bones, with no flesh or blood. “Then We clothe them with flesh.” Then He clothed the bones with flesh and blood, and it became a donkey with no life in it. Then an angel came walking up, took hold of the donkey’s nostril, and blew into it; whereupon the donkey rose and brayed by Allah’s permission.

Others said that this refers to this man’s bones. They held that Allah Most High did not cause his donkey to die; rather, He caused the man himself to die, then brought his eyes and head to life while the rest of his body remained dead. He then said, “Look at your donkey.” He looked and saw his donkey standing upright, just as it had been on the day he tethered it—alive, having neither eaten nor drunk for a hundred years. He saw the tether around its neck, new and unchanged. Accordingly, the intended order of the verse is: “Look at your donkey, and look at your bones—how We raise them up.” The verse contains an inversion in its order; its intended sequence is: “Look at your donkey, and look at the bones—how We raise them up—and that We may make you a sign for the people.”

Qatadah narrated from Ka‘b, al-Dahhak from Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and al-Suddi from Mujahid from Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him: When Allah Most High restored Ezra to life after causing him to die for a hundred years, he mounted his donkey and came to his quarter. The people did not recognize him, and he did not recognize the people or the houses. He proceeded by conjecture until he reached his home, where he found an old blind woman, disabled and unable to walk, who was then one hundred and twenty years old. She had known and recognized him before. Ezra said to her, “Woman, is this Ezra’s house?” She replied, “Yes, this is Ezra’s house,” and wept. She said, “For so many years, I have not seen anyone even mention Ezra.”

He said, “I am Ezra.” She said, “Glory be to Allah! Ezra has been missing from us for a hundred years, and we have heard no mention of him.” He said, “I am Ezra. Allah caused me to die for a hundred years, then resurrected me.” She said, “Ezra was a man whose supplications were answered. He would pray to Allah for the sick and the afflicted to be granted well-being. So pray to Allah to restore my sight, so that I may see you; if you are Ezra, I shall recognize you.” He prayed to his Lord and wiped her eyes with his hand, and they were healed. Then he took her by the hand and said, “Rise, by Allah Most High’s permission.” Allah restored the use of her legs, and she rose up sound and well. When she looked at him, she said, “I bear witness that you are Ezra.”

She went to the Children of Israel, who were gathered in their clubs and assemblies. Ezra had a son who was an aged man, one hundred and eighteen years old, and his grandsons were elderly men sitting in the gathering. She called out, “Ezra has come to you!” But they declared her a liar. She said, “I am so-and-so, your maidservant. He prayed to his Lord for me, and He restored my sight and the use of my legs. He claims that Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then resurrected him.” The people rose and came to him. His son said, “My father had a black birthmark like a crescent between his shoulders.” So he uncovered his shoulders, and there indeed was Ezra.

Al-Suddi and al-Kalbi said: When Ezra returned to his people after Nebuchadnezzar had burned the Torah, and no covenant of Allah remained among the people, Ezra wept over the Torah. An angel came to him with a vessel containing water and gave him some of that water to drink. Then the Torah was instilled in his breast. He returned to the Children of Israel, Allah having taught him the Torah and sent him as a prophet. He said, “I am Ezra,” but they did not believe him. He said, “I am Ezra. Allah has sent me to you to restore your Torah for you 46/b.” They said, “Dictate it to us.” So he dictated it to them from memory. They said, “Allah would not place the Torah in a man’s breast after it had disappeared unless he were His son.” Thus they said, “Ezra is the son of Allah.” The account will come in Surah Bara’ah, if Allah Most High wills. (1) (2)