Surah 2. Al-Baqara, Ayah 260
| وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ ۖ قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِنْ ۖ قَالَ بَلَىٰ وَلَٰكِنْ لِيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِي ۖ قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِنَ الطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُمَّ ادْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْيًا ۚ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ |
| Transliteration | : | wa- 'idh qaala 'ibraahem rabb -i ari -ne kayfa tuh.ye al- mawtaa qaala 'a- wa- lam tu'min qaala balaa wa- laakin li- yat.ma'inn qalb -e qaala fa- khudh arbacah min at.- t.ayr fa- s.ur -hunna 'ilay -ka thumma ijcal calaa kull jabal min -hunna juz'(an) thumma udcu -hunna ya'tena -ka sacy(an) wa- iclam 'anna 'allaah cazez h.akem |
| Pickthall | : | And when Abraham said (unto his Lord): My lord! Show me how Thou givest life to the dead, He said: Dost thou not believe? Abraham said: Yea, but (I ask) in order that my heart may be at ease. (His Lord) said: Take four of the birds and cause them to incline unto thee, then place a part of them on each hill, then call them, they will come to thee in haste. And know that Allah is Mighty, Wise. |
| Asad | : | And, lo, Abraham said: "O my Sustainer! Show me how Thou givest life unto the dead!" Said He: "Hast thou, then, no faith?" [Abraham] answered: "Yea, but [let me see it] so that my heart may be set fully at rest." Said He: "Take, then, four birds and teach them to obey thee;256 then place them separately on every hill [around thee]; then summon them: they will come flying to thee. And know that God is almighty, wise."257 |
| Malik | : | Yet another example is when Ibrahim said: "My Rabb! Show me how you give life to the dead." He replied: "Have you no faith in this?" Ibrahim humbly submitted: "Yes! But I ask this to reassure my heart." Allah said: "Take four birds; train them to follow your direction, cut their bodies into pieces and scatter those pieces on hilltops then call them back; Allah will bring them back to life and they will come to you right away. Thus you will know that Allah is All-powerful and Wise." |
| Yusuf Ali | : | Behold! Abraham said: "My Lord! show me how thou givest life to the dead. He said: "Dost thou not then believe?" He said: "Yea! but to satisfy my own understanding." He said: "Take four birds; tame them to turn to thee; put a portion of them on every hill and call to them; they will come to thee (flying) with speed. Then know that Allah is Exalted in Power Wise." 306 307 308 |
Note - 256Lit., "make them incline towards thee" (Zamakhshari; see
also Lane IV, 1744).
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Note - 257My rendering of the above parable is based on the primary
meaning of the imperative surhunna ilayka ("make them
incline towards thee", i.e., "teach them to obey thee").
The moral of this story has been pointed out convincingly
by the famous commentator Abu Muslim (as quoted by Razi):
"If man is able - as he undoubtedly is - to train birds
in such a way as to make them obey his call, then it is
obvious that God, whose will all things obey, can call
life into being by simply decreeing, 'Be!'"
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Note - 306Verse 258, we saw, illustrated by God's power over Life
and Death, contrasted with man's vain boasts or
imaginings. Verse 259 illustrated how Time is immaterial
to God's working; things, individuals and nations are
subject to laws of life and death, which are under God's
complete control, however much we may be misled by
appearances. Now in Verse 200 we are shown the power of
wisdom and love: if man can tame birds so that they know
him and fly to him, how much more will God's creatures
obey His call at the Resurrection?
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Note - 307Abraham had complete faith in God's power, but he wanted,
with God's permission, to give an explanation of that
faith to his own heart and mind. Where I have translated
"satisfy my own understanding", the literal translation
would be "satisfy my own heart".
|
Note - 308A portion of them: Juz-an. The received Commentators
understand this to mean that the birds were to be cut up
and pieces of them were to be put on the hills. The
cutting up or killing is not mentioned, but they say that
it is implied by an ellipsis, as the question is how God
gives life to the dead. Of the modern Muslim
Commentators, M.P. is non-committal, but H.G.S. and
M.M.A. understand that the birds were not killed, but
that a "portion" here means a unit, single birds were
placed on the hills, and they flew to the one who tamed
them. This last view commends itself to me, as the
cutting up of the birds to pieces is nowhere mentioned,
unless we understand the word for "Taming" in an unusual
and almost impossible sense.
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Lit., "make them incline towards thee" (Zamakhshari; see also Lane IV, 1744). |
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My rendering of the above parable is based on the primary meaning of the imperative surhunna ilayka ("make them incline towards thee", i.e., "teach them to obey thee"). The moral of this story has been pointed out convincingly by the famous commentator Abu Muslim (as quoted by Razi): "If man is able - as he undoubtedly is - to train birds in such a way as to make them obey his call, then it is obvious that God, whose will all things obey, can call life into being by simply decreeing, 'Be!'" |
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Verse 258, we saw, illustrated by God's power over Life and Death, contrasted with man's vain boasts or imaginings. Verse 259 illustrated how Time is immaterial to God's working; things, individuals and nations are subject to laws of life and death, which are under God's complete control, however much we may be misled by appearances. Now in Verse 200 we are shown the power of wisdom and love: if man can tame birds so that they know him and fly to him, how much more will God's creatures obey His call at the Resurrection? |
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Abraham had complete faith in God's power, but he wanted, with God's permission, to give an explanation of that faith to his own heart and mind. Where I have translated "satisfy my own understanding", the literal translation would be "satisfy my own heart". |
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A portion of them: Juz-an. The received Commentators understand this to mean that the birds were to be cut up and pieces of them were to be put on the hills. The cutting up or killing is not mentioned, but they say that it is implied by an ellipsis, as the question is how God gives life to the dead. Of the modern Muslim Commentators, M.P. is non-committal, but H.G.S. and M.M.A. understand that the birds were not killed, but that a "portion" here means a unit, single birds were placed on the hills, and they flew to the one who tamed them. This last view commends itself to me, as the cutting up of the birds to pieces is nowhere mentioned, unless we understand the word for "Taming" in an unusual and almost impossible sense. |
