Quran Garden

Session 288

Chapter 2

Verse 260

And when Abraham said: "My Lord, show me how You will restore life to the dead!" God said: "Why? Do you not believe?" Abraham said: "Yes, but that my heart may be at peace." He said: "Then take four birds of different kinds, and tame them to yourself to know them fully. Then chop them into pieces, mix them, and put on every one of the hills a piece from each.  Then summon them, and they will come to you walking in haste.  And know that God is Almighty and All-Wise.” (Chapter 2: Verse 260)

Prophet Abraham asked the Lord: How do you give life to the dead? Did he doubt resurrection? Of course not.  He, peace be upon, was fascinated by God’s power, and wanted to see how it is done.  He did not question revival; he simply wanted to witness it.  Abraham had unshakable faith, and his question did not involve creed at all.  Say for example that you saw an amazingly beautiful building.  You may go to the architect who designed it and say in wonder: “Would you show me how you designed this building?”  You are not questioning who designed the building; you have no doubt.  You just want to see how it was done because you are fascinated by it. 

Here you may ask: If Abraham had unshakable faith, then why did he say: “but that my heart may be at peace." Didn’t he have peace in his heart? We answer that Prophet Abraham had faith in God, faith in resurrection and the last day.  In fact, he had so much faith that he was preoccupied not with questioning resurrection, but in how resurrection was done.  Abraham wanted to see resurrection so he can stop wondering about it and put his curious mind to rest.  

And what better way to explain resurrection than an experiment? Rather than words, Allah wanted Abraham to see it firsthand.  He said: "Then take four birds of different kinds, and tame them to yourself to know them fully.”  Some scholars said that Abraham chose a crow, a peacock, a rooster, and a pigeon: Four very different birds he raised and got to know intimately, so there would be no doubt.  Then God said: “Then chop them into pieces, mix them, and put on every one of the hills a piece from each.” Did Abraham actually do this, or was he satisfied with the explanation God gave about the process? The Qur'an does not mention whether the events actually happened, or whether Abraham was merely satisfied with the explanation.   

It is interesting to note that God used the phrase: “summon them, and they will come to you walking in haste.”  As you know, birds fly, so why wouldn’t they come flying? Because Allah did not want to leave any room for doubt; the birds would come walking to Abraham so he can closely examine each one and make sure they are his pet birds.  It was not a quick fly-by.

Here we should take a few moments to examine the phrase: “Then summon them, and they will come to you walking in haste.” Abraham, as a human being, is unable to give life, but the Almighty gave him the ability to call the birds back to life.  Keep in mind the difference between the absolute ability of God the creator, and the relative ability of the creation –in this case Prophet Abraham-.   Allah’s power and ability are absolute, ever-present and ever-lasting.  No one can take away God’s ability, nor will His abilities waiver or change.

On the other hand, we as humans, have relative abilities.  A person may have an ability that is absent in others.  You, for example, can help a disabled person carry a chair up a flight of stairs.  An artist can help a person decorate his or her house.  The most important point to remember is that these abilities are not inherent within us.  God can change our abilities at any moment.  You are physically healthy today, but may be disabled tonight.  A writer maybe famous today, but lose his or her talent tomorrow.  Allah is the only one who gives from His power to the powerless.  He says: “be,”and it becomes. 

This brings us back to the verse.  When God said to Abraham: “summon them, and they will come to you walking in haste,” He gave Abraham the ability to raise the birds from death.  Allah can grant His power to whomever He wills because His power is inherent and absolute.  You and I cannot grant our power to others, because our power is a gift.  In fact, you and I cannot even guarantee to keep the abilities that we have. 

Let’s look at an example from the Quran.  Listen to God’s words about Prophet Jesus son of Mary -peace be upon him-:

And a Messenger to the Children of Israel: ‘Assuredly, I have come to you with a clear proof from your Lord: I fashion for you out of clay something in the shape of a bird, then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s permission. And I heal the blind from birth and the leper, and I revive the dead, by God’s permission. And I inform you of what things you eat, and what you store up in your houses.  Surely in this is a clear proof for you, if you are sincere believers  (03:49)

              We understand that Allah granted Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) two types of miracles.  The first type were abilities given to Jesus so he can perform certain miracles by himself, such as knowing what people ate, and what they store and hide in their homes.  The second type of miracles were those that were not inherent to Jesus; rather, they required God’s direct permission and power every single time.  Miracles like resurrecting the dead, and breathing life into objects.  These miracles could not be done without God’s will and cannot be exclusively attributed to the Prophet Jesus.

Similar was the experience of our beloved Abraham.  Thus, God said to him: “And know that God is Almighty and All-Wise.”  God is Mighty so no one can overcome Him, and He is wise in granting and withholding powers and abilities.