Among the stories about the dead being revived in the Qura’n the last is one about the people of Bani Israel.

One important person among them was secretly murdered and there was a dispute about the murderer among the Bani Israel. Each tribe was blaming the other and there was apprehension about a great fight so they came to Moses. He took the help of the grace of God and solved the issue in a manner that was acceptable to all.

He said that they had to slaughter a heifer but this was not done easily. The excuse makers of the Bani Israel started asking for details about the cow repeatedly from Moses and asked him meaningless question to delay matters. Eventually they sacrificed a cow that had some specialties. A piece of its meat was kept on the dead person and by the ordered of God he returned to life for a few moments and identified his murderer.

At the end of this incident the Qura’n says in verses 72-73 of Sarah Baqarah:

“And remember when you slew a man and disputed about it; God was to unravel what you hid; So We said, “Strike him with a part of it”. Thus brings the dead to life and shows His signs so that you may understand.”

It is strange that they hit a part of one dead body on another so that it could come alive and describe the truth. What is the connection between the two and from where did this effect come? Surely this is a secret of God and is something that no one else but His pure self is aware. What is said that here is how easy it is for God to resurrect the dead in the hereafter!

It is not necessary that a living creature should come from a living creature for it is possible that the union of two limbs may ignite the fire of life.

“This is how God renews the life of the dead” clearly defines this truth that the resurrection of the dead has clearly proved the life after death.

Here we have to confront the author of the commentary “Al Minar” who is adamant about giving an opposite interpretation without having any intellectual proof. He says:

“The norm was that if people found any dead person near the outskirt of the city then they would all according to their religious custom wash their hands and be absolved of the crime and they would consider any one who did not do so to be the murderer. The renewal of life here means the protection of blood which is prone to bleed in such instances or that God prevents people from shedding more blood.” (1)

As we have said earlier such interpretations are nothing but a play of words. Such interpretations destroy the real fabric of the words of God. The path then is open to use any verse to prove any purpose. Then we will take the words literally without having any valid way for doing so. There is no cause to do this because the believers of religion have to believe in miracles and extra-ordinary happenings.

The cow was chosen for sacrifice because the people of Bani Israel customarily sacrificed cows only.

The question remains about the motive of the crime. The traditions tell us that a young man had murdered his uncle for property and wealth (or to marry that person’s daughter). So the cause is wealth or woman and this is often the motive of murders in this world.

There are many lessons to learn from this story but we will refrain from discussing them since that will be beyond the subject of resurrection.

For further information on the verse being discussed you may consult Tafsir Namuna. (2)

These were some living examples about the renewal of life in the dead that Qura’n has given us. With this we end the discussion on the possibility of resurrection. Now we will look for the intellectual proof.

1. Tafsir Al Minar vol.1 page 351

2. There is a reference to life after death in verses 55 and 56 of Sarah Baqarah also. When the representatives of the Bani Israel went with Moses to Mount Sinai they demanded to see God with their normal eyes. A great and devastating lightning struck the mount and it was blown to smithereens. Moses swooned and the representatives of the Bani Israel died. God later renewe3d their lives so that they may be grateful “ We raised you after death so that you may be thankful” But as the verse does not say that it is about resurrection we have refrained from including it our discussion of this verse especially because some commentators have said that the Bani Israel had fainted after seeing the lightning but did not die. Some have taken death as ignorance and resurrection as knowledge (Aloosi has quoted this view in Ruhul Ma’ani from other commentators in Vol.1 page 229) though such explanations are against the text and literal meaning of the verse and are not acceptable.