By FAISAL NAZIR
published August 10, 2025
Abstract:
This study aims to discuss
whether the phrase "If the mountain does not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad
must go to the mountain” has some Islamic background and which Muhammad
is—mentioned in it. Is it some random and common name like Ali or Prophet Muhammad
(Peace Be Upon Him)? The paper discusses and analyses the various opinions and
arguments about the phrase. The paper also delves into the claims of Orientalist
and Western scholars, linguists, and lexicographers. It is an in-depth study of
the etymology of this phrase. After reading this article, one will be assured of
the origin of this idiom, who first used it, and its background. This article
tries to explain the meaning of the famous phrase, "If the mountain does
not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain". What is the
etymology and origin of this line? After reading this article, this phrase will
be crystal clear for readers.
Keywords: Etymology, Mountain, Muhammad, Phrase, Moses, Francis Bacon.
Introduction
Nowadays, the world is increasingly becoming less tolerant of
religious affairs. One example is the intolerant and violent beheading of a
teacher on 16 October 2020 in Paris because of showing the cartoon of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) in the classroom; similar incidents always make a headline. It happened
in India, too. A tailor Kanhaiya Lal was beheaded live on Facebook, just his son
shared some video or showed agreement in a blasphemous comment. The mass arrest
and humiliation of Muslims and Islamic culture and the rise of Islamophobia all
over the world that follows these kinds of events is yet another debatable issue.
So, any phrases and sayings or proverbs having a religious connotation or
having the name of a religious figure will raise the eyebrows of the reader or
the speaker, and the coming phrase is one of them.
Too often, I have come across this phrase while
reading books, watching web series, watching social media reels and cinema
dialogues. This phrase has been used in many famous international films and Indian
serials. This phrase has become a catchword and widely spoken phrase in popular
literature and day-to-day conversation. These flicks are so hit that their
dialogues have shaped the lingo of the young generation. It means the phrase
will be used frequently in the conversation of the millennial. Therefore,
curiosity drove me to find the exact meaning and history behind this phrase as
it is so common nowadays in popular literature, art, cinema, headlines of the
news and headings of articles.
The inception of this phrase
Love and respect for the prophet Mohammad are
widely known worldwide, and Every Muslim holds him dear. And admiring the
prophet Mohammad is part of Islamic belief and among the basic tenets of Islam.
So, what is the popular notion about this phrase? What does the Western world
think about it? According to dictionary.com: “This expression
is based on a tale that Muhammad once sought proof of his teachings by ordering
a mountain to come to him. When it did not move, he maintained that God had
been merciful, for if it had indeed moved, they all would have been crushed by
it.”[1]
This phrase was first used by Francis Bacon (1561–1626). Bacon was born on 22 January 1561 in London, the second child
of Sir Nicholas Bacon and a graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge. He is also known as Lord Verulam, a statesman and an
English philosopher who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of
England. He was also a lawyer, Member of Parliament, and
Queen's Counsel. He developed the scientific method and remained
influential through the scientific revolution. He is famous as the father of empiricism. He wrote many
path-breaking books like Novum Organum, New Atlantis, The Advancement of
Learning, History of the Reign of King Henry VII, Sylva Sylvarum, A Naturall
Historie: In Ten Centuries, The Wisdom of the Ancients, and others. Bacon is considered an important name in the field of Natural philosophy
and scientific methodology.
This phrase has many versions with a few
changes:
(1) If the mountaine will not come to Mahomet,
Mahomet will goe to the mountaine.
(2) 'If the mountain will not come to
Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain'. (With different spellings of
mountain and Mohammad).
(3) If the mountain won't come to Muhammad,
Muhammad must go to the mountain.
(4) If Mohammed won’t come to mountain, let’s
bring mountain to Mohammed.
(5) “If the mountain won’t go to Mohammed,
then Mohammed must come to the Mountain”.
(6) If the Hill will not come to Mahomet,
Mahomet will go to the hil’.
This is also
controversial if the name mentioned in the phrase is the prophet of Islam or
someone else. In the Turkish language, we find this phrase, but Muhammad is not
mentioned. The saying goes, "If the mountain won't come to you, you must go
to the mountain."[2] To get the whole picture and
understand the actual meaning, let us look at the essay with the full context
in which it was first used. After reading the full satirical essay on
"Boldness", I also realised that Mohammed mentioned in the essay, is
the prophet of Islam and no one else. The essay is in a satirical tone. It says:
“Nay, you shall see a bold fellow
many times do Mahomet’s miracle. Mahomet made the people believe that he would
call a hill to him, and from the top of it offer up his prayers, for the
observers of his law. The people assembled; Mahomet called the hill to come to
him, again and again; and when the hill stood still, he was never a whit
abashed, but said, If the hill will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet will go to the
hill. So these men, when they have promised great matters, and failed most
shamefully, yet (if they have the perfection of boldness) they will but slight
it over, and make a turn, and no more ado.”[3]
We can see
that the person mentioned in the essay is the prophet of Islam because the
context is about healing and miracle, and he mentioned the followers of Muhammad
and the mention of prayers to God, so these are some indications that persist
the fact that the person is non-other than the prophet of Islam, as many
scholars and lexicographers raised the doubt. Oxford Dictionary also rightly raised
doubt by stating: “It's not clear whether this is a true legend
of Mohammed or an English invention - in English, the saying has been traced
back to Francis Bacon's Essays (1625).”[4] And not just Bacon
used this term, but other scholars followed him too; Thomas Fuller (1734-1654),
a famous British preacher and intellectual and physician, and an Oxford
graduate, used it in his book he wrote in 1732 about proverbs named “Gnomologia:
Adagies and Proverbs; wise sentences and witty saying, ancient and modern,
foreign and British”. Desmond Bagley (1923–1983) was a famous Journalist and writer
of renowned bestselling thriller novels, which got him recognition all over the world and made him among famous thriller genre story creators. In his celebrated
novel “Snow Tiger”, which was published in the year (1975) Desmond Bagley used this
phrase too, "You couldn't go to see him, so the mountain had to go to the
Mahomet. It was.. Important to
him.”[5]
Dr. Helen Miles starts her article about
health and well-being with this phrase. She writes that it is of Turkish
origin, saying: “The saying “if the mountain won’t go to Mohammed,
then Mohammed must come to the Mountain” has been around for centuries,
and been attributed originally to both Turkish folk-lore as well as being
re-told in ‘Essays’ by Francis Bacon almost 400 years ago”.[6] According to Islamic
tradition, this phrase is not very authentic and is not mentioned in the Holy
Qur'ān and Hadīth, not even found in any narration by any narrator in the
prophet's biographies. A well-researched article on the topic “Idioms and culture: exploring the inter-influence between English and other
languages” written by three authors says about this phrase:
Preaching wisdom to mortals, one of the
legends in Islam says, ‘if the mountain will not come to Mohammed, Mohammed
will go to the mountain.’ The background story is that once Prophet Mohammed
(PBUH) is asked to provide proof of his teaching, so orders Mount Safa to come
to him. When the mountain doesn’t move, Mohammed praises God for being merciful
saying that if the mountain has obeyed his command it might have fallen on all
of them and destroyed them. Therefore, he will now go to the mountain. He
thanks God for having mercy on such a disbelieving people. From then onwards
the expression if the mountain will not come to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to
the mountain means ‘if things aren’t going your way, you’ll have to adjust to
the way they are.’ In English, the expression has been used by Francis Bacon in
his Essay on Boldness.”[7]
Ellipsis:
In this phrase, as we
saw, Muhammad's spelling differs; sometimes, only the last part is mentioned, and sometimes only the first part is
mentioned. This proverb is usually mentioned as an
example of an “Ellipsis” also. Ellipsis in English literature means mentioning the
first part and removing the rest because it's so famous or already understood
by the audience.[8] And sometimes, omission takes place by replacing the word or the whole
sentence with three dots. So here, too, in the whole phrase, only the first part,
“If the mountain does not come to the Mohammed”, is often mentioned, and the
second part ", then Mohammed must go to the mountain", is removed,
and sometimes vice versa like we say, "Master of none", or hell hath
no fury".
Mountains and Messengers:
In the story of Prophet Ibrahim, there is mention
of two mountains. First, when on the command of Allah, he left his wife Hajira (Hager)
and newborn son Ismael alone, with few days of food and water in the desert of
Makkah, and when Hajira ran out of water and food, she ran to the mountains of
Safā and Marwā in a desperate search for water. Hope made her run seven times.
Then Allah sent archangel Jibrīl (Gabriel) to arrange water, and until
now, to mark her struggle between these two mountains Safā and Marwā, when
Hajis go on the pilgrim of Hajj, they make Saee[9] (climb, walk) of these two holy mountains. In Islamic
history, the prophet had a special connection with the mountain Jabal al-Nur,
where the cave of Hira is located. The story, in a nutshell, is this, even
before the prophet got prophethood, he used to go to the cave Hira and pray and
meditate in solitude. One-day Angel Gabriel came to him with the message of Allah.
The prophet was terrified. He went back to his wife and narrated the story. He
was shivering with fever and asked her for a quilt.
There is one more story associated with
prophet Mohammad when Prophet Muhammad invited the people of Makkah to a place
and said, “What if I tell you that an army of enemies is waiting to attack you
behind this mountain, would you believe me?” All said unanimously, “Why not?
You never spoke a lie in your life, and you are trustworthy.” The prophet said,
“I am a messenger of Allah, I invite you to the path of Islam, obey me.” These
two stories have a special mention of a mountain in the life of the prophet of
Islam. I think if the phrase had Prophet Moses in it, it would
be more appropriate. These stories and fables are sometimes associated with
prophets, but in Islam, we do not find any genuine story about this phrase. Prophet
Moses (Mosa) was among the prophets who got the prophethood on Mount Horeb. And
once, he asked Allah to appear in front of him on the mountain Toor. The
Protestant reformer John Calvin[10] Says that Sinai and Horeb are the same mountains.[11] In the Holy Qur’an Tūr Sīnāʾ / Tūr Sīnīn (طور سيناء / سينين) is the term that appears, and it means "The mount of
Sinai". So, we can say that Sinai and Horeb are the same mountains where Prophet
Moses got enlightenment. It is now located in Egypt on the way to Madyan. The
editor's Encyclopedia introduces Sinai Mountain as: “Arabic Jabal Mūsā, the granitic
peak of the south-central Sinai Peninsula, Janūb Sīnāʾ (South Sinai) muḥāfaẓah
(governorate), Egypt. Mount Sinai is renowned as the principal site of divine
revelation in Jewish history, where God is purported to have appeared to Moses
and given him the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5)”.[12]
Mount Nebo is another mountain, well regarded in Judaism but
has no mention in Islam. However, it is quoted in the Hebrew Bible as where Prophet Moses saw the Promised Land. Finally, in Jordan, there is Wadi Musa, which means
"Valley of Prophet Moses". It is famously said that the prophet Moses
was passing through this valley, and when his followers felt thirsty, he hit on
the rock with his stick; twelve fountains started flowing; this place is also
known as the site of Ain Mūsa ("Moses's Well" or "Moses's water
spring").[13] So, more than Prophet Muhammad, the mountain has
stories and special mention in the lives of Prophet Moses. And in the version
of Judaism, more and more mountains are mentioned. The mountain is important
and is also mentioned in the story of Prophet Noah. When the punishment of
Allah came, and Noah built an ark, his son was among the non-believers and
pagans. When rain and the great flood came, Noah invited him to the ark and
told him no one would be spared. He said, He will take refuge on the peak of the
mountain; it will save me from the flood.” And when everyone was dead,[14] flood and rain stopped, Noah’s ark came to
mountain Judi.[15] So, the Holy Qur’ān mentions two mountains in the
story of Prophet Noah as well. Not just in Islam and Christianity and Judaism
but in every religion, the mountain has particular importance. In Hinduism,
too, we see the image of Hanuman flying with an entire mountain in his hand and
many other stories of hills associated with Hinduism.
In almost every story of prophets, we have mentioned mountains;
take the example of Prophet Saleh, who was sent to the tribe of Thamūd and the famous story of their
she-camel of God (ناقة الله). When he invited people to Islam and asked them to obey and
regard him as a prophet of the Almighty, they asked him for a miracle. The
miracle should be a camel; she must come in front of us from the mountain and
give birth to another camel right now and provide milk to us and the baby
camel. So, prophet Saleh prayed to Allah, and a she-Camel of God came out from
the mountain, but they developed animosity with her and killed her. Then Allah
sent punishment, and all faced the wrath of Allah except believers of the
prophet Saleh.[16] Here too, we
have the story of the prophet along with the mountain and the she-camel. Back
then and now, most of the places where messengers of Allah were sent these
areas had huge mountains. In Mecca, we can see mountains until now as well.
Is this phrase offensive to Muslims?
No, it’s not. Because
this phrase is closer to the many narrations narrated by learned scholars. People
of Makkah might have asked for miracles too many times as proof of prophethood,
moving a mountain is one of them, and some miracles happened too, like splitting
of the moon etc. In a prophet's life mountain played an inevitable part, the Qur’an
also mentions:
{أَفَلَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى الْإِبِلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ * وَإِلَى السَّمَاء
كَيْفَ رُفِعَتْ * وَإِلَى الْجِبَالِ كَيْفَ نُصِبَتْ * وَإِلَى الْأَرْضِ كَيْفَ
سُطِحَتْ * فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌ * لَّسْتَ عَلَيْهِم بِمُصَيْطِر}
(الغاشية: 17 22).
“And at the Sky, how
it is raised high? Do they not look at the Camels, how they are
made? And at the Mountains, how they are fixed firm? Therefore, do thou give
admonition, for thou art one to admonish. Thou art not one to manage (men's)
affairs.”[17] Because mountains and hills were ubiquitous in the
old time, they see them daily as they pass through them. One reference
and a story closer to this is when Prophet Muhammad went to Ta'if and pagans
attacked him. He was bleeding and sighing. Children and goons of the Ta’if
followed him and chased him. He took refuge in a garden. At that time, angels appeared
and asked Prophet Muhammad, “’If you want to punish them, just order me, they
will be crushed between two mountains of the Tā'if region.’’ But, the prophet
of mercy and kindness denied and said, “If they do not accept Islam, their
children and children's children will accept it, and I will pray for them”. Sahīh
Bukhāri narrates:
The Angel of the Mountains called and greeted
me and then said, "O Muhammad! Order what you wish. If you like, I will
let Al-Akh-Shabain (i.e., two mountains) fall on them." The prophet said,
"No but I hope that Allah will let them beget children who will worship
Allah Alone, and will worship none besides Him.”[18]
حديث
عائشة -رضى الله عنها- أنها قالت للنبي ﷺ: هل أتى عليك يوم كان أشد من يوم أحد؟ قال:
لقد لقيت من قومك، وكان أشد ما لقيت منهم يوم العقبة، إذ عرضت نفسي على ابن عبد ياليل
بن عبد كلال، فلم يجبني إلى ما أردت، فانطلقت وأنا مهموم على وجهي، فلم أستفق إلا وأنا
بقرن الثعالب، فرفعت رأسي، وإذا أنا بسحابة قد أظلتني، فنظرت فإذا فيها جبريل
فناداني، فقال: إن الله تعالى قد سمع قول قومك لك، وما ردوا عليك، وقد بعث إليك ملك
الجبال لتأمره بما شئت فيهم. فناداني ملك الجبال، فسلم علي، ثم قال: يا محمد إن الله
قد سمع قول قومك لك، وأنا ملك الجبال، وقد بعثني ربي إليك لتأمرني بأمرك، فما شئت،
إن شئت أطبقت عليهم الأخشبين. فقال النبي ﷺ: بل أرجو أن يخرج الله من أصلابهم من
يعبد الله وحده لا يشرك به شيئا.[19]
Here we have a story about Prophet Muhammad and the mountain.
Conclusion:
In light of the debate mentioned above and discourse, we can say that the phrase "If the mountain does not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain" might not have some Islamic authenticity. However, it has become the oral tradition in some societies and telling this is not an offensive act. Though this phrase seems like some hadith, the phrase is derived from the fable, which, according to Muslims, isn't true, but sometimes some stories are associated with historical figures after taking a clue from the original story or the environment or the surroundings. That's why as a Muslim and as an educated person, it's our responsibility to check and research what kind of proverb is associated with our beloved Prophet (PBUH). Is it suitable to say that? And if it is appropriate and not offensive, then let it go. In our daily life, we see many sayings, numerous stories, and different words associated with Prophet Muhammad. As devout Muslims, we must keep our eyes and ears open. Usually, we see many moral stories associated with religious figures; sometimes, these stories of help and sacrifice and giving preference to others are narrated by many followers of different religions.
References
1.
Dictionary of
Phrases
2.
Holy Qur’an
3.
https://www.livejournal.com/
4.
Ibn Kathir,
Stories of the Prophets, Chapter on Prophet Saleh
5.
Oxford
Dictionary of Proverbs, edited by Jennifer Speake, Published by OUP, Oxford.
6.
Sahīh
al-Bukhari
7.
Adams, Owen S.
"More California Proverbs." Western Folklore 7, no.
2 (1948): 136-144.
8. Sergienko, O. S. "English and Russian equivalents to the proverbs of Czech active paremiological fund." Russian Linguistic Bulletin 2 (6) (2016): 76-77.
Notes
[1]
Dictionary.com, retrieved 10/07/2025, from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/if-the-mountain-won-t-come-to-muhammad--muhammad-must-go-to-the-mountain.
[2] Livejournal, retrieved 10/07/2025
[3]
Essays of Francis Bacon, Of Boldness, retrieved 10/07/2025, from http://www.authorama.com/essays-of-francis-bacon-13.html.
[4] Jennifer Speake, Oxford Dictionary of
Proverbs, OUP, Oxford, p 215.
[5] Enacademic, retrieved 12/03/2021, from https://proverbs_new.enacademic.com/1601/if_the_mountain_will_not_come_to_Mahomet%2C_Mahomet_must_go_to_the_mountain.
[6] Dr.
Helen Miles, retrieved 10/07/2025, from https://drhelenmiles.medium.com/an-evolution-not-a-revolution-59da12f0447d#:~:text=Far%20Side%20Cartoons-,%E2%80%9CIf%20the%20Mountain%20won't%20go%20to%20Mohammed%2C%20then,must%20come%20to%20the%20Mountain%E2%80%9D.&text='Mahomet%20cald%20the%20Hill%20to,wil%20go%20to%20the%20hil.
[7] Adams, Owen S. “More California Proverbs.” Western Folklore 7,
no. 2 (1948): 136–44. https://doi.org/10.2307/1497377.
[8] In
Urdu we can say: نشانِ حذف، اختصار و حذفیہ.
[9] The
seven rounds over the mountain of Safā and Marwā, which is now made flat.
[10]
John Calvin (1509-1564) is a famous reformer, pastor, and theologian; he was in
front of the Protestant Reformation. His contribution to developing the system
of Christian theology, also known as Calvinism, is unforgettable.
[11] Mountain Horeb retrieved 10/07/2025.
[12] The
Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 20/01/2020, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Sinai-mountain-Egypt.
[13] Wadi Mosa, retrieved on 10/07/2025.
[14] Hūd, chapter 11, 44.
[15] It is also called mountain Cudi or Qardi, the
"place of descent" of Noah, Judi, located in southeast Turkey, near
the border of Iraq and Syria.
[16] Al-A'rāf, 73.
[17]
Surah Al-Qāsiya, Translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, retrieved on 28/01/2020,
from http://search-the-quran.com/search/Surah+Al-Ghashiya/8.
[18]
Sahih al-Bukhari 3231, Book 59, Hadith 42.
[19] أخرجه البخاري، كتاب
بدء الخلق، باب إذا قال أحدكم: آمين والملائكة في السماء: آمين فوافقت إحداهما
الأخرى غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه (4/ 115)، رقم: (3231)، ومسلم، كتاب الجهاد والسير،
باب ما لقي النبي ﷺ من أذى المشركين والمنافقين (3/ 1420)، رقم: (1795).