Bringing out the living from the dead
يُخْرِجُ ٱلْحَىَّ مِنَ ٱلْمَيْتِ
yukhriju l-ḥayya mina l-mayyiti — He brings out the living from the dead
In the verses given, the roots ḥ-y-y and kh-r-j repeatedly meet in a fixed double formula – bringing out the living from the dead and the dead from the living – and in a cluster of verses about death, life and emergence, where being brought out alive follows death.
The tightest pairing is a formula that appears four times in the sample: 'You bring out the living from the dead, and You bring out the dead from the living' (3:27), with the same two clauses at (6:95), (10:31) and (30:19). At (6:95) the first clause is an imperfect verb يُخْرِجُ and the second an active participle مُخْرِجُ, while (3:27) and (10:31) use two imperfect verbs; (30:19) uses two imperfect verbs and then adds a third clause, 'He gives life to the earth after its death', extending the pair with a further ḥ-y-y verb. In each of these four the two roots are set against each other twice over, the nouns 'living' and 'dead' trading places as accusative object and genitive complement. A second pattern links the roots across a sequence rather than within one clause: 'In it you shall live, and in it you shall die, and from it you shall be brought out' (7:25); 'when I have died, I will indeed surely be brought out alive' (19:66); 'You have made us die twice and given us life twice... is there any way to an emergence?' (40:11); and 'in this way you will be brought out' (30:19). Here emergence follows death, and in all but (7:25) it comes with or after a giving of life. (2:243) gathers the same three elements with the going-out first: those who went out fearing death are told 'Die', then given life again. (6:122) contrasts the roots across two compared parties – one given life, one in darknesses 'not going out' – while (36:33) joins them as consecutive acts: 'We gave it life and brought forth from it grain'. Four sample verses – (2:85), (7:32), (28:79), (45:35) – contain both roots without setting them against each other, showing co-occurrence is not always a contrast.
Where it occurs
- 3:27 States the double formula with two imperfect (IV) 2MS verbs addressed to God.
- 6:95 States the formula, shifting the second clause to an active participle مُخْرِجُ.
- 10:31 Poses the formula as a question, 'who brings out the living from the dead', among other questions.
- 30:19 States the formula, adds 'He gives life to the earth after its death', and ends with 'in this way you will be brought out'.
- 7:25 Sequences live, die and be brought out, all three verbs 2MP.
- 19:66 Has the human ask whether after death he will be brought out alive, passive verb with حَيًّا as accusative.
- 40:11 Pairs two deaths and two revivifications with a plea for a way to خُرُوج.
- 2:243 Narrates those who went out fearing death, were told to die, then were given life again.
- 6:122 Contrasts one given life and a light with one in darknesses 'not going out' from them.
- 36:33 Joins 'We gave it life' with 'We brought forth from it grain' as consecutive acts on the dead earth.
- 2:85 Contains both roots without contrast: إِخْرَاجُهُم and ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا occur in separate clauses.
- 7:32 Contains both roots without contrast: God 'brought out' adornment, and believers receive it in ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا.
- 28:79 Contains both roots without contrast: he 'went out' in finery and some 'want the nearer life'.
- 45:35 Contains both roots without contrast: the nearer life deluded them and they are not brought out from it.
All Qur'anic expressions