The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 407
PT. 3 AL-BAQARAH honour and prowess; (5) leaders and chiefs among men; (6) tent, canopy, shed etc. affording shade; (7) trellis supporting vines (Aqrab & Lane). CH. 2 the ruined city would be restored to life, i. e. when its inhabitants, the children of Israel, would come back to it, rebuild it and make it prosperous once more. This prayer, it appears, was heard by God Who سنه have rotted) is derived from) يتسنه i. e. (1) it passed through a time extending over years; (2) it (food, etc. ) became altered and rotten by the lapse of years or absolutely. am gives the same meaning as a (Aqrab). Commentary: The preceding verse contained one illustration of how Allah brings His friends out of darkness into light. The present verse cites, as hinted in the words, or like him, another illustration of how He breathes new life into a people after they have fallen and become degraded. The ruined town referred to in the verse is Jerusalem which was laid waste The by Nebuchadnezzar. person who, as the verse says, passed by it was Ezekiel, the Prophet; and the words which had fallen down upon its roofs hint that it was soon after its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar that Ezekiel passed by the town. Ezekiel was among the Israelite captives whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away to Babylon and who, in accordance with an ancient custom, were made to pass by the ruins of the town so that they might witness with their own eyes how their city had been laid in ruins by the conqueror. Ezekiel, who was a great well-wisher of his people, was immensely pained to see the ruins of the sacred city and pathetically asked God when the time would come when 407 showed him in a vision that the restoration asked for would come in a hundred years. The clause then Allah caused him to die for a hundred years does not mean that Ezekiel was actually made to die and then raised to life again. It was, in fact, a vision which Ezekiel saw (Ezek. 37). The Quran sometimes mentions scenes seen in a vision as if they had actually happened, without stating that they were witnessed in a vision or a dream (e. g. 12:5). What actually happened was that Ezekiel saw in a vision that he had died and remained dead for a hundred years and then had come to life. As he was the back representative of his people, his death signified the death of the Israelites. Thus God informed him through this vision that the children of Israel would remain in their state of captivity and lifelessness for a hundred years, after which a new life would be given them and they would return to inhabit their sacred city. And this dream or vision actually turned out to be true. For Jerusalem was first invaded by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 B. C. and again in 587 B. C. , when after a long siege the city was totally destroyed by his general in 586 B. C. Ezekiel probably saw the vision in 586 B. C. The city was rebuilt about