﴿ وَمَن نُّعَمِّرْهُ نُنَكِّسْهُ فِى ٱلْخَلْقِ ۖ أَفَلَا يَعْقِلُونَ ﴾

“But [let them always remember that] if We lengthen a human being’s days, We also cause him to decline in his powers [when he grows old]: will they not, then, use their reason?”

And whomever We give long life by prolonging his term of life We cause him to regress nankushu; a variant reading has 2nd verbal form nunakkishu derived from al-tankīs in creation that is in terms of his physical form so that after having enjoyed strength and youth he becomes feeble and decrepit. Will they then not understand? that One Who is able to effect such a state — with which they are familiar — is also able to resurrect that they might then become believers? a variant reading for ya‘qilūna ‘they understand’ has the second person plural ta‘qilūna ‘you understand’.