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And when came Musa to Our appointed place and spoke to him his Lord, he said, "O my Lord! Show me (that) I may look at You." He said, "Never you (can) see Me, but look at the mountain [then] if it remains in its place then you see Me." But when revealed (His) Glory his Lord to the mountain, He made it crumbled to dust and fell down Musa unconscious. And when he recovered he said, "Glory be to You! I turn (in repentance) to you, and I am (the) first (of) the believers."
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And when Moses came [to Mount Sinai] at the time set by Us, and his Sustainer spoke unto him, he said: "O my Sustainer! Show [Thyself] unto me, so that I might behold Thee!" Said [God]: "Never canst thou see Me. However, behold this mountain: if it remains firm in its place, then - only then - wilt thou see Me. And as soon as his Sustainer revealed His glory to the mountain, He caused it to crumble to dust; and Moses fell down in a swoon. And when he came to himself, he said: "Limitless art Thou in Thy glory! Unto Thee do I turn in repentance; and I shall [always] be the first to believe in Thee!"
And when Moses came to Our appointed tryst and his Lord had spoken unto him, he said: My Lord! Show me (Thy Self), that I may gaze upon Thee. He said: Thou wilt not see Me, but gaze upon the mountain! If it stand still in its place, then thou wilt see Me. And when his Lord revealed (His) glory to the mountain He sent it crashing down. And Moses fell down senseless. And when he woke he said: Glory unto Thee! I turn unto Thee repentant, and I am the first of (true) believers
When Moses came to the place appointed by Us, and his Lord addressed him, He said: "O my Lord! show (Thyself) to me, that I may look upon thee." Allah said: "By no means canst thou see Me (direct); But look upon the mount; if it abide in its place, then shalt thou see Me." When his Lord manifested His glory on the Mount, He made it as dust. And Moses fell down in a swoon. When he recovered his senses he said: "Glory be to Thee! to Thee I turn in repentance, and I am the first to believe."
And when Musa came at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said: My Lord! show me (Thyself), so that I may look upon Thee. He said: You cannot (bear to) see Me but look at the mountain, if it remains firm in its place, then will you see Me; but when his Lord manifested His glory to the mountain He made it crumble and Musa fell down in a swoon; then when he recovered, he said: Glory be to Thee, I turn to Thee, and I am the first of the believers
And when Moses came at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, My Lord, show Yourself to me so that I may look at You. He replied, You cannot see Me, but look at the mountain; if it remains firmly in its place, then only will you see Me.And when his Lord manifested Himself on the mountain, He broke it into pieces and Moses felt down unconscious. And when he recovered, he said, Glory be to You, I turn towards You, and I am the first to believe
And when Moses drew near Our time appointed and his Lord spoke to him, he said: O my Lord! Cause me to see that I look on Thee. He said: Thou wilt never see Me but look on the mountain. Then, if it stayed fast in its place, then, thou wilt see Me. Then, when his Lord Self-disclosed to the mountain, He made it as ground powder and Moses fell down swooning. And when he recovered he said: Glory be to Thee! I repented to Thee and I am the first of the ones who believe.
When Moses came for Our appointment and his Lord spoke to him, he said: "My Lord, show [yourself] to me so I may look at You." He said: "You will never see Me, but look at the mountain [instead]. If it remains in its place, then you shall see Me." When his Lord displayed his glory to the mountain, He left it flattened off, and Moses fell down stunned. When he came back to his senses, he said: "Glory be to You! I have turned to You and am the first believer!"
When Moses came at the appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he asked, “My Lord! Reveal Yourself to me so I may see You.” Allah answered, “You cannot see Me! But look at the mountain. If it remains firm in its place, only then will you see Me.” When his Lord appeared to the mountain, He levelled it to dust and Moses collapsed unconscious. When he recovered, he cried, “Glory be to You! I turn to You in repentance and I am the first of the believers.”
When Moses came at the appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, "My Lord, show [Yourself] to me, so that I might see You." [God] said, "You can never see Me. However, behold this mountain. If it remains firm in its place, then you will see Me." As soon as his Lord revealed His limitless glory to the mountain, He caused it to crumble to dust and Moses fell down unconscious. After he recovered, he said, "May You be exalted in Your glory! I repent! I will be the first of the believers!"
When Moses came at His appointment and his Lord spoke to him, he said: “O my Lord! Show me (power to see Yourself) so that I may look upon You.” Allah said: “You cannot see Me, but look at the mountain if it stands firm in its place then you shall see Me.” When his Lord revealed (His) Glory to the mountain, He made it collapse as dust, and Moses fell down unconscious. Then when he recovered, he said: “Glory be to You, I return to You (in repentance) and I am the first of the believers.”
And when Moses came to Our appointed meeting and his Lord spoke unto him, he said, “My Lord, show me, that I might look upon Thee.” He said, “Thou shalt not see Me; but look upon the mountain: if it remains firm in its place, then thou wilt see Me.” And when his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain, He made it crumble to dust, and Moses fell down in a swoon. And when he recovered, he said, “Glory be to Thee! I turn unto Thee in repentance, and I am the first of the believers.
So when Moses came to Our appointed time, and his Lord spoke to him, he said: "My Lord, let me look upon you." He said: "You will not see Me, but look upon the mountain, if it stays in its place then you will see Me." So when his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, He caused it to crumble; thus Moses fell unconscious. When he awoke, he said: "Glory be to You, I repent to You and I am the first of those who believe."
When Moses came for the appointment, and his Lord spoke to him, he said, ‘My Lord, show Yourself to me: let me see You!’ He said, ‘You will never see Me, but look at that mountain: if it remains standing firm, you will see Me,’ and when his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, He made it crumble: Moses fell down unconscious. When he recovered, he said, ‘Glory be to You! To You I turn in repentance! I am the first to believe!&rsquo
And when Musa came at Our appointment, and his Lord spake unto him, he said my Lord! shew Thyself unto me, that I may look at Thee! He said: thou canst not see Me: but look at the yonder mount; if it stands in its place, then thou wilt see Me. Then when his Lord unveiled His glory unto the mount, it turned it to dust, and Musa tell down thunderstruck. Then when he recovered, he said: hallowed be Thou! I turn unto Thee repentant, and I am the first of the believers
When Moses arrived at the appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said: "O Lord, reveal Yourself to me that I may behold You." "You cannot behold Me," He said. "But look at the mountain: If it remains firm in its place you may then behold Me." But when his Lord appeared on the mountain in His effulgence, it crumbled to a heap of dust, and Moses fell unconscious. When he came to, he said: "All glory to You. I turn to You in repentance, and I am the first to believe."
When Musa came to Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, ´My Lord, show me Yourself so that I may look at You!´ He said, ´You will not see Me, but look at the mountain. If it remains firm in its place, then you will see Me.´ But when His Lord manifested Himself to the mountain, He crushed it flat and Musa fell unconscious to the ground. When he regained consciousness he said, ´Glory be to You! I make tawba to You and I am the first of the muminun!´
And when Moses came to Our appointed time, his Lord spoke to him. (Then, in the rapture of nearness to God arising from his being addressed by Him) he said: "My Lord, show me Yourself, so that I may look upon You!" He (God) said: "You cannot see Me (with your eyes in the world). But look at that mountain: if it remains firm in its place, then you will see Me." And the moment his Lord manifested His glorious Majesty to the mountain, He made it crumble to dust, and Moses fell down in a faint (as if struck by lightning). When he awoke, he said: "All-Glorified are You (in that You are absolutely above having any defects and any resemblance with the created)! I turn to You in repentance (for my desire to see You), and I am the first of the (true) believers (who realize that You are beyond any resemblance to any creature and beyond the grasp of any creature’s senses)
When Moses arrived at Our tryst and his Lord spoke to him, he said, ‘My Lord, show [Yourself] to me, that I may look at You!’ He said, ‘You shall not see Me. But look at the mountain: if it abides in its place, then you will see Me.’ So when his Lord disclosed Himself to the mountain, He levelled it, and Moses fell down swooning. And when he recovered, he said, ‘Immaculate are You! I turn to You in penitence, and I am the first of the faithful.&rsquo
And when Moses came to Our appointment, and his Lord spoke unto him, he said, "O my Lord! Show me Thyself, that I may look on Thee!" Allah said, "Thou canst not see Me; but look upon the mountain. If it remains steady in its place, you hav
And as soon as Musa came to Our fixed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, "Lord! Show me, that I may look at You!" Said He, "You will never see Me; but look at the mountain, so, in case it stays residing in its place, then you will eventually see Me." Then as soon as his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain, He made it pounded (into dust), and Musa collapsed stunned. So, as soon as he recovered, he said, All Extolment be to You! I repent to You, and I am the first of the believers."
During the appointment, the Lord spoke to Moses. He asked the Lord to show Himself so that he could look at Him. The Lord replied, "You can never see Me. But look at the mountain. If the mountain remains firm only then will you see Me." When the Lord manifested His Glory to the mountain, He turned it into dust and Moses fell down upon his face senseless. After regaining his senses, Moses said, "Lord, You are all Holy. I repent for what I asked you to do and I am the first to believe in You."
When Musa came at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, .My Lord, show (Yourself) to me that I may look at You. He said: .You shall never see Me. But look at the mount. If it stays at its place, you will see Me. So when his Lord appeared to the Mount, He made it smashed, and Musa fell down unconscious. When he recovered, he said: .Pure are You. I repent to You, and I am the first to believe (that no one can see You in this world.)
When Moses arrived at the appointed time, and his Lord spoke to him, Moses said, "My Lord! Show me Yourself, such that I can see You." His Lord said, "You cannot see Me. The best way to see Me is to look at this mountain and think. If you contemplate, you will understand that even a single mountain is made of countless atoms that were scattered. Then consider that you have seen Me." Realizing this, Moses imagined the Glory of His Lord through His signs in the Universe. He was stunned and when he recovered his senses, he said, "Infinite are You in Your Glory! I feel embarrassed and repent at my question. I am among the foremost believers." (The 7,359 feet high Mount Sinai is standing to this day. Therefore contrary to popular literal translation of this verse, its understanding in allegorical terms is preferred. Also, a Prophet of God is unlikely to make a demand to behold God in physical form)
And When Musa (Moses) came to the place set by Us, and his Lord called to him, he (Musa) said: "O my Lord! Show (Yourself) to me, that I may look at You." Allah said: "By no means can you see Me (directly); But look upon the mountain; If it still there in its place, then you shall see Me." When his Lord showed His Glory to the Mountain, He made it like dust, and Musa (Moses) fell down (being) unconscious. When he came back to his senses he said: "Glory be to You! To You, I come in repentance, and I am the first (one) to believe."
And when Moses arrived at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, "My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You." [ Allah ] said, "You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it should remain in place, then you will see Me." But when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He rendered it level, and Moses fell unconscious. And when he awoke, he said, "Exalted are You! I have repented to You, and I am the first of the believers."
When Moses came to Our appointed place and his Lord spoke to him, he asked: "O my Lord! Give me power of sight to see You." He answered: "You cannot see Me. Look at the mountain; if it remains firm in its place then soon you might be able to see Me". When his Lord manifested His glory on the mountain, it turned into small pieces of fine dust and Moses fell down unconscious. When Moses recovered he said: "Glory be to You! Accept my repentance and I am the first of the believers."
Dr. Munir Munshey
When Musa arrived at Our chosen place at the appointed hour, his Lord spoke to him. Musa said, "My Lord, let me see you. I want to look at you." (Allah) said, "You will not be able to see Me. Watch that mountain! If it can withstand (My apparition) and stay firm in its place, then perhaps you can see Me. When the Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, it collapsed and crumbled into fine dust, and Musa was knocked down unconscious. He said, when he recovered, "Exalted are You! I turn to You in repentance and I am the first to believe!"
Dr. Kamal Omar
And when Musa came to the site of sitting appointed by Us and his Nourisher-Sustainer talked to him, he said: “My Rabb! Be apparent to me, I will look upon you.” Allah said: “Never shall you see Me (as your abilities as a human creation stand limited) but (continue to) look towards the mountain, then if it stood stationary and entire at its place, then soon you shall see Me.” So when his Nourisher-Sustainer manifested in Light for the mount, He made it collapsed to dust, and Musa fell down unconscious. Then when he revived (in his senses and became fully conscious) he said: “Glory to You, I have turned to You in repentance and I am the First of the Believers.”
And when Moses came to Our appointment, and his Lord spoke to him, he said, 'My Lord, allow me to look and see You.' He said, 'You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it stays in its place, you will see Me.' But when his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain, He turned it into dust, and Moses fell down unconscious. Then, when he recovered, he said, 'Glory be to you, I repent to you, and I am the first of the believers.'
And when Moses came at Our appointment, and his Lord spoke to him, he said: ´O my Lord! Reveal Yourself to me, that I may look upon You!´ He replied: ´Never can you see Me. However, behold this mount; if it remains firm in its place, only then you will be able to see Me.´ And as soon as his Lord unveiled His glory to the mount, He crushed it into fine dust, and Moses fell down in a swoon. And when he recovered, he said: ´Glory be to You! To You I turn in repentance, and I am the foremost among those who believe.´
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad
And when Moses came to Our appointment and his Master spoke to him, he said: my Master, show me (yourself) that I look at you. He (God) said: you will never see Me, but look at the mountain and if it stays in its place then you will see Me. So when his Master displayed Himself to the mountain, He pulverized it, and Moses fell unconscious, and when he woke up, he said: You are flawless, I repent to You, and I am the first (or the best) of the believers
When Moses came to the place appointed by Us, and his Guardian Evolver addressed him, then he said, “O my Lord, show Yourself to me that I may look upon you.” God said, “By no means can you see Me, but look upon the mountain, if it remains in its place, then will you see Me.” When his Lord manifested His glory on the mountain, He made it as particles, and Moses fainted. When he returned to consciousness he said, “Glory be to You, to You do I turn, and I am the first to believe.
After Musa came to Us according to his appointment, and his Lord spoke to him, he said: “My Lord, let me see You.” Allah said, “You will not be able to see Me, but look towards the mountain; if it stays in its place, then you will be able to see Me.” When His Lord appeared in His glory on the mountain, it crumbled, and Musa fell unconscious as though struck by lightning. When Musa regained consciousness, he said, “Glory be to You! I seek Your repentance, and I am the first believer.
So when Moses came to Our appointed time, and his Lord spoke to him, he said: "My Lord, let me look upon you." He said: "You will not see Me, but look upon the mountain, if it stays in its place then you will see Me." So when his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, He caused it to crumble; thus Moses fell unconscious. When he awoke, he said: "Glory to You, I repent to You and I am the first of those who believe."
And when Moses came at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, "My Lord! Reveal yourself to me so that I may see You." He said, "You cannot see Me, but look at the mountain. If it remains firm in its place, then will you see Me." But when his Lord manifested His glory to the mountain, He made it crumble and Moses fell down in a swoon. Then when he recovered, he said, "Glory to You! I turn to You in repentence, and I am the first of the believers."
Controversial, deprecated, or status undetermined works
When Moses came to My meeting and His Lord spoke to him, he requested: "Lord, indulge me with the pleasure of looking at you." His Lord said: "You [are physically limited and] cannot see me. Look at that mountain [which is made of the matter]; if it can stand My [full] presence, then your eyes [which are made of the matter] will be capable to see me too". When His Lord manifested Himself to the mountain, that turned it into fine dust, and Moses fell unconscious. When Moses got back to normal, he said: "Lord, Glory is yours. Please accept my repentance. I am the first to believe in you."
Faridul Haque
And when Moosa presented himself upon Our promise, and his Lord spoke to him, he said, "My Lord! Show me Your Self, so that I may see You"; He said, "You will never be able to see Me, but look towards the mountain - if it stays in its place, then you shall soon see Me"; so when his Lord directed His light on the mountain, He blew it into bits and Moosa fell down unconscious; then upon regaining consciousness he said, "Purity is to You! I incline towards You, and I am the first Muslim."
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah
And when Moses came at the appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said: 'Lord, let me see, that I can look at You. ' He replied: 'You shall not see Me. But look at the mountain; if it remains firm in its place, then shall you see Me. ' And when his Lord was revealed to the mountain and caused it to be crushed and leveled whereupon Moses fell down senseless, and when he recovered, he said: 'Exaltations to You! I repent to You. I am the first of believers.
And when Moses came at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said: My Lord, show me (Thyself) so that I may look at Thee. He said: Thou canst not see Me; but look at the mountain; if it remains firm in its place, then wilt thou see Me. So when his Lord manifested His glory to the mountain, He made it crumble and Moses fell down in a swoon. Then when he recovered, he said: Glory be to Thee! I turn to Thee, and I am the first of the believers
Muhammad Ahmed - Samira
And when Moses came to Our appointed time/appointed time or place, and his Lord conversed/spoke (to) him, he said: "My Lord show me/make me understand, I look/see to you." He said: "You will never/not see me, and but/however look to the mountain , so if it settled/established/affixed (in) its place/position, so you will/shall see me." So when his Lord uncovered/revealed/shined to the mountain, He made it crushed/destroyed/leveled/flattened, and Moses fell down fainting from thunderous noise/thunderstruck, so when he recovered/woke up, he said: "Your praise/glory, I repented to you, and I am first (of) the believers."
And when Moses came at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, `My Lord, show Thyself to me that I may look at Thee.' ALLAH replied, `Thou shalt not see ME. But look at the mountain; and if it remains in its place, then thou shalt see ME.' And when his Lord manifested Himself on the mountain, HE broke it into pieces and Moses fell down unconscious. And when he recovered, he said, `Holy art Thou, I turn to thee and I am the first to believe.
When Moses came at our appointed time, and his Lord spoke with him, he said, "My Lord, let me look and see You." He said, "You cannot see Me. Look at that mountain; if it stays in its place, then you can see Me." Then, his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain, and this caused it to crumble. Moses fell unconscious. When he came to, he said, "Be You glorified. I repent to You, and I am the most convinced believer."
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)
And when Musa came to Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he submitted, 'O my Lord! Show me Your sight that I may behold You, Said He, you shall never see me; but look towards this mountain, if it remains standing at its place, then soon you will see Me. Then when his Lord made His light shine on the mountain, He broke it into pieces; and Musa fell down unconscious. Then when he came to senses, he said, hollowed be you turn towards you and I am the first of the Muslims.
And when Moses came at the time and place appointed by Us, and his Lord spoke to him, he said, `My Lord! reveal Yourself to me that I may look at You.' He said, `You cannot stand My revelation. Yet look at the mountain, and if it stands firm in its place, (only) then you shall stand My revelation.' Then when his Lord manifested His glory to the mountain, He sent it crashing down into pieces and Moses fell down unconscious, so that when he recovered he said, `Glory be to You! I turn towards You and I am the first to believe.
And when Musa (Moses) came at the time (set) by Us and his Lord spoke to him, he (ardently aspired to behold Him out of the pleasure of hearing Allah’s Word and) submitted: ‘O Lord, show me (Your Beauty) so that I may savour Your Sight.’ Allah said: ‘By no means can you look upon Me (directly), but look towards the mountain. So if it stays firm in its place, then soon will you behold My beauty.’ When his Lord unveiled the Light (of His divine beauty) on to the mountain, (He) crushed it into sand particles (with the intense divine radiance) and Musa (Moses) fell down unconscious. Then when he recovered, he submitted: ‘Holy You are and I turn to You in repentance and I am the first of those who believe.
And when Moosa (Moses) came at the time and place appointed by Us, and his Lord spoke to him, he said: "O my Lord! Show me (Yourself), that I may look upon You." Allah said: "You cannot see Me, but look upon the mountain if it stands still in its place then you shall see Me." So when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He made it collapse to dust, and Moosa (Moses) fell down unconscious. Then when he recovered his senses he said: "Glory be to You, I turn to You in repentance and I am the first of the believers."
And when Moses came to Our appointed time and his Lord spoke with him, he said, 'Oh my Lord, show me, that I may behold Thee!' Said He, 'Thou shalt not see Me; but behold the mountain -- if it stays fast in its place, then thou shalt see Me.' And when his Lord revealed Him to the mountain He made it crumble to dust; and Moses fell down swooning. So when he awoke, he said, 'Glory be to Thee! I repent to Thee; I am the first of the believers.
And when Moses came to our appointment, and his Lord spake unto him, he said, 'O my Lord! show me, - that I may look on thee!' He said, Thou canst not see me; but look upon the mountain, and if it remain steady in its place, thou shalt see me;' but when his Lord appeared unto the mountain He made it dust, and Moses fell down in a swoon! And when he came to himself, he said, 'Celebrated be thy praise! I turn repentant unto Thee, and I am the first of those who are resigned.
And when Moses came at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, 'My Lord, show Thyself to me that I may look at Thee.' God replied, 'Thou shalt not see Me. But look at the mountain; and if it remains in its place, then thou shalt see Me.' And when his Lord manifested Himself on the mountain, He broke it into pieces and Moses fell down unconscious. And when he recovered, he said, 'Holy art Thou, I turn to thee and I am the first to believe.
And when Moses came at our set time and his Lord spake with him, he said, "O Lord, shew thyself to me, that I may look upon thee." He said, "Thou shalt not see Me; but look towards the mount, and if it abide firm in its place, then shalt thou see Me." And when God manifested Himself to the mountain he turned it to dust! and Moses fell in a swoon. And when he came to himself, he said, "Glory be to thee! To thee do I turn in penitence, and I am the first of them that believe."
And when Moses came at Our appointed time and His Lord communed with him, he said: ‘Lord, reveal Yourself to me, that I may look upon You.‘ He replied: ‘You shall never see Me. But look upon the Mount; if it remains firm upon its base, then only shall you see Me.‘ And when his Lord revealed Himself to the Mount, He levelled it to dust. Moses fell down senseless, and, when he recovered, said: ‘Glory be to You! I turn to You in penitence, and am the first of the believers
New and/or Partial Translations, and works in progress
When Moses came to the place appointed by Us, his Lord spoke to him. (Moses) said, “O my Lord, reveal Yourself to me so I may look upon You.” (Allah) said, “You cannot look upon Me. Look upon the mountain. If it remains in its place, you will see Me.” When his Lord manifested His glory on the mountain, He made it appear as dust. Moses fainted. When he recovered, he said, “Glory to You! To You I repent, and I am the first to believe.”
When Moses came for Our appointment and his Lord spoke to him, he said: “My Lord, show Yourself to me, so that I may look at You.†Said [God] : “You shall not see Me. But look upon the mountain; if it remains firm in its place, then, only then, you shall see Me.†When his Lord revealed His glory to the mountain, He sent it crashing down. Moses fell down senseless. When he came to himself, he said: “Limitless You are in Your glory. To You I turn in repentance. I am the first to truly believe in You.â€
When the period We appointed was complete, and his Rabb called out to him, (Moses) said to his Rabb, “My Rabb, show me Yourself, let me look at You!”... (His Rabb said) “Never can ‘you’ (with your illusory self – ego) see (comprehend) ‘Me’... (Absolute Reality, Absolute ‘I’)... But look at the mountain (ego)... If the mountain remains in place after I reflect Myself, then you shall see Me!” When his Rabb reflected on the mountain (ego), He destroyed it... and Moses fell unconscious (freed from his self, I’ness, ego)! When he woke up, he said, “Subhan, You are (I exalt you)! I have repented to You... I am the first of the believers.”
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli
And when Moses came to Our appointed tryst and his Lord spoke with him, he said: � My Lord, show me (Yourself) , that I may look towards You! � He (Allah) said: � Never shall you see Me, but look towards the mountain: if it remains firm in its place, then you will see Me. � So when his Lord manifested (His) glory to the mountain, He sent it crashing down, and Moses fell down senseless. Then when he recovered, he said: � Glory be to You! I turn to You (repentant) , and I am the first of the believers �
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur'an al-Karim
When Mussa came to the place set for Our assignation, the hallowed environment spoke Allah's presence proclaimed by sound. And when Allah spoke to Mussa, he expressed his wish, thus: "O Allah, my Creator", he asked, "may I perceive you by sight!". "You shall not be able to see Me", said Allah, "but look at the mountain", if it remains standing in its place, you shall then see Me. And when Allah manifested to the mountain an infinitely short flash of His mercifully invisible glorious light, the mountain was levelled with the ground*. Terribly shocked, Mussa dropped unconscious, and when he recovered from the swoon, he prayed: "Praise be to You O Allah and extolled are Your glorious attributes; in lowliest plight do I stand repentant and I am the first and foremost of those who conform to Your will"
And when Musa came at the time/place appointed by Us and his Fosterer spoke to him, he said, "My Fosterer ! show me (Yourself) that I may look at You." He said, "You cannot see Me, but look at the mountain, so if it stays in its place then you will (be able to) see Me." So when his Fosterer unveiled Himself to the mountain, He made it crumble to pieces and Musa fell down senseless. Then when he recovered he said, "Glory be to You ! I turn to You (for mercy) and I am the first of the believers."
