These verses form a cohesive unit following the grand declaration of Allah’s sovereignty in Ayat al-Kursi (2:255). They present a series of narratives to refute the intellectual and moral foundations of disbelief, demonstrating the absurdity and ultimate failure of arguing against the truth of Tawhid (Allah’s Oneness).
Arabic Text (2:258):
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِي حَاجَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ فِي رَبِّهِ أَنْ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ إِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّيَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ قَالَ أَنَا أُحْيِي وَأُمِيتُ ۖ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْتِي بِالشَّمْسِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَأْتِ بِهَا مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ فَبُهِتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ
Translation (2:258):
“Have you not considered him who argued with Abraham about his Lord because Allah had granted him kingship? When Abraham said, ‘My Lord is He who gives life and causes death,’ he replied, ‘I [too] give life and cause death.’ Abraham said, ‘Indeed, Allah brings up the sun from the east; so you bring it up from the west.’ Thereupon, the disbeliever was dumbfounded. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.”
Tafseer (2:258) from Tafheem-ul-Quran:
The Narrative & Its Lessons:
· The Arrogant Opponent: The verse refers to Nimrod, a tyrannical king who claimed divinity due to his temporal power. His argument represents the logic of brute force and political authority used to suppress truth.
· Abraham’s (Ibrahim’s) Method:
- First Proposition: He begins with a fundamental, undeniable truth of divine authority: giving life and death. Nimrod, in his arrogance, tries to pervert this by demonstrating power to kill a prisoner or spare another, a feeble imitation of true creation and resurrection.
- Masterful Reply: Abraham does not engage in a futile debate about the misuse of power. Instead, he shifts the argument to a phenomenon entirely beyond human manipulation: the cosmic order. The rising of the sun is a daily, universal sign of Allah’s supreme power. By challenging Nimrod to reverse it, Abraham exposes the utter limitation of the tyrant and the infinity of Allah’s power.
· The Outcome: The disbeliever is “buhiṭa” – rendered speechless, confounded, and defeated intellectually. The argument from miracles of the natural order is unanswerable.
· Divine Principle: The verse concludes that Allah does not guide those who are “Zalimun” (wrongdoers, unjust). Their arrogance and insistence on falsehood, despite clear evidence, seals their hearts from guidance.
Arabic Text (2:259):
أَوْ كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا قَالَ أَنَّىٰ يُحْيِي هَٰذِهِ اللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۖ فَأَمَاتَهُ اللَّهُ مِائَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُ ۖ قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ ۖ قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ ۖ قَالَ بَل لَّبِثْتَ مِائَةَ عَامٍ فَانظُرْ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ ۖ وَانظُرْ إِلَىٰ حِمَارِكَ وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ آيَةً لِّلنَّاسِ ۖ وَانظُرْ إِلَى الْعِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا ۚ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Translation (2:259):
“Or the one who passed by a town that had fallen into ruin. He wondered, ‘How will Allah bring this back to life after its death?’ So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then resurrected him. Allah asked, ‘How long have you remained [in this state]?’ He said, ‘I have remained a day or part of a day.’ Allah said, ‘No, you have remained for a hundred years. Look at your food and drink – they have not spoiled. And look at your donkey. And thus We make you a sign for people. And look at the bones [of the donkey] – how We assemble them and then clothe them with flesh.’ And when it became clear to him, he said, ‘Now I know that Allah has power over all things.'”
Tafseer (2:259) from Tafheem-ul-Quran:
The Narrative & Its Lessons:
· The Doubter: This is commonly understood to refer to Prophet Uzair (Ezra) or a pious man who intellectually acknowledged Allah’s power but struggled to visualize resurrection. His doubt was from inability to comprehend the ‘how’, not from outright denial like Nimrod.
· Allah’s Pedagogical Method: Allah does not punish his doubt but educates him through direct experience. He is made to witness his own resurrection and that of his donkey.
· Key Evidences Provided:
- The Perished Food & Drink: A miracle preserving the unperishable, showing Allah’s power over time and decay.
- The Donkey’s Resurrection: A step-by-step visual demonstration of re-creation – bones assembled, clothed with flesh, and brought back to life.
· The Core Lesson: The man’s statement, “I have remained a day or part of a day,” highlights that for Allah, time is irrelevant. A hundred years are like a moment. The One who can manage this can easily resurrect all of creation. The lesson is about understanding Allah’s absolute power (Qudrah) beyond human constraints of time and mechanism.
Arabic Text (2:260):
وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ ۖ قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِن ۖ قَالَ بَلَىٰ وَلَٰكِن لِّيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِي ۖ قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِّنَ الطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِّنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُمَّ ادْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْيًا ۚ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
Translation (2:260):
“And when Abraham said, ‘My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead.’ Allah said, ‘Do you not believe?’ He said, ‘Yes, but [I ask] so that my heart may be at ease.’ Allah said, ‘Take four birds, train them to come to you, then place a part of each of them on separate hills, then call them; they will come flying to you. And know that Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.'”
Tafseer (2:260) from Tafheem-ul-Quran:
The Narrative & Its Lessons:
· Abraham’s (Ibrahim’s) Request: This is the request of a firm believer (Bali, walakin…) seeking “Ṭma’nīnah al-Qalb” – the complete satisfaction and tranquillity of the heart, a higher stage beyond intellectual belief. It represents the yearning of a Prophet for a deeper, experiential certainty to strengthen his mission.
· Allah’s Response: Allah grants this request to His intimate friend (Khaleel). The instruction with the birds is a practical demonstration tailored to the human mind.
· The Profound Demonstration: By cutting the birds, mixing their parts, and placing them on distant hills, then calling them to see them restored and flying back, Abraham witnesses a tangible metaphor for resurrection. It shows that Allah, who can summon scattered, mixed elements from afar and reconstitute life, can most certainly resurrect humans.
· The Ultimate Reminder: The verse ends with “And know that Allah is Almighty (Aziz), All-Wise (Hakeem).” His power is irresistible, and His wisdom governs everything, including the method of providing reassurance to His messengers.
Summary of the Three Verses as a Unit (from Tafheem):
· Verse 258: Addresses hostile, arrogant rejection (Kufr al-Juhood) and its intellectual defeat through the signs in the universe.
· Verse 259: Addresses doubt arising from weak comprehension and provides a lesson through direct observation and experience.
· Verse 260: Addresses the believer’s quest for absolute heart-certainty and how Allah nurtures and fulfills that spiritual need.
Together, they dismantle disbelief from all angles—hostility, doubt, and the desire for deeper certainty—affirming the reality of Allah’s supreme power, especially over life, death, and resurrection, which is the central theme connecting them.
Messages from Quran 