Quran Garden

Session 287

Chapter 2

Verse 259

a continuation

Or take the man who passed by a village which had fallen into ruin. He said, "How will God bring this town to life after its death?" So God 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; We will make you a sign for the people.  Look at the bones - how We raise them and then cover them with flesh." When it became clear to him, he said, "I know that God is over all things competent." (Chapter 2: Verse 259)

In the previous session, we heard two different answers to the same question.  The traveler who had wondered how God brought things back to life awoke.  He was asked: "How long have you remained?" The man said, "I have remained a day or part of a day."  God said: "Rather, you have remained one hundred years.”  So which was it?

Let’s break down this puzzle.  The man who thought that he was out for about a day could not offer much proof.  He had a donkey that was carrying his rations of grapes, figs, and drink.  Allah said: “Look at your food and your drink; it has not changed”  This seems to support the claim that the man was out for about a day, as his fruit did not rot.  God continued: “And look at your donkey; We will make you a sign for the people.  Look at the bones - how We raise them and then cover them with flesh."  It was something wondrous. Allah wanted to show the man that a hundred years had passed.  When the man looked at his donkey, he found that it was a pile of dry bones.  It took years for the donkey to grow old, die, and for his flesh to decompose, and his bones to dry out. 

How could this be, you may ask? We answer that Allah is The Expander and The Restrictor.  He is not governed by the laws of physics, the flow of time, or the rules of the universe; rather He is the one who governs.  Allah set the rules, and He can overrule them.  He can fold time in regards to the food, and extend time in regards to the donkey, while both coexist right next to each other.  This can only be done by the One who possesses all the power.  He says: ‘Look at your food and your drink; it has not changed with time.  And look at your donkey; We will make you a sign for the people.  Look at the bones - how We raise them and then cover them with flesh." When it became clear to him, he said, "I know that God is over all things competent."

Allah showed the traveler the bones of his long gone donkey rise to come together, then they were covered with flesh, and his donkey came back to life.  He witnessed firsthand the process of resurrection.  And in that was the answer to the question: "How will God bring this town to life after its death?"  The man saw the answer in himself and his donkey.  Then, he then looked up to see the abandoned village full of life. 

Let’s examine the phrase “We will make you a sign for the people.”  Who are the people God referring to?  We answer that the most authentic narrative seems to point out that the traveler in this story was a righteous man named Uzair.  He was one of only four people who had fully memorized the Torah.  The other three who knew it by heart were prophets Moses, Jesus, and Yoshah –peace be upon them all-.

The story goes that when Uzair awakened and witnessed the miracle of resurrection, he returned to his home village.  Of course, when he arrived, everything had changed.  Most everyone he knew had died.  People gathered around to see who this stranger was.  He told them that he was Uzair, a resident of the village.  The villagers took him to an elderly woman who was blind and bedridden.  They told her that a man who claims to be Uzair of this village has arrived.  She replied: ‘Uzair left us a hundred years ago and never returned.’ He said: "I am ‘Uzair." She answered: ‘I recognize this voice....But Uzair was a righteous man whose prayers were always answered.’  Uzair supplicated God to give the woman her sight back.  She looked up, saw him and said: ‘This is Uzair exactly as I remember him from my childhood.’ 

The story of Uzair spread quickly until it reached his son –who was now a man over a hundred years old-.  He came to see his father –a man of fifty years-.  The son said: I heard that my father had a distinct birthmark between his shoulders.  Uzair lowered his garment revealing his shoulder and a birthmark exactly as his son described. 

The last piece of evidence came as the villagers told Uzair about the fall of Jerusalem, and how Nebuchadrezzar had burned all copies of the Torah.  There was only one that survived, but they were not sure about its authenticity.  That copy was brought forth, and Uzair started reciting from memory verbatim as written in the copy.  Now, there was no question of who this man was.  The villagers marveled at watching a son over one hundred years old standing next to his father of fifty.  God says: ‘We will make you a sign for the people.’  Uzair said, "I know that God is over all things competent."  As a young man, he knew, through contemplation and faith, that Allah has the attributes of absolute perfection.  Now, as a resurrected man, he knew through firsthand experience that Allah has the attributes of absolute perfection.  "I know that God is over all things competent" was a confirmation of his faith. 

Allah, the Almighty, extends time and restricts it.  He gives life and takes it away.  He gives us clues and signs from our daily lives.  Time almost stops for a hibernating bear as its heart slows to a few beats a minute while life goes on normally around it.  We see a similar story to Uzair’s in the people of the cave.  God says in the 19^th verse of Chapter 18:

In time We woke them, and they began to question one another. One of them asked, ‘How long have you been here?’ and one answered, ‘A day or part of a day,’ but then another said, ‘Your Lord knows best how long you have been here.

God says:

And they had remained in their cave three hundred years, and they were increased nine (18:25)

The story of the resurrection of Uzair, the alteration of the flow of time, and the story of Prophet Abraham’s argument with the king who claimed to give life and death affirm the core of Islamic creed:

Allah: there is no god but Him, the Ever-Living, the Ever Watchful. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. All that is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Him. Who is there that can intercede with Him except by His leave? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, but they do not comprehend any of His knowledge except what He wills. His seat encompasses the heavens and the earth; it does not weary Him to preserve them both. He is the Most High, the Tremendous. (Chapter 2: Verse 255)