Quran Garden

Two Amazing stories from Surah Al-Baqarah

Today, we bring you two more stories from the Tafsir of Surah Al-Baqarah.  We put this fantastic collection together from the Tafsir sessions of QuranGarden.  If you would like to understand the Quran like never before, then you have come to the right place.  Each week, QuranGarden brings you the best verse by verse English Tafsir of the Quran, so make sure to subscribe, like, and share.

Let's get started with the first story:

A Young Father & An Old Son

The first story comes to us from the tafsir of aya 259 of Surah Al-Baqarah.

It is an excellent example of how Allah is not governed by the laws of physics, the flow of time, or the rules of the universe; He is all-capable and all-wise.  If you have read Surah Al-Baqarah, you may be familiar with some of the events, but do you know the entire story?

A few miles outside of Jerusalem, on a beautiful summer morning, a righteous man named Uzair left his village riding his donkey to check on one of his farms. His wife packed him a simple lunch consisting of some milk, bread, a few figs, and grapes.  She covered the food basket with a cloth to protect it from the blazing summer sun.

Uzair was very respected by the villagers.  He was a good man who memorized God's book.  No one was more knowledgeable about the Torah than him.  After he checked on his farms, it was time to head back home.  For a change, he decided to take a side road that he never took before.  It was around noon, and he felt the heat of the sun beating on him.  So, when Uzair saw some old abandoned houses, he entered to rest and have lunch. Uzair tied his donkey to a tree, grabbed his lunch basket, and sat in the shadow of a wall.  He squeezed some grapes and dipped the bread in their juice.   

Before he took his first bite, he looked around.  The houses were in ruins; parts of the ceiling had collapsed, and the walls were in terrible shape.  He said in wonder, "Oh, what a ghost town! How will God ever bring this town back to life?"  Uzair did not doubt God's ability, but his mind couldn't stop wondering how a deserted town could ever be full of life again.  Uzair soon closed his eyes and fell asleep, but Allah kept his soul and did not return it.  Uzair died before he could eat one bite of his lunch.  

When Uzair did not return home that night, his wife got very concerned. "Someone, please, please help me! Uzair did not come home for dinner.  He is never late!" The villagers went out looking for him but returned empty-handed.  The wife was in tears. 

"Who is going to take care of my baby and me?" 

The villagers searched for Uzair for weeks before they gave up.  Soon after, they got the news that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia, had gathered large armies to attack Jerusalem.  The villagers had to prepare for war, and Uzair was soon forgotten.  In 587 BC, after a siege that lasted for over a year, Jerusalem fell.  Nebuchadnezzar plundered the city, killed many of its residents, and burned all copies of the Torah. 

A hundred years had passed since Uzair visited his farm.  Suddenly he opened his eyes! He sat up and looked around.  His lunch was next to him, but where did the donkey go?  He looked around, but all he found was a pile of bones next to the tree.  Confused, he looked at the sky and realized that it was almost sunset.  Uzair panicked, "I am late for home, and my wife must be worried."  

But before rushing home, he wanted to offer his afternoon prayers.  During his prayers, God sent the Angel Gabriel, who asked: "Uzair, How long did you remain?" Uzair rubbed his eyes and replied, "for an afternoon, maybe a bit longer." Gabriel said: "No Uzair, you have been dead for a hundred years.  Look at your food; it is still fresh.  And look at your donkey; it is a pile of bones!" Uzair understood that God is not governed by time or space.  Allah sets the rules of the universe, but He can override them at any time.  Allah can fold time in regards to the food and extend time in regards to the donkey, while both are right next to each other. All of a sudden, the donkey's bones started moving.  They slowly came together, and then they were covered with flesh.  After a few minutes, Uzair's resurrected donkey took a deep breath and made a loud bray as it stood on its feet. Uzair said from the bottom of his heart: "God is Great! I know that God has power over all things!"

After he finished the prayers, he quickly ate his lunch and rode his donkey back to the village.  Things looked familiar yet different.  He went to his house, knocked on the door, only to be greeted by a person he did not know. 

Soon, people gathered around to see who this stranger was. "Who are you, young man?" An old man asked. 

"My name is Uzair. I lived in this house many years back."

"Uzair? That name sounds familiar.  My grandmother told me a story about a good man named Uzair, who disappeared when she was young." 

"I am Uzair.  God Almighty sent me back."

The villagers were very skeptical, but they had a few residents who were over a hundred years old.  They took Uzair to one of them.  She was an elderly woman who was blind and bedridden.  They told her that there was a man there who claimed to be Uzair.   She said, "Uzair left us a hundred years ago and never returned.  I used to work at his house and help his wife."

He said: "I am Uzair."

She answered: "By God, I recognize this voice! Uzair was a righteous man who memorized the Torah.  His prayers were always answered." 

Uzair raised his hands to the heavens and supplicated God to give the woman her sight back. She looked up, got out of her bed, and walked around Uzair, staring at him. "I cannot believe my eyes! This is Uzair exactly as I remember him from my childhood!" 

The story of Uzair quickly spread until it reached his son, who was now a man over a hundred years old.  He came to see his father, a man aged fifty.  "My mom told me many stories about my father.  She loved him dearly, and she always mused about how handsome he was.  My mom talked about a unique birthmark between his shoulders."  Uzair lowered his garment, revealing a birthmark precisely as his son described.  Uzair and his son embraced each other and cried.  

Suddenly, the village elders realized the great opportunity God had given them.  They told Uzair about the fall of Jerusalem and how Nebuchadrezzar had burned all copies of the Torah.  They had managed to hide only one copy, but they were not sure about its authenticity.  Maybe Uzair could help!

The villagers brought the Torah, and Uzair started reciting from memory verbatim, as written in the copy.  Now, there was no question of who this man was, and there was no question that the Torah in their possession was authentic. The villagers marveled at a son over one hundred years old standing next to his father, aged fifty.  Uzair said, "I know that God is over all things competent." 

God says:

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)

 

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Now we come to the second story,

A Simple Math Problem from the Quran

This story comes to us from the Tafsir of ayat 228 and 233 of Surah Al-Baqarah,

It is a great example of how the believers stand by each other and help one another to solve problems.  It also shows how a deeper understanding of the Quran can help you make life fair and more enjoyable.   

A woman was brought before the Caliph Othman, may God be pleased with him.  She had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl.  But her husband was very upset because they got married only six months ago!  How could she have given birth only six months after marriage!?  Pregnancies are never that short.  She must have had relations before the wedding!  Othman listened to the man and his wife.  The wife was in tears as she repeatedly denied doing anything wrong.  Othman considered the facts and agreed with the husband.  Sadly, this seemingly good woman had done something terrible and should be punished for adultery.   

Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet's cousin, overheard the conversation.  He went to Othman and said: "Are you accusing this poor woman of adultery?" Othman replied, "Well, of course, she gave birth after being married for only six months." Imam Ali said, "My dear brother, Haven't you heard what God said in the Quran?" Othman asked: "What do you mean?" Imam Ali started reciting two verses, one from Surah Al-Baqarah and one from Surah Al-Ahqaf:

Mothers can suckle their children for two whole years if they wish to complete the term, and the father must bear clothing and maintenance in a fair manner. No one should be burdened with more than they can bear: no mother shall be made to suffer harm on account of her child, nor any father on account of his. (from 2:233)

Imam Ali continued,  

We have commanded man to be good to his parents: his mother struggled to carry him and struggled to give birth to him- his bearing and weaning took a full thirty months. (from 46:15)

Ali explained to Othman, may God be pleased with them, that Allah informed us in the first Aya that breastfeeding can last up to 24 months.  Allah also informed us in the second Aya that the combined duration of pregnancy and breastfeeding can be thirty months.  If we subtract the 24 months of breastfeeding from the 30 months of the pregnancy and breastfeeding combined, we are left with a pregnancy that can be as short as six months.  After hearing these verses, Othman said: "By God, I did not pay attention to this."

Othman brought the husband and wife back.  He sat down with them and explained God's word.  He congratulated them on the newborn and for their new beautiful family.

 

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