Al-Anbya · Makki · ayah 31 of 112

Al-Anbya 21:31

وَجَعَلْنَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ رَوَٰسِىَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِهِمْ وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا فِجَاجًا سُبُلًا لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ

“And We placed within the earth firmly set mountains, lest it should shift with them, and We made therein [mountain] passes [as] roads that they might be guided.”

Saheeh International

Essence

He anchored the earth with mountains so it would not tilt beneath us, and cut wide passes through them so we could find our way.

A reflection

The mountain you think you conquered

Wa jaʿalnā fī al-arḍi rawāsiya an tamīda bihim: and We placed in the earth firmly anchored mountains, lest it tilt with them. A narration-based commentary explains the purpose. Allah fixed the earth with these mountains so that it would not tip over with people, and so they could stand steady on its back.

The verb is "We placed", and the ayah will repeat it a moment later. One classical commentator says the repetition draws attention to how complete the favour is. The mountains are presented not as obstacles or trophies, but as gifts set down for the people who would live between them.

Picture a climber on a famous summit at dawn. He has trained for two years and spent a fortune. Gasping in the thin air, he takes a photograph of himself with the flag. The caption: "Conquered it." Below him, the mountain goes on doing what it has done since long before him. It holds a whole region of the earth steady. It will still be doing so when the photograph is forgotten.

There is nothing wrong with climbing. But the caption is worth questioning. We speak of conquering mountains, taming rivers, mastering nature. The ayah describes the same mountain as something placed, by Someone else, for our sake. Our pride stands on it, and it is not ours.

A sceptic might ask why the Quran keeps listing what Allah has done, as though seeking credit. The commentaries answer in the ayah's own direction. The listing ends in "so that they may be guided". The aim is not that He should be applauded; He needs nothing. The aim is that we should find the road, both the road across the mountains and the road to the One who placed them. A mountain is meant to raise the eyes, not the ego.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.