Was Ibrahim in Doubt When He Asked Allah to Show Him How He Gives Life to the Dead?
حين قال إبراهيم عليه السلام "رب أرني كيف تحيي الموتى"، هل كان في شك؟
No, he was not in doubt. He was sure, but he wanted more certainty: to move from the knowledge of certainty ('ilm al-yaqin) to the eye of certainty ('ayn al-yaqin). That is why he said, "Show me how", and he did not say, "Show me if you can".
(And ˹remember˺ when Abraham said, “My Lord! Show me how you give life to the dead.” Allah responded, “Do you not believe?” Abraham replied, “Yes I do, but just so my heart can be reassured.” Allah said, “Then bring four birds, train them to come to you, ˹then cut them into pieces,˺ and scatter them on different hilltops. Then call them back, they will fly to you in haste. And ˹so you will˺ know that Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.”) [Al-Baqarah 2:260]
بقوله "كيف" واضح بأنه كلام متيقن لكن أراد المزيد من اليقين. فهو أراد أن ينتقل من مرحلة علم اليقين إلى مرحلة عين اليقين. لذلك قال، "أرني كيف" ولم يقل "إذا".
(وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ ۖ قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِن ۖ قَالَ بَلَىٰ وَلَٰكِن لِّيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِي ۖ قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِّنَ الطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِّنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُمَّ ادْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْيًا ۚ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ) [البقرة 2: 260]
1. From the Knowledge of Certainty to the Eye of Certainty | من علم اليقين إلى عين اليقين
Among the reasons given for Ibrahim’s request, Ibn Kathir mentions that when Ibrahim told Nimrod: my Lord is the One who gives life and causes death (2:258), he wanted to rise in this from the knowledge of certainty to the eye of certainty, and to see it with his own eyes: the same words the scholar uses in the answer.
وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ ۖ قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِن ۖ قَالَ بَلَىٰ وَلَٰكِن لِّيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِي (سورة البقرة: 260)
ذكر ابن كثير لسؤال إبراهيم عليه السلام أسبابا، منها: أنه لما قال لنمروذ: (ربي الذي يحيي ويميت) (البقرة 2: 258)، أحب أن يترقى من علم اليقين في ذلك إلى عين اليقين، وأن يرى ذلك مشاهدة.
2. We Are More Entitled to Doubt Than Ibrahim | نحن أحق بالشك من إبراهيم
The Prophet said: we are more entitled to doubt than Ibrahim when he said: my Lord, show me how You give life to the dead. He said: do you not believe? He said: yes, but so that my heart may be reassured (Sahih al-Bukhari 4537; Sahih Muslim 151). Ibn Kathir says that doubt here does not mean what someone without knowledge might take it to mean, without any disagreement.
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "نحن أحق بالشك من إبراهيم إذ قال: (رب أرني كيف تحيي الموتى قال أولم تؤمن قال بلى ولكن ليطمئن قلبي) (البقرة 2: 260)" (صحيح البخاري 4537؛ صحيح مسلم 151)، قال ابن كثير: فليس المراد هاهنا بالشك ما قد يفهمه من لا علم عنده، بلا خلاف.
3. The Four Birds | أربعة من الطير
Allah told him: take four birds and draw them to you, then put a portion of them on every hill, then call them; they will come to you in haste (2:260). Ibn Kathir explains fa-surhunna ilayka as: cut them into pieces, and reports that Ibrahim took four birds, slaughtered them, cut them up, mixed them together and put a part on each hill. He also reports that Ibn Abbas said: there is no verse in the Quran more hopeful to me than this one. The Quran names three kinds of bird, the quail, the crow and the hoopoe, as explained in how many birds are named in the Quran.
قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِّنَ الطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِّنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُمَّ ادْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْيًا (سورة البقرة: 260)
قال تعالى: (قال فخذ أربعة من الطير فصرهن إليك ثم اجعل على كل جبل منهن جزءا ثم ادعهن يأتينك سعيا) (البقرة 2: 260)، قال ابن كثير: (فصرهن إليك) أي: قطعهن، فذكروا أنه عمد إلى أربعة من الطير فذبحهن، ثم قطعهن ونتف ريشهن، ومزقهن وخلط بعضهن في بعض، ثم جزأهن أجزاء، وجعل على كل جبل منهن جزءا. ونقل عن ابن عباس قال: ما في القرآن آية أرجى عندي منها.
4. Among Those Who Are Certain | وليكون من الموقنين
Allah says: and thus We showed Ibrahim the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, that he would be of those who are certain (6:75). Ibn Kathir explains: We made clear to him how his looking at their creation points to the oneness of Allah in His dominion and creation, and that there is no god but Him and no lord besides Him. The same question is answered among the stories of the prophets in why Ibrahim asked to be shown how Allah gives life to the dead.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُرِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُوقِنِينَ (سورة الأنعام: 75)
قال تعالى: (وكذلك نري إبراهيم ملكوت السماوات والأرض وليكون من الموقنين) (الأنعام 6: 75)، قال ابن كثير: أي نبين له وجه الدلالة في نظره إلى خلقهما على وحدانية الله عز وجل في ملكه وخلقه، وإنه لا إله غيره ولا رب سواه.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Was Ibrahim in doubt when he asked to see the dead brought to life?
No. He was certain and wanted to move from the knowledge of certainty to the eye of certainty.
Why did he say show me how?
Asking how shows that he was certain Allah gives life; he did not say if.
What did the Prophet say about Ibrahim’s question?
We are more entitled to doubt than Ibrahim (Sahih al-Bukhari 4537; Sahih Muslim 151), and Ibn Kathir says this is not doubt as the unlearned understand it.
What did Allah command Ibrahim to do with the birds?
To take four birds, put a portion of them on every hill, then call them, and they would come to him in haste (2:260).