Verse 259 of Surah Al-Baqarah, like a clear mirror, unveils a manifestation of the mysteries of life and death before the eyes of seekers of truth. This verse, through the narrative of an individual who passed by a ruined city and inquired about its revival, delves into the concept of death and resurrection. This treatise, by reflecting upon this verse and analysing the related lecture contents, undertakes a profound examination of the diversity of death, the inefficacy of human knowledge in comprehending it, and the necessity of a scientific approach to the Holy Qur'an. The objective is to present a systematic and academic perspective that, whilst remaining faithful to the Qur'anic text, opens new horizons for researchers and scholars. This work, employing a lofty language and spiritual allegories, elucidates the complex concepts of death and life and serves as an invitation to reconsider interpretative methodologies and harness the boundless capacities of the Holy Qur'an.
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 بَلْ لَبِثْتَ مِائَةَ عَامٍ ۖ فَانْظُرْ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ ۖ وَانْظُرْ إِلَىٰ حِمَارِكَ ۖ وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ آيَةً لِلنَّاسِ ۖ وَانْظُرْ إِلَى الْعِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنْشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا ۚ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
(البقرة: 259)
Or [consider] the one who passed by a town whose walls had fallen down upon its roofs; he said, How will Allah revive this after its death? So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years and then resurrected him. He said, How long did you remain [dead]? He said, I remained a day or part of a day. He said, Rather, you have remained one hundred years. So look at your food and your drink; it has not decayed. And look at your donkey; and We will make you a sign for the people. And look at the bones, how We raise them and then We cover them with flesh. And when it became clear to him, he said, I know that Allah is over all things competent.
The Holy Qur'an portrays death not as a uniform event but as a boundless ocean with varying waves. Each type of death possesses distinct characteristics and conditions, and from the Qur'anic perspective, the death of each individual is akin to their unique signature. This diversity is corroborated by the noble hadith الطرق إلى الله بعدد أنفاس الخلائق (The paths to God are as numerous as the breaths of creatures), which acknowledges the variety of deaths corresponding to the number of human souls.
Death is like a footprint that every human leaves on the shore of their existence; no two deaths are identical. This Qur'anic principle considers each type of death as a unique journey shaped by the individuals biological, psychological, and social conditions.
The Holy Qur'an classifies death into categories such as voluntary (resulting from an individual's choice), involuntary (due to external factors), intentional (carrying a specific intent), and theoretical (related to philosophical or theological perspectives). This classification invites researchers to explore this diversity and to provide more precise elucidations.
Conclusion of Section Two: The diversity of death in the Holy Qur'an resembles the branches of a sturdy tree, each deeply rooted in a different direction and requiring scientific contemplation. This section demonstrated that death is a multilayered and individual phenomenon whose understanding necessitates a systematic and interdisciplinary approach. By presenting this diversity, the Holy Qur'an offers guidance for humanitys future research endeavours.
Despite its scientific advancements, the modern world still stands before the mysteries of death like an ignorant child. Human knowledge, from Europe to America, has failed to identify all types of death and their precise criteria. This inadequacy signals the necessity of re-examining scientific methodologies.
The medical world equates death with cardiac arrest, yet this criterion, akin to a broken key, fails to unlock the true nature of death. Instances of revival following cardiac arrest indicate the non-definitiveness of this standard and underscore the need for a more accurate definition.
Premature burial is like closing the door of a garden before its fruits are ripe; it may result in extinguishing a life that still holds the possibility of revival. This critique, with a bitter irony, highlights human error in diagnosing death and calls for reconsideration of such practices.
Conclusion of Section Three: The inefficacy of human knowledge in understanding death casts a heavy shadow over contemporary science. This section, by critiquing erroneous death criteria and advocating a scientific approach, paves the way for utilising the Holy Qur'an in clarifying the concept of death.
The Holy Qur'an, like an inexhaustible treasure, conceals the secrets of death and life within itself. This celestial book, by referring to 165 types of death, invites the world to contemplate this phenomenon, yet humanity remains bewildered before this grandeur.
The Holy Qur'an, like a radiant lamp, will guide humanity not only today but for thousands of years to come. Its meanings, like a sapling that will bear fruit in the future, will gradually become manifest over time.
The Holy Qur'an, like a precious mine, requires scientific exploration. Without laboratories and systematic methodologies, its comprehension will be reduced to caf storytelling, distant from the truth.
Traditional exegeses, like faint paintings on the walls of time, have often been reduced to incorrect and unscientific comparisons. This approach distances the Holy Qur'an from its scientific standing and highlights the necessity of revising interpretative methods.
Conclusion of Section Four: The Holy Qur'an, like an immense ocean, is an unparalleled source for understanding death and life. This section demonstrated that utilising this treasure requires a scientific and laboratory approach to prevent the degradation of exegeses into mere informal storytelling.
The believer in this verse, like a lost traveller in the desert of time, was ignorant of the duration of his death. His answer (I remained a day or part of a day) was erroneous instead of admitting ignorance, which diminished his wisdom.
Admitting ignorance, like a golden key, opens the doors to wisdom. Had the believer said I do not know instead of providing a false answer, his greatness before the truth would have been more evident.
Human beliefs, like houses built on shifting sands, are often founded on speculation. The Holy Qur'an, in the verse Indeed, conjecture does not avail against the truth anything (Yunus: 36), negates conjecture and invites knowledge.
Conclusion of Section Five: This section, by reflecting on the believers incorrect response, emphasised the importance of admitting ignorance. I do not know, like a radiant torch, paves the way for the comprehension of truth and prevents the errors of baseless beliefs.
Philosophy without a laboratory is like a bird without wings. Islamic philosophers, from Ibn Sina to Mulla Sadra, fell into illusions due to lack of scientific methods. Understanding death and life requires precise instruments and systematic research.
Death, like a profound ocean, has been reduced by our simplistic perspective to a shallow pond. This oversimplification has hindered uncovering its secrets and underscores the need to revise philosophical approaches.
The future, like a bright morning, will reveal the truths of the Holy Qur'an. Future generations, with a more scientific outlook, will regard todays ignorance with humour and learn from it.
Conclusion of Section Six: This section, by emphasising the necessity of a scientific approach to the Holy Qur'an, linked philosophy to the laboratory. Humanitys future research, utilising the Holy Qur'an, can uncover the secrets of death and life in a deeper manner.
