"And when Abraham said, 'My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead'" [Verse 260].
Yahya said: It reached us that Abraham, peace be upon him, went out traveling upon a donkey of his. He came upon the carcass of a beast upon which the birds of the sky were descending, each taking a piece from it, and the beasts of the land were coming to it, each taking a limb from it, and meat would fall from the mouths of the birds which the sea creatures would then take.
Abraham, peace be upon him, stood there in astonishment and said: 'My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead!' [Allah] said, 'Do you not believe?' He said, 'Yes, my Lord, I do believe, but [I ask] so that I may know, so that my heart may be at ease'—meaning: so that it may be tranquil—regarding how You will gather the flesh of this beast after it has decayed.
So He said to him: 'Take four of the birds and draw them to yourself' [Verse 260]. Muhammad said: Meaning:
﴿وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيفَ تحيي الْمَوْتَى﴾ الْآيَة.
قَالَ يَحْيَى: بلغنَا أَن إِبْرَاهِيم عليه السلام خرج يسير عَلَى حمَار لَهُ؛ فَإِذا هُوَ بجيفة دَابَّة يَقع عَلَيْهَا طير السَّمَاء، فَيَأْخُذ مِنْهَا بضعَة بضعَة، وتأتيها سِبَاع الْبر؛ فتأخذ مِنْهَا عضوا عضوا، وَيَقَع من أَفْوَاه الطير اللَّحْم، فتأخذه الْحيتَان.
فَقَامَ إِبْرَاهِيم عليه السلام مُتَعَجِّبا، فَقَالَ: يَا رب، أَرِنِي كَيفَ تحيي الْمَوْتَى؟! ﴿قَالَ أَو لم تؤمن قَالَ بلَى﴾ يَا رب، قد آمَنت، وَلَكِن لأعْلم؛ حَتَّى يطمئن قلبِي - يَعْنِي: يسكن - كَيفَ تجمع لحم هَذِه الدَّابَّة بعد مَا أرم.
فَقَالَ لَهُ: ﴿فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِنَ الطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ﴾ قَالَ مُحَمَّد: يَعْنِي:
