“Caused them to tip over”: that is, it outweighed them.
Overall meaning of the hadith: Moses (upon him be peace) asked his Lord, Exalted is He, to teach him a remembrance by which he might praise Him and seek His nearness. Allah directed him to say: lā ilāha illā Allah (there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah). Moses perceived that this phrase was already much repeated on people’s tongues, whereas he wanted a remembrance that would distinguish him from others. Allah therefore clarified the tremendous merit of this very phrase and that nothing can match it in excellence.
Relevance of the hadith to the chapter: it demonstrates the superiority of the declaration of monotheism and that nothing equals it in virtue.
Benefits derived from the hadith:
- The immense virtue of lā ilāha illā Allah because it contains tawḥīd (monotheism) and ikhlāṣ (sincerity).
- The merit of Moses and his eagerness to draw near to Allah.
- Worship must conform to what Allah has legislated; a person may not invent practices on his own, for Moses asked his Lord to teach him how to remember Him.
- What people desperately and constantly need is made most readily available: because the universe is in dire need of lā ilāha illā Allah, it has become the most common and easiest remembrance.
- Allah is above the heavens, as indicated by His words: “and all who inhabit them apart from Me.”
- When reciting this phrase one must pronounce it in full; it is not sufficient to limit oneself to the single word “Allah,” as some uninformed people do.
- Affirmation that the Scale of deeds is real.
- Prophets themselves need to be reminded of the virtue of lā ilāha illā Allah.
- The earths are seven in number, just as the heavens are.