Tarikh (al-Tabari) 251
Chapter mentioning a group of the prophets of the Israelites after Mūsā (peace be upon him)
قَالَ وَهْبُ بْنُ مُنَبِّهٍ: أَصَابَ نَاسًا مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ بَلَاءٌ وَشِدَّةٌ مِنَ الزَّمَانِ فَشَكَوْا مَا أَصَابَهُمْ، وَقَالُوا: يَا لَيْتَنَا مُتْنَا فَاسْتَرَحْنَا مِمَّا نَحْنُ فِيهِ، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِلَى حِزْقِيلَ: إِنَّ قَوْمَكَ صَاحُوا مِنَ الْبَلَاءِ وَزَعَمُوا أَنَّهُمْ وَدُّوا لَوْ مَاتُوا فَاسْتَرَاحُوا، وَأَيُّ رَاحَةٍ لَهُمْ فِي الْمَوْتِ، أَيَظُنُّونَ أَنِّي لَا أَقْدِرُ أَنْ أَبْعَثَهُمْ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ، فَانْطَلِقْ إِلَى جَبَّانَةِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَإِنَّ فِيهَا أَرْبَعَةَ آلَافٍ -قَالَ وَهْبٌ: وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ خَرَجُوا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ وَهُمْ أُلُوفٌ حَذَرَ الْمَوْتِ [2: 243]- فَقُمْ فِيهِمْ فَنَادِهِمْ، وَكَانَتْ عِظَامُهُمْ قَدْ تَفَرَّقَتْ، فَرَّقَتْهَا الطَّيْرُ وَالسِّبَاعُ، فَنَادَاهَا حِزْقِيلُ، فَقَالَ: يَا أَيَّتُهَا الْعِظَامُ، إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكِ أَنْ تَجْتَمِعِي، فَاجْتَمَعَ عِظَامُ كُلِّ إِنْسَانٍ مِنْهُمْ، ثُمَّ نَادَى ثَانِيَةً فَقَالَ: أَيَّتُهَا الْعِظَامُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكِ أَنْ تَكْتَسِيَ اللَّحْمَ، فَاكْتَسَتِ اللَّحْمَ، وَبَعْدَ اللَّحْمِ جِلْدًا، فَكَانَتْ أَجْسَادًا، ثُمَّ نَادَى الثَّالِثَةَ: أَيَّتُهَا الْأَرْوَاحُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكِ أَنْ تَعُودِي فِي أَجْسَادِكَ، فَقَامُوا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَكَبَّرُوا تَكْبِيرَةً وَاحِدَةً. وَقَالَ السُّدِّيُّ عَنْ أَشْيَاخِهِ: كَانَتْ قَرْيَةٌ يُقَالُ لَهَا دَاوَرْدَانُ وَقَعَ بِهَا الطَّاعُونُ، فَهَرَبَ عَامَّةُ أَهْلِهَا، فَهَلَكَ مَنْ بَقِيَ فِي الْقَرْيَةِ، وَسَلِمَ الْآخَرُونَ، فَلَمَّا ارْتَفَعَ الطَّاعُونُ رَجَعُوا سَالِمِينَ، فَقَالَ الَّذِينَ سَلِمُوا: أَصْحَابُنَا هَؤُلَاءِ كَانُوا أَحْزَمَ مِنَّا، لَوْ صَنَعْنَا كَمَا صَنَعُوا بَقِينَا! وَلَئِنْ وَقَعَ الطَّاعُونُ ثَانِيَةً لَنَخْرُجَنَّ مَعَهُمْ. فَوَقَعَ الطَّاعُونُ مِنْ قَابِلَ، فَهَرَبَ عَامَّةُ أَهْلِهَا، وَهُمْ بِضْعَةٌ وَثَلَاثُونَ أَلْفًا، وَقِيلَ ثَلَاثَةُ آلَافٍ، وَقِيلَ: أَرْبَعَةُ آلَافٍ، وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ; أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا أَرْبَعَةَ آلَافٍ. وَعَنْهُ: ثَمَانِيَةَ آلَافٍ. وَعَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ: تِسْعَةَ آلَافٍ. وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَيْضًا: كَانُوا أَرْبَعِينَ أَلْفًا. وَعَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ: كَانُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ " أَذَرِعَاتٍ " وَقِيلَ غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ، حَتَّى نَزَلُوا ذَلِكَ الْمَكَانَ، وَهُوَ وَادٍ أَفْيَحُ، فَنَادَاهُمْ مَلَكٌ مِنْ أَسْفَلِ الْوَادِي وَآخَرُ مِنْ أَعْلَاهُ: مُوتُوا، فَمَاتُوا. جَمِيعًا، فَحَظَرُوا عَلَيْهِمْ حَظِيرَةً دُونَ السِّبَاعِ، فَمَضَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ دُهُورٌ طَوِيلَةٌ فَمَرَّ بِهِمْ نَبِيٌّ يُقَالُ لَهُ هِزْقِيلُ، فَوَقَفَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَجَعَلَ يُفَكِّرُ فِيهِمْ، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ: أَتُرِيدُ أَنْ أُرِيَكَ كَيْفَ أُحْيِيهِمْ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ: نَادِ، فَنَادَى: يَا أَيَّتُهَا الْعِظَامُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكِ أَنْ تَجْتَمِعِي، فَجَعَلَتِ الْعِظَامُ يَطِيرُ بَعْضُهَا إِلَى بَعْضٍ حَتَّى كَانَتْ أَجْسَادًا مِنْ عِظَامٍ، ثُمَّ أَوْحَى إِلَيْهِ أَنْ نَادِ: يَا أَيَّتُهَا الْعِظَامُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكِ أَنْ تَكْتَسِيَ لَحْمًا وَدَمًا، ثُمَّ قِيلَ لَهُ: نَادِ، فَنَادَى يَا أَيَّتُهَا الْأَجْسَادُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكِ أَنْ تَقُومِي، فَقَامُوا. قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: قَالُوا حِينَ أُحْيُوا: سُبْحَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَبَحْمَدِكَ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، فَرَجَعُوا إِلَى قَوْمِهِمْ أَحْيَاءً، سَحْنَةُ الْمَوْتِ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ، لَا يَلْبَسُونَ ثَوْبًا إِلَّا عَادَ دَسْمًا مِثْلَ الْكَفَنِ، حَتَّى مَاتُوا لِآجَالِهِمُ الَّتِي كُتِبَتْ لَهُمْ. وَقِيلَ: كَانُوا قَوْمَ حِزْقِيلَ، فَلَمَّا أَنْ مَاتُوا بَكَى حِزْقِيلُ، وَقَالَ: يَا رَبِّ، كُنْتُ فِي قَوْمٍ يَعْبُدُونَكَ وَيَذْكُرُونَكَ، فَبَقِيتُ وَحِيدًا ! فَقَالَ اللَّهُ: أَتُحِبُّ أَنْ أُحْيِيَهُمْ ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: فَإِنِّي قَدْ جَعَلْتُ حَيَاتَهُمْ إِلَيْكَ. فَقَالَ حِزْقِيلُ: احْيَوْا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، فَعَاشُوا.
Translation
✧ Wahb b. Munabbih said: A number of the Israelites were struck by tribulation and hardship from the times, so they complained of what had befallen them and said: Would that we had died and found rest from what we are in! Then God, exalted be He, revealed to Ḥizqīl: Your people have cried out because of the tribulation and claimed that they would love to die and find rest. What rest is there for them in death? Do they think that I am not able to raise them after death? Go to the cemetery of such-and-such, for in it are four thousand—Wahb said: They are those who went forth from their homes in their thousands, fearing death [Q 2:243]—so stand among them and call them. Their bones had been scattered, dispersed by birds and beasts. Ḥizqīl called them and said: O bones, God commands you to come together. Then the bones of each one of them came together. Then he called a second time and said: O bones, God commands you to be clothed with flesh. So they were clothed with flesh, and after the flesh with skin, and they became bodies. Then he called a third time: O spirits, God commands you to return to your bodies. So they rose by God's permission and said a single takbīr. Al-Suddī said, on the authority of his teachers: There was a village called Dāwardān in which the plague broke out. Most of its inhabitants fled, while those who remained in the village perished, and the others were saved. When the plague lifted, they returned safe. Those who had been saved said: These companions of ours were more prudent than us. If we had done as they did, we would have remained! If the plague strikes a second time, we will surely go out with them. The plague struck the following year, and most of its inhabitants fled—they were thirty-some thousand, and it is said three thousand, and it is said four thousand. From Ibn ʿAbbās: they were four thousand. From him also: eight thousand. From Abū Ṣāliḥ: nine thousand. From Ibn ʿAbbās also: they were forty thousand. From Saʿīd b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz: they were from the people of Adhriʿāt, and other things are said, until they halted at that place, which was a wide valley. Then an angel called to them from the lower part of the valley and another from its upper part: Die! So they all died. Then a pen was built around them to keep away wild beasts, and long ages passed over them. Then a prophet called Hizqīl passed by them. He stopped over them and began to reflect on them. God revealed to him: Do you want Me to show you how I bring them to life? He said: Yes. So it was said to him: Call. He called: O bones, God commands you to come together. Then the bones began to fly to one another until they became bodies of bones. Then God revealed to him: Call: O bones, God commands you to be clothed with flesh and blood. Then it was said to him: Call. He called: O bodies, God commands you to rise. So they rose. Mujāhid said: When they were brought to life they said: Glory be to You, our Lord, and with Your praise; there is no god but You. Then they returned to their people alive, with the pallor of death on their faces. They did not put on any garment but it turned greasy like a shroud, until they died at the terms that had been written for them. It is also said: They were the people of Ḥizqīl. When they died, Ḥizqīl wept and said: O Lord, I was among a people who worshipped You and remembered You, and now I remain alone! God said: Would you like Me to bring them to life? He said: Yes. He said: I have placed their life in your hands. So Ḥizqīl said: Live, by the permission of God, exalted be He. And they lived.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.