Surah Baqarah ayat 259 Tafsir Quran 2:259

﴿أَوْ كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا قَالَ أَنَّىٰ يُحْيِي هَٰذِهِ اللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۖ فَأَمَاتَهُ اللَّهُ مِائَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُ ۖ قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ ۖ قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ ۖ قَالَ بَل لَّبِثْتَ مِائَةَ عَامٍ فَانظُرْ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ ۖ وَانظُرْ إِلَىٰ حِمَارِكَ وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ آيَةً لِّلنَّاسِ ۖ وَانظُرْ إِلَى الْعِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا ۚ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ﴾
[ البقرة: 259]

2:259 Or [consider such an example] as the one who passed by a township which had fallen into ruin. He said, "How will Allah bring this to life after its death?" So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years; then He revived him. He said, "How long have you remained?" The man said, "I have remained a day or part of a day." He said, "Rather, you have remained one hundred years. Look at your food and your drink; it has not changed with time. And look at your donkey; and We will make you a sign for the people. And look at the bones [of this donkey] - how We raise them and then We cover them with flesh." And when it became clear to him, he said, "I know that Allah is over all things competent."

Or did you see such as he Ezra ‘Uzayr who the kāf of ka’lladhī ‘such as he who’ is extra passed by a city namely the Holy House sc. Jerusalem riding on an ass and carrying with him a basket of figs and a cup of juice a city that was fallen down collapsed upon its turrets its roof tops after Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed it; he said ‘How annā means kayfa ‘how’ shall God give life to this now that it is dead?’ challenging the power of the exalted One so God made him die and remain dead for a hundred years then he raised him up brought him back to life to show him how this could be done; He God said ‘How long have you tarried?’ been here?; he said ‘I have tarried a day or part of a day’ because he fell asleep before noon and was made dead and then brought back to life again at sunset and thus he thought it was a day’s sleep; He said ‘Nay; you have tarried a hundred years. Look at your food the figs and drink the cup of juice it has not spoiled despite the length of time the final hā’ of yatasannah ‘to spoil’ is said to belong to the original root s-n-h; but it is also said to be silent in which case the root would be s-n-y; a variant reading omits the final hā’; and look at your ass how it is and he saw that it had died and all that remained were its withered white bones. We did this so that you would know and so that We would make you a sign of the truth of the Resurrection for the people. And look at the bones of the ass how We shall set them up how We shall raise them back to life nunshiruhā or nanshiruhā derived from the two expressions nashara and anshara; a variant reading has nunshizuhā meaning ‘How We shall move it and make it stand’; and then clothe them with flesh’ and when he looked at it he saw that the bones had been reconstituted and clothed with flesh and that the Spirit had been breathed into it making it bray. So when it was made clear to him as a result of witnessing it he said ‘I know a variant reading for a‘lam ‘I know’ has the imperative i‘lam ‘know!’ thus making it a command from God with the knowledge of direct vision that God has power over all things’.

Or, similarly, his similitude to the one who passed by a town (AL-Quds) which was empty of life and he could see nothing but the remains of decayed and fallen buildings. Then he exclaimed: How shall Allah restore it and revitalise it after having suffered death and total destruction? There and then Allah occasioned his death lasting a hundred years and then brought him back to life and asked him: How long do you think you have been in death’s repose? The man said: In all probability a day or even less in all. But, said Allah, you have been in death’s repose for a hundred years, and now look at your food and drink, none of them decomposed, and look at your donkey and see how it shattered into fragments of bones. We will make you a miraculous sign demonstrating Omnipotence and Authority. And now regard the bones and see how We construct them and clothe them in flesh. And when the man witnessed Allah’s Omnipotence and Authority, he said: Now I realise that Allah is Qadirun over all things

The Story of `Uzayr Allah's statement, أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِى حَآجَّ إِبْرَهِيمَ فِى رِبِّهِ ( Have you not looked at him who disputed with Ibrahim about his Lord ) means, "Have you seen anyone like the person who disputed with Ibrahim about his Lord" Then, Allah connected the Ayah, أَوْ كَالَّذِى مَرَّ عَلَى قَرْيَةٍ وَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا ( Or like the one who passed by a town in ruin up to its roofs ) to the Ayah above by using `or'. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Ali bin Abi Talib said that the Ayah 2:259 meant `Uzayr.
Ibn Jarir also reported it, and this explanation was also reported by Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim from Ibn `Abbas, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, As-Suddi and Sulayman bin Buraydah. Mujahid bin Jabr said that the Ayah refers to a man from the Children of Israel, and the village was Jerusalem, after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it and killed its people. وَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ ( in ruin ) means, it became empty of people.
Allah's statement, عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا ( up to its roofs ) indicates that the roofs and walls ( of the village ) fell to the ground.
`Uzayr stood contemplating about what had happened to that city, after a great civilization used to inhabit it.
He said, أَنَّى يُحْىِ هَـذِهِ اللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ( Oh! How will Allah ever bring it to life after its death ) because of the utter destruction he saw and the implausibility of its returning to what it used to be.
Allah said, فَأَمَاتَهُ اللَّهُ مِاْئَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُ ( So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised him up (again ).) The city was rebuilt seventy years after the man ( `Uzayr ) died, and its inhabitants increased and the Children of Israel moved back to it.
When Allah resurrected `Uzayr after he died, the first organ that He resurrected were his eyes, so that he could witness what Allah does with him, how He brings life back to his body.
When his resurrection was complete, Allah said to him, meaning through the angel, كَمْ لَبِثْتَ قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ ( "How long did you remain (dead )" He ( the man ) said: "( Perhaps ) I remained ( dead ) a day or part of a day.") The scholars said that since the man died in the early part of the day and Allah resurrected him in the latter part of the day, when he saw that the sun was still apparent, he thought that it was the sun of that very day.
He said, أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ قَالَ بَل لَّبِثْتَ مِاْئَةَ عَامٍ فَانظُرْ إِلَى طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ ( "Or part of a day.
" He said: "Nay, you have remained (dead ) for a hundred years, look at your food and your drink, they show no change.") He had grapes, figs and juice, and he found them as he left them; neither did the juice spoil nor the figs become bitter nor the grapes rot. وَانظُرْ إِلَى حِمَارِكَ ( And look at your donkey! ), "How Allah brings it back to life while you are watching." وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ ءَايَةً لِلنَّاسِ ( And thus We have made of you a sign for the people ) that Resurrection occurs. وَانظُرْ إِلَى العِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ( Look at the bones, how We Nunshizuha ) meaning, collect them and put them back together.
In his Mustadrak, Al-Hakim, recorded that Kharijah bin Zayd bin Thabit said that his father said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ read this Ayah, كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ( how We Nunshizuha. ) Al-Hakim said; "Its chain is Sahih and they ( Al-Bukhari and Muslim ) did not record it." The Ayah was also read, ( نُنْشِرُهَا ) "Nunshiruha" meaning, bring them back to life, as Mujahid stated. ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا ( And clothe them with flesh.
) As-Suddi said, " `Uzayr observed the bones of his donkey, which were scattered all around him to his right and left, and Allah sent a wind that collected the bones from all over the area.
Allah then brought every bone to its place, until they formed a full donkey made of fleshless bones.
Allah then covered these bones with flesh, nerves, veins and skin.
Allah sent an angel who blew life in the donkeys' nostrils, and the donkey started to bray by Allah's leave." All this occurred while `Uzayr was watching, and this is when he proclaimed, قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ( He said, "I know (now ) that Allah is able to do all things,") meaning, "I know that, and I did witness it with my own eyes.
Therefore, I am the most knowledgeable in this matter among the people of my time."

(2:259) Or take the case of the one who passed by a township that had fallen down upon its roofs. *293 He exclaimed, "How shall Allah bring back to life this township that has become dead?" *294 At this Allah caused him to die and he lay dead for a hundred years. Then Allah brought him back to life and asked him, "How long have you lain here?" He answered. "I might have lain here for a day or a few hours." Allah said, "Nay, you have been lying here in this state for a hundred years: now, just have a look at your food and your drink; they have not become spoiled in the least. Then have a look at your ass, (and see that his very bones have become rotten) and We have done this in order to make you a Sign for the people. *295 Look, how We raise up the skeleton and set the bones (of the ass) and cover them with flesh and (put breath of life into them)." And when the Reality became manifest to him, he said, "I know that Allah has power over everything."

Or [consider such an example] as the meaning

*293).
It is irrelevant to ask who the person was and the place where this incident occurred.
The real purpose in mentioning this event is to show how God showed light to the one who had chosen God as his protector and supporter.
As for determining the name of the person and the locality, we neither possess the means to do so, nor is such an endeavour in any way beneficial.
What seems to be evident from the statement that follows is that the person concerned must necessarily have been a Prophet.

*294).
This question does not signify that the person concerned denied or entertained any doubts regarding life afterdeath.
His enquiry merely indicates his wish to have direct knowledge of reality, like the Prophets of the past.

*295).
The restoration of life to a man considered to have died a hundred years ago was in itself sufficient to make him, for his contemporaries, a living testimony.

 

The Story of `Uzayr Allah's statement, أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِى حَآجَّ إِبْرَهِيمَ فِى رِبِّهِ ( Have you not looked at him who disputed with Ibrahim about his Lord ) means, "Have you seen anyone like the person who disputed with Ibrahim about his Lord" Then, Allah connected the Ayah, أَوْ كَالَّذِى مَرَّ عَلَى قَرْيَةٍ وَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا ( Or like the one who passed by a town in ruin up to its roofs ) to the Ayah above by using `or'. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Ali bin Abi Talib said that the Ayah 2:259 meant `Uzayr.
Ibn Jarir also reported it, and this explanation was also reported by Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim from Ibn `Abbas, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, As-Suddi and Sulayman bin Buraydah. Mujahid bin Jabr said that the Ayah refers to a man from the Children of Israel, and the village was Jerusalem, after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it and killed its people. وَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ ( in ruin ) means, it became empty of people.
Allah's statement, عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا ( up to its roofs ) indicates that the roofs and walls ( of the village ) fell to the ground.
`Uzayr stood contemplating about what had happened to that city, after a great civilization used to inhabit it.
He said, أَنَّى يُحْىِ هَـذِهِ اللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ( Oh! How will Allah ever bring it to life after its death ) because of the utter destruction he saw and the implausibility of its returning to what it used to be.
Allah said, فَأَمَاتَهُ اللَّهُ مِاْئَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُ ( So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised him up (again ).) The city was rebuilt seventy years after the man ( `Uzayr ) died, and its inhabitants increased and the Children of Israel moved back to it.
When Allah resurrected `Uzayr after he died, the first organ that He resurrected were his eyes, so that he could witness what Allah does with him, how He brings life back to his body.
When his resurrection was complete, Allah said to him, meaning through the angel, كَمْ لَبِثْتَ قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ ( "How long did you remain (dead )" He ( the man ) said: "( Perhaps ) I remained ( dead ) a day or part of a day.") The scholars said that since the man died in the early part of the day and Allah resurrected him in the latter part of the day, when he saw that the sun was still apparent, he thought that it was the sun of that very day.
He said, أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ قَالَ بَل لَّبِثْتَ مِاْئَةَ عَامٍ فَانظُرْ إِلَى طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ ( "Or part of a day.
" He said: "Nay, you have remained (dead ) for a hundred years, look at your food and your drink, they show no change.") He had grapes, figs and juice, and he found them as he left them; neither did the juice spoil nor the figs become bitter nor the grapes rot. وَانظُرْ إِلَى حِمَارِكَ ( And look at your donkey! ), "How Allah brings it back to life while you are watching." وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ ءَايَةً لِلنَّاسِ ( And thus We have made of you a sign for the people ) that Resurrection occurs. وَانظُرْ إِلَى العِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ( Look at the bones, how We Nunshizuha ) meaning, collect them and put them back together.
In his Mustadrak, Al-Hakim, recorded that Kharijah bin Zayd bin Thabit said that his father said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ read this Ayah, كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ( how We Nunshizuha. ) Al-Hakim said; "Its chain is Sahih and they ( Al-Bukhari and Muslim ) did not record it." The Ayah was also read, ( نُنْشِرُهَا ) "Nunshiruha" meaning, bring them back to life, as Mujahid stated. ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا ( And clothe them with flesh.
) As-Suddi said, " `Uzayr observed the bones of his donkey, which were scattered all around him to his right and left, and Allah sent a wind that collected the bones from all over the area.
Allah then brought every bone to its place, until they formed a full donkey made of fleshless bones.
Allah then covered these bones with flesh, nerves, veins and skin.
Allah sent an angel who blew life in the donkeys' nostrils, and the donkey started to bray by Allah's leave." All this occurred while `Uzayr was watching, and this is when he proclaimed, قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ( He said, "I know (now ) that Allah is able to do all things,") meaning, "I know that, and I did witness it with my own eyes.
Therefore, I am the most knowledgeable in this matter among the people of my time."

( Or (bethink thee ) the like of him who, passing by a township) He says: do you not know about ’Uzayr Ibn Shurahya who passed by the township of Dayr Hiraql ( which had fallen into utter ruin, exclaimed: How shall Allah give this township life after its death ) How can Allah bring the people of this township back to life after their death? ( So Allah made him die ) right on the spot ( a hundred years, then brought him back to life ) at the end of the day. ( He ) Allah ( said: How long hast thou tarried ) O ’Uzayr? ( He said: I have tarried for a day ) and then looked at the sun still in the horizon and said ( or part of a day. He ) Allah ( said: Nay, but thou hast tarried ) you were dead ( for a hundred years. Just look at thy food ) figs and grapes ( and drink ) juice ( which have not rotted! Look at thine ass! ) look at the bones of your ass how white they look! ( And, that We may make thee a token ) a sign ( to mankind ) regarding the matter of bringing the dead to life, that they will be resurrected in the same state they died in, because ’Uzayr died young and was brought back to life as a young person. It is said that Allah made him a lesson for people, for he died when he was 40 years old and was brought back to life when his son was 120 years old, ( look at the bones ) the bones of your ass, ( how We adjust them and then cover them with flesh! ) after this. He then said: We will make grow on it nerves and veins, flesh, skin and hair and put the spirit in it. ( And when (the matter ) became clear unto him) how Allah gathers the bones, ( he said: I know ) I had known ( that Allah is Able to do all things ) of life and death.

Or like the one who passed by a town and it had tumbled over its roofs. He said: "Oh! How will Allah ever bring it to life after its death?" So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised him up (again). He said: "How long did you remain (dead)?" He (the man) said: "(Perhaps) I remained (dead) a day or part of a day". He said: "Nay, you have remained (dead) for a hundred years, look at your food and your drink, they show no change; and look at your donkey! And thus We have made of you a sign for the people. Look at the bones, how We bring them together and clothe them with flesh". When this was clearly shown to him, he said, "I know (now) that Allah is Able to do all things."

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