Al-Baqarah (The Cow): Verse 260

Issues in the Verse

There are two opinions regarding the operative word governing idh (when):

1. Al-Zajjaj suggested that the implied command is: "Mention idh when Abraham said..."
2. Others argue that it is coordinated (connected) with the preceding verse: "Have you not seen [the one who disputed with Abraham concerning his Lord]?" (2:258), and "Have you not seen when Abraham said, 'My Lord is He Who gives life and causes death'?" (2:258), and now, "Have you not seen when Abraham said, 'My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead'?"

The previous verse mentioned someone who passed by a town (referring to Ezra/Uzair) without naming him, whereas here Abraham (PBUH) is explicitly named, even though the core subject in both stories is the same (resurrection/revivification).

The reason is that Ezra did not observe proper etiquette (adab), saying: "Or like the one who passed by a town..."

However, Abraham observed etiquette:

1. He first praised Allah by saying, "My Lord (Rabb)."
2. Then he made his supplication: "Show me (Arinī)."

Furthermore, because Abraham observed etiquette, the demonstration involved birds. Because Ezra did not observe etiquette, the demonstration involved himself (in the context of his own experience of death and revival).

Several explanations are given for why Abraham (PBUH) asked this question:

First View (Al-Hasan, Al-Dahhak, Qatadah, 'Ata, Ibn Jurayj): He saw a carcass on the seashore. When the tide came in, sea creatures ate from it. When the tide receded, beasts of prey ate it. When the beasts left, birds ate it and flew away. Abraham asked: "My Lord, show me how You gather the parts of the animal from the bellies of beasts, birds, and sea creatures." He was asked, "Have you not believed?" He replied, "Yes, but the goal of the question is to make the knowledge derived from evidence (istidlāl) become necessary/certain (ḍarūrī)."

Second View (Muhammad ibn Ishaq and the Judge): The reason was his debate with Nimrod. When Abraham said, "My Lord is He Who gives life and causes death," Nimrod claimed, "I give life and cause death," by releasing a prisoner and killing a man. Abraham replied that this was not true giving of life and death. Therefore, he asked, "My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead," so that this issue might be clarified for Nimrod and his followers. It is narrated that Nimrod told him: "Tell your Lord to revive [the dead], or I will kill you." Thus, he asked Allah, and his statement, "that my heart may be reassured," means reassurance regarding his safety from execution, or reassurance regarding the strength of his argument and proof, implying that any deviation from his proof was due to the ignorance of the listener, not the weakness of the argument itself.

Third View (Ibn 'Abbas, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Al-Saddi): Allah revealed to Abraham (PBUH) that He would take a human as a close friend (Khalīl). Abraham was greatly impressed and asked for the signs of this status. Allah replied that the sign is that He revives the dead by Abraham's supplication. As Abraham's status in servitude and fulfilling the message increased, he thought: "Perhaps I can be that close friend." So he asked for the revival of the dead. Allah responded, "Have you not believed?" He said, "Yes, but [I ask] that my heart may be reassured" that I am indeed a close friend to You.

Fourth View: The Prophet (PBUH) asked this for his people. The followers of prophets often demanded things, sometimes falsely, sometimes truthfully (like when they asked Moses, "Make for us a god like their gods"). Abraham asked this so that they might witness it, removing doubt from their hearts.

Fifth View (My own reflection): Just as the community needs a miracle to confirm the truthfulness of a messenger's claim, the messenger himself, upon receiving a message from an angel informing him that Allah has sent him, needs a miracle manifested by that angel to know that the visitor is a noble angel and not a malicious devil. Similarly, when the angel hears the Word of God, he needs a miracle to confirm that the speech is truly from Allah. Given this, it is plausible that when the angel came to Abraham (PBUH) and informed him of his mission, he requested a miracle: "My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead," so that he might be reassured that the one delivering the message was a noble angel, not a devil.

Sixth View (The Sufis' perspective): The "dead" refers to hearts veiled from the lights of divine unveiling (mukāshafāt) and manifestation (tajallī). "Reviving" means attaining that manifestation and divine lights. Thus, Abraham's request was for that manifestation. He was asked, "Have you not believed?" He replied, "Yes, but I seek its attainment so that my heart may be reassured by receiving that manifestation." According to the rationalists (mutakallimūn), inferential knowledge (al-'ilm al-istidlālī) is susceptible to doubts and suspicions, so he sought necessary knowledge ('ilm ḍarūrī) with which the heart settles in a stability untouched by doubt.

Seventh View: Perhaps he had read in the scriptures revealed to him that his descendant, Jesus (PBUH), would be honored by reviving the dead through his supplication. He asked for this, and was told, "Have you not believed? Yes, but [I ask] that my heart may be reassured" that my station before You is not less than that of my son, Jesus.

Eighth View: Abraham (PBUH) was commanded to slaughter his son and hastened to obey. He then said, "You commanded me to make something with a spirit into something without a spirit, and I did so. Now I ask You to make something without a spirit into something spiritual." He was told, "Have you not believed? Yes, but [I ask] that my heart may be reassured" that You have taken me as a close friend.

Ninth View: Abraham (PBUH) looked into his heart and found it "dead" due to his love for his son. He felt shy before Allah and asked, "Show me how You give life to the dead," meaning: how the heart, when dead due to heedlessness, is revived by the remembrance of Allah.

Tenth View: The interpretation is that all creation witnesses the Resurrection on the Day of Judgment. He asked to see that in this life, so that he might be specially honored in this world with this great distinction.

Eleventh View: Abraham's intention was not to see the revival of the dead, but to hear the Divine Speech without an intermediary.

Twelfth View (The view of some ignorant people): This view claims Abraham (PBUH) doubted the knowledge of the Originator (Allah) and the knowledge of the Return (Resurrection). His doubt regarding the Originator is evidenced by his statement, "This is my Lord" (6:76), and "If my Lord does not guide me, I will surely be among the misguided people" (6:77). His doubt regarding the Return is in this verse. This view is absurd and outright disbelief (kufr), because anyone who doubts Allah's power to revive the dead is a disbeliever. To attribute this to an infallible Prophet is to disbelieve the Prophet, making this view more deserving of disbelief. Evidence against this view:

1. Allah's response: "Have you not believed?" If he were doubting, this response would not be appropriate.
2. His reply: "But [I ask] that my heart may be reassured." This is the speech of a knower seeking increased certainty.
3. Doubting Allah's power necessitates doubting prophethood itself; how could he know his own prophethood?

Analysis of the Response

There are two interpretations:

1. It is a rhetorical question meant for affirmation/confirmation. (Like the poet saying: "Are you not the best of those who ride camels, / And the most generous of people in the palm of the hand?")
2. The purpose of the question is for him to give the answer he gave, so that listeners may know that he (PBUH) was already believing and recognizing this truth, and that the purpose of the question was something else entirely.

The lām (for) in li-yaṭma'inna is connected to an implied phrase: "I asked this for the sake of the reassurance of the heart."

It is said that this means removing the intrusive thoughts (khawāṭir) that affect someone relying on inferential proof (istidlāl), even though certainty (yaqīn) is achieved in both states (with or without reassurance).

A Rational Discussion Here: This interpretation relies on the premise that some forms of knowledge can be stronger than others. This raises a difficult question: When a person attains knowledge, is he either capable of conceiving its opposite, or not?

• If he can conceive its opposite in any way, then that is strong conjecture (ẓann qawī), not firm belief (i'tiqād jāzim).
• If he cannot conceive its opposite in any way, then disparity in the certainty of knowledge becomes impossible.

Resolution: This objection only applies if we assume the goal was to attain certainty regarding Allah's power to revive the dead. If the intended purpose was something else (as suggested in the previous reasons), the question dissolves.

Analysis of the Command: "Take four birds" (Fakhudh arba'atan min al-ṭayr)

Ibn 'Abbas (RA) said he took a peacock, an eagle, a crow, and a rooster. Mujahid and Ibn Zayd (RA) said a dove instead of the eagle.

Two reasons are given for singling out birds from all animals:

1. Alignment with Aspiration: Birds fly in the sky and ascend into the air. Abraham's aspiration was high, seeking ascent and reaching the Divine Kingdom (Malakūt). His miracle was made to correspond to his aspiration.
2. Analogy for Resurrection: When Abraham slaughtered the birds, cut them into pieces, and placed mixed parts on mountaintops, and then called them, each part flew to its corresponding part. It was said to him: Just as each part flew to its counterpart, so too on the Day of Judgment, every part will fly to its counterpart until bodies are assembled and souls are reconnected, confirming the verse: "They will emerge from the graves as if they were scattered locusts" (54:7).

Two reasons are given:

1. Reciprocity of Request and Grant: You asked for one thing based on the level of servitude ('ubūdiyyah), and I grant you four based on the level of Lordship (Rubūbiyyah).
2. Reference to Elements: The four birds symbolize the four fundamental elements (arkān) from which the bodies of animals and plants are composed. The indication is that unless you differentiate these four birds, the spirit cannot ascend to the atmosphere of Lordship and the purity of the Holy Realm.

These specific animals were chosen because:

• The Peacock symbolizes the human love for adornment, status, and arrogance (cf. 3:14, "Beautified for people is the love of things desired...").
• The Eagle symbolizes intense greed for eating.
• The Rooster symbolizes intense passion for fulfilling sexual desire.
• The Crow symbolizes intense eagerness for accumulation and seeking (the crow is known for flying out at night and searching even in extreme cold).

The indication here is that unless a person strives to kill the desires of the self, sexual lust, greed, and showing off for creation, he will not find spiritual life or ease in the light of God's Majesty.

Analysis of the Statement: "Then commit them to yourself (fa-ṣurhunn ilayk)"

1. Hamzah reads it with a kasra (short 'i') on the ṣād: Fa-ṣurhunn.
2. The Rest read it with a ḍammah (short 'u') on the ṣād: Fa-ṣurhunn.

Regarding the Ḍammah (Fa-ṣurhunn):

• First Opinion: To ṣāra something means to incline it towards oneself. A man whose neck is inclined is called aṣwar. It is also said: Ṣāra fulān ilā kadhā (So-and-so inclined toward such-and-such). Under this interpretation, there is an implied word: "Take them, incline them toward yourself, and cut them up, then place a part on every mountain..." The phrase "and cut them up" is omitted because the subsequent phrase, "then place a part of them on every mountain," implies the cutting.
• Question: What is the benefit of commanding him to draw them near after taking them?
• Answer: The benefit is so he could contemplate them and recognize their shapes and forms, preventing confusion after revival, lest he think they are not the original birds.

• Second Opinion (Ibn 'Abbas, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Al-Hasan, Mujahid): It means "Bring them down to you" or "Cut them up." It is said: Ṣāra al-shay'a yaṣūruhu ṣūran if he cut it. Ru'bah described a stubborn opponent: "We ṣārnāhu by the judgment," meaning we cut him off. This interpretation requires no implied word.

Regarding the Kasra (Fa-ṣurhunn): This reading is also interpreted either as inclining or cutting.

• Inclining: Al-Farra' said this is a dialect of Hudhayl and Sulaym: Ṣārahū yaṣīruhu means he caused it to die.
• Cutting: Al-Akhfash and others said Ṣurhunn (with kasra) means "cut them up." Al-Farra' suggested it might be an inversion of ṣarā yaṣrī (to cut), where the yā' is moved forward, similar to how they say 'athā and 'āthā. Al-Mubarrad rejected this, stating that both words are independent roots and cannot be derived from one another.

The exegetes agree that the verse means "Cut them up," and that Abraham cut their limbs, flesh, feathers, and blood, mixing them together, except for Abu Muslim.

Abu Muslim argued that since Abraham asked to see the revival of the dead, Allah showed him an example to make the matter easier. He claimed that fa-ṣurhunn ilayk means inclining and training them to respond. That is, train the four birds so that when you call them, they respond and come to you. Once they are trained, place one on each mountain while they are alive, then call them, and they will come to you swiftly. The purpose was to present a tangible example of the return of souls to bodies for ease of understanding. He rejected the idea that it meant cutting them up, arguing:

1. The common linguistic meaning of fa-ṣurhunn is "incline them," not cutting or slaughtering. Including cutting would be adding something unsupported by the text.
2. If it meant cutting, the preposition ilayk (to you) would not be used; this preposition is used when the verb means inclination.
3. The pronoun in "then call them" (thumma ud'uhunna) refers back to the birds themselves, not their scattered parts. If the parts were separated on the mountains, the pronoun should refer to the parts. Similarly, the pronoun in "they will come to you swiftly" (ya'tīnaka sa'yan) refers to the birds, not the parts. If parts were running to each other, the pronoun should refer to the parts.

The Majority Rebuttal (Those supporting the consensus):

1. All exegetes before Abu Muslim agreed that the birds were slaughtered and their parts mixed, so rejecting this is rejecting consensus (ijmā').
2. What Abu Muslim described is not unique to Abraham (PBUH); it would not grant him a special distinction over Ezra.
3. Abraham wanted Allah to show him how He revives the dead. According to Abu Muslim's view, true revival is not actually achieved.
4. The phrase "then place a part of them on every mountain" (thumma ij'al 'alā kulli jabalin minhunna juz'an) indicates that the birds were made into pieces.
   • Abu Muslim's response: He claimed juz' (part) is added to the four, meaning one of the four birds, so the meaning is: place one whole bird on each mountain.
   • Rebuttal to Abu Muslim: While his interpretation is possible, the first interpretation is stronger: "Place on every mountain a part or piece from each one of them."

Analysis of the Statement: "Then place a part of them on every mountain" (Thumma ij'al 'alā kulli jabalin minhunna juz'an)

1. Mujahid and Al-Dahhak: Understood it as general, according to possibility—meaning, distribute them over every mountain you can reach.
2. Ibn 'Abbas, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Al-Rabi': Four mountains, corresponding to the four birds and the four directions (East, West, North, South).
3. Al-Saddi and Ibn Jurayj: Seven mountains, as this number corresponds to the mountains Abraham (PBUH) could see, which was necessary for the calling of the birds to be witnessed.

It is narrated that (PBUH) was commanded to slaughter them, pluck their feathers, cut their parts, mix their blood and flesh, and keep their heads. Then, he placed their parts on the mountains—a quarter of each bird on each mountain. He then called them by the permission of Allah. Each part flew to the other until the bodies were complete. Then each body approached its head, and each head joined its body, and all became alive by the permission of Allah.

'Asim (in the narration of Abu Bakr and Al-Fadl) read it with a heavy hamza (participle): Juz'an. The rest read it with a light hamza (unmarked): Juz'an. Both readings mean the same thing.

Analysis of the Statement: "Then call them; they will come to you swiftly" (Thumma ud'uhunna ya'tīnaka sa'yan)

It is said that sa'yan means running or walking on their legs, as this is more powerful as proof.

It is also said it means flying, but this is rejected because the word sa'y (hastening/running) is not typically used for flying birds.

• Rebuttal to the rejection: Sa'y means intensity in movement. If the movement is flying, then sa'y in that context means intensity in that flight.

Argument for the Non-Necessity of Body Structure for Life: Our scholars used this verse as proof that the physical structure (binyah) is not a prerequisite for the validity of life. This is because Allah made every single one of those scattered parts and pieces alive, capable of understanding the call, and able to move swiftly. This proves that structure is not necessary for life.

The Judge's Counter-Argument: The verse proves that structure is necessary, because the cutting up of the birds caused their life to cease.

The Rebuttal: This is weak, because the occurrence of conjunction (muqāranah) does not prove the necessity of conjunction. However, the separation from it in some circumstances proves that the conjunction, where it occurred, was not obligatory. Since the verse proves that the scattered parts understood the call and were capable of moving swiftly while separated, it is definitive proof that structure is not a prerequisite for life.

Analysis of the Statement: "And know that Allah is Exalted in Might, Wise" (Wa'lam anna Allāha 'Azīzun Ḥakīm)

This means Allah is Exalted in Might ('Azīz), overpowering all possibilities, and Wise (Ḥakīm), knowing the consequences and ultimate goals of all matters.

Verse 261