Surah 2 Al-Baqara — Ayah 259
أَوْ كَٱلَّذِى مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍۢ وَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا قَالَ أَنَّىٰ يُحْىِۦ هَٰذِهِ ٱللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۖ فَأَمَاتَهُ ٱللَّهُ مِا۟ئَةَ عَامٍۢ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُۥ ۖ قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ ۖ قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍۢ ۖ قَالَ بَل لَّبِثْتَ مِا۟ئَةَ عَامٍۢ فَٱنظُرْ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ ۖ وَٱنظُرْ إِلَىٰ حِمَارِكَ وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ ءَايَةًۭ لِّلنَّاسِ ۖ وَٱنظُرْ إِلَى ٱلْعِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًۭا ۚ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُۥ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ
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."
aw ka-alladhī marra ʿalā qaryatin wahiya khāwiyatun ʿalā ʿurūshihā qāla annā yuḥ'yī hādhihi l-lahu baʿda mawtihā fa-amātahu l-lahu mi-ata ʿāmin thumma baʿathahu qāla kam labith'ta qāla labith'tu yawman aw baʿḍa yawmin qāla bal labith'ta mi-ata ʿāmin fa-unẓur ilā ṭaʿāmika washarābika lam yatasannah wa-unẓur ilā ḥimārika walinajʿalaka āyatan lilnnāsi wa-unẓur ilā l-ʿiẓāmi kayfa nunshizuhā thumma naksūhā laḥman falammā tabayyana lahu qāla aʿlamu anna l-laha ʿalā kulli shayin qadīrun
Word by word
- أَوْ aw Or
- كَٱلَّذِى ka-alladhī like the one who
- مَرَّ marra passed
- عَلَىٰ ʿalā by
- قَرْيَةٍۢ qaryatin a township
- وَهِىَ wahiya and it
- خَاوِيَةٌ khāwiyatun (had) overturned
- عَلَىٰ ʿalā on
- عُرُوشِهَا ʿurūshihā its roofs
- قَالَ qāla He said
- أَنَّىٰ annā How
- يُحْىِۦ yuḥ'yī (will) bring to life
- هَـٰذِهِ hādhihi this (town)
- ٱللَّهُ l-lahu Allah
- بَعْدَ baʿda after
- مَوْتِهَا ۖ mawtihā its death
- فَأَمَاتَهُ fa-amātahu Then he was made to die
- ٱللَّهُ l-lahu (by) Allah
- مِا۟ئَةَ mi-ata (for) a hundred
- عَامٍۢ ʿāmin year(s)
- ثُمَّ thumma then
- بَعَثَهُۥ ۖ baʿathahu He raised him
- قَالَ qāla He said
- كَمْ kam How long
- لَبِثْتَ ۖ labith'ta (have) you remained
- قَالَ qāla He said
- لَبِثْتُ labith'tu I remained
- يَوْمًا yawman (for) a day
- أَوْ aw or
- بَعْضَ baʿḍa a part
- يَوْمٍۢ ۖ yawmin (of) a day
- قَالَ qāla He said
- بَل bal Nay
- لَّبِثْتَ labith'ta you (have) remained
- مِا۟ئَةَ mi-ata one hundred
- عَامٍۢ ʿāmin year(s)
- فَٱنظُرْ fa-unẓur Then look
- إِلَىٰ ilā at
- طَعَامِكَ ṭaʿāmika your food
- وَشَرَابِكَ washarābika and your drink
- لَمْ lam (they did) not
- يَتَسَنَّهْ ۖ yatasannah change with time
- وَٱنظُرْ wa-unẓur and look
- إِلَىٰ ilā at
- حِمَارِكَ ḥimārika your donkey
- وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ walinajʿalaka and We will make you
- ءَايَةًۭ āyatan a sign
- لِّلنَّاسِ ۖ lilnnāsi for the people
- وَٱنظُرْ wa-unẓur And look
- إِلَى ilā at
- ٱلْعِظَامِ l-ʿiẓāmi the bones
- كَيْفَ kayfa how
- نُنشِزُهَا nunshizuhā We raise them
- ثُمَّ thumma then
- نَكْسُوهَا naksūhā We cover them
- لَحْمًۭا ۚ laḥman (with) flesh
- فَلَمَّا falammā Then when
- تَبَيَّنَ tabayyana became clear
- لَهُۥ lahu to him
- قَالَ qāla he said
- أَعْلَمُ aʿlamu I know
- أَنَّ anna that
- ٱللَّهَ l-laha Allah
- عَلَىٰ ʿalā (is) on
- كُلِّ kulli every
- شَىْءٍۢ shayin thing
- قَدِيرٌۭ qadīrun All-Powerful
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
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."