Page 185 - General Knowledge from the Qur'an

THE CONCEPT OF TIME IN THE QUR'AN

THE RELATIVITY OF TIME IN THE QUR'AN

The Man whom Allah Caused to Die a Hundred Years
and then Brought Back to Life
Or the one who passed by a town which had fallen into ruin? He
asked, 'How can Allah restore this to life when it has died?' Allah
caused him to die a hundred years then brought him back to life. Then
He asked, 'How long have you been here?' He replied, 'I have been
here a day or part of a day.' He said, 'Not so! You have been here a hun-
dred years. Look at your food and drink – it has not gone bad – and
look at your donkey so We can make you a Sign for all mankind. Look
at the bones – how We raise them up and clothe them in flesh.' When it
had become clear to him, he said, 'Now I know that Allah has power
over all things.' (Surat al-Baqara, 259)
Companions of the Cave
So We sealed their ears with sleep in the cave for a number of years.
Then We woke them up again so that we might see which of the two
groups would better calculate the time they had stayed there. (Surat
al-Kahf, 11-12)
That was the situation when we woke them up so they could ques-
tion one another. One of them asked, 'How long have you been here?'
They replied, 'We have been here for a day or part of a day.' They said,
'Your Lord knows best how long you have been here. Send one of your
number into the city with this silver you have, so he can see which
food is purest and bring you some of it to eat. But he should go about
with caution so that no one is aware of you. (Surat al-Kahf, 19)
They stayed in their Cave for three hundred years and added nine.
Say: 'Allah knows best how long they stayed. The Unseen of the heav-
ens and the earth belongs to Him. How perfectly He sees, how well He
hears! They have no protector apart from Him. Nor does He share His
rule with anyone.' (Surat al-Kahf, 25-26)