In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Submissive mountains and stubborn humans!

[59:21] If we revealed this Quran to a mountain, you would see it trembling, crumbling, out of reverence for GOD. We cite these examples for the people, that they may reflect.

A mountain is a land-form that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. It is generally not much higher and steeper than a hill, but there is considerable overlap.

[22:18] Do you not realize that to GOD prostrates everyone in the heavens and the earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees, and the animals, and many people? Many others among the people are committed to doom. Whomever GOD shames, none will honor him. Everything is in accordance with GOD's will.

[13:3] He is the One who constructed the earth and placed on it mountains and rivers. And from the different kinds of fruits, He made them into pairs - males and females. The night overtakes the day. These are solid proofs for people who think.

About 24% of the Earth's land mass is mountainous; about 10% of the world's 6 billion people live in mountainous regions. All the world's major rivers are fed from mountain sources, and more than half of humanity depends on mountains for water.

Jesus, Mary, Muhammad, the Saints, etc.
Never Participated
[27:61] Who is the One who made the earth habitable, caused rivers to run through it, placed on it mountains, and created a barrier between the two waters? Is it another god with GOD? Indeed, most of them do not know.

Heights of mountains are generally given as heights above mean sea level. The Himalayas average 5km above sea level, whilst Andes average 4km. Most other mountain ranges average 2-2.5km.

[46:3] We did not create the heavens and the earth, and everything between them except for a specific purpose, and for a finite interim. Those who disbelieve are totally oblivious to the warnings given to them.

The highest mountain on Earth is Everest, 8850 m, set in the world's most significant mountain range, the Himalaya. The peak that is farthest from the center of the Earth is Chimborazo in Ecuador. The peak that rises farthest from its base is Mauna Kea on Hawaii, whose peak is over 9,000 m above its base on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. At 24 km, the tallest known mountain in the solar system is Olympus Mons, located on Mars.

God's Colorful Creations [35:27] Do you not realize that GOD sends down from the sky water, whereby we produce fruits of various colors? Even the mountains have different colors; the peaks are white, or red, or some other color. And the ravens are black.

The altitude of mountains means that the tops exist in higher cold layers of the atmosphere. They are consequently often subject to glaciation and erosion through frost action. This produces the classic mountain peak shape. Some mountains have glacial lakes, created by melting glaciers; for example, there are an estimated 3000 in Bhutan.

[50:7] And we created the earth, and scattered on it mountains, and grew in it all kinds of beautiful plants.

Sufficiently tall mountains have very different climatic conditions at the top than at the base, and will thus have different life zones at different altitudes on their slopes. The plants and animals of a zone are somewhat isolated when the zones above and below are inhospitable, and many unique species occur on mountainsides as a result. Clouds forests are forests on mountain sides which attract moisture from the air, creating a unique ecosystem.

The Bee [16:68] And your Lord inspired the bee: build homes in mountains and trees, and in (the hives) they build for you.

Mountains are not generally favored for human habitation; the weather is harsher, less food is available, and there is little level ground suitable for farming. At very high altitudes, there is less oxygen in the air. Acute mountain sickness (caused by hypoxia - a lack of oxygen in the blood) affects over half of lowlanders who spend more than a few hours above 3500 meters

Quranic Knowledge Far Ahead of Human Progress [6:125] Whomever GOD wills to guide, He renders his chest wide open to Submission. And whomever He wills to send astray, He renders his chest intolerant and straitened, like one who climbs towards the sky. GOD thus places a curse upon those who refuse to believe.

Most mountains of the world have been left in their natural state, and are today primarily used for recreation. Some mountains are very difficult to climb, and offer spectacular views. Some people therefore enjoy the sport of mountaineering. Mountains are also the site for the sport of downhill skiing. People engaging in these activities often stay at mountain resorts built for the purpose.

[16:81] And GOD provided for you shade through things which He created, and provided for you shelters in the mountains, and provided for you garments that protect you from heat, and garments that protect when you fight in wars. He thus perfects His blessings upon you, that you may submit.

A mountain is usually produced by the movement of lithospheric plates, either orogenic movement or epeirogenic movement. The compressional forces, isostatic uplift and intrusion of igneous matter forces surface rock upwards, creating a land-form higher than the surrounding features. The height of the feature makes it either a hill or, if higher and steeper, a mountain. A mountain is reduced by a landslide. It is down slope movement of soil and/or rock under the influence of gravity. A landslide is a movement of mass rock, debris, or earth down a slope. The failure of the slope happens when gravity exceeds the strength of the earth materials

Earth's Movement: A Scientific Miracle [27:88] When you look at the mountains, you think that they are standing still. But they are moving, like the clouds. Such is the manufacture of GOD, who perfected everything. He is fully Cognizant of everything you do.

[17:89] We have cited for the people in this Quran all kinds of examples, but most people insist upon disbelieving.

Mountain creation tends to occur in discrete periods, each referred to as an orogeny. The orogeny may last millions of years, and the uplifted region is being eroded away, producing valley-and-peak topography, even while the uplift is taking place. Two types of mountain are formed depending on how the rock reacts to the tectonic forces – block mountains or fold mountains.

[31:10] He created the heavens without pillars that you can see. He established on earth stabilizers (mountains) lest it tumbles with you, and He spread on it all kinds of creatures. We send down from the sky water to grow all kinds of beautiful plants.

[30:8] Why do they not reflect on themselves? GOD did not create the heavens and the earth, and everything between them, except for a specific purpose, and for a specific life span. However, most people, with regard to meeting their Lord, are disbelievers.

The compressional forces in continental collisions may cause the compressed region to thicken, so the upper surface is forced upwards. In order to balance the weight, much of the compressed rock is forced downwards, producing deep mountain roots act like pegs/stabilizers. Mountains therefore form downwards as well as upwards.

[15:19] As for the earth, we constructed it, and placed on it stabilizers (mountains), and we grew on it a perfect balance of everything.

[78:6] Did we not make the earth habitable?
[78:7] And the mountains stabilizers?

Some isolated mountains were produced by volcanoes, including many apparently small islands that reach a great height above the ocean floor. Block mountains are created when large areas are widely broken up by faults creating large vertical displacements.

[77:27] We placed on it high mountains, and provided you with fresh water to drink.

Almighty God [6:59] With Him are the keys to all secrets; none knows them except He. He knows everything on land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls without His knowledge. Nor is there a grain in the depths of the soil. Nor is there anything wet or dry, that is not recorded in a profound record.

The Mountains are submissive to God. By contrast, the humans are stubborn ignorants.

Freedom of Choice [33:72] We have offered the responsibility (freedom of choice) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they refused to bear it, and were afraid of it. But the human being accepted it; he was transgressing, ignorant.

Greatness of the Quran [59:21] If we revealed this Quran to a mountain, you would see it trembling, crumbling, out of reverence for GOD. We cite these examples for the people, that they may reflect.

Every Letter Calculated and Divinely Designed [10:15] When our revelations are recited to them, those who do not expect to meet us say, "Bring a Quran* other than this, or change it!" Say, "I cannot possibly change it on my own. I simply follow what is revealed to me. I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the retribution of an awesome day."

[13:31] Even if a Quran caused mountains to move, or the earth to tear asunder, or the dead to speak (they will not believe). GOD controls all things. Is it not time for the believers to give up and realize that if GOD willed, He could have guided all the people? The disbelievers will continue to suffer disasters, as a consequence of their own works, or have disasters strike close to them, until GOD's promise is fulfilled. GOD will never change the predetermined destiny.

These are some of the many reminders of the Quran :

[17:37] You shall not walk proudly on earth - you cannot bore through the earth, nor can you be as tall as the mountains

[18:47] The day will come when we wipe out the mountains, and you will see the earth barren. We will summon them all, not leaving out a single one of them.

[73:14] The day will come when the earth and the mountains will quake, and the mountains will turn into a weightless pile.

The Majority of People Do Not Believe [12:103] Most people, no matter what you do, will not believe.
[12:104] You are not asking them for any money; you simply deliver this reminder for all the people.
[12:105] So many proofs in the heavens and the earth are given to them, but they pass by them, heedlessly!
The Majority of Believers Destined for Hell [12:106] The majority of those who believe in GOD do not do so without committing idol worship.

[47:24] Why do they not study the Quran carefully? Do they have locks on their minds?

[1:2] Praise be to GOD, Lord of the universe.

Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.

M. Irtaza

Ref:

  1. http://en.wikipedia.org/
  2. English translation of the Quran by Dr. Rashad Khalifa