His saying: "And you dwelt in the dwellings of those who wronged themselves."

12306 - From Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding His saying: "And you dwelt in the dwellings of those who wronged themselves," he said: People dwelled in the dwellings of the people of Noah, 'Ad, and Thamud, and many generations between that of those nations that perished. "And it became clear to you how We dealt with them, and We set forth for you parables," he said: By Allah, Allah has indeed sent His messengers, revealed His books, and set forth parables for you; so none remains deaf to them except the deaf, and none is disappointed by them except the disappointed one, so understand the command of Allah (1).

His saying: "And their plotting was such that the mountains could have been moved by it."

12307 - From Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) regarding His saying: "And their plotting," he says: Their polytheism (2). Like His saying: "The heavens almost rupture therefrom" (3).

12308 - From Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) that he recited this verse: "And their plotting was such that the mountains could have been moved by it," then he explained it and said: A tyrant among the tyrants said: I will not desist until I look at what is in the heaven. So he ordered eagle chicks to be fed meat until they grew and thickened. He ordered a chest to be fashioned that could accommodate two men, then he placed a pole in the middle, then tied their legs to pegs, then starved them. Then he placed meat on the top of the pole, and he and his companion entered the chest, and he tied them to the legs of the chest. Then he released them to reach for the meat, so they flew off with it for as long as Allah willed.

Then he said to his companion: "Open and look at what you see." He opened it and said: "I look at the mountains... as if they were flies!" He said: "Close it." So he closed it, and they flew with him as long as Allah willed. Then he said: "Open." So he opened it and said: "Look at what you see." He replied: "I see only the sky, and I do not see it increasing in anything but distance." He said: "Point the pole downward." So he pointed it downward, and they swooped down seeking the meat. The mountains heard the sound of their descent, and they were almost moved from their positions (4).

12309 - From Abu Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding His saying: "And their plotting was such that the mountains could have been moved by it," he said: Some people set out and took these eagles and hung things upon them like chests, then released them into the sky. The mountains saw them and thought it was something that had descended from the sky, so they moved because of that (5).