Al-Anbya · Makki · ayah 79 of 112

Al-Anbya 21:79

فَفَهَّمْنَـٰهَا سُلَيْمَـٰنَ ۚ وَكُلًّا ءَاتَيْنَا حُكْمًا وَعِلْمًا ۚ وَسَخَّرْنَا مَعَ دَاوُۥدَ ٱلْجِبَالَ يُسَبِّحْنَ وَٱلطَّيْرَ ۚ وَكُنَّا فَـٰعِلِينَ

“And We gave understanding of it [i.e., the case] to Solomon, and to each [of them] We gave judgement and knowledge. And We subjected the mountains to exalt [Us], along with David and [also] the birds. And We were doing [that].[897]”

Saheeh International

Essence

The son saw the case more clearly, the father was not blamed, and the mountains themselves joined in when Dawud praised his Lord.

A reflection

Mountains that sing along

Wa sakhkharnā maʿa Dāwūda al-jibāla yusabbiḥna wa al-ṭayr: and We subjected the mountains to glorify along with Dawud, and the birds.

The first hearers knew what a mountain was in their language. The root of jabal is a mass gathered up high and not moving. A man who would not be shifted was called a mountain. When diggers struck rock their tools could not bite, they said they had reached the mountain. And sakhkhara, subjected, pictures ships running obediently before a good wind. These are established usages.

So the most immovable things on earth are pictured running before the wind of Allah's command, joining one man's praise. One commentator explains why the mountains are named before the birds. Their glorifying is the greater wonder, because they are lifeless rock and the birds are living.

Picture a famous summit on a clear day in high season. A queue of climbers waits at the top, roped together, each taking a turn at the highest point for a photograph. Flags, slogans, a sponsor's logo. People have spent fortunes and weeks to stand there and say they conquered it.

The ayah tells a very different story about mountains. They are not conquered. They are worshippers. They were glorifying their Lord long before anyone posed on them, and Dawud's gift was to hear them join in. The ego that thinks the world's great places exist to frame our achievements shrinks to its real size here.

The ayah ends: wa kunnā fāʿilīn, and We were the doers. One concise commentary adds: even if it seems a wonder to you. Does Allah need mountains to praise Him? No. The praise is not added to Him. It is the mountain being what it was made to be. The wonder is for us, to remind us whose world this is.

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.