Transliteration:( Wa iz akhaznaa meesaaqakum wa rafa'naa fawqakumut Toora khuzoo maaa aatainaakum biquwwatinw wazkuroo maa feehi la'allakum tattaqoon )
116. This incident took place prior to the exodus of the Israelites. Hazrat Musa had taken a pledge from the 70 companions who had accompanied him to Mt Sinai to obey the teachings of Tauraat. It could also mean that once the Tauraat was revealed, Hazrat Musa proclaimed to the Israelites to obey the commandments revealed unto him. From this, one learns that the teachings of the pious Servants of Allah are in reality teachings of Allah as they are connected with Him. Although Hazrat Musa had taken the pledge. Allah Almighty says "We had taken the pledge" Likewise, the raising of Mt. Sinai was done by Hazrat Jibraeel, yet Allah says 'We have raised it' meaning that all this happens through the Will of Allah as it is His work.
117. The Tauraat was revealed at once, and all its commandments became incumbent upon the Israelites at one time, which they found difficult to accept and obey. Allah Almighty then raised mount Sinai to instil fear in them that if they fail to obey these commandments the mountain will come crushing down upon them. This goes to show how fortunate are the Muslims in relation to the Bani Israeel. By revealing the QUR'AAN over a period of 23 years, Allah out of His infinite Mercy made it easy for us to carry out the laws of the QUR'AAN in stages.
118. All physical hardships which became a means of obtaining guidance is part of Divine Mercy e.g. the raising of the Sinai. The responsibility for the preservation of Tauraat was placed on the Israelites as indicated by "Hold fast that which We give you" (S2: V63). But they failed in their duty. However the responsibility for the preservation of the Holy QUR'AAN is taken by Allah upon Himself. Hence it shall remain unaltered eternally.
63. And (O Children of Isra’il, remember) when We took your covenant and We raised above you the Mount (saying): “Hold fast to that which We have given you, and remember that which is therein so that you may acquire Taqwa. 64. Then after that you turned away. Had it not been for the grace and mercy of Allah upon you, indeed you would have been among the losers.
Allah reminded the Children of Israel of the pledges, covenants and promises that He took from them to believe in Him alone, without a partner, and follow His Messengers. Allah stated that when He took their pledge from them, He raised the mountain above their heads, so that they affirm the pledge that they gave Allah and abide by it with sincerity and seriousness. Hence, Allah’s statement,
(And (remember) when We raised the mountain over them as if it had been a canopy, and they thought that it was going to fall on them. (We said): “Hold firmly to what We have given you (Tawrah), and remember that which is therein (act on its commandments), so that you may fear Allah and obey Him.”) (7:171).
The mount mentioned here is At-Tur, just as it was explained in Surat Al-A`raf, according to the Tafsir of Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ata’, `Ikrimah, Al-Hasan, Ad-Dahhak, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas and others. This is more obvious. There is another report from Ibn `Abbas saying; `The Tur is a type of mountain that vegetation grows on, if no vegetation grows on it, it is not called Tur.’ And in the Hadith about the trials, Ibn `Abbas said; “When they (the Jews) refused to obey, Allah raised the mountain above their heads so that they would listen.”
Al-Hasan said that Allah’s statement,
(Hold fast to that which We have given you) means, the Tawrah. Mujahid said that the Ayah commanded, “Strictly adhere to it.” Abu Al-`Aliyah and Ar-Rabi` said that,
(and remember that which is therein) means, “Read the Tawrah and implement it.” Allah’s statement,
(Then after that you turned away. Had it not been for the grace of Allah) means, “Yet, after the firm pledge that you gave, you still deviated and broke your pledge”;
(Had it not been for the grace and mercy of Allah upon you), meaning, by forgiving you and by sending the Prophets and Messengers to you,
(Indeed you would have been among the losers) meaning, in this life and the Hereafter due to their breach of the covenant.
(2:63) And recall when We made a covenant with you and caused the Mount Sinai to tower above you,[81] (saying): “Hold fast to the Book that We have given you, and remember the directives and commandments in it, that you be pious.”
81. From the manner in which this incident is described at various places in the Qur’an it is obvious that, at that time, it was quite well known to the Israelites. It is difficult, however, after the Passage of many centuries to be able to speak with certainty about the precise nature of the incident. All we can say is that while the Children of Israel were making their covenant in the shadow of Mount Sinai, they witnessed an awesome phenomenon and felt as if the mountain was about to fall upon them. (Surah Al-Araf, ayat 171) seems to portray this. See also (Surah Al-Aaraf, ayat 171) note 132.
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