Overall meaning : Allah, Exalted be He, states that He appointed for Moses thirty nights after which He would speak to him and give him the Torah, and He completed them with ten, so the appointed time of his Lord was forty nights. Before leaving for Mount Sinai to hold communion with Allah, Moses said to his brother, Aaron, 'Take my place among my people in my absence, do what is right by reforming them and setting things right and do not follow the path of the evildoers.’
When Moses came to Mount Sinai at the time Allah Almighty had set for him to speak to him and give him the Torah, and the Almighty spoke to him without an intermediary, Moses asked his Lord to reveal Himself to him so he might see Him. Allah informed him that he could not see Him in this life. 'However,’ He added, 'look at the mountain. If it remains firm in its place after revealing Myself to it, only then will you see Me.’ When Allah revealed Himself to the Mount, He levelled it to dust with such intensity that Moses collapsed unconscious. After he recovered, he said, 'Glory be to You! Far exalted are You above anything that does not befit Your majesty and greatness! I turn to You in repentance for asking You such a thing, and I am the first to believe.’