Surah Al-Baqarah — Verse 259

Word Meanings:

• Khāwiyah (خَاوِيَة): Fallen down, collapsed, and desolate.
• ʿUrūshihā (عُرُوشِهَا): Its roofs and ceilings that had caved in upon the walls.
• Anā (أَنَّى): How? — expressing wonder and astonishment.
• Lam yatasannah (لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ): It has not changed or spoiled with the passage of years; as if no time had passed over it.
• Nunshizuhā (نُنشِزُهَا): We raise and lift them up, joining and fitting the bones together.

Tafsir (Explanation):

O beloved Messenger, and O every reader of this noble verse — have you not heard the story of the man who passed by a town whose walls had crumbled, whose roofs had fallen in upon themselves, and whose inhabitants had long perished, leaving it a hollow, lifeless ruin? Struck with awe and wonder — not with doubt — he exclaimed: "How will Allah ever bring this town back to life after its death?" It was a question of amazement at the sheer power of the Almighty, not a denial of His ability.

Then Allah — the All-Mighty — caused him to die for a full one hundred years. After that long century, He resurrected him and asked through an angel: "How long have you remained here?" The man, still groggy and confused, replied: "I have stayed a day, or part of a day." He had died early in the day and was revived late in the afternoon of the hundredth year, so he saw the sun and assumed only hours had passed. But Allah said: "No — you have remained dead for one hundred years! Look at your food and your drink — they have not spoiled in the least, though a century has passed over them. And look at your donkey — dead, its bones scattered and bleached."

Then Allah said: "We have done this so that We may make you a sign for mankind — a living proof of the resurrection. Now look at the bones of your donkey: see how We raise them from the earth, draw them together, join one bone to another, then clothe them with flesh, and then breathe life into them!" And as the man watched with his own eyes, bone by bone assembling, flesh covering them, and the donkey rising up alive before him — the truth became crystal clear to him. Overwhelmed with certainty, he declared: "I know now, with full conviction, that Allah has power over all things!"

A Call to Reflection and Faith:

Dear reader, pause with me at this magnificent scene. This man witnessed with his very eyes what every one of us will witness on the Day of Resurrection. The same Power that assembled the scattered bones of that donkey after a hundred years is the very Power that will raise you from your grave — no matter how decomposed your body may become, no matter how many centuries pass. Nothing is difficult for the One who simply says to a thing: "Be!" and it is.

Notice how Allah preserved the man's food and drink for a century without change, while his donkey turned to bones — to show that life and death, preservation and decay, are all entirely in His hands. He controls time itself, and time has no power over His will.

This story is not merely history — it is a living lesson for your heart today. If you ever feel that your sins are too great, your burdens too heavy, or your situation too hopeless, remember: the One who revived a dead town, a dead man, and a dead donkey can revive your heart, forgive your sins, and transform your life in an instant. Nothing is impossible for Him.

So turn to Allah with a heart full of hope and certainty. Say with the man of this story: "I know that Allah has power over all things." And let that conviction illuminate your path, calm your worries, and fill your life with peace — for the One who holds your life and your death is the Most Merciful, the Most Capable, and He never fails those who put their trust in Him.