The Guiding Light — Page 312
S u rah al- H ashr, Chapter 59, Verses 19-22 312 and rent asunder for fear of Allah. And these are similitudes that We set forth for mankind that they may reflect. Commentary: Metaphorically, the word ﺟﺒﻞ ( jabal ) signifies a big and proud man; the chief or leader of a people. In this sense of the word the verse would mean that the Qur’an contains such a sublime and powerful Message that it would make the heart of even a proud man melt. Or the verse may signify that the proud pagan Arabs whom no pre-Islamic teaching could wean from their polytheistic beliefs and idolatrous practices and who like a strong rock remained unmoved and firmly wedded to their Bedouin usages unaffected by the erosive influence of the glamour and glitter of the neighbouring Christian civilization, would be humbled before its sublime and powerful Message, and from their stony hearts would gush forth fountains of light and learning.