Prophet Uzair (AS) And Experiencing Resurrection: Commentary of the Quran (Chapter 2:259) By Mohammad Sobhanie

by Tauqeer Abbas
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Shafaqna Pakistan: Commentary of the Quran (Chapter 2:259) By: Mohammad Sobhanie

Prophet Uzair (AS) and Experiencing Resurrection

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

أَوْ كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا قَالَ أَنَّىٰ يُحْيِي هَـٰذِهِ اللَّـهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۖ فَأَمَاتَهُ اللَّـهُ 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 اللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ﴿٢٥٩﴾

2:259 Or (consider such an example) as the one who passed by a township that had fallen into ruin. He said, “How will Allah (SWT) bring this to life after its death?” So Allah (SWT) caused him to die for a hundred years; then God brought him back to life. God asked: “How long have you remained (in this state)?” The man replied: “I have remained a day or part of a day.” God said, “No! 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 (SWT) is over all things competent.”

Commentary: This verse refers to the journey of Prophet Uzair (AS), who passed by a ruined village. He saw the scattered and decayed bones of its inhabitants on the ground. When he saw this horrible sight, a question came to his mind: “How will Allah (SWT) bring them to life after their death?” Uzair (AS) was a prophet who believed in the resurrection on Judgment Day. Thus, his question was not an expression of doubt or denial but curiosity and astonishment. He received his answer with the experience of death, which is explained in the following paragraph:

Allah (SWT) took Prophet Uzair’s (AS) life. One hundred years later, He revived and asked Prophet Uzair (AS): “How long have you been in this desert?” He replied: “A day or less!” Allah (SWT) replied to him: “You have been here for a hundred years! Look at your food and drink. You will find that they have not been rotten and spoiled during these many years. Conversely, look at your donkey. You will see only its decayed bones, which are scattered on the ground.” Then Allah (SWT) restored the life of Prophet Uzair’s (AS) donkey before his eyes. When Prophet Uzair (AS) saw this scene, he stated: “I know that God is omnipotent over everything.” The commentary of the verse is as follows:

“Or (consider such an example) as the one (Uzair) who passed by a township which had fallen into ruin” (أَوْ كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا).

One could speculate[1] that the beginning of the verse implies: “Have you not considered the one (Uzair) who passed by a township which had fallen into ruin?” ( أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا).

“Urush” (عُرُوشِ) is the plural of “Arsh” (عَرْش) and generally refers to a throne, also trellis[2] and roof [3],[4]. The word “Saqf” (سقف) means a ceiling. The difference between “Arsh” (عَرْش) and “Saqf” (سقف) is that the latter means only the top of a house while the former implies the skeleton of a home, which includes walls and the roof[5]. ‘‘Khawiyah’’ (خَاوِيَةٌ) means empty; it means a collapsed and ruined building since a ruined place is a vacant place[6].

The phrase ‘‘Khawiyatun ‘Ala‘urushiha’’ (خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا) means “collapsed on its roof”. In an abandoned building, roofs collapse first, and walls collapse over the roofs[7].

When Prophet Uzair (AS) observed the scattered and the decayed bones of humans on the ground, he looked at them and asked: “How will Allah (SWT) bring this (the inhabitants of this city) to life after their death?” (قَالَ أَنَّىٰ يُحْيِي هَـٰذِهِ اللَّـهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا)

Allah (SWT) answered his question by causing him to die, then brought him back to life 100 years later (فَأَمَاتَهُ اللَّـهُ مِائَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُ). Allah (SWT) asked Prophet Uzair (AS): “How long have you remained (in this state)?” (قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ) Prophet Uzair replied, “I have remained a day or part of a day.” (قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ) Allah (SWT) replied: “No! you have remained one hundred years.” (قَالَ بَل لَّبِثْتَ مِائَةَ عَامٍ) To give Prophet Uzair (AS) reassurance that he had been dead for 100 years, Allah (SWT) asked Prophet Uzair: “Look at your food and your drink; it has not changed with time. And look at your donkey,” which had only left decayed bones on the ground (فَانظُرْ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ ۖ وَانظُرْ إِلَىٰ حِمَارِكَ). The phrase (فَانظُرْ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ) means, look at your food and drink; they have not changed by the passing of years[8].

To demonstrate a resurrection for Prophet Uzair (AS), Allah (SWT) said to him: “And look at the bones (of your donkey) – how We raise them, and then We cover them with flesh.” (وَانظُرْ إِلَى الْعِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا). With this demonstration, “We will make you a sign (of Allah’s (SWT) ability to bring dead to life) for the people” (وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ آيَةً لِّلنَّاسِ).

After observing this miracle, “Everything became clear to [Uzair]” (فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ). Prophet Uzair (AS) then said: “I know that Allah (SWT) is over all things competent.” That is, my knowledge and awareness were completed and reached the stage of intuition (قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ).

[1] Al-Mizan, Vol. 2, P.550

[2] Al-Kahf 18:42(فَأَصْبَحَ يُقَلِّبُ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَىٰ مَا أَنْفَقَ فِيهَا وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا)

[3] Al-Baqara 2:259 (أَوْ كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا)

[4] Al-Hajj 22:45 (وَهِيَ ظَالِمَةٌ فَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا)

[5] Al-Mizan, Vol.2. P.548

[6] Tafseer-e-Namoona, Vol.2, P.296

[7] Tafseer-e-Namoona, Vol.2, P.296

[8] Tafseer-e-Namoona, Vol.2, P.299

Source: Shafaqna English

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