أَوْ كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَى قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا قَالَ أَنَّى يُحْيِي هَذِهِ اللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا فَأَمَاتَهُ اللَّهُ مِائَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُ قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ قَالَ بَلْ لَبِثْتَ مِائَةَ عَامٍ فَانْظُرْ إِلَى طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ وَانْظُرْ إِلَى حِمَارِكَ وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ آيَةً لِلنَّاسِ وَانْظُرْ إِلَى الْعِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنْشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ﴿۲۵۹﴾
﴾259﴿ Aw kallazee marra 'alaa qaryatinw wa hiya khaawiyatun 'alaa 'urooshihaa qaala annaa yuhyee haazihil laahu ba'da mawtihaa fa amaatahul laahu mi'ata 'aamin summa ba'asahoo qaala kam labista qaala labistu yawman aw ba'da yawmin qaala bal labista mi'ata 'aamin fanzur ilaa ta'aamika wa sharaabika lam yatasannah wanzur ilaa himaarika wa linaj'alaka Aayatal linnaasi wanzur ilal'izaami kaifa nunshizuhaa summa naksoohaa lahmaa; falammaa tabayyana lahoo qaala a'lamu annal laaha 'alaa kulli shai'in Qadeer
﴾259﴿ Have you seen the one who passed by a town that had collapsed on its roofs? He said, “How will Allah bring this (town and its people) back to life after its death?” So Allah caused him to die (and preserved him) for a hundred years, then brought him back to life. Allah said, “How long have you remained (in this state)?” He said, “I remained for a day or part of a day.” He said, “Rather, you remained for a hundred years. So look at your food and your drink—they have not decayed. And look at your donkey—and We will make you a sign for the people. And look at the bones—how We raise them, then We clothe them with flesh.” So when it became clear to him, he said, “I now know that surely Allah is capable of all things.”
[59] This incident is an example of the first type: that Allah does not leave the people of faith in darkness. Therefore, He answered the question of ʿUzayr (peace be upon him). The point of the question was: How will the resurrection take place—will it be like the creation of the world, or different? The essence of the answer is that resurrection will occur in the same state in which one died. An example was made clear through the donkey and its bones. As for the human soul—it does not perish; an example of this is the food and drink that Allah preserved by His power.
Note: This verse clearly proves that when someone dies—whether a prophet or a pious person—they are no longer aware of the conditions of this world; they do not hear the speech of the people of the world nor see them. It also proves Allah’s power to resurrect, to preserve food and drink without corruption, and to bring dead parts back to life.