Walaw anna quranan suyyirat bihi aljibalu aw quttiAAat bihi alardu aw kullima bihi almawta bal lillahi alamru jameeAAan afalam yayasi allatheena amanoo an law yashao Allahu lahada alnnasa jameeAAan wala yazalu allatheena kafaroo tuseebuhum bima sanaAAoo qariAAatun aw tahullu qareeban min darihim hatta yatiya waAAdu Allahi inna Allaha la yukhlifu almeeAAada
English
Ahmed Ali
Had there been a Qur'an which could have made the mountains move, or the earth to cleave asunder, or the dead to speak, yet all authority belongs to God. Have the believers not learnt that if God had so willed He could have guided all mankind? As for unbelievers, they will be visited by misfortune endlessly for what they have done; or it would sit in their homes till the promised threat of God comes to pass. Surely God does not go back on His promise.
31
Tafseer
'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī
تفسير : then the following was revealed about 'abdullah ibn umayyah al-makhzumi and his companions who said to the prophet: make the mountains disappear by means of your qur'an; or make springs gush out of them, just as david did with the fount of copper, as you claim; or bring for us a wind by means of which we travel to historic syria and return, just as it was done by solomon, according to you; or bring our dead to life as did jesus, as you claim. so allah said: (had it been possible for a lecture) other than the qur'an which has been revealed to muhammad (pbuh) (to cause the mountains to move) by means of which mountains are made to disappear from the face of the earth, (or the earth to be torn asunder) by means of which to travel long distances, (or the dead to speak) or by means of which the dead are brought back to life, the qur'an which was revealed to muhammad (pbuh) would have done so. (nay, but allah's is the whole command) rather, allah can do all these things, if he wills. (do not those who believe) in muhammad (pbuh) and in the qur'an (know that had allah willed, he could have guided all mankind)?) if he willed, he would have honoured all mankind with his religion (as for those who disbelieve) in the scriptures and messengers, i.e. the disbelievers of mecca, (disaster) a military detachment; and it is said this means: a thunderbolt (ceaseth not to strike them because of what they do) in their state of disbelief, (or it dwelleth near) or make camp with your companions near (their home) near their city mecca, in 'usfan (until the threat of allah) the conquest of mecca (come to pass. lo! allah faileth not to keep the tryst) i.e. the conquest of mecca; as it is said this means: resurrection after death.
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī
تفسير : the following was revealed when they said to him, ‘if you are [truly] a prophet, then make these mountains of mecca drift away before us, and make for us rivers and springs in it, that we may plant and sow seeds, and resurrect for us our dead fathers to speak to us and tell us that you are a prophet’: even if it were a qur’ān whereby the mountains were set in motion, moved from their places, or the earth were cleft, torn, or the dead were spoken to, such that they would respond, they still would not believe. nay, but the affair belongs entirely to god, and none other, so that none believes except he whom he wills that he believes, and no other; even if they were given what they request [of signs]. the following was revealed when the companions were keen that what was requested [of signs] should be manifested, hoping that they [the ones requesting them] might believe: have they not realised, those who believe, that (an is softened, in other words [understand it as] annahu) had god willed, he could have guided all mankind?, to faith, without [the need for] any sign? and the disbelievers, from among the people of mecca, continue to be struck by devastation, a catastrophe that devastates them through all manner of hardship, such as being killed, taken captive, and [suffering] war or drought, because of what they wrought, because of their actions, that is, their disbelief; or you alight, o muhammad (s), together with your army, near their home — mecca — until god’s promise, of victory against them, comes to pass; truly god does not break his promise: and indeed, he alighted at hudaybiyya until the conquest of mecca took place;
Ali ibn Ahmad al-Wahidi
تفسير : (had it been possible for a lecture to cause the mountains to move…) [13:31].
muhammad ibn 'abd al-rahman al-nahwi informed me> abu 'amr muhammad ibn ahmad al-hiri> abu ya'la> muhammad ibn isma'il ibn salamah al-ansari> khalaf ibn tamim> 'abd al-jabbar ibn 'umar al-ayli> 'abd allah ibn 'ata'> his grandmother umm 'ata', the client of al-zubayr> al-zubayr ibn al-'awwam who said: “the quraysh said to the prophet, allah bless him and give him peace: 'you claim that you are a prophet who receives revelation, and that solomon was given the gift of wind and mountains, moses the sea and jesus brought the dead back to life. pray allah to move for us these mountains, and cause rivers to spring out from this land so that we can use it as plantations, and eat from them. alternately, pray that allah brings our dead ancestors to life so that we speak with them; or pray that allah turns this rock beneath you into gold so that we can do without the winter and summer trips. don't you claim that you are like these prophets?' we were around him, when the revelation came to him. after he regained his normal composure, he said: 'by him in whose hand is my soul, he has given me all what you have asked, and if i wished it will all happen. however, he has made me choose between the gate of mercy, such that your believers will come to believe or to leave you to what you have chosen for yourselves such that you go astray from the gate of mercy, and your believers will not believe. i have chosen the gate of mercy and that your believers will come to believe. allah also informed me that if he were to give what you asked for and you disbelieved after that, he would punish you with a chastisement the like of which he has never inflicted on anyone of his creation'. it was revealed (naught hindreth us from sending portents save that the folk of old denied them. and we gave thamud the she-camel- a clear portent- but they did wrong in respect of her…) [17:59]. he read the next three verses and then the revelation came (had it been possible for a lecture to cause the mountains to move, or the earth to be torn asunder…)”.
