Muslim brothers and sisters, let’s go straight to the classical sources. No opinions — just what the books actually say.
Reference: Tafsir Al-Qurtubi on Quran 21:104
Arabic: وذكر سفيان [ ص: 254 ] الثوري عن سلمة بن كهيل عن أبي الزعراء عن عبد الله بن مسعود قال : يرسل الله – عز وجل – ماء من تحت العرش كمني الرجال فتنبت منه لحمانهم وجسمانهم كما تنبت الأرض بالثرى . وقرأ كما بدأنا أول خلق نعيده
(Urdu text kept exactly as written in this authoritative classical Tafsir):
“… سفیان ثوری نے سلمہ بن کہیل سے انہوں نے ابو الزعراء سے انہوں نے حضرت عبد اللہ بن مسعود سے روایت کیا ہے فرمایا : اللہ تعالیٰ عرش کے نیچے سے پانی بھیجتا ہے جیسے مردوں کی منی ہوتی ہے پس اس سے لوگوں کے گوشت اور جسم پیدا ہوتے ہیں اسی طرح گیلی مٹی سے اور چیزیں پیدا ہوتی ہیں پھر یہ آیت پڑھی : کما بدانا اول خلق نعیدہ”
English: Sufyan [p. 254] al-Thawri reported from Salama ibn Kahil, from Abu al-Za’ra, from Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, who said: “Allah, Exalted and Glorious, will send water from beneath the Throne like the semen of men, and from it will sprout their limbs and bodies, just as the earth sprouts from the soil.” And he read, “As We began the first creation, We will repeat it.”
This is how bodies come back to life after everything has turned to dust. Allah sends water from under His Throne — and this water is compared to men’s semen (maniyy). From that fluid, flesh and full bodies grow exactly like plants grow from wet soil after rain.
Now think about this for a second: The All-Powerful Creator, who made the universe with one command, chooses to describe the greatest miracle of resurrection using the same biological fluid that creates babies in this world. Why this particular image? Why not something majestic or beyond human understanding?
This explanation comes from Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (رضي الله عنه), one of the most trusted companions in Quran knowledge. The Prophet ﷺ himself praised him highly:
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 4999 (Sahih — highest grade)
English translation: Narrated Masriq: Abdullah bin Amr mentioned Abdullah bin Masud and said, “I shall ever love that man, for I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, ‘Take (learn) the Qur’an from four: Abdullah bin Masud, Salim, Muadh and Ubai bin Kab.'”
Ibn Mas’ud is not a random person — the Prophet ﷺ explicitly told Muslims to learn the Quran from him among only four chosen companions. So when he describes Allah sending water from under the Throne “like the semen of men” (maniyy al-rijal) to sprout flesh and bodies like plants from moist soil, it’s coming from one of the top authorities on revelation.
This is not a single weak narration. It appears in another major classical source too.
Reference: Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn by Imam Al-Hakim (Also available with Urdu explanation at this link)
Arabic (key part): فيُرسِلُ اللهُ ماءً مِن تحْتِ الْعَرْشِ كمَنيِّ الرِّجالِ، فتَنبُتُ لُحمانُهم وجُثمانُهم مِن ذلكَ الماءِ، كَمَا يُنْبِتُ الأرضُ مِنَ الثَّرَى
English translation: “Then Allah will send water from under the Throne like the semen of men. Their flesh and their bodies will sprout from that water, just as the earth sprouts from the moist soil.”
Urdu translation (kept from the source): “پھر اللہ تعالیٰ عرش کے نیچے سے پانی بھیجے گا، یہ پانی مردوں کی منی کی مانند ہو گا، اس کی وجہ سے لوگوں کے جسموں پر گوشت پیدا ہو جائے گا، جیسے بارش کی وجہ سے زمین فصلیں اگتی ہے، اسی طرح انسانوں کے جسم نشو و نما پائیں گے۔”
Grade: Sahih according to the conditions of Bukhari and Muslim (as stated by Al-Hakim), though some later scholars noted the chain has a liyn (slight weakness) because of one narrator.
Important note: This hadith appears in a long narration about the signs of the Hour (Dajjal, Yajuj-Majuj, the two trumpet blasts), not the main resurrection hadith — but it teaches exactly the same concept of semen-like water from under the Throne.
All of this is tied to Quran 21:104, which the narrations say the Prophet ﷺ and Ibn Mas’ud recited right after describing this process.
Reference: Quran 21:104 Arabic: كَمَا بَدَأْنَا أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ نُّعِيدُهُۥ ۚ وَعْدًا عَلَيْنَا ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ English translation: “As We began the first creation, We will repeat it. [That is] a promise binding upon Us. Indeed, We will do it.”
Only after all of this do we come to the nakedness part — which makes the whole scene even more uncomfortable to picture.
The same Tafsir Al-Qurtubi and multiple authentic hadiths say people will first be gathered completely naked and uncircumcised, like they came from their mothers’ wombs. The very first person to be given clothes will be Prophet Ibrahim ﷺ.
Reference: Sahih Muslim 2860b (Sahih — highest grade) English translation: “O people, Allah would make you assemble barefooted, naked and uncircumcised.” Then he recited the verse above.
Muslim friends, pause and reflect honestly:
- Your parents, your children, your spouse, the Prophet ﷺ himself — everyone starts completely naked.
- Then Allah showers semen-like water from under His Throne to grow their bodies back.
Does this description feel like the work of the Most Wise, Most Glorious God who is beyond all human limitations? Or does it sound strangely earthly and graphic for the final day of all creation?
Every single reference above is clickable. Open them. Read the Arabic. Check the Urdu. See it with your own eyes.
What do you really think when you picture this scene? Truth is worth facing. Share your honest thoughts below after checking the sources.