Meaning

What is the intended by Abraham's statement "so that my heart may be at ease"?

Answer

Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) summarized the scholars' opinions in his book "Zād al-Masīr" as follows:

To know that You will answer me when I call upon You. [Ibn ʿAbbās]
To increase my heart in certainty. [Saʿīd ibn Jubayr] Al-Ḥasan said, "Abraham was already certain, but hearing is not like seeing."
So that my heart may be sure of our intimate closeness. [Reported from Ibn Jubayr]
He was keen to see the dead come to life, so he desired that his heart be at ease by witnessing it. [Ibn Qutaybah] It was said: what indicates that he did not ask out of doubt is that he said: "Show me how" and not "Do You give life to the dead?"

Verses cited

2:260 Al-Baqarah وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِى كَيْفَ تُحْىِ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ ۖ قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِن ۖ قَالَ بَلَىٰ وَلَـٰكِن لِّيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِى ۖ قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِّنَ ٱلطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ ٱجْعَلْ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِّنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُمَّ ٱدْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْيًا ۚ وَٱعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ And when Abraham said, ‘My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead,’ He said, ‘Do you not believe, then?’ ‘Yes,’ said Abraham, ‘but just to put my heart at rest.’ So God said, ‘Take four birds and train them to come back to you. Then place them on separate hilltops, call them back, and they will come flying to you: know that God is all powerful and wise.’

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