Transliteration:( Alam tara ilal lazeena kharajoo min diyaarihim wa hum uloofun hazaral mawti faqaaala lahumul laahu mootoo summa ahyaahum; innal laaha lazoo fadlin 'alannaasi wa laakinna aksarannaasi laa yashkuroon )
243. (O Beloved Prophet) Did you not observe those who went out of their homes [600] in their thousands, for fear of death [601]? Then Allah said to them, "Die!" [602] Then He brought them back to life. Surely, Allah is Most Gracious to people [603], but most of the people are ungrateful.
This verse refers to the residents of Wasit (also called Dadrawaan), who fled their homes in the thousands to escape a plague.
🔹 Due to their decision to flee from Allah's decree, they all died suddenly.
🔹 Later, Hazrat Hizkeel (عليه السلام), a prophet from the lineage of Bani Isra’il and the third successor to Hazrat Musa (عليه السلام), made du'a for their revival, and Allah resurrected them.
Fear of death can have two outcomes:
Good: When it leads a person to repentance, good deeds, and turning to Allah.
Bad: When it causes someone to abandon obligations like Hajj or Jihad due to fear.
🔹 The fear of the people of Wasit was different, as it stemmed from running away from a divine test.
From this event we learn:
Escaping death out of fear, especially from a divinely sent calamity, is not permissible.
The words “Did you not see…” addressed to the Prophet ﷺ confirm that even ancient events were made known to him, showing that past and future realities were unveiled before the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
As per Ibn Arabi, those who die by way of punishment can be brought back to life by divine will.
🔹 According to Hazrat Hasan (RA), these people died before their natural time, and were revived to complete their lifespan.
🔹 Their revival was a miracle granted through the supplication of Hazrat Hizkeel bin Yuozi.
🔹 Despite Allah’s mercy in such miraculous events, most people remain ungrateful, failing to appreciate His grace and power.
The tafsir of Surah Baqarah verse 242 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Baqarah ayat 240 which provides the complete commentary from verse 240 through 242.
(2:243) (O Messenger), have you thought of those who went forth from their homes for fear of death even though they were in their thousands?[265] Allah said to them: “Die!” Then He restored them to life.[266] Indeed Allah is Bounteous to mankind; but most people do not give thanks in return.
265. Here begins a fresh discourse, in which Muslims are urged to struggle and make financial sacrifices for God’s cause. Moreover, they have been warned to avoid those forms of corruption which eventually led the Children of Israel into decline and degeneration. In order to appreciate this discourse it should be borne in mind that it was revealed when the Muslims had been driven out of Makka and had lived in Madina for year and a half. Exasperated by the wrongs to which the unbelievers subjected them, the Muslims had again and again asked the Prophet to permit them to fight. But when they were at long last asked to fight, some of them showed a degree of reluctance and disinclination see (Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 216) above. Their attention is now drawn, therefore, to two incidents in the history of the Israelites from which the may learn their lesson.
266. This refers to the exodus of the Israelites. See (Surah Al-Maidah, ayat 20) gives some details of this incident. The Israelites had left Egypt in large numbers and were wandering in the desert, eager to find a home. But when at God’s command Moses ordered them to drive the Canaanites out of Palestine and conquer that land, they showed cowardice and refused to proceed. Eventually God let them wander about for forty years till one full generation of Israelites had died and been replaced by a new one reared in the tough conditions of desert life. It was only, then that God enabled the Israelites to overcome the Canaanites. Their former condition is described as death, whereas the later development is seen as their restoration to life.
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