“Even if there had been a Quran by which mountains were set in motion, or the earth were cut through, or the dead were made to speak—rather, all command belongs to Allah. Have not those who believe come to know that, had Allah willed, He would have guided all people? Yet those who disbelieve will not cease to be struck by a calamity for what they have done, or for it to descend near their homes, until Allah’s promise comes to pass. Indeed, Allah does not fail in His promise.” (31)

His words, exalted is He, “Even if there had been a Quran by which mountains were set in motion,” to the end of the verse, were revealed concerning a group of the polytheists of Mecca, among them Abu Jahl ibn Hisham and Abd Allah ibn Abi Umayyah. They sat behind the Ka‘bah and sent for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. When he came to them, Abd Allah ibn Abi Umayyah said to him:

“If you wish us to follow you, then move the mountains of Mecca by means of the Quran and remove them from around us, so that the land may become spacious for our cultivation, for it is a narrow land. Make springs and rivers for us therein, so that we may plant trees, sow crops, and establish gardens. As you claim, you are no less esteemed before your Lord than David, peace be upon him, for He subjected the mountains to him, glorifying Him along with him. Or subject the wind to us, so that we may ride it to Syria for our supplies and other needs, and return the same day. For, as you claim, the wind was subjected to Solomon, and you are no less esteemed before your Lord than Solomon. And bring to life for us your grandfather Quṣayy, or whomever you wish of our forefathers and dead, so that we may ask him concerning your affair: is what you say true or false? Jesus used to raise the dead, and you are no less worthy before Allah than he is.”

Thereupon Allah, exalted is He, revealed: “Even if there had been a Quran by which mountains were set in motion” (1)—that is, removed from the face of the earth—“or the earth were cut through”: that is, split open and made into rivers and springs; “or the dead were made to speak.”

They differed concerning the response to the conditional particle “if.” One group said that its response is omitted, since the listeners could understand the intended meaning. (2) Its implied sense is: “Then this Quran would have been such a Quran,” as in the poet’s words: (3)

“I swear, had any messenger other than you come to us,
We would have turned him away—but found no means to ward you off.”

He meant: “We would have turned him back.” This is the meaning of Qatadah’s statement: “Had this been done by a Quran before your Quran, it would have been done by your Quran.”

Others said that the response to the conditional precedes it. The wording is understood as: “while they disbelieve in the Most Merciful—even if there had been a Quran by which mountains were set in motion.” (4) It is as though He said that if the mountains were set in motion by it, or the earth cut through by it, or the dead made to speak by it, they would have disbelieved