59:21 Had We revealed this Quran to a mountain, you would have seen it humbled, split asunder out of the fear of Allah. And these similitudes – We put forward for people that they may reflect.
59:22 He is Allah; there is no god worthy of worship but Him. He is the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible; He is the Giver of Mercy, the All-Merciful.
59:23 He is Allah; there is no god worthy of worship but Him. He is the King, the Holy, the One Free from all defects, the Giver of security, the Watcher over His creatures, the All-Mighty, the Subduer, the All-Sublime. Glory be to Allah; He is above what they worship besides Him.
59:24 He is Allah, the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper. To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him, and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.
Relationship with the Preceding Part
In the earlier section, the condition of the Jews and the hypocrites was clarified. The believers were commanded to fear Allah by obeying
His commands and avoiding His prohibitions, as well as to prepare for the Day
of Judgment. This present section emphasizes the lofty rank of the Quran,
revealed by Allah, Exalted be He, to guide humanity to what secures their
happiness in both this world and the Hereafter. It also mentions some of the
Beautiful Names of Allah.
Tafsir
“Had We revealed this Quran to a mountain, you would have seen it humbled, split asunder out of the fear of Allah. And those similitudes – We put forward for people that they may reflect.” 59:21
The Quran, with its eloquence and beneficial lessons,
possesses immense rank, softening the hearts through its powerful guidance. If
it were revealed to a mountain, despite its hardness, the mountain would humble
itself and split apart from fear of Allah and His punishment.
This illustrates the sublime position of the Quran and its
profound effect on souls and hearts. It contains beneficial admonitions,
deterrent warnings, truthful promises from Allah to reward the righteous for
their deeds, and stern threats of punishment for the wrongdoers. If even the
mighty mountains, despite their firmness, would split asunder upon
comprehending the meanings of the Quran, how then can human hearts remain
unmoved when listening to its recitation and understanding its meanings?
“And those similitudes – We put forward for people that they may reflect.”
These similitudes are mentioned by Allah in the Quran so
that people may reflect and take lessons. The purpose is to highlight the
extreme hardness of the disbelievers’ hearts, for they remain unmoved by the
Quran, whereas the solid mountains would tremble and split if they heard its
recitation.
“He is Allah; there is no god worthy of worship but Him. He is the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible; He is the Giver of Mercy, the All-Merciful.” 59:22
The preceding ayah described the greatness of the Quran.
Since the greatness of any attribute is derived from the greatness of its
source, Allah introduces Himself here to establish His majesty and glory.
Allah alone is the true God; no one besides Him deserves
worship.
He is the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible. He knows
what people cannot perceive with their eyes or discern with their intellect, as
well as what they can see and understand.
He is the Giver of Mercy and the All-Merciful. His mercy
encompasses all things, extending over both this world and the Hereafter.
“He is Allah; there is no god worthy of worship but Him. He is the King, the Holy, the One Free from all defects, the Giver of security, the Watcher over His creatures, the All-Mighty, the Subduer, the All-Sublime. Glory be to Allah; He is above what they worship besides Him.” 59:23
This ayah enumerates some of the Beautiful Names andAttributes of Allah:
The King: Allah possesses complete sovereignty over the
entire universe and absolute authority over all creation.
The Holy: He is exalted and entirely free from any defects
or imperfections. The positioning of “the Holy” after “the King” signifies that
although Allah owns and governs everything, He exercises His authority with
absolute justice.
The Giver of Security: He is free from anything unbefitting
His majesty and grants safety to His believing servants, protecting them from
His punishment.
The Watcher: Nothing of His creatures’ deeds, words, or
conditions is hidden from Him.
The All-Mighty: None can overcome Him, and nothing can
withstand His Perfect Will.
The Subduer: His power is absolute; no creature can escape
or resist it.
The All-Sublime: He is characterized by Glory, Majesty, and
Sublimity, free from anything unworthy of His exalted status.
Glory be to Allah, Who is above what the disbelievers
worship besides Him.
“He is Allah, the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper. To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him, and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.” 59:24
The Creator: Allah brings all things into existence by His
perfect Will and Wisdom.
The Maker: He originates and fashions all things, causing
them to exist from non-existence.
The Shaper: He gives form and appearance to creation,
granting diverse features and qualities.
To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names and Attributes. None
resembles Him in His Names or Attributes, for He is free from all defects and
imperfections.
“All that is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him, and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.”
All creation, in the heavens and the earth, glorifies and
praises Allah. He is the All-Mighty, whom none can overcome, and the All-Wise,
Who governs the universe with perfect Wisdom and Will.
Prophetic Hadith on the Names of Allah
Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that
the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
“Allah has ninety-nine names – one hundred minus one.
Whoever memorizes them will enter Paradise.”
[Memorization of the Names and Attributes of Allah includes understanding their
meanings.]
It should be noted that the Names and Attributes of Allah
are not limited to ninety-nine. This is supported by the following narration:
Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, reported
that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
“When a person is afflicted by distress or sorrow and says,
‘O Allah, I am Your slave, the son of Your slave and female slave. I have no
control over my affairs; Your judgment is effective upon me, and Your decree is
just upon me. I ask You by every name by which You have named Yourself,
revealed in Your Scriptures, taught to any of Your creatures, or kept in the
unseen with You. O Allah, I ask You to make the Quran the wellspring of my
heart, the light of my chest, a means for removing my distress, and clearing
away my sorrow,’ Allah will remove his distress and replace his sorrow with
joy.”
The companions of the Messenger of Allah said: “O
Messenger of Allah, should we learn these words?” He replied: “Yes;
whoever hears them should learn them.”
Learned Lessons from Surah Al-Hashr Ayah 21–24
Allah, Exalted be He, calls people to reflect upon the
lessons of the Quran. There is no excuse for neglecting contemplation of its
ayat. If the Quran were revealed to a mountain, despite its hardness, it would
have split apart out of fear of Allah.
Allah knows the hidden and the manifest, the past and the
future, what people perceive and what they cannot, what belongs to this world
and what lies in the Hereafter. Nothing is concealed from His perfect
Knowledge.