As-Sajda (The Prostration)
Verse 1 - 2
Table of Contents
No. 32 (Revealed in Mecca)
30 Verses in 3 Sections
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful
This Surah is one of 29 Suras that begin with abbreviated letters and after which the Qur’an is glorified.
It is one of the four Suras of Qur’an which contain obligatory prostration. According to the tradition recorded in Majma‘-ul-Bayan, the holy Prophet (S) used to recite this Surah and Surah Al-Mulk every night before sleeping.
Similar to other Meccan Suras, there are some almost detailed explanations about Origin and Resurrection in this Surah, too. The end of the disbelievers is also mentioned in it, in order that the faith of the believers and their steadfastness against the pressure of the enemies would be strengthened.
To perform bowing and prostration at night, when people are asleep, is mentioned as one of the specialities of the true believers pointed out in verse No. 15, the recitation of which needs obligatory prostration.
Section 1: Qur’an, the Book From the Lord of the Worlds
Surah As-Sajdah - Verses 1-2
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ الم (1) تَنْزِيلُ الْكِتابِ لا رَيْبَ فِيهِ مِنْ رَبِّ الْعالَمِينَ (2)
In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful
1. “Alif, ‘A’, Lam, ‘L’, Mim ‘M’.”
2. “The revelation of the Book, there is no doubt in it, is from the Lord of the Worlds.”
We have explained in detail about the abbreviated letters of the Qur’an at the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah, but according to some Islamic traditions the abbreviated letters are among allegorical ambiguous verses the knowledge of which is with Allah (s.w.t.) and His saints.1
Question: Regarding to the doubt, false allegation, and calumny that the opponents of the Qur’an used to announce and some verses refer to them, too, how does this verses say:
“…there is no doubt in it…”?
Answer: The verse implies that there is no doubt in the legitimacy of the Qur’an and its commandments and gnostic knowledge, not that no one has doubted in it; so, in Surah Al-Baqarah, No. 2, verse 23 the Qur’an says:
“And if you are in doubt of what We have sent down to Our (faithful) servant (Muhammad), then bring forth one Surah the like thereof…”.
The writer of the Fi-Zilal-il-Qur’an says:
“An artificial flower is not the same as a natural flower, because a natural flower itself stands witness, that there is no doubt in its being natural.”
The Qur’an has been sent down from the side of Allah and this fact has repeatedly been emphasized in it.
The following examples are among them:
“The revelation of the Book…is from the Lord of the Worlds.”2 “And verily this (Qur’an) is from the Lord of the Worlds.”3 “A revelation of the Mighty, the Merciful.”4 “The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Mighty, the Wise.”5 “The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Mighty, the Knowing.”6 “A revelation from the Beneficent, the Merciful (Allah).”7 “…A revelation from the Wise, the Praised (One).”8 “It has been sent down from Him Who created the earth and the high heavens.”9
Yes, The One Who has sent down the Qur’an possesses everything of the existence, and dominates over all things. He is Mighty, Merciful, Wise, Knowing, and Praised.
However, in this verse the Qur’an says:
“The revelation of the Book, there is no doubt in it, is from the Lord of the Worlds.”
This verse, in fact, is an answer to two questions. It seems at first that the content of this heavenly Book is questioned about. In answer, it announces that its content is the Truth and there is no room for any doubt in this concern. Then, the compiler of it is asked about. In answer to this question, the Qur’an says that it is from the Lord of the Worlds.
This interpretation is also probable that the sentence:
“From the Lord of the Worlds”
is an evidence for the sentence:
“There is no doubt in it”.
As if someone asks by what reason this Book is the Truth and that there is no doubt in it. It says by the reason that it is from the Lord of the Worlds from Whom every truth and reality comes into being.
By the way laying emphasis on the attribute of “The Lord of the Worlds” among all attributes of Allah may point to this fact that this Book is a collection of the wonders of the world of existence and it contains the facts of the world of existence, because it is from the side of the Lord of the Worlds.
Paying attention to this point is also necessary that here the Qur’an does not want to suffice to a mere claim, but it intends to say that what is evident does not need to be explained, and the content of this Book itself is a witness to its legitimacy and veracity.
Footnotes
Majma‘-ul-Bayan, and Nur-uth-Thaqalayn ↩