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The following ahadith shed light on the creation and recreation of human beings:
It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:
“The Messenger of Allah said: ‘The whole of the son of Adam will be consumed by the earth, except for the tailbone, from which he was created and from which he will be created again.”‘
أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، وَمُغِيرَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ كُلُّ بَنِي آدَمَ – وَفِي حَدِيثِ مُغِيرَةَ كُلُّ ابْنِ آدَمَ – يَأْكُلُهُ التُّرَابُ إِلاَّ عَجْبَ الذَّنَبِ مِنْهُ خُلِقَ وَفِيهِ يُرَكَّبُ ” .
Grade: Sahih (Darussalam)
Reference: Sunan an-Nasa’i 2077
In-book reference: Book 21, Hadith 261
English translation: Vol. 3, Book 21, Hadith 2079
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
The earth would consume all of the son of Adam except his tailbone. From it he was created, and from it he will be recreated (on the Day of Resurrection).
وَحَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الْمُغِيرَةُ، – يَعْنِي الْحِزَامِيَّ – عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ كُلُّ ابْنِ آدَمَ يَأْكُلُهُ التُّرَابُ إِلاَّ عَجْبَ الذَّنَبِ مِنْهُ خُلِقَ وَفِيهِ يُرَكَّبُ ” .
Reference: Sahih Muslim 2955 b
In-book reference: Book 54, Hadith 178
USC-MSA web (English) reference: Book 41, Hadith 7056
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
Between the two blowings of the trumpet (there would be an interval of forty). They said: Abu Huraira, do you mean forty days? He said: I cannot say anything. They said: Do you mean forty months? He said: I cannot say anything. They said: Do you mean forty years? He said: I cannot say anything. Then Allah would cause the water to, descend from the sky and they (people) will sprout like vegetable. The only thing in a man which would not decay would be one bone (the tailbone) from which the whole frame would be reconstituted on the Day of Resurrection.
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” مَا بَيْنَ النَّفْخَتَيْنِ أَرْبَعُونَ ” . قَالُوا يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ أَرْبَعُونَ يَوْمًا قَالَ أَبَيْتُ . قَالُوا أَرْبَعُونَ شَهْرًا قَالَ أَبَيْتُ . قَالُوا أَرْبَعُونَ سَنَةً قَالَ أَبَيْتُ ” ثُمَّ يُنْزِلُ اللَّهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَيَنْبُتُونَ كَمَا يَنْبُتُ الْبَقْلُ ” . قَالَ ” وَلَيْسَ مِنَ الإِنْسَانِ شَىْءٌ إِلاَّ يَبْلَى إِلاَّ عَظْمًا وَاحِدًا وَهُوَ عَجْبُ الذَّنَبِ وَمِنْهُ يُرَكَّبُ الْخَلْقُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ” .
Reference: Sahih Muslim 2955 a
In-book reference: Book 54, Hadith 177
USC-MSA web (English) reference: Book 41, Hadith 7055
Narrated Al–A`mash:
Abu Huraira said, “Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, ‘Between the two sounds of the trumpet, there will be forty.” Somebody asked Abu Huraira, “Forty days?” But he refused to reply. Then he asked, “Forty months?” He refused to reply. Then he asked, “Forty years?” Again, he refused to reply. Abu Huraira added. “Then (after this period) Allah will send water from the sky and then the dead bodies will grow like vegetation grows, There is nothing of the human body that does not decay except one bone; that is the little bone at the end of the coccyx of which the human body will be recreated on the Day of Resurrection.” (See Hadith No. 338)
حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدٌ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” مَا بَيْنَ النَّفْخَتَيْنِ أَرْبَعُونَ ”. قَالَ أَرْبَعُونَ يَوْمًا قَالَ أَبَيْتُ. قَالَ أَرْبَعُونَ شَهْرًا قَالَ أَبَيْتُ. قَالَ أَرْبَعُونَ سَنَةً قَالَ أَبَيْتُ. قَالَ ” ثُمَّ يُنْزِلُ اللَّهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً. فَيَنْبُتُونَ كَمَا يَنْبُتُ الْبَقْلُ لَيْسَ مِنَ الإِنْسَانِ شَىْءٌ إِلاَّ يَبْلَى إِلاَّ عَظْمًا وَاحِدًا وَهْوَ عَجْبُ الذَّنَبِ، وَمِنْهُ يُرَكَّبُ الْخَلْقُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ”.
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 4935
In-book reference: Book 65, Hadith 456
USC-MSA web (English) reference: Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 457
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Between the two blowing of the trumpet there will be forty.” The people said, “O Abu Huraira! Forty days?” I refused to reply. They said, “Forty years?” I refused to reply and added: Everything of the human body will decay except the coccyx bone (of the tail) and from that bone Allah will reconstruct the whole body.
حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ حَفْصٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي قَالَ، حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا صَالِحٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ بَيْنَ النَّفْخَتَيْنِ أَرْبَعُونَ ”. قَالُوا يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ أَرْبَعُونَ يَوْمًا قَالَ أَبَيْتُ. قَالَ أَرْبَعُونَ سَنَةً قَالَ أَبَيْتُ. قَالَ أَرْبَعُونَ شَهْرًا. قَالَ أَبَيْتُ، وَيَبْلَى كُلُّ شَىْءٍ مِنَ الإِنْسَانِ إِلاَّ عَجْبَ ذَنَبِهِ، فِيهِ يُرَكَّبُ الْخَلْقُ.
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 4814
In-book reference: Book 65, Hadith 336
USC-MSA web (English) reference: Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 338
Depending on where the human body is burried in the earth the process of decomposition varies from place to place on earth, some bones decompose faster than others, and the tailbone takes longer than other bones to decompose. Other ahadith mention details as to which part of the tailbone and how does it look like:
Narrated Abu Said Al Khudri:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, Everything of the human body is consumed by the earth except the tailbone. It was asked: What is it, O Messenger Allah (ﷺ), He said: Like a mustard seed. From it they will be recreated.
Reference: Sahih Ibn Hibban 3138
The ahadith do not mention about cremation where the human body including the bones are burnt at about 1,000 degree celsius, if we analyze the above ahadith – it seems that the creation and recreation takes place through the tailbone, if some human beings were cremated after their death then Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) would first recreate the tailbone and then the human beings will grow out of it as they were created the first time and that is easy for Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) – Wallahu Alam!