27 Preface وَجَعَلنا فيها رَواسِيَ شامِخاتٍ وَأَسقَيناكُم ماءً فُراتًاYusuf AliAnd made therein mountains standing firm,1 lofty (in stature); and provided for you water sweet (and wholesome)?See n. 2038 to 16:15. The solid mountains are frequently referred to: cf. 13:3. The parable here is that the mountains are hard, solid rock, and yet they act as sponges to collect, store up, and filter sweet and wholesome water, which on account of their altitude they are able to distribute by gravity to the lower, dry land by means of rivers or springs. Anyone who has seen the parched Meccan valleys and the delicious springs in the mountains around, or the Zubaydah Canal, which is the main source of Mecca’s water supply, will appreciate the aptness of the metaphor, but it applies to any country, though not to so striking a degree. If the wisdom and power of God can do such things before your eyes, how can you reject His teaching of a still more wonderful future Life?