وَإِلَى الجِبالِ كَيفَ نُصِبَت

And the mountains, how they have been set?

EXEGESIS

Nuṣibat (have been set) is from naṣaba: to erect, plant, or install in the ground. It also conjures the idea of ‘made firm’ (tathbīt), and, in the case of mountains, how they peg themselves and interconnect within the earth. Abdel Haleem translates nuṣibat as being raised high, the full verse being: how the mountains are raised high.^{‎[1]Abdel Haleem, 88:19.}

EXPOSITION

Mountains are described as pegs on the earth (16:15, 78:7) towering above, and unwavering (16:15, 21:31). Those to whom the Quran was first revealed were surrounded by mountains and certainly curious and enamoured by them. It was something they even asked the Prophet about: They question you concerning the mountains (20:105).

The mountains being made firm as a sign of God’s power and mercy is given in several verses including 13:3, 15:19, 16:15, 21:31, 27:61, 31:10, 41:10, 50:7, 77:27, and 79:32. It is also often mentioned with the earth being spread out to the benefit of man.

Geological studies constantly reveal the benefits of mountains, whether in their joint formation beneath the earth or in what they produce and store of minerals and water, and in how they stop the spread of deserts and support life in their habitats. Man is invited to reflect on how mountains formed in the past and continue to evolve, and, in all this, to appreciate their wonder as a sign of God’s power for those who reflect and are humble.

Mountains also symbolise grandeur and, as a manifestation of God, are momentous and a reflection of His blessing, grace, and mercy. It is no coincidence that being close to a mountain shifts one’s mind and perception, allowing one to attain higher thoughts. Man appears to meditate and contemplate better before a sign of God that is resplendent in its beauty or raw power, such as a majestic ocean or a towering mountain. This may be why the Prophet loved spending time meditating and worshipping in the cave of Ḥirāʾ outside Mecca before he commenced his mission and announced his prophecy at the age of forty.

The Quran also equates a form of sentience to the mountains along with the heavens and the earth (33:72) when God offered them to take on His trust (amānah).

A major sign of the hour of doom, in the Quran’s description, is how the mountains crumble to dust (20:105), are set in motion (18:47, 52;10, 81:3), become like carded wool (101:5), pass away like clouds (27:88), and all that is left of them is a mirage (78:20).

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

In Arabic literature, mountains are used as symbols of firmness and resistance. The following quotes from Nahj al-Balāghah are an example of that.

1. From Imam Ali (a): ‘Then, as regards fulfilment of trust, whoever does not pay attention to it will be disappointed. It was placed before the strong skies, the vast earth, and the lofty mountains, for none was found to be stronger, vaster, or loftier than them … but they [refused, for they] were apprehensive of its consequence [of failure in fulfilling the trust] and they understood what one who was weaker to them did not, and this was man, indeed he is unjust and ignorant [33:72].’^{‎[2]Nahj, sermon 199.}
2. From Imam Ali (a), in a supplication to God and as he prepared for the Battle of Ṣiffīn: ‘O Allah! Sustainer of the high sky and suspended firmament … O Sustainer of this earth, which You have made an abode for people … O Sustainer of strong mountains, which You have made as pegs for the earth and [a means of] support for people. If You grant us victory over our enemy then save us from excesses and keep us on the straight path of truth. But if You give them victory over us then grant us martyrdom and save us from mischief.’^{‎[3]Nahj, sermon 171.}
3. From Imam Ali (a) in a part of a sermon in which he described the household of the Prophet: ‘They are the trustees of His secrets, the shelter for His affairs, the source of knowledge about Him and the centre of His wisdom, the valleys of His books, and the mountains of His religion. With them Allah straightened the bend of religion’s back and removed the trembling of its limbs.’^{‎[4]Nahj, sermon 2.}
4. From Imam Ali (a), at the Battle of Jamal, as he gave the battle standard to his son Muhammad ibn al-Ḥanafiyyah:^{‎[5]He was the son of Imam Ali (a) but was known as Ibn al-Ḥanafiyyah, to distinguish him from the other sons of Imam Ali (a), after his mother Khawlah bint Jaʿfar, who was known as al-Ḥanafiyyah (the Ḥanafī woman) after her tribe, the Banī Ḥanīfah.} ‘Mountains may move from their position but you should not move from yours. Grit your teeth. Lend to Allah your head. Plant your feet firmly on the ground. Have your eye on the remotest foe and close your eyes [to their numerical superiority]. And be certain that succour is but from Allah, the glorified.’^{‎[6]Nahj, sermon 11.}
5. Imam Ali (a) in describing his steadfastness in religion and precedence in accepting faith: ‘I discharged duties when others lost courage, and I came forward when others hid themselves. I spoke when others remained silent and I struck with divine light when others remained standing … like the mountain which neither sweeping wind could move nor storm could shake. No one could find fault with me nor could anyone speak ill of me.’^{‎[7]Nahj, sermon 37.}

[1] Abdel Haleem, 88:19.
[2] Nahj, sermon 199.
[3] Nahj, sermon 171.
[4] Nahj, sermon 2.
[5] He was the son of Imam Ali (a) but was known as Ibn al-Ḥanafiyyah, to distinguish him from the other sons of Imam Ali (a), after his mother Khawlah bint Jaʿfar, who was known as al-Ḥanafiyyah (the Ḥanafī woman) after her tribe, the Banī Ḥanīfah.
[6] Nahj, sermon 11.
[7] Nahj, sermon 37.