2418 - My father narrated to me, Yahya b. al-Mughirah reported to us, Jarir reported to us, from Husayn, from Hilal b. Yasaf, regarding His saying: "Have you not seen those who left their homes while they were in the thousands, fearing death": He said: They were people from the Children of Israel. When an affliction [plague] would occur, their wealthy and noble ones would depart, while their commoners and poor would remain. Death would then strike those who had remained, and nothing would happen to the others. When one of those years came, they said: "If we remain as they remained, we shall perish as they perished," and the others said: "If we had done as they did, we would have been saved." So, they all resolved in one year to flee together.

2419 - Abu Zur'ah narrated to us, Safwan reported to us, al-Walid reported to us, Sa'id reported to us, from Qatadah, regarding the saying of Allah: "Have you not seen those who left their homes while they were in the thousands, fearing death": He said: The plague drove them out. One third of them left, and two thirds remained. Then it struck them as well, so two thirds left and one third remained. Then it struck them as well, so they all left, and Allah caused them to die as a punishment.

His saying, the Exalted: "So Allah said to them, 'Die,' then He brought them to life."

2420 - Abu Sa'id b. Yahya b. Sa'id al-Qattan narrated to us, 'Amr al-'Anqazi reported to us, Asbat reported to us, from al-Suddi, from Abu Malik, regarding His saying: "Have you not seen those who left their homes while they were in the thousands, fearing death. So Allah said to them, 'Die,' then He brought them to life": He said: There was a town called Dawardan, near Wasit, and the plague occurred among them. A group of them stayed, and a group fled, so they were driven out of the town. Death occurred, and it struck those who stayed and spread among them, while the others who had been driven out of it were safe. When the plague lifted from them, they returned to them. Those who had remained said: "These brothers of ours were more prudent than us; had we done as they did, we would have been saved. If we remain until the plague occurs [again], we shall certainly do as they did." When the following year came, the plague occurred, and they all left—those who had been driven out and those who had remained—and they were thirty-something thousand. They marched until they reached a spacious valley, and they settled in it; it was between two mountains. Allah sent to them two angels, one at the upper end of the valley and one at its lower end, and they called out to them: "Die!" So they died. They remained so for as long as Allah willed. Then, a prophet from among the prophets passed by them, called Hizqil [Ezekiel]. He saw those bones and stood there, astonished at the vast number of them that he saw. Allah revealed to him: "Call out: O bones, Allah commands you to gather!" So the bones from the furthest end of the valley and its nearest end gathered, and each bone adhered to its corresponding bone; each bone from a body adhered to its [own] body. They became bodies of bones, without flesh or blood. Then Allah revealed to him: "Call out: O bones, Allah commands you to be covered with flesh!" Then He revealed to him: "Call out: O bodies, Allah commands you to rise!" And they were raised up alive.