Allah experimented to Ibrahim how will resurrect the dead on the Last Day [3]

"And[mention] when Abraham[Ibrahim] said: "My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead." [Allah] said: "Have you not believed?" He said: "Yes, but [I ask] only that my heart may be satisfied." [Allah] said, "Take four birds and commit them to yourself[train them to come to your command]. Then [after slaughtering them] put on each hill a portion of them[after mixing up the meet]; then call them – they will come [flying] to you in haste. And know that Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise." --- Qur'an chapter 2 verse 260


Last week, our weekly Islamic history series focused on how Prophet Ibrahim built Ka'abah, the black cube in Makkah with the help of his son, Ismael. And added a related piece on Hajj.
This week, our series will concluded the third and final history of Prophet Ibrahim.
According to a hadith narrated by Abi Zarr: I asked the Prophet[PBUH] how many books Allah revealed: He answered saying: 104. He revealed 10 to Adam, 50 to Sheeth, 30 to Khanookh and 10 to Ibrahim. And He [Allah] sent the Bible, the Torah, the Psalm and the Furqan[Criterion], which is the Qur'an. Abi Zarr further asked: What was the content of Ibrahim's book? He answered: They were all similitude/simile and parables[such as]: O you the king who lords it over people and exploits them, I am sending you to unite the world[people] with one another. But I therefore entreat you to leave the grievance and prayer of the oppressed to Me alone. For I would not refuse to answer it, even if [the victim] is a none believer. And part of the wisdom is: It is incumbent on a wise man to have some exclusive time for himself -Time to supplicate to his Lord, time to reflect on the creation of Allah and time to judge himself on what he did and yet to do and time to devote on his legitimate means of livelihood. And a wise man does not need to be a tyrant but for only three reasons: Preparing for eternity, yearning for his livelihood and seeking pleasure from what is halal or lawful.
And it is necessary for the wise to be observant of what happens in his time, mindful of his own business and protective of his mouth [against slandering and backbiting]. And he who limit his talks strictly on his business affairs, would not venture into what does not concern him. And peace be upon he who honors a guest. And he who dishonors him would be at the bottom pit of the hellfire. And Abi Zarr then concluded: That was why Ibrahim would not eat alone during his time but with a guest.

Why Allah made Ibrahim His best Friend?

Scholars have three different opinions on the rationale behind Allah giving him the title, "Khalilul Lah", or the best friend of Allah.
The first opinion says: By virtue of his willingness to give away food. And he would not eat except with a guest. In a hadith narrated by Abdallah bun 'Amru bunul 'Aas, the Prophet[PBUH] asked Angel Gabriel: "Yaa Jibrilu, Lema Takhaza Lahu Ibrahima Khalilan?" that: "O Jibril[ Angel Gabriel], why did Allah choose Ibrahim as His best friend? And he answered him saying: "Le it'amihil ta'am Ya Muhammad", that: "By virtue of his willingness to feed [food to the guest] O Muhammad".
The third opinion holds that: A group of people got stranded and came to his door, seeking for food and he used to collect some tolls or taxes from a friend of his in Egypt every year. So sent his son with some of his servants with his camel to Egypt to collect some money from his friends so they could prepare food for his guests, and the friend did not give them anything…So they decided to fill up the sack with sand and brought it home, while Ibrahim was deep asleep…Later when Sarah, the wife of Ibrahim opened it, it miraculously turned into flour of bread. And she asked the bread bakers to bake. They did and fed the guest. Later when Ibrahim woke up, he asked where the food came from and he was told it came from his Egyptian friend. And he said: But rather from my best friend, Allah! And it was on that day that Allah honored him as His best friend. This was narrated by Ibn Abbass.
The third opinion has it that: Allah made him his best friend, because he smashed and broke the idols his people used to worship into pieces.
According to Ibn Abbass again: When Allah made Ibrahim his best friend, he had about 300 slaves and he freed them and they converted to Islam and fought with him to defeat his enemies with sticks. And he further narrated that, Ibrahim was the first to make a bow. He made two bows for his sons Ismael and Ishaque that they used to throw at targets.

In a narrative according to Ubaid bun Umair: Ibrahim used to feed guest and people in general and he left his home one day, looking for a man to feed and could not get anyone. He came back to his house and saw a stranger standing inside. He asked him: O servant of Allah, how come you entered my house without my permission? The man answered him saying: I entered with the permission of my Lord. And he said: Who are you? And the man answered: I am the Angel of death, Allah has sent me to a servant among his servants to inform him that, He has made him His best friend. Ibrahim asked: Who is that person? For by Allah if you inform me about him, no matter how far his country is located at, I will go closer to him to be his neighbor and will not move far from him until death do us part.
At that point, the Angel of death revealed to him that: That servant of Allah is you[Ibrahim]!. And he was surprised by the answer and asked :"Me?" And the Angel said: "Yes, you!", and he asked him: Then why Allah chose me as his best friend? He answered him saying: Because you always give people and you do not ask them to give you back in return. This was narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim.
In fact, due to his generosity, Prophet Ibrahim is honored to have been mentioned by Allah in the Qur'an 35 times, 15 times in Qur'an chapter 2 [Suratul Baqarah[the Cow] alone. And he is among the five most superior of the Messengers and Prophets of Allah, known in Arabic as: "Ulul 'Azm minal Rusul" – Nuh[Noah], Ibrahim[Abraham], Musah[Moses] Issah[Jesus], and Muhammad[PBUH]. And three religious traditions trace their roots to him, hence being referred to as; Abrahamic faiths – Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
And above all, in the spiritual world, Ibrahim is said to be leaning on the "celestial Ka'abah" called "Baitil Ma'amoo"r in the heavens, under the throne of Allah, where seventy thousand Angels circumambulate daily, and would not return, since they are getting replace daily with new group f Angels, until the Last Day. When brought on earth, "Baitil Ma'amoor" would land exactly on top of Ka'abah the black cube in Makkah, as a cover of a bottle seals it. And Allah granted him this leverage, because he was the one who built Ka'abah on earth.
The moral lesson that could be driven from this particular story is the virtues of generosity, especially, feeding the poor and the needy. There are several kinds of ahadith that the Prophet[PBUH] mentioned that, people who feed the poor and the needy are more closer to Allah. And one of the wisdom behind Allah making fasting incumbent on us Muslims is for us to empathize and feel for the poor, who could hardly meet their basic necessity of life – food. Hence no wonder Muslims would generously give food to the needy and they are even more generous in Ramadan.
And frankly speaking, when it come to giving out food, the Arabs/Muslims cultivated this habit of generosity from their ancestral father, Ibrahim. That is why when you meet an Arab/Muslim or goes to his/her house, he/she would be eager to serve you with some food. They have a special term for it – "Joud wal karam", that is, "kindness and generosity". And I experienced this myself two days ago when I picked my daughter[Aisha] from school in New York City, a stone throw from our house. While we were walking home, this Arab guy in his car saw us, he stopped and greeted: "Salam Alaikum!"[I guess because he saw her wearing hijab and concluded we are Muslims]. We responded: "Wa Alaika Salam!" and he handed to us some food and cookies that he said he just brought from Egypt, while persuading us to take it from him and eat because it as a good food, when he felt we were reluctant to do so.
However, hardly would you see this among Americans, especially the none Muslim Americans. They have a saying that: "There is no free launch", so when you go to their events, food is always for sale. But when an American comes to our masajids[various mosques] or any Muslim event and sees food being distributed freely, they see it as weird, and they concluded that, "You guys are nice!!!... free food??? Wow!!!" And I remember one instance when an Hispanic man used to come to a masjid for free food[as usual] during iftar for the entire 30 days of Ramadan. So right after Ramadan, this guy became who excited about this act of generosity and came to the masjid to take shahadah or embrace Islam.

How Allah made Ibrahim to experiment resurrection of the dead himself

When Allah fulfilled Ibrahim with grace, favor and mercy, and showed him some powerful kingdom of the heaven and earth, and exposed some of his hidden secrets of the universe to him, and got him closer to his sacredness, and made him a beloved friend of His. His heart desired more of such divine favors from Allah and to attain more knowledge of his hidden reality. He request from Allah with due respect and humility to showcase him how he would resurrect the dead, in order to strengthen his certainly of believe in Allah's ability. And as usual, lovers and friends of Allah would always seek to do things that would increase them in love and closeness to Him.
In another opinion according to a narrative by Ibn Abbass: Ibrahim passed by dead man at a river bank and saw lions feasting on his body. Being curious, he asked Allah to showcase him how he would resurrect the dead.
Narrating the story to Prophet Muhammad[PBUH] in Qur'an chapter 2 verse 260, Allah says: "And[mention] when Abraham[Ibrahim] said: "My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead." [Allah] said: "Have you not believed?" He said: "Yes, but [I ask] only that my heart may be satisfied." [Allah] said: "Take four birds and commit them to yourself[train them to come to your command]. Then [after slaughtering them] put on each hill a portion of them[after mixing up together their meat and feathers]; then call them – they will come [flying] to you in haste. And know that Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise." Allah stated that Ibrahim had a complete faith in Him, but he wanted with Allah's permission to give an explanation of that faith to his own heart and mind.
In this verse, Qur'anic commentators understand the phrase, "…portion of them.." 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 Allah gives life to the dead.
Ibrahim did this experiment exactly as Allah commanded him to, by slaughtering four bird species. He cut their meats into pieces and mixed them up and put them on four hills. While looking on, lo and behold, he miraculously saw how the various fleshes, bones, feathers and skeletal frames of various birds were rising and meeting their various parts, from the four hills that he dropped them on, without mixing with other species, as they were originally created. Better still, they fixed themselves like how pieces of a puzzle are perfectly fixed and get intact with their various spare parts. And upon seeing them alive once again, he called upon them and they all came walking towards him. This vindicated what Allah prophesied to him would happen after he does that.

Allah snatched the soul of an ancient man for hundred years and resurrected him

Generation after generation, so many unbelievers and atheists have become doubting Thomases in regards to the resurrection of mankind after death on the Day of accountability. However, Allah himself narrated to Prophet Muhammad[PBUH] an instance where Ezekiel[Azar], riding on his donkey, holding his food and drink, he begins to doubt His[Allah's] capability to revive wooden structures of a village he happened to be passing by. This can be located in Qur’an chapter 2 verses 259-260, where he says : "…Or[consider such an example] as the one who passed by a township which had fallen into ruin. He said, "How will Allah bring life after it death?" So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years: then revived him. He said, "How long have you remained[dead]?" The man[Azar] said: "I have remained[dead] a day or part of a day." He [Allah] said, "Rather, you have remained[dead] for hundred years. Look at your food and your drink; it has not changed with time. And look at the bones [of your donkey you were riding] – how We [Allah] raise them and then We cover them with flesh." And when it became clear to him, he said, "I [now] know that Allah is competent and capable of doing all things."
In his commentary and analysis of this verse, Abdallah Yusufu Ali opined that: This incident in verse 259 above referred variously (1) to Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones, (2) to Nehemiah’s visit to Jerusalem in ruin after the Captivity, and to its rebuilding (Nehemiah, I. 12-20); and to Uzair, or Ezra, the scribes, priest and reformer, who was sent by the Persian king after the captivity in Jerusalem and about whom there are many Jewish legends.
A man was in despair when he sees the destruction of a whole people, city, or civilization. But Allah can cause resurrection as He has done many times in history, and as He will do at the final Resurrection. Time is nothing before Allah. The doubter above[Ezekiel] thinks that he has been dead or “tarried thus” a day or less when the period has been a century. On the other hand the food and drink which he left behind is intact, and as fresh as it was when he left it. But the donkey is not only dead, but nothing but bones is left of it. And before the man’s eyes, the bones were reunited, clothed with flesh and blood, and restored to life. Another awesome and amazing miracle here is Allah's intricate ingenuity of preserving his food and drink. Because, under normal circumstances, food and drink would be first to perish and evaporate, while It would take a while for a human or animal to decay or decomposed.

The Moral Lessons in all the above mentioned Incidents are that:

1- Time is nothing to Allah.[For He is beyond time and space].
2 - It affects different things in different ways.
3- The keys of life and death are in Allah’s hand.
4- Man’s power is nothing; his faith should be in Allah.

If they really have doubts in their minds about life after death, they have only to turn their attention either to their own nature, or to the nature around. How wonderful is their own physical growth, from lifeless matter, to seed, fertilized ovum, fetus, child youth, age, and death! How can they doubt that the Author of all these wonderful stages in their life here can also give them another kind of life after the end of this life? Or, if they look at external nature, they see the earth dead and barren and Allah’s fertilizing showers bring it into life, growth and beauty in various forms. The Creator of this great pageant of Beauty can surely create yet another and a newer world.
The stages of man’s physical growth from nothing till he completes the cycle of this life are described in words whose accuracy, beauty, and comprehensiveness can only be fully understood by biologists[No wonder many of them embraced Islam]. Parallel to the physical growth, may be understood by man’s inner growth, also by stages and by Allah’s creative artistry…That is, a male and a female child, a fair or an ugly child, a good or a rebellious child, etc., involving countless mysteries of genetics and heredity…All these beautiful and well-articulated pageants of life and nature point to the Reality behind them, Allah! They will perish, but He is eternal and infinite!…A beautiful natural passage, so pregnant in meaning that the earnest student wonders what magic and truth have been conveyed in so few words. According to the renowned Qur'anic commentator, Abdallah Yusuf Ali, this was the sentiment articulated by his Egyptian colleague, Professor Ghamrawi, who was but expressing the feelings of every careful student of the Qur’an. The “subtlety and wealth of meaning” are indeed marvelous!


People still doubting Allah's Resurrection of the dead ?

Carry Gracie, a moderator of the popular BBC program, The Interview, in 2009 had a one-on-one encounter with a Neuroscientist, Professor David Eagleman [a podcast archive which I painstakingly transcribed and quoted in a chapter, "God will bring Mankind back to Life after death", in my second book, "Not good without God", a rebut to a Harvard University atheist, and humanist chaplain, Greg M. Epstein, entitled: "good without God". And one of the soul-searching questions she posed to him was: “Humans have been thing about after-life for hundreds of thousands of years…and religious narratives about our purpose here on earth and our after-life is all about a species who need to feel special, who feel loved and looked after I n a very obituary and terrifying life, what is your take on that?”. Imagine poor Gracie describing Allah as: “species who need to feel special?” This aura of atheism and blasphemy of this woman is incredibly interesting!
Professor David Eagleman responded saying: “Everything about existence here is so mysterious and we are told we are going to die someday and none of us know what is going to happen[after death] and it is a terrifying situation, it is a terrible situation to find ourselves in…And so yes it is clear that religion and the idea of afterlife and its root is totally reasonable and seek comfort…what I think, does not make sense is to commit (one’s self) with certainty to that particular story(of after-life).” He quoted Philosopher Voltaire’s wisdom. “Uncertainty in an uncomforted position, certainty in an absurd position.”
Even though nobody knows when it will happen, but as far as force of gravity keep our feet on the ground, it will happen. Another strong advocate of atheism, a renowned philosopher Aristotle also stated that, “Death is the most terrible of all things: for it is the end.” Concerning this atheistic wishful thinking, Allah gave an explicit answer in Qur’an chapter 27 verse 4, that: “As to those who do not believe in the Hereafter, We (God) have made their deeds pleasing in their eyes; and so they wander about in distraction.”

Allah resurrected a dead man after his body was cremated and thrown inside the sea

The March 11, 2010 edition of the New York Post carried a story captioned, “Cremation is hot.”, which says, "More than a third of the 2.5 million Americans who die this year will be likely burned in crematories rather than buried, it further stated according to the Cremation Association of North America that, cremation will account for the nearly 60 percent of all bodies in 2025.
This wishful thinking will never prevent the non-believers and atheists from the torment of the hellfire. To paraphrase a hadith of the Prophet[PBUH] regarding someone [among the people of the past generations] who made a "Will" that, when he dies, his body be cremated, and the ashes be thrown in the sea. The Prophet[PBUH] disclosed that, right after they executed his "Will" and threw his dust remains in the sea, Allah, the Almighty sent down the Angel of resurrection to assemble all ashes, revive the body parts in a blink of an eye and to finally blow life into him, which he did.
After having been resurrected, Allah then asked him why he chose for his body to be cremated. He answered saying that; because he fears the wrath of Allah. Allah then instantaneously forgave him, by his sheer confession of fear of the severity of the hellfire, which is a creation of Allah. Look at how amazing Allah is with infinite, unpredictable and bountiful sense of mercy, magnanimity, care and compassion. But this incident could not be used by the none believers to seek for forgiveness from Allah, if they would not believe and worship Him as He wants to be worshipped. …Lol…it would never happen!

The resurrection of the dead begins right inside the grave

After burial of every dead person, according to a hadith of the Prophet[PBUH], his or her soul would return to the body, then two Angels would come to him/her, Munkar and Nakir, and would ask: "Who is your Lord?" he/she would answer: "my Lord is Allah"[If he/she happened to have died a Muslim]... And: "What is your religion?" he/she would answer: "My religion is Islam". Then they would probe further: "Who was the Prophet who had been sent to you?" he/she would answer: "He is the Prophet of Allah[Muhammad{PBUH}]". Then they would asked again: "How do you know?" he/she would answer: "I read the Book of Allah and trusted Him.”
And then from heavens the voice[of Allah] would come: "My Slave has told the truth, lay him/her to bed from Paradise and open the Gate of Paradise " - then it would be full of pleasure and he begins to feel the pleasure and luxury of Paradise right inside the grave, even before the Last Day, with his grave becoming as spacious as the eyes can reach.
The Prophet of Allah Muhammad[PBUH] said in another hadith about the sinners, atheists and none believers, " After the burial of a dead person, his/her soul would return to the body, then two Angels would come and ask, "Who is your Lord?" he/she would answer: "I do not know".. Then they would ask: "Who is that person who has been sent to you?" he again would answer: I "do not know" - and then from the heavens the voice[of Allah] would come: "He told a lie, put him into a box from fire and open before it the gate of the hell!”- Then it would be captured with heat of the hell, and his grave becomes narrow and the edges would be compressed."
In another hadith it is also said, that Angels would severely beat the sinners and unbelievers during interrogation in the tomb and this torture would be awful. It is informed also that, our The Prophet[PBUH] supplicated to Allah to protect him from tortures of the grave and asked other Muslims to do so. In a narration recorded by Ibn Majah, the Prophet [PBUH] said: "The grave is the first stage of the hereafter. If a person is saved from its torment, then what comes after it is really easy. If one is not saved from it, what follows is really severer.". And in yet another narration by Ibn Majah and Al Termidhi, the Prophet[PBUH] said: "I have never seen a more horrible sight than that of the grave[of the one who was not a true believer in Allah]".
In another hadith of the Prophet[PBUH], which was authenticated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim: “When a man or a woman dies and got buried, he or she is brought back to life and would be shown his or her place in Paradise or Hellfire. And would realize which of them will be his or her final destination. Then a partition would be placed between him and this world, and would not be able to re-enter back into the world, he would be held in a state of suspension, what is referred to as, "Barzakh", until the day of resurrection when he or she will be re-resurrected for the final Judgment.” It was a paragon of wisdom, Umar Bun Abdul Aziz, a fifth Caliph of the Prophet [PBUH] who said, “Oh, sons of Adam, verily you were created to last forever, and verily for death is just moving from a home to a[eternal] home.”

Activation of Life[plants] on Earth by rain indicates Allah can revive the dead

The basic chemical substance of living organism is the bridge of hydrogen called the "hydrogen bond". This hydrogen can be replaced only by iodization of water. This is why water is indispensable for life. A dehydrated organism is like a frozen skeleton even if it preserves its DNA with it genetic code. It can neither reproduce nor be active unless it receives the needed hydrogen ion. When water arrives and donates hydrogen ion, the genetic code of life is activated. This is more common amongst the bacteria. It was about 100 years ago when it was discovered that the soil consists of various kinds of organisms, while it is scarcely forty years back when it was discovered that 80% of the soil consists of bacteria. As soon as they receive rain water, they obtain the needed hydrogen ion and start various reproductive activities. Rain water in this way brings the revival of the dead land. What the scientists have discovered now was stated in the Qur'an centuries ago.
It is thought through forensic carbon-dating and in-depth research over the years that, approximately ten billion human beings have lived on earth since Adam. The size of each individual's genetic code is about one micron[a unit of measurement for the core in optical fiber, for which the common diameter is 62.5 micrometers. It is also measured in thousandths of an inch[i.e.,001= one thousandth of an inch or 1.oml]. If we collect them all, they would not even fill a coffee cup. All of these genetic codes are still preserved under the soil. It is so obvious that when Allah can revive the dead land by a sprinkle of rain drop, He has the power to provide simple hydrogen bonds to these genetic codes. All human beings will then rise on the Day of Judgment. Allah said in Qur'an chapter 43 verse 11 that: "And[Allah] sends down rain from the sky in measured amounts, and We revive thereby a dead land – even so shall you be brought forth or resurrected." And He said in chapter 21 verse 30 that: "And of water We[Allah] fashioned every living thing. Will they not then believe?". As if Colin Wilson, a western philosopher read these verses of the Qur'an and seem to paraphrase them when he gave a parable that: "The sheer volume of evidence for survival after death is so immense that to ignore it is like standing at the foot of Mount Everest and insisting that you cannot see the mountain."
In conclusion, let us ponder over the wisdom of Peter Deunov, another western intellectual who seems to re-echo a myriad of verses from the Qur'an regarding eternal life when he wrote: "One day when you return to the invisible world, you will be examined on how you have applied the laws of love…You will find yourself confronted by film of your earthly life, you will see the smallest details and notice the tiniest errors and you will have to reform yourself. You must therefore reflect and concentrate on what you are saying and how you are saying it. Here, you are an actor on stage, being photographed and recorded for all time."

Husseini Yushau BabalWaiz, is the Research & Outreach Coordinator at the Center for Media & Peace Initiatives Inc. New York, Author of three books, including "Islam Promotes Tolerance & Prohibits Terrorism-Reviving the Islamic Advocacy of Mercy and Magnanimity to Mankind" & Tutor in Arabic & Islamic Studies in New York, babalwaiz71@gmail.com

NB: Folks, this is the eight in the new series entitled: "Delving Deep Inside the Islamic Historic Memory Lane", which will be running for months, even years, aimed at showcasing the amazing historical phenomena that happened in the pre and post Islamic world. With this we bring the curtain of the story of Prophet Ibrahim to an end. Next Friday, this column will focus on the story of Prophet Hud. Please read, comment, forward, share and discuss them.

References:
Al-Bidayah Wal-Nihayah, [The Beginning & The End] by Abil Fadah, Imam Hafiz Ibn Kathir. vol. [1] of [18] vols.
Al-Muntazam-Fii Tareekhil Umam Wal-Mulook, [Periodicals on the History of [medieval] Societies & Kingdoms] by, Abil Faraj, Abdul Rahman Bun Aliyi Bun Muhammad Ibnil Jawzi. vol. [1] of [10] vols.
Qisasil Anbiyah,[Tales of the Prophets] by Abil Fadah, Imam Hafiz Ibn Kathir.
Qisasil Qur'an-Min Adam Alaihil Salam Ilaa Ashabul Feel[Tales of the Qur'an-From Prophet Adam Peace be Upon Him To the Companions of the Elephant], by Dr. Muhammad Bakr Ismael.
Al-Ruh[The Soul], by Sheikh, Al-'Allamah Ibnul Qayyim Al-Jawzi.
The Holy Qur'an Translation & Commentary, by Abdallah Yusif Ali.
160 Mysteries & Miracles of the Qur'an, by Dr. Mazhar Kazi.