We Are Like Starfish That Will Be Reborn in Another Ocean

If they lose an arm, it usually grows a new one over time, and in some species, even the detached arm can regenerate an entire starfish, if it contains a part of the central disc, that is, the central area of the body.

Yet, I think we are all like starfish. Allah does not by chance write that He will piece together our bones on the Day of Resurrection.

“Who will give life to the bones when they are dust?”Say: “The One who created them the first time.” (Quran 36:78–79)

And in another verse, even more precise:

“Yes, We are capable even of recomposing his fingertips.” (Quran 75:4)

The human being, even when reduced to dust, is never “lost” for Allah.

The Lesson of the Starfish

We have lost the ability to think in a pragmatic way. The starfish regenerates according to biological law, whereas the human being does so through Resurrection, which completely surpasses the laws of nature.

From a logical perspective, there would be no reason to fear. When a part of the body is damaged, either due to accidents or to larger events, other abilities or functions can emerge to compensate. It is significant to note, for example, how individuals who remain paraplegic often develop new skills or interests, acquiring a new awareness and resilience that allow them to succeed in other areas of life.

Similarly, if a fragment of a starfish can regenerate an entire organism, this suggests that on the Day of Resurrection, we will return to life whole, according to the divine will, without any part being lost.

Yet we insist on dividing the bones into separate cemeteries, as if God could forget some of them. The Quran shakes every doubt: not a single phalanx will be lost, not even for the most skeptical atheist. Everyone will be reassembled with absolute precision. Aren’t we already putting together the bones of ancient skeletons, piece by piece? Imagine what the One who will reconstruct them all, down to the last fragment, will be able to do.

The Certainty of Resurrection

The Quran affirms with certainty that all will be resurrected after death to be judged:

“Then indeed, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be brought back to life.” (Quran 23:16)

This means that God not only can bring the dead back to life, but He will actually do it—it is not a possibility, but a certain reality.

In Sūra al-Qiyāmah (75), Allah swears by the Day of Resurrection and answers those who doubt:

“Does man think that We will not assemble his bones? Yes, We are capable of putting together even the tips of his fingers.”

All will be gathered and judged. The Quran describes resurrection as a collection of all people, from believers to disbelievers:

“…all living beings on the earth and the birds that fly in the sky: We have left nothing out of the Book. Then all will be gathered to their Lord.”

Science Speaks of Rebirth

What today seems impossible is often only something we have not yet learned to observe:

·        Biology shows us organisms capable of regenerating entire bodies from tiny fragments.

·        Physics tells us that no information is truly lost, even when matter changes form.

·        Genetics preserves the complete identity of a human being in a molecule invisible to the naked eye.

A body that decomposes does not disappear: it transforms, its atoms remain, circulate, and are reused. If the created universe works this way—preserving traces, patterns, information—then the idea that Allah can reassemble a human being from his bones is not a childish fantasy, but a logical consequence of a Power already visible in every cell, in every natural law.

What truly shocks is not the Resurrection, but our presumption to think that what we do not understand cannot exist.

Finally…

The starfish can regenerate a broken arm. We, however, will be reassembled down to the very last bone, to the very last fragment: nothing will be lost, nothing will vanish.

Death? Only the instant before life returns, complete, into the hands of Allah, with all the bones.