Dead for
100 years References
There was a
Prophet who passed by a township that was fallen down upon its roof. He exclaimed how shall Allah bring back to
life this township that has become dead.
The Prophet did believe in Resurrection and did not have any doubt about
it, but wanted to see the Reality with his own eyes. At this Allah drew his
soul out of him and he lay dead for a hundred years. Then Allah brought him back and asked him how
long had he lain there. He replied that
he might have lain there for a day or few hours. Allah said that he had been laying there in
that state for a hundred years. He was
asked to look at this food and his drinks, they had not become spoiled. Then he was asked to look at his donkey. He saw that donkey's bones had become
rotten. And he was not aged at all. Then God raised the skeleton, set the bones
of the donkey, covered them with flesh and put breath of life into them. Donkey was back alive again. The Prophet declared that he knew that Allah
has power over every thing. This way the
resurrection of a person who had been dead for a hundred years was made a
living Sign for the people of his age.
Or take
the case of the one who passed by a township that had fallen down upon its
roof.EN2-293 He exclaimed, "How shall Allah bring back to life this
township that has become dead?"EN2-294 At this Allah drew his soul out of
him and lay dead for a hundred years. Then
Allah brought him back to life and asked him, "How long have you lain
here?" He answered, "I might have lain here for a day or a few
hours." Allah said, "Nay, you
have been lying here in this state for a hundred years: now just, have a look
at your food and your drink; they have not become spoiled in the least. Then
have a look at your donkey, (and see that his very bones have become rotten)
and We have done this in order to make you a Sign for the people.EN2-295 Look, how We raise up the skeleton
and set the bones (of the donkey) and cover them with flesh and (put breath of
life into them)." And when the
Reality became quite manifest, he said, "I know that Allah has power over
every thing." 2:259
EN2-293 It is useless to form conjectures as 'who the person and which the
township was,' for it is not only irrelevant but also impossible to do so. There is no mention of these tings in the
Quran or the authentic traditions, and we have no other reliable sources. Besides this, it cannot add anything to our
knowledge that might help us understand better the purpose for which the
incident has been related here, that is "Allah brings into light those who
make Him their patron." And this
has been made clear even without specifying the town to be
EN2-294 This question did not mean that the Prophet did not believe in
Resurrection or had any doubt about it.
It simply meant that like other Prophets, he wanted to see the Reality
with his own eyes.
EN2-295 The resurrection of a person who had been dead for a hundred years was
itself a living Sign for the people of his age.