Or (take) the similitude of one who passed by a hamlet, all in ruins to its roofs. He said: “Oh! how shall Allah bring it (ever) to life, after (this) its death?” but Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised him up (again). He said: “How long didst thou tarry (thus)?” He said: (Perhaps) a day or part of a day.” He said: “Nay, thou hast tarried thus a hundred years; but look at thy food and thy drink; they show no signs of age; and look at thy donkey: And that We may make of thee a sign unto the people, Look further at the bones, how We bring them together and clothe them with flesh.” When this was shown clearly to him, he said: “I know that Allah hath power over all things.”
Yusuf Ali writes,
C304. This incident is referred variously;
- to Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones (Ezekiel, 37:1-10).
- to Nehemiah’s visit to Jerusalem in ruins after the
Captivity, and to its re-building (Nehemiah, 2:12-
20): and - to Uzair, or Ezra, or Esdras, the scribe, priest, and
reformer, who was sent by the Persian King after the
Captivity to Jerusalem, and about whom there are
many Jewish legends.
As to 1, there are only four words in this verse about
bones.
As to 2 and 3, there is nothing specific to connect this
verse with either.
The wording is perfectly general, and we must
understand it as general. I think it does refer not only to
individual, but to national, death, and resurrection.
References:
Yusuf Ali, Abdullah. Translation and Commentary of the Quran. (pg. 184). Microsoft Word – 002 Baqarah.doc (quran4u.com)