Ghafir Verse 57 | 40:57

لَخَلْقُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالْاَرْضِ اَكْبَرُ مِنْ خَلْقِ النَّاسِ وَلٰكِنَّ اَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُوْنَ ( غافر: ٥٧ )

lakhalqu

لَخَلْقُ

Surely (the) creation

l-samāwāti

ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ

(of) the heavens

wal-arḍi

وَٱلْأَرْضِ

and the earth

akbaru

أَكْبَرُ

(is) greater

min

مِنْ

than

khalqi

خَلْقِ

(the) creation

l-nāsi

ٱلنَّاسِ

(of) the mankind

walākinna

وَلَٰكِنَّ

but

akthara

أَكْثَرَ

most

l-nāsi

ٱلنَّاسِ

(of) the people

lā

لَا

(do) not

yaʿlamūna

يَعْلَمُونَ

know

Lakhalqus samaawaati wal ardi akbaru min khalqin naasi wa laakinna aksaran naasi laa ya'lamoon (Ghāfir 40:57)

Sahih International:

The creation of the heavens and earth is greater than the creation of mankind, but most of the people do not know. (Ghafir [40] : 57)

1 Mufti Taqi Usmani

Certainly, the creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than the creation of human beings, but most human beings do not know.

2 Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

3 Ruwwad Translation Center

4 A. J. Arberry

5 Abdul Haleem

6 Abdul Majid Daryabadi

7 Abdullah Yusuf Ali

8 Abul Ala Maududi

9 Ahmed Ali

10 Ahmed Raza Khan

11 Ali Quli Qarai

12 Ali Ünal

13 Amatul Rahman Omar

14 English Literal

15 Faridul Haque

16 Hamid S. Aziz

17 Hilali & Khan

18 Maulana Mohammad Ali

19 Mohammad Habib Shakir

20 Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

21 Muhammad Sarwar

22 Qaribullah & Darwish

23 Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

24 Wahiduddin Khan

25 Talal Itani

26 Tafsir jalalayn

The following was revealed regarding the deniers of resurrection; Assuredly the creation of the heavens and the earth, as an [unprecedented] first act, is greater than the creation of mankind, a second time -- which is the restoration [of them after death]; but most people, namely, the disbelievers of Mecca, do not know, this, and so they are like the blind, whereas those who know it are like those who have sight.

27 Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Life after Death

Allah tells us that He will bring back His creation on the Day of Resurrection. That is very easy for Him, because He created the heavens and the earth, and creating them is greater than creating mankind, the first time and when He creates them again. The One Who is able to do that is able to do anything that is less than that. As Allah says;

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْاْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ الَّذِى خَلَقَ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَلَمْ يَعْىَ بِخَلْقِهِنَّ بِقَادِرٍ عَلَى أَن يُحْىِ الْمَوْتَى بَلَى إِنَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

Do they not see that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, and was not wearied by their creation, is able to give life to the dead!

Yes, He surely is able to do all things. (46;33)

And Allah says here;

لَخَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالاَْرْضِ أَكْبَرُ مِنْ خَلْقِ النَّاسِ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

The creation of the heavens and the earth is indeed greater than the creation of mankind; yet, most of mankind know not.

hence they do not think about or ponder this proof.

Similarly, many of the Arabs recognized that Allah had created the heavens and the earth, but they denied and rejected the idea of the resurrection; they acknowledged something which was greater than that which they denied.

Then Allah says;

وَمَا يَسْتَوِي الاَْعْمَى وَالْبَصِيرُ وَالَّذِينَ امَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَلَا الْمُسِيءُ قَلِيلً مَّا تَتَذَكَّرُونَ