Sunan Sa'id

Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) said regarding this verse: “Or like the one who passed by a town which had fallen into ruin. He said, ‘How will Allah bring this to life after its death?’ So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised him up” — we have been informed that he was caused to die at the time of forenoon, and he was brought back to life when the sun had begun to decline before setting. Then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, said: “How long did you remain?” He said, “I remained a day or part of a day.” He said, “Rather, you remained a hundred years. So look at your food and your drink; they have not changed with time. And look at your donkey; and We will make you a sign for the people” — meaning, We will also bring your donkey back to life. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, protected your food and drink from the beasts. Then He said: “And look at the bones, how We raise them and then cover them with flesh.” We have also been informed that the first thing Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, created were his eyes, so he was watching with them how every bone was returning to its place. Then, when the reality became clear to him, he said: “So when it became clear to him, he said, ‘I know that Allah is over all things competent.’”