One man cannot leave four alive birds each on a different mountain. When we keep the entire verse before our eyes things seem quite vivid. Let us see it again:
وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحْيِـي ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِن قَالَ بَلَىٰ وَلَـكِن لِّيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِي قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِّنَ ٱلطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ ٱجْعَلْ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِّنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُمَّ ٱدْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْياً وَٱعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
"And when Ibrahim {عليه السلام}said, "My Sustainer Lord!
Let me see with my eyes as to how You would revive life to dead.
He said, "Do you not accept revival of the dead?".
Ibrahim said, "Yes I accept that, but just for the sake of my heart's desire for absolute satisfaction".
He said, "For the purpose acquire four from bird species
then make them acquainted/familiarized/ tamed towards/with you.Thereafter lapse of time { ثُمَّ }place on all mountains from those birds
in pieces;
Thereafter lapse of time { ثُمَّ }call them in the familiar manner, they
will come to you running.And remember certainly Allah has control/power over everything, The Wise Knower of hidden"
YUSUFALI: When Abraham said: "Show me, Lord, how You will raise the dead, " He replied: "Have you no faith?" He said "Yes, but just to reassure my heart." Allah said, "Take four birds, draw them to you, and cut their bodies to pieces. Scatter them over the mountain-tops, then call them back. They will come swiftly to you. Know that Allah is Mighty, Wise."
PICKTHAL: And when Abraham said (unto his Lord): My Lord! Show me how Thou givest life to the dead, He said: Dost thou not believe? Abraham said: Yea, but (I ask) in order that my heart may be at ease. (His Lord) said: Take four of the birds and cause them to incline unto thee, then place a part of them on each hill, then call them, they will come to thee in haste, and know that Allah is Mighty, Wise.
SHAKIR: And when Ibrahim said: My Lord! show me how Thou givest life to the dead, He said: What! and do you not believe? He said: Yes, but that my heart may be at ease. He said: Then take four of the birds, then train them to follow you, then place on every mountain a part of them, then call them, they will come to you flying; and know that Allah is Mighty, Wise.
أَرِنِي
أَرِ +ن+ى
Root ر أ ى
It signifies seeing with the eye, arouse attention, consideration. It also signifies mental perception, conception, notion, idea. It is in any case related to physical senses.
When it has one complement it means seeing with eye; with two complements it means knowing, have knowledge. "ى" means "Me"
"You let me see with eyes"كَيْفَ
Particle. How, as to why; in what way.
تُحْيِـي ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ
Revive to life the dead
Ibrahim {عليه السلام} has made a request in simple and plain words that he wanted to see with his own eyes as to how the dead will be revived. He has not expressed any suspicion { رَيْبَ } about the resurrection of dead on the Day of Judgment. Allah knew it since He knows the secrets of the hearts/chest that there was no such thing. But if this was narrated to others someone could err in presuming that Ibrahim {عليه السلام} had some doubts in his mind. Allah makes things clear so that no one could have any suspicion or misconception about a thing. He asked a question to let it be known to the humanity that there was no such thing in the mind of Ibrahim {عليه السلام}. And the answer was the same which was already known to Allah. But this clarified for humanity that the Friend of Allah Ibrahim {عليه السلام} did not have any suspicion and he just wanted for his own absolute satisfaction to see the scene of resurrection of dead.
Ibrahim {عليه السلام} did not ask for making him understand the methodology/philosophy of raising the dead but instead requested أَرِنِي "Let me see with my own eyes". A truth seen with one's own eyes rises to the level of absolute truth/proven fact and this absolute confidence/peace of heart and mind to indulge in dialogue/argument with others.
قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِّنَ ٱلطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ
He said, "For the purpose acquire four from bird species then make them acquainted/familiarized/ tamed towards/with you.
فَصُرْهُنَّ
ف+صُر+هُنَّ
ف is conjunction, denoting order and a delay giving the perception of a sequence "after that, afterwards, next, as a consequence"
صُر
The basic concept infolded in this Root is to tie, bind a thing. This gives the perception of confining and collecting together. When someone ties himself to a certain action and attitude we call it his habit. وَلَمْ يُصِرُّواْ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا
"And they don't get tied to it what they had done" meaning they don't make it a habit/become habitual. {Refer 3:135}
And obviously when it will be used in relation to animals and birds their confining/tying would reflect making them familiar/ friendly/tamed. He was advised to acquire four birds and then take time to tie them with him. He was asked to make those four acquired birds familiar and friendly with him. It takes time to make birds friendly, acquainted and familiarized with their master. Only such birds listen to the call and come near to someone who was kept and familiarized {kept tied/restricted}.
ثُمَّ ٱجْعَلْ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِّنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا
"Thereafter lapse of time { ثُمَّ}place on all mountains from those birds in pieces"
جُزْءًا
Singular
A part/particle of something; a piece of something. When a thing/composite unit is divided/separated/ segregated/demarcated to make one part distinct from the other only then the word جُزْءًا can be used in relation to that composite thing.When a space/area is divided into parts we call each part as portion of that space/area. {Refer 15:44}
Here the particle ثُمَّ has been used. It may be noted that this is a talk and all words are in the first person. One has questioned/made request and Allah is directly answering him. The request is seeing the revival of the dead. Therefore there was no need of saying/mentioning of killing those birds.
If the birds were to left on the mountains the particle ثُمَّ could not be used. Instead conjunction "ف"or "و"needed to be applied which denote order and a delay giving the perception of a sequence "after that, afterwards, next, as a consequence". Particle ثُمَّ is used in a distinct manner. It occurs as conjunction between two things different from each other in nature and reflects a break and time gap between both, not continuity. It does not reflect the perception of relationship of cause and effect. It always occur between life and death and death and life. Birds were four but their pieces were to be scattered on كُلِّ جَبَلٍ "all the mountains" . Had each one of those four birds were to be placed on "mountain" the words كُلِّ جَبَلٍ could/need not be used. Then the words مِّنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا do not permit to presume that birds were to be placed on "all mountains" alive. جُزْءًا is suggesting the condition/state in which those four birds were to be scattered on all the mountains. ٱجْعَلْ also does not permit to presume that the four birds were to be placed individually on "all mountains". Ibrahim {عليه السلام} takes one bird to one mountain for leaving him there. Can it be imagined that while he returns back the bird will not start following him to come back to the ground? Anyone may try it to place four birds tamed and friendly with him on four different mountains and I assure you that he will reach his last day but he will never succeed in leaving four birds on different mountains. This will show ridiculousness of thouht of those who suggest that birds were not killed and just tamed.
ثُمَّ ٱدْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْياً
"Thereafter lapse of time { ثُمَّ }call them in the familiar manner, they will come to you running"
سَعْياً
Root: س ع ى
Signifies the going along with vigor, lightness, activity or quickness; walk, trip, trudge.
Here again ثُمَّ has been used which shows the time gap. It is always used for revival of life in the dead ones. Only those birds come to you on your call who were friendly with you and whom you recognize quite conveniently even if they are intermingled with similar birds of their species. It has not been said that those birds will come to you flying. It has been said those birds will come running to youثُمَّ : Perception and meanings; and occasion of use.Quotehttp://haqeeqat.org.pk/English%20Tafsir%20e%20Haqeeqat/002.%20Meanings%20and%20Tabweeb%20of%20words/Dhumma%20%20Summa/001.%20SUMMA.htm
بَعَثَ : Perception and MeaningsQuotehttp://haqeeqat.org.pk/English%20Tafsir%20e%20Haqeeqat/002.%20Meanings%20and%20Tabweeb%20of%20words/Ba'as%20Revive/01.%20Ba'as%20Meaning.htm
