Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Hashr Verse 21

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Had We sent down this Qur’ān to a mountain, you would have seen it humbled, burst apart out of awe for Allah. We cite such examples for people, so that they may ponder.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Had We sent down this Quran upon a mountain, you would have certainly seen it humbled and torn apart in awe of Allah. We set forth such comparisons for people, ˹so˺ perhaps they may reflect.[[ Meaning, that the hearts of the disbelievers are harder than the mountains concerning the Quran. ]]

Ruwwad Translation Center

Had We sent down this Qur’an upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and break asunder out of awe of Allah. Such are the similitudes We set forth for people so that they may reflect.

A. J. Arberry

If We had sent down this Koran upon a mountain, thou wouldst have seen it humbled, split asunder out of the fear of God. And those similitudes -- We strike them for men; haply they will reflect.

Abdul Haleem

If We had sent this Quran down to a mountain, you [Prophet] would have seen it humbled and split apart in its awe of God: We offer people such illustrations so that they may reflect.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Had We sent down this Qur'an upon a mountain, thou wouldst surely have seen it humbling itself and cleaving in sunder for fear of Allah. Such similitudes We propound Unto mankind that haply they may reflect.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Had We sent down this Qur'an on a mountain, verily, thou wouldst have seen it humble itself and cleave asunder for fear of Allah. Such are the similitudes which We propound to men, that they may reflect.

Abul Ala Maududi

Had We sent down this Qur'an upon a mountain you would indeed have seen it humbling itself and breaking asunder out of fear of Allah. We propound such parables to people that they may reflect.

Ahmed Ali

If We had sent down this Qur'an to a mountain you would have seen it turn desolate and split into two for fear of God. We offer these examples to men that they may think and reflect.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Had We sent down this Qur’an upon a mountain, you would have then surely seen it bowed down, blown to bits by the fear of Allah; and We illustrate such examples for people, for them to ponder.

Ali Quli Qarai

Had We sent down this Quran upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled [and] go to pieces with the fear of Allah. We draw such comparisons for mankind, so that they may reflect.

Ali Ünal

If We had sent down this Qur’an on a mountain, you would certainly see it humble itself, splitting asunder for awe of God. Such parables We strike for humankind so that they may reflect (on why the Qur’an is being revealed to humankind and how great and important their responsibility is).

Amatul Rahman Omar

Had We revealed this Qur´ân on a mountain, you would have surely seen it falling down in all humility and splitting asunder for awe of Allâh. These are wonderful things which We narrate for mankind that they may give thought.

English Literal

If We descended this the Koran on (a) mountain you would have seen/understood it humble/submissive splitting/cracking from God`s fear, and those are the examples/proverbs We give it for the people, maybe/perhaps they think.

Faridul Haque

Had We sent down this Qur’an upon a mountain, you would have then surely seen it bowed down, blown to bits by the fear of Allah; and We illustrate such examples for people, for them to ponder.

Hamid S. Aziz

Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would certainly have seen it falling down (humbled), splitting asunder because of the fear of Allah, and We set forth these parables to men that they may reflect.

Hilali & Khan

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

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Not alike are the companions of the Fire and the owners of the Garden. The owners of the Garden are the achievers.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would certainly have seen it falling down, splitting asunder because of the fear of Allah, and We set forth these parables to men that they may reflect.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

If We had caused this Qur'an to descend upon a mountain, thou (O Muhammad) verily hadst seen it humbled, rent asunder by the fear of Allah. Such similitudes coin We for mankind that haply they may reflect.

Muhammad Sarwar

The people of Paradise and hell are not alike; the people of Paradise are the successful ones. Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and rent asunder for fear of God. These are parables which We tell to people so that perhaps they will think.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Had We sent down this Koran upon a mountain, you would have seen it humble itself and split asunder for fear of Allah. Such are the parables we strike for people so that they will reflect.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

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.

Wahiduddin Khan

Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would certainly have seen it falling down and splitting asunder, because of the fear of God. We set forth these parables to men so that they may reflect.

Talal Itani

Had We sent this Quran down on a mountain, you would have seen it trembling, crumbling in awe of God. These parables We cite for the people, so that they may reflect.

Tafsir jalalayn

Had We sent down this Qur'n upon a mountain, and had it [the mountain] been endowed with a faculty of discernment like man, you would have surely seen it humbled, rent asunder by the fear of God. And such similitudes, as those mentioned -- do We strike for mankind, that perhaps they may reflect, and so become believers.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

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,

لَوْ أَنزَلْنَا هَذَا الْقُرْانَ عَلَى جَبَلٍ لَّرَأَيْتَهُ خَاشِعًا مُّتَصَدِّعًا مِّنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ

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,

وَتِلْكَ الاَْمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ



Such are the parables which We put forward to mankind that they may reflect.

There is a Hadith of the Mutawatir grade that states,

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,

وَلَوْ أَنَّ قُرْانًا سُيِّرَتْ بِهِ الْجِبَالُ أَوْ قُطِّعَتْ بِهِ الاٌّرْضُ أَوْ كُلِّمَ بِهِ الْمَوْتَى

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,

وَإِنَّ مِنَ الْحِجَارَةِ لَمَا يَتَفَجَّرُ مِنْهُ الَانْهَـرُ وَإِنَّ مِنْهَا لَمَا يَشَّقَّقُ فَيَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ الْمَأءُ وَإِنَّ مِنْهَا لَمَا يَهْبِطُ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ

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)
Glorifying Allah the Exalted by mentioning His Names and Attributes

Allah the Exalted said,

هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ

عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ هُوَ الرَّحْمَنُ الرَّحِيمُ