Prophet Mūsā: Part 5 — The Calf, the Seventy and the Cow
Section 14 of 23 · Lives of the Prophets
The Mountain Above Their Heads
Mūsā brought them the laws of Allah and said: follow them. This is the law of Allah; you have to follow it. Give me a promise that you will follow it. Banū Isrāʾīl said: no — show us what is in there first, and then we are going to tell you whether we are going to follow it or not. This is coming from Allah (swt), and they know that it is the word of Allah. They told Mūsā: we are not going to follow it until you let us know what is written there. Show us what is there first.
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَـٰقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ ٱلطُّورَ خُذُوا۟ مَآ ءَاتَيْنَـٰكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ مَا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
“And when We took the pledge from you, and raised high above you the (Mount of) Tūr: “Hold fast to what We have given to you, and remember what is in it, so that you may become God-fearing.”” (2:63)
Allah (swt) says: and remember when We took your covenant and raised the Mount above you. Allah (swt) lifted a mountain into the air, and this mountain flew over Banū Isrāʾīl, and it stopped right there, like a cloud over their heads. And then Allah (swt) told Banū Isrāʾīl: either you follow the word of Allah, or this mountain will crush you.
۞ وَإِذْ نَتَقْنَا ٱلْجَبَلَ فَوْقَهُمْ كَأَنَّهُۥ ظُلَّةٌ وَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَنَّهُۥ وَاقِعٌۢ بِهِمْ خُذُوا۟ مَآ ءَاتَيْنَـٰكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ مَا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
“When We raised the mountain over them as though it were a canopy, and they thought it was falling upon them, (We said,) “Adhere firmly to what We have given you and remember what is therein, so that you may become God-fearing.”” (7:171)
Allah (swt) says: and We raised the mountain above their heads as if it were a canopy. Allah (swt) told them: either you follow the word of Allah (swt), or you will be crushed under this mountain.
The mufassirūn say that as soon as Banū Isrāʾīl saw the mountain above their heads, they said: we are going to follow. Fine, we agree. And they made sujūd; they made sujūd. Ibn ʿAbbās says they did not make sujūd on their foreheads and their noses; they made sujūd on their cheeks, so that they could look up at the mountain with one eye. So Allah (swt) was giving Banū Isrāʾīl many chances.