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Ayah
Word by Word
وَإِذۡ
And when
قَالَ
said
إِبۡرَٰهِـۧمُ
Ibrahim
رَبِّ
My Lord
أَرِنِي
show me
كَيۡفَ
how
تُحۡيِ
You give life
ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰۖ
(to) the dead
قَالَ
He said
أَوَلَمۡ
Have not
تُؤۡمِنۖ
you believed
قَالَ
He said
بَلَىٰ
Yes
وَلَٰكِن
[and] but
لِّيَطۡمَئِنَّ
to satisfy
قَلۡبِيۖ
my heart
قَالَ
He said
فَخُذۡ
Then take
أَرۡبَعَةٗ
four
مِّنَ
of
ٱلطَّيۡرِ
the birds
فَصُرۡهُنَّ
and incline them
إِلَيۡكَ
towards you
ثُمَّ
then
ٱجۡعَلۡ
put
عَلَىٰ
on
كُلِّ
each
جَبَلٖ
hill
مِّنۡهُنَّ
of them
جُزۡءٗا
a portion
ثُمَّ
then
ٱدۡعُهُنَّ
call them
يَأۡتِينَكَ
they will come to you
سَعۡيٗاۚ
(in) haste
وَٱعۡلَمۡ
And know
أَنَّ
that
ٱللَّهَ
Allah
عَزِيزٌ
(is) All-Mighty
حَكِيمٞ
All-Wise
وَإِذۡ
And when
قَالَ
said
إِبۡرَٰهِـۧمُ
Ibrahim
رَبِّ
My Lord
أَرِنِي
show me
كَيۡفَ
how
تُحۡيِ
You give life
ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰۖ
(to) the dead
قَالَ
He said
أَوَلَمۡ
Have not
تُؤۡمِنۖ
you believed
قَالَ
He said
بَلَىٰ
Yes
وَلَٰكِن
[and] but
لِّيَطۡمَئِنَّ
to satisfy
قَلۡبِيۖ
my heart
قَالَ
He said
فَخُذۡ
Then take
أَرۡبَعَةٗ
four
مِّنَ
of
ٱلطَّيۡرِ
the birds
فَصُرۡهُنَّ
and incline them
إِلَيۡكَ
towards you
ثُمَّ
then
ٱجۡعَلۡ
put
عَلَىٰ
on
كُلِّ
each
جَبَلٖ
hill
مِّنۡهُنَّ
of them
جُزۡءٗا
a portion
ثُمَّ
then
ٱدۡعُهُنَّ
call them
يَأۡتِينَكَ
they will come to you
سَعۡيٗاۚ
(in) haste
وَٱعۡلَمۡ
And know
أَنَّ
that
ٱللَّهَ
Allah
عَزِيزٌ
(is) All-Mighty
حَكِيمٞ
All-Wise
Translation
When Abraham said: "Show me, Lord, how You will raise the dead, " He replied: "Have you no faith?" He said "Yes, but just to reassure my heart." Allah said, "Take four birds, draw them to you, and cut their bodies to pieces. Scatter them over the mountain-tops, then call them back. They will come swiftly to you. Know that Allah is Mighty, Wise."
Tafsir
And, mention, when Abraham said, 'My Lord show me how You give life to the dead,' He, God, exalted be He, said, to him, 'Why, do you not believe?', in My power to revive; God asks him this even though He knows of his belief in this [power], as a response to his request, and so that the ones listening will know the purpose [of the request]; 'Yes,', I do believe, he said, 'but, I ask You, so that my heart may be re-assured', [so that it may be] at peace, through direct vision, in addition to that [certainty] which is sought through logical reasoning. Said He, 'Take four birds, and twist them to you (sirhunna, or surhunna), turn them towards you, cut them up and mix together their flesh and feathers, then set a part of them on every hill, in the land around you, then summon them, to you, and they will come to you in haste. And know that God is Mighty, that nothing is beyond Him, Wise', in His actions. Abraham took a peacock, an eagle, a raven and a cock and did with them as has been mentioned, but kept their heads with him. He called them, and all the parts began to fly back together, combining until they were whole and returning to their heads.
"The Khalil Supplicates to Allah to Show Him How He Resurrects the Dead
Allah tells;
وَإِذۡ قَالَ إِبۡرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيۡفَ تُحۡيِـي الۡمَوۡتَى قَالَ أَوَلَمۡ تُوۡمِن قَالَ بَلَى وَلَـكِن لِّيَطۡمَيِنَّ قَلۡبِي
""My Lord! Show me how You give life to the dead.""
He (Allah) said:""Do you not believe!""
He (Ibrahim) said:""Yes (I believe), but to be stronger in faith.""
The scholars said that;
there are reasons behind this request by Ibrahim. For instance, when Ibrahim said to Nimrod,
رَبِّيَ الَّذِي يُحۡيِـي وَيُمِيتُ
(My Lord (Allah) is He Who gives life and causes death,) he wanted to solidify his knowledge about resurrection by actually witnessing it with his eyes.
Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,
نَحۡنُ أَحَقُّ بِالشَّكِّ مِنۡ إِبۡرَاهِيمَ إِذۡ قَالَ
رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيۡفَ تُحۡيِـي الۡمَوۡتَى قَالَ أَوَلَمۡ تُوۡمِن قَالَ بَلَى وَلَـكِن لِّيَطۡمَيِنَّ قَلۡبِي
We are more liable to be in doubt than Ibrahim when he said, ""My Lord! Show me how You give life to the dead."" Allah said, ""Don't you believe!"" Ibrahim said, ""Yes (I believe), but (I ask) in order to be stronger in faith.""
The Prophet's statement in the Hadith means, ""We are more liable to seek certainty.""
The Answer to Al-Khalil's Request
Allah said,
قَالَ فَخُذۡ أَرۡبَعَةً مِّنَ الطَّيۡرِ فَصُرۡهُنَّ إِلَيۡكَ
He said:""Take four birds, then cause them to incline towards you.""
Scholars of Tafsir disagreed over the type of birds mentioned here, although this matter in not relevant due to the fact that the Qur'an did not mention it.
Allah's statement,
فَصُرۡهُنَّ إِلَيۡكَ
cause them to incline towards you,
means, cut them to pieces.
This is the explanation of Ibn Abbas, Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Abu Malik, Abu Al-Aswad Ad-Dili, Wahb bin Munabbih, Al-Hasan and As-Suddi.
ثُمَّ اجۡعَلۡ عَلَى كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِّنۡهُنَّ جُزۡءًا ثُمَّ ادۡعُهُنَّ يَأۡتِينَكَ سَعۡيًا
and then put a portion of them on every hill, and call them, they will come to you in haste.
Therefore, Ibrahim caught four birds, slaughtered them, removed the feathers, tore the birds to pieces and mixed the pieces together. He then placed parts of these mixed pieces on four or seven hills.
Ibn Abbas said,
""Ibrahim kept the heads of these birds in his hand. Next, Allah commanded Ibrahim to call the birds to him, and he did as Allah commanded him. Ibrahim witnessed the feathers, blood and flesh of these birds fly to each other, and the parts flew each to their bodies, until every bird came back to life and came walking at a fast pace towards Ibrahim, so that the example that Ibrahim was witnessing would become more impressive.
Each bird came to collect its head from Ibrahim's hand, and if he gave the bird another head the bird refused to accept it. When Ibrahim gave each bird its own head, the head was placed on its body by Allah's leave and power. ""
This is why Allah said,
وَاعۡلَمۡ أَنَّ اللّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
And know that Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.
and no one can overwhelm or resist Him. Whatever Allah wills, occurs without hindrance, because He is the All-Mighty, Supreme above all things, and He is Wise in His statements, actions, legislation and decrees.
Abdur-Razzaq recorded that Ma`mar said that Ayub said that Ibn Abbas commented on what Ibrahim said,
وَلَـكِن لِّيَطۡمَيِنَّ قَلۡبِي
(but to be stronger in Faith),
""To me, there is no Ayah in the Qur'an that brings more hope than this Ayah.""
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Muhammad bin Al-Munkadir said that;
Abdullah bin Abbas met Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-`As and said to him, ""Which Ayah in the Qur'an carries more hope for you?""
Ibn Amr said,
قُلۡ يعِبَادِىَ الَّذِينَ أَسۡرَفُواۡ عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمۡ لَا تَقۡنَطُواۡ
Say:""O Ibadi (My servants) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not. (39:53)
Ibn Abbas said, ""But I say that it is Allah's statement,
وَإِذۡ قَالَ إِبۡرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيۡفَ تُحۡيِـي الۡمَوۡتَى قَالَ أَوَلَمۡ تُوۡمِن قَالَ بَلَى
And (remember) when Ibrahim said, ""My Lord! Show me how You give life to the dead."" He (Allah) said:""Do you not believe!"" He (Ibrahim) said:""Yes (I believe)...
Allah accepted Ibrahim's affirmation when he merely said, `Yes.'
This Ayah refers to the doubts that attack the heart and the thoughts that Shaytan inspires.""
Al-Hakim also recorded this in Al-Mustadrak and said; ""Its chain is Sahih but they did not record it."
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