Surah Al-Baqarah 2:258-260 - Quran Translation Commentary

258. Have⁴²⁰ you not seen him⁴²¹ who disputed with Ibrahim about his Lord, because Allah had granted him kingdom?⁴²² Ibrahim said: “My Lord is He who gives life and death.” He said: “I give life and death.” Ibrahim said: “Verily, Allah causes the sun to rise in the East, so you cause it to come up from the West.⁴²³” Thus was he confounded who rejected Faith. Nor does Allah give guidance to the wrong-doers.⁴²⁴

259. Or (take the case of) the like of one, who passed by a township all ruins to its roofs.⁴²⁵ He said: “How shall Allah give this township life after its death⁴²⁶ ? ” So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years then brought him back to life.⁴²⁷ He said: “How long did you” tarry thus? He said: “I remained (like this) a day or a part of the day.” He said: “Nay, but you had tarried for a hundred years.⁴²⁸ Just look at your food and drink; they have not rotten. And look at your donkey! (after its decomposition, how We revived it)? And that We may make you a sign for the people,⁴²⁹ look at the bones, how we bring them together and then cover them with flesh!⁴³⁰” When this fact became manifest to him, he said: “I know that Allah has power over all things.”

260. And (it may be mentioned) when Ibrahim said: “My Lord! Show me how you give life to the dead.” He said: “Do you not believe?” He (Ibrahim) said: “I do believe but I want that my heart may be reassured.” He said “Take four birds, tame them to be familar with you, then place each piece of them on each hill, then call them, they will come to you in haste.⁴³¹ And know that Allah is Mighty, Wise.”⁴³²

Commentary

420. In connection with the principle concerning Guidance and misguidance which was discussed in the above verses, three examples from real life are being presented. From the first example it can be seen how people, even after the Truth is revealed to them are unable to come out of the darkness of unbelief. From the next two examples it is seen that those who had accepted Allah’s help, how they were granted complete conviction and peace of mind and were shown the facts which cannot be seen by men.

421. Refers to Nimrod, who was the king of Iraq and was the contemporary of the prophet Ibrahim.

422. In olden times kings were considered incarnations (Avtar) of God. The subjects of Nimrod were the worshippers of stars and the sun was considered the chief god and therefore it is likely that Nimrod must have been considered as the avtar of the sun god. In these circumstances how was it possible for him to accept the invitation of Ibrahim to take Allah as his, God. So he called Ibrahim and disputed his claim and questioned him about the Being who was to be worshipped, when according to him he (Nimrod) was in power and therefore the personification of god and worthy of worship. He was under the impression that having power implied that he was the avtar of some particular god and deserved to be worshipped by his subjects, although this power was granted to him by Allah; and Allah tests those whom he gives power whether they become grateful and obedient to Him after getting power or go astray in their vanity and pose before mankind as if they are gods.

423. The argument of Ibrahim that Allah gives life and causes death and is therefore the Lord of all was very clear and strong, but Nimrod put forth this foolish contention that he also controlled life and death in as much as he could kill anybody he wanted or spare anybody he wished. There was no stuff in this argument of Nimrod and Ibrahim instead of disputing this statement. put forward another argument for which Nimrod had no answer : that my Lord causes the sun to rise from the East could you cause it to rise from the west? In this argument there was also a hidden taunt in the reference to the sun that the sun is not a god, whose personification Nimrod claimed to be but that the sun was absolutely under the control of Allah and rises and sets according to the Divine Law.

424. That is: Those who do not become grateful and obedient to Allah even after the path of Guidance becomes clear, become victims of their pride and claim godship for themselves. When truth becomes clear to them they are not prepared to accept it but they are merely confounded.

Those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah and do not follow up their gifts with reminders of their genersoity or with injury – for them their reward is with their Lord; and there shall no fear come upon them, nor shall they grieve. (Al-Quran)

425. Perhaps the hamlet or township referred to herein is Jerusalem, which was completely destroyed by Nebuchadnezzer in the year 586 B. C.

426. This question was not for denial but as an expression of amazement.

427. The person to whom the scene of life after death which was shown as referred to here must have been a prophet for it is the prophets who are shown the unseen world. Probably this incident occurred to the prophet Ezekiel, for in the Bible in the Book of Ezekiel a similar incident is mentioned (Vide Ezekiel chap 37. 1 to 14).

428. This incident is the expression of the fact that on the day of Judgment when men will come out of their graves, they will not be conscious of the time spent by them in the graves but they will think that they had just gone to sleep and have now woken up.

429. Sign of the fact that Allah has power to bring to life, dead persons and sign of the fact that He can rehabilitate the destroyed townships and can grant new life to the children of Israel after taking them out from the life of subjugation.

430. It is clear that if Allah wills He can revive anybody after that person’s body is decomposed and if He wills He can keep a person or thing above the laws of nature so that they are not affected by the ravages of time.

431. That is: Taking four birds, first tame them to be familiar with you, then after killing them and cutting them into pieces, place the pieces on the nearby hills; then call them and they would come to you flying immediately. In this way prophet Ibrahim was shown the actual act of life after death.

The instruction to tame the birds and make them familiar to him first was given with the sole purpose of assuring Ibrahim that the birds were the same which he had tamed and killed. This clarifies the point that on the Day of Resurrection all the dead will come out of their graves on the call from their Lord.

The fact of the revived birds recognising the voice of their master points to the fact that when all men will be revived on the Day of Resurrection, their memory of the wordly life will also be revived.

432. Here the reference to the two attributes of Allah points to the fact that the revival of mankind on the Day of Juudgment is certain and definite, for Allah has power to do so and that doing so is also justified by His wisdom.