At-Tin · Makki · ayah 2 of 8

At-Tin 95:2

وَطُورِ سِينِينَ

“And [by] Mount Sinai”

Saheeh International

Essence

The second oath climbs a green mountain where Mūsā was called by his Lord from beside a tree: a place made great by a conversation.

A reflection

A mountain of trees, a call from a tree

The first oath was by the fig and the olive. The second names a mountain, and the Quran itself links them. Elsewhere it speaks of 'a tree that springs from Mount Sinai, which produces oil and relish for those who eat' (23:20). Two commentators cite that ayah here. The olive of the first oath grows on the mountain of the second.

The words of this ayah are full of trees too. Ṭūr, one great commentator explains, is a mountain with growth on it. Some held the word was used only for a mountain where trees grow. Sīnīn was explained in several ways. It is the name of the place, the commentators agree. But some early authorities said it meant blessed, others beautiful, others 'with trees', a mountain bearing fruit. Some early reciters, Companions among them, read it Sīnāʾ or Saynāʾ, the more familiar forms.

And the most famous event on that mountain also involves a tree. 'When he came to it, he was called from the right side of the valley, in the blessed spot, from the tree'. The call was: 'O Mūsā, I am Allah, Lord of the worlds' (28:30). Another ayah adds: 'We called him from the right side of the mountain and drew him near, in close conversation' (19:52).

So the surah moves from trees that feed the body to a tree beside which a man was spoken to by his Lord. The olive gave oil for lamps. The tree on the mountain gave something brighter: the call that sent Mūsā (as) to Pharaoh.

The pattern is worth carrying into ordinary life. Allah's gifts to the body and His gifts to the soul often grow on the same slope. The table and the prayer mat are not far apart. Both are on His mountain, and both are meant to lead you to the call.

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.