Then after that your hearts were hardened and became as stones or even worse in hardness. And indeed, there are stones out of which rivers gush forth, and indeed, there are of them (stones) which split asunder so that water flows from them, and indeed, there are of them (stones) which fall down for fear of Allah. And Allah is not unaware of what you do (74)
The Harshness of the Jews
Allah criticized the Children of Israel because they witnessed the tremendous signs and the Ayat of Allah, including bringing the dead back to life, yet,
ثُمَّ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُكُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ
(Then after that your hearts were hardened).
So their hearts were like stones that never become soft. This is why Allah forbade the believers from imitating the Jews when He said,
أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَلَا يَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ
(Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah ـ Islamic Monotheism) to be affected by Allah's Reminder (this Qur'an), and that which has been revealed of the truth, lest they become as those who received the Scripture (the Tawrah) and the Injil (Gospel)) before (i.e. Jews and Christians), and the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened? And many of them were Fasiqun (the rebellious, the disobedient to Allah)) (57:16).
In his Tafsir, Al-'Awfi said that Ibn 'Abbas said, "When the dead man was struck with a part of the cow, he stood up and became more alive than he ever was. He was asked, 'Who killed you' He said, 'My nephews killed me.' He then died again. His nephews said, after Allah took his life away, 'By Allah! We did not kill him' and denied the truth while they knew it. Allah said,
فَهِيَ كَالْحِجَارَةِ أَوْ أَشَدُّ قَسْوَةً
(And became as stones or even worse in hardness). "
And by the passage of time, the hearts of the Children of Israel were unlikely to accept any admonishment, even after the miracles and signs they withnessed. Their hearts became harder than stones, with no hope of ever softening. Sometimes, springs and rivers burst out of stones, some stones split and water comes out of them, even if there are no springs or rivers around them, sometimes stones fall down from mountaintops out of their fear of Allah. Muhammad bin Ishaq narrated that Ibn 'Abbas said that,
وَإِنَّ مِنَ الْحِجَارَةِ لَمَا يَتَفَجَّرُ مِنْهُ الْأَنْهَارُ ۚ وَإِنَّ مِنْهَا لَمَا يَشَّقَّقُ فَيَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ الْمَاءُ ۚ وَإِنَّ مِنْهَا لَمَا يَهْبِطُ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ
(And indeed, there are stones out of which rivers gush forth, and indeed, there are of them (stones) which split asunder so that water flows from them, and indeed, there are of them (stones) which fall down for fear of Allah), means, "Some stones are softer than your hearts, they acknowledge the truth that you are being called to,
وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
(And Allah is not unaware of what you do)."
Solid Inanimate Objects possess a certain Degree of Awareness
Some claimed that the Ayat mentioned the stones being humble as a metaphor. However, Ar-Razi, Al-Qurtubi and other Imams said that there is no need for this explanation, because Allah creates this characteristic - humbleness - in stones. For instance, Allah said,
إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَن يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا
(Truly, We did offer Al-Amanah (the trust) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it (i.e. afraid of Allah's torment))(33:72),
تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّمَاوَاتُ السَّبْعُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ
(The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein, glorify Him)(17:44),
وَالنَّجْمُ وَالشَّجَرُ يَسْجُدَانِ
(And the stars and the trees both prostrate themselves (to Allah))(55:6),
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَىٰ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ مِن شَيْءٍ يَتَفَيَّأُ ظِلَالُهُ
(Have they not observed things that Allah has created: (how) their shadows incline)(16:48),
قَالَتَا أَتَيْنَا طَائِعِينَ
(They both said: "We come willingly.")(41:11),
لَوْ أَنزَلْنَا هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ عَلَىٰ جَبَلٍ
(Had We sent down this Qur'an on a mountain)(59:21), and,
وَقَالُوا لِجُلُودِهِمْ لِمَ شَهِدتُّمْ عَلَيْنَا ۖ قَالُوا أَنطَقَنَا اللَّهُ
(And they will say to their skins, "Why do you testify against us?" They will say: "Allah has caused us to speak.")(41:21).
It is recorded in the Sahih that the Prophet ﷺ said,
هذَا جَبَلٌ يُحِبُّنَا وَنُحِبُّهُ
(This (Mount Uhud) is a mount that loves us and that we love.)
Similarly, the compassion of the stump of the palm tree for the Prophet ﷺ as confirmed in authentic narrations. In Sahih Muslim it is recorded that the Prophet ﷺ said,
إِنِّي لَأَعْرِفُ حَجَرًا بـِمَكَّةَ كَانَ يُسَلِّمُ عَلَيَّ قَبْلَ أَنْ أُبْعَثَ إِنِّي لَأَعْرِفُهُ الْآنَ
(I know a stone in Makkah that used to greet me with the Salam before I was sent. I recognize this stone now.)
He said about the Black Stone that,
إِنَّهُ يَشْهَدُ لِمَنِ اسْتَلَمَ بِحَقٍّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
(On the Day of Resurrection it will testifiy for those who kiss it.)
There are several other texts with this meaning. The scholars of the Arabic language disagreed over the meaning of Allah's statement,
فَهِيَ كَالْحِجَارَةِ أَوْ أَشَدُّ قَسْوَةً
(And became as stones or even worse in hardness) after agreeing that 'or' here is not being used to reflect doubt. Some scholars said that 'or' here means, 'and'. So the meaning becomes, "As hard as stones, and harder." For instance, Allah said,
وَلَا تُطِعْ مِنْهُمْ آثِمًا أَوْ كَفُورًا
(And obey not a sinner or a disbeliever among them)(76:24), and,
عُذْرًا أَوْ نُذْرًا
(To cut off all excuses or to warn)(77:6).
Some other scholars said that 'or' here means, 'rather'. Hence, the meaning becomes, 'As hard as stones. Rather, harder.' For instance, Allah said,
إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَخْشَوْنَ النَّاسَ كَخَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ أَوْ أَشَدَّ خَشْيَةً
(A section of them fear men as they fear Allah or even more)(4:77),
وَأَرْسَلْنَاهُ إِلَىٰ مِائَةِ أَلْفٍ أَوْ يَزِيدُونَ
(And We sent him to a hundred thousand (people) or even more)(37:147), and,
فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَىٰ
(And was at a distance of two bows' length or (even) nearer)(53:9).
Some other scholars said that this Ayah means their hearts are only of two types, as hard as stone or harder than stone. Further, Ibn Jarir commented that this Tafsir means that some of their hearts are as hard as stone and some hearts are harder than stone. Ibn Jarir said that he favored this last Tafsir, although the others are plausible. I - Ibn Kathir - say that the last Tafsir is similar to Allah's statement,
مَثَلُهُمْ كَمَثَلِ الَّذِي اسْتَوْقَدَ نَارًا
(Their likeness is as the likeness of one who kindled a fire)(2:17), and then His statement,
أَوْ كَصَيِّبٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ
(Or like a rainstorm from the sky)(2:19).
It is also similar to Allah's statement,
وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَعْمَالُهُمْ كَسَرَابٍ بِقِيعَةٍ
(As for those who disbelieved, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert)(24:39), and then His statement,
أَوْ كَظُلُمَاتٍ فِي بَحْرٍ لُّجِّيٍّ
(Or (the state of a disbeliever) is like the darkness in a vast deep sea)(24:40).
This then means that some of them are like the first example, and some others are like the second example. Allah knows best.
The Surah has been relating a number of incidents which show that the Israelites were always prone to disobedience and rebellion and had to undergo punishment again and again. Such an experience should have taught them humility and obedience. On the contrary, their hearts became all the more hardened against divine guidance. This insensibility led them into further misdeeds and transgressions. The present verse describes their degeneracy, and warns them that Allah knows everything they have been doing, and will punish them for their evil deeds.
In contrasting the hearts of the Israelites with stones, the verse refers to three states of the latter: (1) Some stones give forth a great amount of water. (2) Others give forth only a small quantity. (3) Still others do not give forth water, but fall down from their place for fear of Allah.
The first two of these states are a matter of everyday observation, but the third may be subject to doubt, for the ability to feel fear requires reason and sensibility, and the stones, as one supposes, do not possess these faculties. But reason is not always a necessary requisite for the ability to feel fear - after all, animals do feel fear, even though they do not possess reason. Sensibility is, of course, necessary. But there is no rational argument which should deny sensibility to minerals. For sensibility depends on life, and the minerals may possibly possess a kind of subtle life which man may not be aware of. In fact, scientists have recently discovered the signs of life and sensibility in minerals too. Anyhow, an explicit statement in the Holy Qur'an carries a validity and an authority which no physical science or rational argument can dispute.
Then, we do not claim that fear of Allah is always the only cause which makes a stone fall down. For, the Holy Qur'an itself says that this cause operates only in the case of some stones. So, there may be different causes which make stones fall down; some of these causes may be purely physical, while one of them may be the fear of Allah.
The order in which the three kinds of stones have been mentioned is very subtle, and, in view of the meaning and purpose intended, extremely expressive and significant. The verse places in the highest degree those stones whose affectivity is so strong that rivers gush forth from them, and provide sustenance to beasts and men. In contrast to them, it has been suggested, the hearts of the Jews are so hard that they are incapable of feeling any sympathy for their fellow-men even in suffering and pain, and hence incapable of wishing to do them good. In the second degree come the stones which do serve the creatures of Allah, but to a lesser extent. But the hearts of Jews are harder than even these. To the lowest degree of affectivity belong those stones which do not benefit anyone, but can at least 'feel' the fear of Allah. But the Jews are devoid of even this minimum degree of sensitivity.