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KFGQPC HAFS

Mahmoud Khaleel Al-Husary

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran

Dr. Mustafa Khattab

Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) summarized the scholars' opinions in his book "Zād al-Masīr" as follows:

1. Abraham (pbuh) saw a dead body being torn apart by insects and wild beasts, prompting him to ask this question. [Ibn ʿAbbās, al-Ḥasan, Qatādah, al-Ḍaḥḥāk, ʿAṭāʾ al-Khurāsānī, Ibn Jurayj, Muqātil] As for what the dead body was, there are three opinions:
(i) It was a dead man. [Ibn ʿAbbās]
(ii) It was the carcass of a donkey. [Ibn Jurayj and Muqātil]
(iii) It was a dead fish. [Ibn Zayd]

2. When he was given the good news that Allah had taken him as an intimate (*khalīl*), he asked this question to confirm the authenticity of the glad tidings. [al-Suddī via Ibn Masʿūd and Ibn ʿAbbās] It is also reported from Saʿīd ibn Jubayr that when Abraham (pbuh) received this good news, he asked, "What is the sign of that?" and was told, "That Allah answers your prayer and brings the dead to life at your request," which led him to ask this question.
3. He asked in order to remove any whispers of doubt or uncertainty. [ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ]
4. After Nimrod argued with him about the resurrection of the dead, he asked to see the thing that he had said concerning Allah (and His power). [Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq]

What was the reason for Abraham's request?

Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) summarized the scholars' opinions in his book "Zād al-Masīr" as follows:

1. To know that You will answer me when I call upon You. [Ibn ʿAbbās]
2. To increase my heart in certainty. [Saʿīd ibn Jubayr] Al-Ḥasan said, "Abraham was already certain, but hearing is not like seeing."
3. So that my heart may be sure of our intimate closeness. [Reported from Ibn Jubayr]
4. He was keen to see the dead come to life, so he desired that his heart be at ease by witnessing it. [Ibn Qutaybah] It was said: what indicates that he did not ask out of doubt is that he said: "Show me how" and not "Do You give life to the dead?"

What is the intended by Abraham's statement "so that my heart may be at ease"?

Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) summarized the scholars' opinions in his book "Zād al-Masīr" as follows:

1. A pigeon, a rooster, a crane, and a peacock. [Reported by ʿAbdullāh ibn Hubayrah from Ibn ʿAbbās]
2. A peacock, a rooster, a Sindhi hen, and a goose. [Reported by al-Ḍaḥḥāk from Ibn ʿAbbās] In another version, al-Ḍaḥḥāk mentioned a young ostrich (*raʾl*) instead of the Sindhi hen.
3. Partridges, as these were what they would sacrifice at the time. [Reported by Abū Ṣāliḥ from Ibn ʿAbbās]
4. A peacock, an eagle, a crow, and a rooster. [Also reported from Ibn ʿAbbās]
5. A rooster, a peacock, a crow, and a pigeon. [Stated by ʿIkrimah, Mujāhid, ʿAṭāʾ, Ibn Jurayj, and Ibn Zayd]
6. A rooster, a crow, a duck, and a peacock. [Reported by Layth from Mujāhid]
7. A rooster, a duck, a crow, and a pigeon. This was stated by Muqātil. ʿAṭāʾ al-Khurasānī said: "Allah inspired him to take a duck, a black crow, a white pigeon, and a red rooster."

What are the four types of birds that Abraham took?

Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) summarized the scholars' opinions in his book "Zād al-Masīr" as follows:

1. He divided them between four mountains. [Ibn ʿAbbās, al-Ḥasan, Qatādah] It is narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās that he divided them into four parts corresponding to the four cardinal directions.
2. He scattered seven portions on seven mountains. [Ibn Jurayj, al-Suddī]

How many mountains on which he divided the birds?