In the tradition of the ancient Greeks, a significant number of men and women were resurrected by forces beyond our understanding. But as far as mythologies go, few ancient traditions had the concept as more of a cornerstone than the Egyptians. The ancient Egyptian customs had a number of royals resurrected in the lands beyond on the other side. And now one waiter from Southern Egypt has demonstrated that he is keeping that tradition alive.
Families were overjoyed when 28 year old Hamdi Hafez al-Nubi of Naga al-Simman Luxor was suddenly declared still living when the doctor sent to confirm his death noted that his funeral had been scheduled prematurely. In a move that surprised all those in mourning, an-Nubi was declared a modern day Lazarus.
Declaring someone dead prematurely is not unheard of, but there are some who wonder if it really was a mistake on the part of the hospital declaring him dead or if something else may have happened that kick-started his heart and brain again. The news was so unexpected that his mother, upon hearing the news, collapsed with joy at the unexplained revision of his status.
And not only that, after his pulse was confirmed by doctors, the man at the centerpiece of the funeral was resuscitated alongside his mother, leaving no doubt that he was still alive. And the shock, while chilling, was not enough to keep him down.
Unfortunately, not all who wake up at their own funerals take the news quite so well. In 2011, Fagilyu Mukhametzyanov of Kazan was so shocked to be surrounded by her friends and relatives about to be buried that she immediately went into shock and suffered a fatal heart attack. Unfortunately, the heart attack was fatal. Of course this has led many to believe her death may have been caused by a mistake made when she was prematurely declared dead in the first place. Since then, Mukhametzyanov’s family has stated that they will pursue the matter in court against the hospital responsible, raising questions about this rare but global phenomenon.
Fear of prematurely being declared dead was once upon a time a very conscious fear in the minds of citizens of Victorian society. It was so pronounced, in fact, that countermeasures were often employed to ensure the prematurely buried would have been able to contact the living via a bell, flag, or a more technologically advanced method – electronic lights. Ultimately, it’s unknown if these methods were ever employed successfully or if they were simply offered as a novelty to those who could afford them. Nonetheless, it is a grim reminder of the transition society had to make as medical technology revealed the many stages between death and life, and contemporary resuscitation revealed that not all deaths may not have been quite as final as they appeared at first glance.
Is it a simple case of premature diagnosis? A simple bureaucratic foul-up? Or is it possible as some of those present at the funeral have suggested, that something a bit more mysterious happened?