In a similar sign, when at Allah’s command, Mount Sinai was suspended over the heads of the Israelites. That is, the mountain was uprooted from its place and began to hang over them like a canopy. This extraordinary event occurred when Allah revealed the tablets of the commandments in the Valley of Sinai to the Israelites. On that occasion, they were bound by a covenant to firmly adhere to the Torah and to fully observe its commandments and guidance. In Surah Al-Baqarah, it is stated:
وَاِذْ اَخَذْنَا مِيْثَاقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّوْرَ خُذُوْا مَا٘ اٰتَيْنٰكُمْ بِقُوَّةٍ وَّاذْكُرُوْا مَا فِيْهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُوْنَ.
And recall when We had made a covenant with you and [for this] had raised Mount Sinai above you and had said: “Grasp strongly what We have given you and keep in mind whatever is [written] in it so that you may remain secure [from the wrath of God].” (2:63)
In Surah Al-A‘raf, verse 171, the words used for this incident are Wa idh nataqnā al-jabala fawqahum ka annahū zullatun wa zannū annahū wāqi ‘un bihim (when We raised the mountain over them as if it were a canopy, and they thought it was going to fall upon them). This means that by Allah’s command, a great mountain began to hang over them, and they began to think that it would now fall upon them. This shows that the awe of Allah’s power became manifest upon them.
According to Javed Ahmed. Ghamidi, this event was a demonstration of Allah’s power and majesty. The purpose was to make it clear that the being entering into a covenant with them is the Omnipotent. Nothing is beyond His reach. If they violated this covenant, they could well estimate their fate due to this event. He writes:
From both the Qur’an and the Bible, it is evident that this covenant was taken from the Israelites in such a way at the foot of the mountain that Mount Sinai was uprooted and hung over their heads like a canopy, and they felt that it would definitely fall upon them. The Qur’an describes this situation as the mountain being lifted over them. This was a manifestation of God’s power and glory, done so that the Israelites would always remember the magnitude of the power of the God with whom they were making this covenant, and what could happen to them if they violated it. (Al-Bayan 1/78)