Mountain that Humbles itself (Surah Al-Hashr 59:21)

21. Had We sent down this Qur'an on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and rent asunder by the fear of Allah. Such are the parables which We put forward to mankind that they may reflect.


Asserting the Greatness of the Qur'an

Allah the Exalted emphasizes the greatness of the Qur'an, its high status and of being worthy of making hearts humble and rent asunder upon hearing it, because of the true promises and sure threats that it contains,

Had We sent down this Qur'an on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and rent asunder by the fear of Allah. If this is the case with a mountain which is hard and huge, that if it was made able to comprehend and understand this Qur'an, will feel humble and crumble from fear of Allah the Exalted, then what about you -- O mankind Why do your hearts not feel softness and humbleness from the fear of Allah, even though you understand Allah's command and comprehend His Book This is why Allah said,

Such are the parables which We put forward to mankind that they may reflect. There is a Hadith of the Mutawatir grade that states that the Messenger of Allah had someone make him a Minbar. Before that, he used to stand next to a tree trunk in the Masjid to deliver speeches. So, when the Minbar was made and placed in the Masjid, the Prophet came to deliver a speech and passed the tree trunk, headed towards the Minbar, the tree trunk started weeping, just like an infant. The tree trunk missed hearing the remembrance of Allah and the revelation that were being recited next to it. In one of the narrations for this Hadith, Al-Hasan Al-Basri said after narrating the Hadith, "You - mankind -- are more worthy to miss the Messenger of Allah than the tree trunk!'' Likewise, this honorable Ayah asks that if the solid mountains feel humble and are rent asunder from the fear of Allah, if it heard Allah's Speech and comprehended it, what about you -- O mankind -- who heard the Qur'an and understood it Allah the Exalted said in another Ayah,

And if there had been a Qur'an with which mountains could be moved, or the earth could be cloven asunder, or the dead could be made to speak.(13:31)  We mentioned the meaning of this Ayah as stating that, if there were a Qur'an that has these qualities, it would be this Qur'an. Allah the Exalted said in another Ayah,

And indeed, there are stones out of which rivers gush forth, and indeed, there are of them (stones) which split asunder so that water flows from them, and indeed, there are of them which fall down for fear of Allah. (2:74)


Reference: Tafsir ibn Kathir (abridged) English version.