As-Sajda (The Prostration)

5. “He directs the affair (of this world) from the heaven to the earth, then shall it ascend to Him in a Day the measure of which is a thousand years of what you reckon.”

In the same manner that in creation everything is from Him and is unto Him, the management of affairs is also from Him and is unto Him. This fact is rendered into Unity of Lordship.

Therefore, this verse says:

“He directs the affair (of this world) from the heaven to the earth…”

In other words, the Lord of the world of existence Has taken everything, from heavens to the earth, under His Own management, and except Him there is no other controller in this world.

Then, concerning this management of affairs, the Qur’an says:

“…then shall it ascend to Him in a Day the measure of which is a thousand years of what you reckon.”

As some other verses of the Qur’an indicate, the objective meaning of this ‘day’ is the Day of Hereafter. There are also some Islamic traditions narrated on the commentary of this verse that Allah, the Almighty, has created this world, has arranged the heavens and the earth with a special order, and has bestowed the merit of life on man and other living creatures, but in the end of the world He will roll up this order, the sun will become dark and the stars will lose their light, and, as the Qur’an says:

“The Day when We will roll up the heaven as the rolling up of the scroll for writing; as We originated the first creation, (so) We shall get it return…”1

Then, following the rolling up of this world a new scheme and a wider world will be formed. That is, after this world another world will begin.

This meaning has been mentioned in other verses of the Qur’an, too, including Surah Al-Baqarah, No. 2, verse 156 which says:

“…Verily we belong to Allah, and certainly unto Him shall we return…”

And Surah Ar-Room, No. 30, verse 27 says:

“And He it is Who originates the creation, then He brings it back again, and it is easier for Him (than the first creation)…”

And in Surah Yunus, No. 10, verse 34 we recite:

“…Say: ‘(Only) Allah originates creation, then brings it back again; then how are you turned away (from the Turah)’?”

Regarding to these meanings and other noble verses of the Qur’an which indicate that all affairs finally return to Allah, like Surah Hud, No. 11, verse 123 that says:

“…and to Him the whole affairs will be returned…”2 ,

makes it clear that the verse under discussion also speaks about the beginning and the end of the world and the reality and existence of the Hereafter Day.

Therefore, the concept of the verse is that: Allah devises the affair of this world from the heaven to the earth, (i.e.) He begins from the heaven and ends it in the earth), and then all of them return to Him on the Day of Hereafter.

It is recorded in Ali-ibn-’Ibrahim’s commentary, following the verse, that the purpose of it is the management of the affairs that Allah undertakes, as well as the enjoinments and prohibitions that are cited in religion and the deeds of all human beings. All of these things will be made manifest on the Day of Hereafter, the length of which is a thousand years comparing the years of this world.¹

There arises here a question that in Surah Al-Ma‘arij, No. 70, verse 4 concerning the Day of Hereafter we recite:

“To Him ascend the angels and the Spirit in a day the measure of which is fifty thousand years.”

How can the content of the verse under discussion in which the measure of the day is mentioned only one thousand years and that of this verse be considered with together?

The answer to this question is given in a tradition recorded in ’Amali by Shaykh Tusi Vol. 1, P. 36, narrated from Imam Sadiq (as) who said:

“Verily in Hereafter there are fifty stations (places of standing for taking care of deeds and reckoning) each of which takes one thousand years of what you reckon.

Then he recited this verse:

‘…in a Day the measure of which is a thousand years…’.”4

These meanings, of course, do not contrast to this matter that these figures (a thousand and fifty thousand) here are not figures of counting, but, indeed, each of them is for showing multiplicity and stating the plurality, that is, in Hereafter there are fifty stations that a person must stand for a long time in each of them.