to this worldly life—that is, “Return us to it. We will answer Your call and follow the messengers.” They will then be answered:

“Did you not previously swear, in the life of this world, that you would never pass away?” That is, that you would not be resurrected. This is the meaning of His saying, exalted is He: “And they swear by Allah their strongest oaths that Allah will not resurrect one who dies” (al-Nahl 38).

“And you lived among the dwellings of those who wronged themselves, and it became clear to you how We dealt with them, and We set forth examples for you. They had indeed devised their schemes, but their schemes are with Allah; and their schemes were not such as to remove mountains.” (45–46)

“And you lived,” in this world, “among the dwellings of those who wronged themselves” through disbelief and disobedience: the people of Noah, ‘Ad, Thamud, and others besides them. “And it became clear to you how We dealt with them,” meaning, you came to know of Our punishment of them. “And We set forth examples for you,” meaning, We made clear that your case was like theirs.

“They had indeed devised their schemes, but their schemes are with Allah,” meaning, the recompense for their schemes is with Allah. Concerning “and their schemes were not such,” Ali and Ibn Mas‘ud recited it with a dāl, whereas the majority recited it with a nūn.

“Such as to remove mountains”: the majority recited it with the first lām pronounced with kasrah and the second verb in the accusative. Its meaning is: their plotting was not such as to remove mountains.

Al-Hasan said: “Their plotting was far too weak to remove mountains.”

It was also said that its meaning is: their plotting cannot remove the matter of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which is as firmly established as mountains.

Ibn Jurayj and al-Kisa’i recited it with the first lām pronounced with fathah and the second verb in the indicative. Its meaning is: even if their plotting were so great that it reached the point of removing mountains, they would still be unable to remove the matter of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

Qatadah said: Its meaning is that their associating partners with Allah was such that mountains would be removed because of it. This is the meaning of His saying, exalted is He: “And the mountains would collapse in devastation because they attribute a son to the Most Merciful” (Maryam 19).

It is related from Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, concerning the meaning of this verse, that it was revealed regarding Nimrod the tyrant, who disputed with Abraham concerning his Lord. Nimrod said: “If what Abraham says is true, I shall not desist until I ascend to heaven and see what is in it.” He then took four young eagles and raised them until they had grown. He made a chest with a door above and a door below. Nimrod sat in the chest with a man, set up wooden poles at its sides, placed meat upon their tops, and tied the chest to the eagles’ feet. They flew and rose, seeking the meat, until a day had passed and they had gone far into the air. Nimrod then said to his companion: “Open the upper door and look at the sky. Have we drawn near to it?” So he opened