الآية رقم (63) - وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّورَ خُذُواْ مَا آتَيْنَاكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَاذْكُرُواْ مَا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

(63) - “And remember when We took your covenant, (Oh Children of Israel, to abide by the Torah) and We raised over you the mount, saying, hold firmly to what We have given you with determination and remember what is in it that perhaps you may become righteous.”

When the Torah was sent down and Allah gave Prophet Musa u divine guidance, Prophet Musa u chose 70 men from his people and took a covenant from them. However, they broke the covenant so Allah shook the mountain Tur and lifted it over them and threatened them that they will be crushed by the mountain if they do not believe. So, they got frightened, and returned and prostrated with their eyes looking up at the mountain Tur out of fear that it would fall on them. And till today, we find the Jews making prostration with a section of their face on the ground and their eyes looking sideward. This way of prostration was taken from this prostration that was done when they were in fear of the mountain falling on them and they do not know that the origins of this sujud is from this story.

It is on the human being to accept obedience to Allah U with firmness, without trying to escape nor feeling undecided between coming forward and turning away as the children of Israel did. Rasulullah r used to say:

((يَا بِلَالُ، أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ، أَرِحْنَا بِهَا))

“Oh Bilal! Call for the prayer! Give us rest by it!”[1]