وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَهُمُ ٱلطُّورَ بِمِيثَـٰقِهِمْ وَقُلْنَا لَهُمُ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْبَابَ سُجَّدًا وَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ لَا تَعْدُوا۟ فِى ٱلسَّبْتِ وَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُم مِّيثَـٰقًا غَلِيظًا 154
Translations
And We raised over them the mount for [refusal of] their covenant; and We said to them, "Enter the gate bowing humbly"; and We said to them, "Do not transgress on the sabbath"; and We took from them a solemn covenant.
Transliteration
Wa-rafaʿnā fawqahumu aṭ-ṭūra bi-mīthāqihim wa-qulnā lahumu dkhulū al-bāba sujjadan wa-qulnā lahum lā taʿdū fī as-sabt wa-akhdhānā minhum mīthāqan ghalīẓan
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah recounts how Allah lifted Mount Tur (Sinai) above the Children of Israel as a sign of the gravity of the covenant (mīthāq) He was making with them, commanding them to enter the gate in prostration and forbidding them from transgressing on the Sabbath. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note that this refers to the taking of the Torah and the laws given at Mount Sinai, emphasizing the solemn nature of this covenant through the literal raising of the mountain—interpreted by many as a demonstration of divine power and the binding nature of their obligations.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Medinan surah An-Nisa and is part of a broader passage (4:153-162) discussing the Children of Israel's covenant with Allah and their subsequent transgressions. The context addresses how the Israelites were given clear signs and commands, yet many violated them, particularly regarding the Sabbath laws, providing historical context for the Muslims to reflect upon accountability before Allah.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Bukhari (3:39:531) mentions the prohibition of work on the Sabbath and references the trials that befell those who violated it. Additionally, traditions regarding the covenant with Bani Isrāʾīl are found in Tafsir sources discussing Allah's direct covenant-taking as recorded in Surah Al-Aʿraf (7:171).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that covenants with Allah are binding and solemn, and that breaking them carries serious consequences; it reminds believers to honor their religious commitments and obey Allah's commands with reverence, as the raising of the mountain symbolizes the weightiness of divine law and human responsibility before the Creator.
Related Ayahs
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ ءَامِنُوا۟ بِمَا نَزَّلْنَا مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن نَّطْمِسَ وُجُوهًا فَنَرُدَّهَا عَلَىٰٓ أَدْبَارِهَآ أَوْ نَلْعَنَهُمْ كَمَا لَعَنَّآ أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلسَّبْتِ ۚ وَكَانَ أَمْرُ ٱللَّهِ مَفْعُولًا
O you who were given the Scripture, believe in what We have sent down [to Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)], confirming that which is with you, before We obliterate faces and turn them toward their backs or curse them as We cursed the sabbath-breakers. And ever is the matter [i.e., decree] of Allāh accomplished.
وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ شِقَاقَ بَيْنِهِمَا فَٱبْعَثُوا۟ حَكَمًا مِّنْ أَهْلِهِۦ وَحَكَمًا مِّنْ أَهْلِهَآ إِن يُرِيدَآ إِصْلَـٰحًا يُوَفِّقِ ٱللَّهُ بَيْنَهُمَآ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا خَبِيرًا
And if you fear dissension between the two, send an arbitrator from his people and an arbitrator from her people. If they both desire reconciliation, Allāh will cause it between them. Indeed, Allāh is ever Knowing and Aware.
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ يُقَـٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يُقَـٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱلطَّـٰغُوتِ فَقَـٰتِلُوٓا۟ أَوْلِيَآءَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ۖ إِنَّ كَيْدَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ كَانَ ضَعِيفًا
Those who believe fight in the cause of Allāh, and those who disbelieve fight in the cause of ṭāghūt. So fight against the allies of Satan. Indeed, the plot of Satan has ever been weak.
يَسْتَخْفُونَ مِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَا يَسْتَخْفُونَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ وَهُوَ مَعَهُمْ إِذْ يُبَيِّتُونَ مَا لَا يَرْضَىٰ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْلِ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطًا
They conceal [their evil intentions and deeds] from the people, but they cannot conceal [them] from Allāh, and He is with them [in His knowledge] when they spend the night in such as He does not accept of speech. And ever is Allāh, of what they do, encompassing.