Resuscitation Miracle in the Quran

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Resuscitation isn't mentioned anywhere in the Quran. But some Islamic apologists like to claim that it is mentioned in the second sura ("The Cow").

The claim

In Surah Al-Baqarah, we come across an incident where a man is killed but the murderer is unknown. To identify the murderer, Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) instructs hitting the person’s heart with a piece of a cow.

“And (remember) when you killed a man and fell into dispute among yourselves as to the crime. But Allah brought forth that which you were hiding. So We said: “Strike him (the dead man) with a piece of it (the cow).” Thus Allah brings the dead to life and shows you His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) so that you may understand.” [2:72-73]

Again, Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) advises us to use our intellect in understanding His signs and the miracles of the Quran.

While this was an extraordinary incident, with the purpose of identifying the murderer, it hints towards massaging or hitting the chest to restart a heart that has stopped beating. This is very similar to present day resuscitating – a medical procedure to revive someone from unconsciousness or apparent death. In this process, pressure is applied to the rib cage at intervals to produce rhythmic contractions in the heart.


The verse

The verse, even in the translation provided by apologists says nothing about resuscitation:

And (remember) when you killed a man and fell into dispute among yourselves as to the crime. But Allah brought forth that which you were hiding. So We said: “Strike him (the dead man) with a piece of it (the cow).” Thus Allah brings the dead to life and shows you His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) so that you may understand.


Quran 2:72-73, translated by understandquran.com

The verse begins with "And (remember) when you killed a man". So we're talking about a man that was killed, not about a person who stopped breathing recently and could be saved by resuscitation.

Then the verse continues "and fell into dispute among yourselves as to the crime". The killer probably wasn't interested in reviving his victim and it usually takes some time before other people find the dead body. So even if the victim could have been saved after the incomplete murder, he was probably dead when they found him. Resuscitation has to be done as soon as possible. Not hours/days after the murder.

Then the verse continues "But Allah brought forth that which you were hiding.". Allah is going to show who did the murder. It doesn't say he's going to teach them resuscitation.

Then the verse continues "So We said: “Strike him (the dead man)". It says strike, not press or pump. Resuscitation is not about striking the chest. Also it doesn't explicitly say chest. It only vaguely says "strike him". They could have stroke him anywhere. There is no indication it is supposed to be on the chest. How could they understood from Allah's command "strike him" that "him" refers to the chest? Also it doesn't mention repetition. It just says "strike him" which by default means one time. There is now way to figure out the technique of resuscitation from the verse.

Then the verse continues and again proves how wrong the miracle claim is. "with a piece of it (the cow).”" - the striking should be with a piece of cow. Resuscitaiton is not done with a piece of cow.

Then the verse continues "Thus Allah brings the dead to life". The person getting revived was a miracle of Allah. It was not the effect of man-made resuscitation. Tafsir Ibn Kathir explains:

﴿فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا﴾ (So We said: "Strike him (the dead man) with a piece of it (the cow)") meaning, "any part of the cow will produce the miracle (if they struck the dead man with it)." We were not told which part of the cow they used, as this matter does not benefit us either in matters of life or religion. Otherwise, Allah would have made it clear for us. Instead, Allah made this matter vague, so this is why we should leave it vague. Allah's statement,

﴿كَذَلِكَ يُحْىِ اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَى﴾ (Thus Allah brings the dead to life) means, "They struck him with it, and he came back to life." This Ayah demonstrates Allah's ability in bringing the dead back to life. Allah made this incident proof against the Jews that the Resurrection shall occur, and ended their disputing and stubbornness over the dead person.


Tafsir Ibn Kathir

It's about Allah bringing people to life. Not people bringing people to life.


See also