Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage)

18. “Have you not seen that to Allah prostrates whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth, and the sun and the moon, and the stars and the mountains and the trees and animals, and many of the people?

But a great number are (also) such as unto whom the chastisement is justly due;

“…and whomsoever Allah abases, there is none for him to honor; verily Allah does whatever He pleases.”

1. There are certainly some conscious beings in the heaven, because the word ‘whosoever’, mentioned in this verse, is usually applied to those who posses consciousness.

2. The totality of the world of existence prostrates and shows humility for Allah, and consciousness is not located to human beings.

“…whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth…”

(If we do know that all of the beings in the world of existence are submitted to Allah, we never differ from them either. Polytheism and arrogance do not adapt with the system of existence.)

In view of the fact that, the speech in the former verses was about the subject of origin and the end, the verse under discussion completes this subject, by propounding the question of Monotheism and Theology.

The holy verse, addressing the Prophet (S), says:

“Have you not seen that to Allah prostrates whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth, and the sun and the moon, and the stars and the mountains and the trees and animals, and many of the people? But a great number are (also) such as unto whom the chastisement is justly due;…”

Then the Qur’an adds implying that these are abased with Allah, and whomever He abases none can make him honorable and cause him to be prosperous and gain rewards.

The verse continues saying:

“…and whomsoever Allah abases, there is none for him to honor;…”

Yes, whatever Allah (s.w.t.) pleases, and it is expediential, He does: He honors the believers and abases the rejecters.

The verse says:

“…verily Allah does whatever He pleases.”

Some Points

In different verses of the holy Qur’an, there are statements about the general ‘prostration’ of the beings of the world, as well as ‘glorification’, ‘praise’, and ‘prayer’ (salat), and there has been emphasized that these four manifest adorations are not particular only to human beings, but also even all the apparently lifeless beings participate therein.

In the commentary upon Surah ’Isra’, No. 17, verse 44 the general praise and glorification of the beings of the word have been vastly discussed, and also in Surah Ar-Ra‘d No. 13, verse 15 the general prostration of the beings of the world has been spoken about, yet it is necessary here that this significant subject to be referred to again.

The verse under discussion indicates that the beings of the world have two kinds of prostration: the genetic prostration, and the religious prostration.

Their unconditional veneration and submission before Allah’s Will, the laws of creation, and the system governing over this world are the same genetic prostration of theirs which envelops all the particles of the whole beings, even the cells of the brains of some persons such as Pharaoh, Nimrud, as well as the obstinate rejecters whose whole atoms of their selves are inside the circle of this genetic prostration.

As some groups of modern researchers in science say, all particles of the world have a kind of apprehension and intelligence, and according to it, in their own status, they praise and glorify Allah while they have prostration and prayer, too.

But, the act of religious prostration is the utmost veneration which is actualized by the possessors of wisdom, intellect, comprehension and knowledge before Allah, the Lord.

Here, there arises this question that: if the act of general prostration of all beings involves all human beings, too, why has it been specialized to a group of people in the above noble verse?

Regarding to the fact that the word ‘prostration’ has been used through an inclusive concept mentioned between its religious and genetic form the answer of this question becomes clear, because the objective of prostration in respect to sun, moon, stars, mountains, trees, and animals is the sort of genetic prostration, which in respect of human beings it is ‘religious’.

Many people accomplish this prostration, but some groups of them disobey it, and these are the examples of

“unto whom the chastisement is justly due.”

And we know that the usage of a word in an inclusive and general concept, with protecting its different examples, does not matter, even with those who does not permit that a word to be used for more than one meaning, much less for us who let permissible that a common word be used in different meanings, (be careful).

No doubt that the angels are inside the meaning of the Qur’anic phrase:

“To Allah prostrates whosoever is in the heavens”,

but is their prostration of the kind of ‘genetic’ or that of religious?

Regarding to the fact that they have a kind of wisdom, intellect, knowledge and will, their prostration is of the sort of religious. That is, their adoration and veneration is of the kind which is done willingly and arbitrarily.

With respect to the angels, the Qur’an says:

“…they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them and they do as they are commanded.”1