Tafsir of Ta-Ha 20:105

The questioners were the deniers of the Resurrection from Quraysh, as reported by Ibn al-Mundhir from Ibn Jurayj, who said, in mockery: "How will your Lord deal with the mountains on the Day of Resurrection?" It is also said that they were a group from Thaqif, or, according to another view, a group of believers.

"Say: My Lord will crush them into dust." (105)

He, glorified be He, will make them like sand, then send winds upon them to scatter them. The particle fa (the 'f' in faqul) is used to denote haste in removing from the questioner's mind the notion that the mountains will remain, based on the assumption that such permanence is a corollary to the impossibility of the Resurrection. Do you not see that those who deny the Resurrection argue that this observed system of the earth and heavens will not change? Alternatively, it denotes haste to establish the truth, to prevent any suggestion that would lead to a corruption of belief.

This is predicated on the view that the questioner was a believer, whereas the first view is predicated on the questioner being a denier of the Resurrection. From this, the Imam said: The purpose of the questioners was to cast doubt upon the Resurrection and the Gathering; therefore, it was commanded that the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) respond with the particle of consequence (fa), because delaying the clarification of such foundational issues is impermissible, whereas delaying it in subsidiary matters is permissible. Thus, the fa was not brought in the command to answer in His saying, the Almighty: "They ask you about wine and gambling; say: In them is great sin..." (the verse), and His saying: "And they ask you what they should spend; say: The surplus," and His saying: "They ask you about the spoils of war; say: The spoils belong to Allah and the Messenger," and His saying: "They ask you about orphans; say: Improving their condition is better," and so on.

He said in another passage: The aforementioned question was either about the eternity of the mountains or about the necessity of their permanence. Since this issue is one of the pillars of the fundamentals of the religion, it was mandated that he (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) answer with the fa, which signifies immediate consequence, as if He, Glory be to Him, said: "O Muhammad, answer this question immediately without delay, for the claim of their eternity or the necessity of their permanence is disbelief." The indication of the answer that negates this is that the crushing is possible, for it is possible regarding every part of the mountain, and sensory experience attests to this; thus, it must be possible regarding the mountain as a whole. Therefore, it is neither eternal nor necessarily existent, because for the eternal, change and crushing are impossible. End quote.

It has been objected that the impossibility of change and crushing is only conceded regarding that which is eternal by essence, and none of the questioners held the mountains to be such. As for that which is eternal in time, such a thing is not impossible for it by its own nature; rather, if it is impossible, it is for another reason. Furthermore, it is open to debate whether the mountains were considered eternal in time by the questioners or by the philosophers; the appearance is that the philosophers hold them to be temporally originated, even if they do not know a specific beginning for their origination. So consider this.

Furthermore, He—may the mercy of Allah be upon Him—mentioned that questions and answers have been stated in several places in the Book of Allah, some regarding subsidiaries and some regarding fundamentals. The fundamental ones are in four places: this verse, His saying: "They ask you about the new moons; say: They are measurements of time for the people," His saying: "And they ask you about the Spirit; say: The Spirit is from the command of my Lord," and His saying: "They ask you about the Hour, when will be its arrival." It is clear that counting all that was mentioned as fundamental is not evident. Even if it were, the question remains regarding the mystery of the command to answer being coupled with the fa in some cases and not others.

The claim that what is coupled with the fa is the most important is open to dispute, for the command to answer the question about the Spirit—if it concerns eternity and the like—is as important as the matter we are discussing, or perhaps even more so, given the existence of those who believe in the temporal eternity of the Spirit, such as Plato and his followers, based on the belief that it is the rational soul. It may be said that since the answer here was to dispel a question arising from the previous statement, namely His saying: "They whisper to one another," it is as if it were said: "How can the whispering of the criminals, which requires their gathering, be true while the mountains stand in the way as a hindrance? If you say it is true, then explain how Allah will deal with them." The answer was given that the mountains will be crushed at that time, so no hindrance to gathering and whispering will remain. The command was coupled with the fa to hasten to defend the previous statement. The verses where the command was not coupled with the fa were not presented in this context, as is not hidden from those with refined taste.

Al-Nasafi and others said that the fa is in the answer to a conditional clause that is implied, meaning: "If they ask you about the mountains, then say..." This is based on the idea that no actual question had occurred regarding that matter, as it had in the story of the Spirit and others; therefore, the fa was not brought there, but was brought here, as "they ask you" is purely for the future. Abu Hayyan considered this far-fetched, and what Ibn al-Mundhir reported from Ibn Jurayj—that the Quraysh said: "O Muhammad, how will your Lord deal with these mountains on the Day of Resurrection?" and then this verse was revealed—indicates the contrary. Al-Khafaji said: "The apparent meaning is that it was coupled with the fa here and not there to indicate that the answer was made known to him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) before that, so he was commanded to hasten to it, unlike the other case." End quote.

You know well that the claim that the answer regarding the Spirit, the menstruation, and the like was not known to him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) beforehand is something no one among the common people, let alone the elite, would dare to utter; thus, what he mentioned is something that should not be given any regard.

Among the things that would make a bereaved woman laugh is that one of the contemporaries heard the question regarding the mystery of coupling the command here with the fa and not doing so in other verses, and said: "How ignorant is this questioner of what is permitted and what is not in terms of questions! Has he not heard His saying: 'He is not asked about what He does'? Does he not know that its meaning is a prohibition for those who wish to ask?" This is even more indicative of the man’s ignorance than what he said, and he did not care about what has been said or is being said. I have only relayed this to sharpen the focus and to remind those who are safe from such a disease of the long and broad bounty with which Allah, the Exalted, has favored them.