“And look at the bones...

“And look at the bones, how we set them together, then clothed them with flesh” (2:259) Most of the commentators have said that Allah enlivened their ass before their eyes so that they may see how Allah makes the dead alive. Some have said that Allah first enlivened their eyes. They then saw their disintegrated and dilapidated bones come together and join with one another and flesh begin to cover them.

“So when it became clear to him he said, I know that Allah has power over all things.” (2:259) That is, I knew it earlier but now my knowledge has strengthened.

It is reported from reliable chains that Imam Ja‘far as-Sadiq said that when The Israelites became disobedient they ignored Allah’s commandments totally and when Allah desired to impose someone on them who would kill them and degrade them, he first sent a revelation to Prophet Irmiya that he may ask The Israelites “Which was the city I selected from all other cities and bettered it and planted many good trees therein and saved it from every undesirable tree, then the condition of that city deteriorated and now it has become full of the worst trees of carob in place of good trees?” Irmiya put this question to the religious scholars of The Israelites and they said, “We do not know.

Please ask Allah and let us know.” So Irmiya fasted for seven days and prayed. Allah sent a revelation to him that: that city is Jerusalem and that tree is The Israelites whom I had planted (and made to live in) in that city.

But since they disobeyed Me and changed my religion and turned thankless to me, I swear by My Holy self that I will put them to a test through so severe hardships that wise people will be astonished and I will impose one of my slaves on them who would be born of the worst sperm and whose food would be of the worst kind and he will kill their males and would arrest their women and he would destroy Jerusalem which is their holy house and of which they are proud and he will throw down that stone on dunghills of which (stone) they make tall talks throughout the world.

This would continue for a hundred years. Irmiya made the Israelites aware of this. They again requested him to ask Allah what was the sin of the poor and the powerless who would also suffer the said calamities. So Irmiya passed the next seven days only on one morsel of food and yet he did not receive any Revelation. So Irmiya again fasted fully for the next seven days and took only one morsel after that seven-day fast.