Verse 260 of Surah Al-Baqarah, like a luminous window, depicts a profound dialogue between the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) and the Lord, in which foundational concepts of certainty, vision, and Divine power in resurrecting the dead are presented in a novel and contemplative manner. This verse, beyond illustrating Divine grandeur, points to the necessity of deepening intuitive knowledge and employing visual instruments in understanding Divine realities. The present writing, through the synthesis of lecture content and exegetical analyses, undertakes a scholarly and systematic rereading of this verse. The objective of this text is to provide a comprehensive, scientific interpretation aligned with the needs of Quranic studies researchers, employing a refined language and coherent structure to extract and elucidate the key points of the verse and its related narrations.
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
And when Abraham said, "My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead," He said, "Have you not believed?" He said, "Indeed, I have, but [I ask] only that my heart may be satisfied." He said, "Take four birds, then cause them to incline toward you; then place a portion of them on each hill, then call themthey will come flying to you in haste. And know that Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise."
This verse portrays a profound dialogue between Abraham (peace be upon him) and God, wherein the request to observe the manner of resurrection is not borne out of doubt but rather to attain an intuitive certainty. The Divine response, through the command to perform a visual act (disassembling the birds and reviving them), underscores the significance of empirical experience in deepening knowledge. This verse acts like a mirror reflecting the status of visual perception in comprehending Divine truths and invites religious knowledge to progress from mental concepts toward empirical experiences.
In the exegesis of verse 260 of Surah Al-Baqarah, certainty is defined as a bridge between the mind and the realm of reality. Contrary to prevalent theological and jurisprudential views that consider certainty as a conceptual and mental matter, this verse associates certainty with visual observation. Abraham (peace be upon him), in his request ("that my heart may be satisfied"), seeks an empirical vision of the manner of resurrecting the dead, as narrated in the Rozeh al-Kafi: "حتى أرى هذا كما رأيت الأشياء كلها" ("until I see this as I have seen all other things"). This expression transfers certainty from the domain of mental concepts to that of empirical experience.
Traditional religious texts have often presented certainty as a formal and mental concept. This approach, evident in jurisprudential treatises repeating phrases such as "if you have certainty," falls short of achieving real certainty. This critique highlights the necessity of redefining certainty within religious knowledge, transitioning from abstract concepts to intuitive and practical experiences.
Abraham (peace be upon him), through his epistemic capability, was able to observe the movement of particles and their union. This capability, referenced in the narration by the swift movement of birds ("in haste"), elevated his certainty to a high degree. This observation not only strengthened his intuitive certainty but also provided a paradigm for empirical understanding of Divine knowledge.
Certainty in this verse is, like a precious jewel, attained through visual perception and empirical experience. Religious knowledge must, inspired by this paradigm, move from mental concepts toward empirical and intuitive methods to create dynamic and effective knowledge.
In many everyday religious matters, such as ablution, prayer, or determining the Qibla, conjecture and doubt prevail over certainty. This critique points to the weakness of religious knowledge in cultivating practical certainty. Like a tree rooted in weak soil, religious knowledge cannot bear lasting fruit without practical certainty.
Modern empirical sciences have conquered the world relying on visual observation and experimentation, whereas religious knowledge often depends on hearsay and non-empirical methods. This critique underscores the necessity of adopting empirical methodologies in religious knowledge to cleanse it, like a pure spring, from mental contaminations.
Religious knowledge, for producing credible knowledge, requires laboratories that reinforce empirical experience and visual observation. This proposal, inspired by verse 260, invites religious knowledge to establish environments conducive to research and experimentation.
Current educational structures in religious knowledge resemble a disorderly coffeehouse, lacking coherent planning. This absence of order results in resource wastage and decreased efficiency. Religious knowledge must design systematic educational systems to cultivate dynamic epistemology.
Religious knowledge, to reclaim its status as the heirs of the Prophets, must distance itself from traditional and non-empirical methods and move toward modern educational and research systems. This transformation, like a refreshing breeze, will awaken religious knowledge from lethargy to dynamism.
Abraham (peace be upon him), observing a carrion that was half in water and half on land, reflected upon the doubt of consumed and consuming. This doubt pertains to how a being whose parts have been eaten by other animals, which in turn have eaten one another, can be resurrected. This reflection was not from suspicion but for deepening intuitive certainty.
Gods command to Abraham (peace be upon him) to disassemble the birds and mix them resembles the doubt of consumed and consuming. This process, like a mirror, demonstrates how the resurrection of the dead will occur on the Day of Judgment and strengthened Abrahams certainty through empirical vision.
The doubt of consumed and consuming, like a blazing torch, elucidates the necessity of empirical vision in comprehending Divine knowledge. Religious knowledge should, inspired by this model, turn to empirical and visual methods.
In the narrative tradition, the vision of God means inner spiritual witnessing and sometimes visual witnessing exclusive to Divine saints, including the Prophets and Imams (peace be upon them). The narration "عميت عين لا تراك" from Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) indicates that Divine saints perceive Divine truths with the eye of the heart and sometimes with the eye of the head.
True mystics are Divine saints, namely the Infallible Imams, Prophets, and true believers, not those recognized by outward appearances such as beard or hair. This definition invites religious knowledge to return to the conduct of the Infallibles.
Divine vision, like a jewel in a shell, is exclusive to the Divine saints who perceive realities with both the hearts and the eyes sight. Religious knowledge must propagate this perspective in its teachings.
The narration from Yunus ibn Dhabyan in Kharaij wa Jaraih shows that Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), without the complex process of disassembling birds, summoned them directly by calling, "O Peacock," "O Crow," etc. This act demonstrates the spiritual and scientific superiority of the Infallible.
He said, "Do you wish that I show you something like that?" They said, "Yes." He said, "O Peacock," and a peacock flew to his presence; then he said, "O Crow," and a crow was before him; then he said, "O Falcon," and a falcon
