Tafseer of The Exile · Al-Hashr · 59:21
If We had sent down this Qur'an upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and coming apart from fear of Allah. And these examples We present to the people that perhaps they will give thought.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
And His words: ( لَوْ أَنـزلْنَا هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ عَلَى جَبَلٍ لَرَأَيْتَهُ خَاشِعًا مُتَصَدِّعًا مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ ) He, whose praise is exalted, says: had We sent down this Qurʾān upon a mountain — and it is [made] of stone — then you would have seen it, O Muḥammad, in humility; He says: humbled and split apart out of fear of Allah, despite its hardness, out of apprehension that it might not fulfill the right of Allah that has been imposed upon it regarding the glorification of the Qurʾān. And yet it [the Qurʾān] has been sent down upon the son of Adam, while he makes light of its right, and turns away from the lessons and the admonition that lie within it, as though he had not heard them, as though in both his ears there were deafness.
And in keeping with what we have said concerning this, the exegetes of the Qurʾān have also expressed themselves.
* A mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His words: ( لَوْ أَنـزلْنَا هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ عَلَى جَبَلٍ لَرَأَيْتَهُ خَاشِعًا مُتَصَدِّعًا مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ ) ... up to His words: ( لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ) he said, [Allah] says: had I sent down this Qurʾān upon a mountain and made it bear it, then it would have been split apart and in humility because of its weight and out of fear of Allah. Thus Allah, mighty and exalted, has commanded the people that, when the Qurʾān is sent down upon them, they receive it with intense fear and humility. He said: ( وَتِلْكَ الأمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ).
Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His words: ( لَوْ أَنـزلْنَا هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ عَلَى جَبَلٍ لَرَأَيْتَهُ خَاشِعًا مُتَصَدِّعًا مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ ) ... the verse: Allah excuses the deaf mountain, but does not excuse the wretched son of Adam. Have you ever seen anyone whose ribs split apart out of fear of Allah? ( وَتِلْكَ الأمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ ) The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: and these things We set forth for the people as a parable. And that is His — whose praise is exalted — making known to them that the mountains, despite their hardness and firmness, glorify His right more than they do.
And His words: ( لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ) He says: Allah sets forth for them these parables so that they might reflect upon them, and so return in repentance and submit themselves to the truth.
