Al-Baqarah 259: Or did you not see the person who visited a town in which the (walls and) roofs of houses were laying upside down (destroyed) and who said, “how will Allah resurrect this place after its death?” Upon this, Allah took his life, left him for hundred years and resurrected him again. Allah then asked him “how long have you stayed?”, he said “a day or less”. Allah said “no, you have stayed for a hundred years. Look at your food and drinks, they have not rotten. Look also at your donkey. We have made you an example for mankind (by taking your life for hundred years and then resurrecting you). Now look at the bones, how We are arranging them and then how We are dressing them with flesh.” When the situation became clear to him, he said “now I know that Allah is All-Powerful”.

Again, in a verse Allah Almighty says: "Or have you not seen the one who, the walls of whose houses and roofs had collapsed upon them, turned upside down — he passed by a town and said: after its death how will Allah ever bring these back to life?" Thereupon Allah caused him to die and left him for a hundred years. Then He brought him back to life. He said: how long did you remain? He said: a day or less. Allah said to him: no. You remained a hundred years. Look at your food and your drink. They have not yet spoiled. Look at your donkey too. So that We make you a lesson for people, We kept you dead on the earth. Then We brought you back to life.

Now look at the bones. How He arranges them, then how He clothes them with flesh, He said. When the matter became clear to him, he said: now I know well that Allah has power over all things.

Now let us try to open this up by reading it in our tafsir.

The one Allah Almighty addresses with "have you not seen" is the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Yet the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not live in that time. Allah Almighty has made the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) alive. That is, he is alive in both worlds. Both in the hereafter and outwardly. Because he is so, the Prophet (peace be upon him), before he came to the material world — Allah Almighty, as much as He willed, the miracles He had shown through His prophets in the earthly world, is showing those miracles to the Prophet (peace be upon him). As in some verses, with the verses "have you not seen" or "remember that", Allah Almighty, by showing the miracles He showed in eternity to the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the world of the hereafter, made the Prophet (peace be upon him) a witness over the other prophets.

After such miracles, the Prophet (peace be upon him), who came to the material world, also addresses with the verses "have you not seen" or "remember that". So, since Allah Almighty created the Prophet (peace be upon him) first, and created the prophets from his spirit, to some prophets the miracles He showed, the miracles He showed — to the Prophet (peace be upon him) He showed them before he came to our world, in the world of the hereafter. From this point of view too: have you not seen? Or "remember that" — He makes these verses appear about him. In this case, in the verse: I made you a witness over the other prophets.

And your community too I made a witness over the other communities, He says.

"Have you not seen the one who, passing by a town whose walls and roofs had collapsed, turned upside down" — the one passing by the town here, according to narration, is Ezra (peace be upon him). Ezra. There is disagreement about whether this Ezra (peace be upon him) was a prophet. At that time, Ezra (peace be upon him) was a person among the Children of Israel.

An army under Nebuchadnezzar's command had seized the region of Jerusalem, killed some of the people there and taken some captive. It had also turned Jerusalem into ruins.

Thereupon, among the captives, the young Ezra (peace be upon him) was also there. Ezra (peace be upon him) is thrown into a dungeon in Babylon. But he finds a way and escapes from the dungeon. He comes to Jerusalem; its ruined state, the killing of its people, and how this place could return to its former state — he thinks about it with sorrow. He knows that Allah has power over all things. But he also wants to see it himself. So this verse was revealed about this. Meanwhile, upon Ezra (peace be upon him), in a state of sleep, the decree of the Truth comes. He dies. That is, he dies. A hundred years pass.

Allah Almighty brings Ezra (peace be upon him) back to life and asks him: How many years did you lie? That is, remain dead. And he answers: one day or less.

From Allah Almighty: no. From Allah Almighty: no. You lay for a hundred years.

Thereupon he looks at his donkey. The donkey's flesh has rotted, its bones are scattered. Then he looks at his food. When he looks at his food, his food (?) So Allah: as a lesson for people, We kept you dead a hundred years. Now look at your donkey, how He arranges its bones and how We clothe it with flesh, He declares. When this event took place before his eyes: now I know well that Allah has power over all things, he said. So Allah Almighty — His being ve'l-evvelü ve'l-ahiru ve'z- zahiru ve'l-batın, His being First and Eternal, His having power over all things, that there is no god other than Allah — through the miracle in this verse, how beautifully He proves it to people.

Yes. Allah Almighty brings into being from nothing, creates.

For Allah Almighty there is no time and space.

Allah Almighty has power over all things.

In this case our Lord, by making such events appear, to the generations after, to the people to come, what beautiful lessons He leaves. He leaves parables. For example, what does He say to Pharaoh? When he drowned in the sea, his — your lifeless body today, as a lesson for the world, to the worlds will be left as a lesson, He says. Yes, so from Allah Almighty's attribute of being God, we will say.

We said it before too: a mosquito and something greater — Allah does not refrain from giving them as examples. With all kinds of events, happenings, miracles, outwardly, and as visible in this outward world, making all events appear, explaining everything without omission, making known to people with His verses all events that could come to the human mind — is this not just like our Lord, facing you, speaking with you in person? And facing you, as a guide for you, as one who lights up the way, as a great one, as a Lord, is He not a remedy for you? Yes.