Once Sayyiduna Ibraheem Khaleelullah علَيْه َّ السلاَم asked Allah ‘ , عزّوَجلَّO Allah ( ,) عزّوَجلَّ show me how will You resurrect the dead?’ Allah عزّوَجلَّsaid, ‘O Ibraheem, don’t you have faith in it?’ Sayyiduna Ibraheem علَيْه َّ السلاَم said, ‘Why not? Although I have faith in it but I wish to observe this spectacle with my own eyes to solace my heart.’ Allah عزّوَجلَّ then said, ‘Raise four birds and nourish them well by feeding them, then slaughter them and make minced meat from their flesh and place little portion of it on top of some mountains in your surroundings. Then call upon these birds to you, those birds will come back to life and rush to you and thus you will witness the spectacle of resurrection of the dead with your own eyes.’
Therefore, Sayyiduna Ibraheem علَيْه َّ السلاَمtended four birds: A rooster, a pigeon, a vulture and a peacock. He علَيْه َّ السلاَم raised them for a certain period of time whilst nourishing and taming them well. Then he علَيْه َّ السلاَم slaughtered them and kept their heads with himself and after mincing their meat, placed little part of it on the surrounding mountains. He علَيْه َّ السلاَم then called these birds from distance by exclaiming: ( O rooster) O pigeon), (O vulture), (O peacock)! The meat from the mountains started soaring up into the air on his call and the flesh, bones and feathers assembled and then all four birds were formed and they each rushed to Sayyiduna Ibraheem علَيْه َّ السلاَم headless and after connecting to their respective heads, they started picking grains and chirping in their own language. Thus Sayyiduna Ibraheem علَيْه َّ السلاَم witnessed the spectacle of the resurrection of the dead and his heart solaced.
Allah عزوجلdescribed this event in Surah Al-Baqarah of the Holy Quran in the following words:
وَاِذْ قَالَ اِبْـرَاهِـيْمُ رَبِّ اَرِنِىْ كَيْفَ تُحْيِى الْمَوْتٰى ۖ قَالَ اَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِنْ ۖ قَالَ بَلٰى وَلٰكِنْ لِّيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِىْ ۖ قَالَ فَخُذْ اَرْبَعَةً مِّنَ الطَّيْـرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ اِلَيْكَ ثُـمَّ اجْعَلْ عَلٰى كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِّنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُـمَّ ادْعُهُنَّ
يَاْتِيْنَكَ سَعْيًا ۚ وَاعْلَمْ اَنَّ اللّـٰهَ عَزِيْزٌ حَكِـيْمٌ (260)
And when Ibraheem submitted, ‘O My Lord! Show me how You will revive the dead?’ He (Allah) said, ‘Do you not believe?’ Ibraheem submitted, ‘Why not? But I desire to put my heart at ease.’ He (Allah) said, ‘Take four birds and familiarise them to yourself, then (after slaughtering them) place a part of each of them on separate mountains, then call them; they will come running to you on their feet. And know that Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.’
[Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 3, Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah 260)
Moral: The abovementioned Quranic event sheds light on the following Shar’I rulings. Read these carefully and avail the light of guidance and transmit it to others also.
Calling the dead
Sayyiduna Ibraheem علَيْه َّ السلاَم had slaughtered the four birds, minced their meat and placed it on the mountains. Then Allah عزوجلordered, call these dead birds.
Therefore, Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلامcalled these four birds by their names and this point proves that calling dead is not polytheism, because when Allah عزوجلordered to call the dead birds and when such a dignified Nabi (A.S) called the dead birds, then this can never ever be polytheism at all because Allah عزوجلwill never command any one towards polytheism and nor any Nabi (علَيْه َّ السلاَم ) can ever commit an act of polytheism.
A spiritual lesson
Each of the four birds that Sayyiduna Ibraheem علَيْه َّ السلاَم slaughtered is famous for a certain ill instinct – for example the peacock is proud of its facial beauty, the rooster possesses excessive sexual desire, the vulture is greedy in nature and the pigeon is proud of its ability to fly high. Thus the event of slaughtering these four birds gives us an indication towards slaughtering these four evils. By virtue of slaughtering these four birds, Sayyiduna Ibraheem علَيْه َّ السلاَم observed the resurrection of the dead birds and his heart was blessed with ultimate satisfaction.
So the one who desires to strengthen his spirituality and wants to acquire Nafs-e-Mutma-innah should slaughter the rooster – meaning to kill his lust, should slaughter the peacock – meaning he should kill the pride of his personality and attire, he should slaughter the vulture – meaning he should kill his greed and he should slaughter the pigeon – meaning he should kill the feeling of being proud of his high worldly status. If someone succeeds in killing and slaughtering these four ill traits ان شاءاللہ عزوجل he will observe the revival of his heart with his own eyes and will be blessed with the wealth of ‘Nafs-e-Mutma-innah’. (Tafseer Jamal, vol. 1, pp. 328; part 2, Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah 260)
