Book of Allah is an embellishment.”

This does not indicate that there is no returning after death, but rather indicates that there is no delaying death when the appointed time comes, and this is in the meaning of the words of Allah Almighty, where He has said: ﴿وَأَنْفِقُوا مِنْ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوْلَا أَخَّرْتَنِي إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُنْ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ۝ وَلَنْ يُؤَخِّرَ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهَا ۚ وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ﴾[1]; “And spend of that which We have provided for you before death comes to one of you, and he says: ‘My Lord! If only You would grant me respite for a little while so I could give in charity and be among the righteous’; but Allah never grants respite to any soul when its appointed time comes, and Allah is Well-Aware of what you do.” Yes, His words: ﴿وَمِنْ وَرَائِهِمْ بَرْزَخٌ إِلَى يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ﴾[2]; “and behind them there is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected” indicate that the dead will remain in Barzakh until the Day of Judgment, and in this there is an indication that they do not return to the world. However, since Allah has explicitly informed of the return of some of the dead to the world, it becomes clear that this is a statement of the prevailing norm, and its intended meaning is that when the human being’s appointed time comes, he is never granted respite and does not return to the world after death unless Allah wills it, as a rare event that is not obligatory or expected. It is clear that the verses explain each other, and it is necessary to take them all into account; because Allah Almighty has said: ﴿أَفَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِبَعْضِ الْكِتَابِ وَتَكْفُرُونَ بِبَعْضٍ ۚ فَمَا جَزَاءُ مَنْ يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ مِنْكُمْ إِلَّا خِزْيٌ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يُرَدُّونَ إِلَى أَشَدِّ الْعَذَابِ ۗ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ﴾[3]; “Do you then believe in a part of the Book and disbelieve in another part?! What is the punishment for one among you who does so other than humiliation in the life of the world, and that they will be returned to the severest punishment on the Day of Judgment?!”