(25–28) “Did We not make the earth a receptacle * for the living and the dead, * and place therein lofty, firmly anchored mountains, and give you fresh water to drink? * Woe on that Day to the deniers!”

That is: Have We not bestowed Our favor (1) and blessings upon you by subjecting the earth to serve your needs, making it a “receptacle” for you—

“for the living” in their homes “and the dead” in their graves? Just as homes and palaces are among Allah’s blessings and favors to His servants, so too are graves: they are a mercy to them and conceal them, lest their bodies lie exposed to wild beasts and other creatures.

“And place therein firmly anchored mountains”—that is, mountains that anchor the earth so that it does not sway with its inhabitants. Thus Allah stabilized it with firmly anchored, lofty mountains—that is, tall and broad ones. “And give you fresh water to drink”—that is, sweet, pure water. Allah Most High says: “Have you considered the water that you drink? * Is it you who send it down from the clouds, or is it We who send it down? * Had We willed, We could have made it bitter. Why, then, are you not grateful?”

“Woe on that Day to the deniers!”—despite the blessings Allah showed them, which He alone bestowed and with which He particularly favored them, they responded by denying them.