PROSTRATION【Quran commentary】Surah 32 as-Sajdah

Commentary By Maulana Wahiduddin khan

1-3. On the face of it, this is an ordinary statement…

On the face of it, this is an ordinary statement consisting of just a few words. But this is a very serious and portentous claim, which in the entire history of religion, nobody has had the courage to profess, except those chosen few to whom the Book of God was in actuality revealed. Other than the appointed person, anyone who mustered the audacity to utter these words, was either a trifler or a madman.

The Quran is a proof in itself. Its miraculous style, its claims that have not been proved wrong even after centuries have elapsed,- all these and similar considerations prove that it is a book sent by God. And since it is a book of God, it is absolutely necessary that everybody should pay heed to its warnings and gives serious thought to them.

4-9. The gradual creation of the universe, in six…

The gradual creation of the universe, in six days meaning six stages, along with the system full of wisdom governing it, is indicative of the fact that the Creator has some special purpose behind this creation. Moreover, numerous processes are incessantly going on in the universe. This further proves that its Creator is running it in a well-planned manner. The human being is a wonderful living organism, but if his body is analyzed, it will be found that it is composed of earth elements. Then this creation does not end there, but continues eternally through the process of procreation and regeneration.

If the individual gives deep and serious consideration to these facts, his mind will be free of feelings of awe for anything except the Majesty of God. He will become a grateful subject of God. But there are very few who give deep consideration to anything. That is why there are very few people who offer praises to God and are grateful to Him.

10-14. Man’s creation for the first time is enough…

Man’s creation for the first time is enough to convince mankind of the possibility of creation for the second time. But when a man does not believe in his accountability before God, he ridicules the possibility of a second creation, and he talks flippantly of it.

But, this amounts to taking liberties throughout the period of freedom given for the purpose of putting man to test. And when this period expires and a man dies and is made to stand before Almighty God for the purpose of giving an account of himself, he will find himself speechless. At that time, the arrogant will say that they now accept the reality and will request that they be sent back into the world, so that they may perform righteous deeds. But this admission at that stage will be useless. Had God desired that people should accept reality in this way, He could have compelled them to accept it in the present world itself.

Before God, that acceptance carries weight which is made without the reality being visible. Acceptance after seeing the reality has no value.

15-17. For an individual to avail of guidance, his…

For an individual to avail of guidance, his willingness to accept the Truth is the most important factor. Only those who, by temperament, are ready to accept the Truth whenever it presents itself before them – whether it be revealed through a person of lesser importance, whether such acceptance be a tacit admission of one’s own error, or whether such acceptance leads to upsetting the existing system of one’s life?are capable of availing of guidance. Only those who have such a capacity will find the Truth. Those who want to accept the Truth, but at the same time want their ‘greatness’ to remain intact, will never find it.

A man who sacrifices his greatness for the sake of Truth actually finds the greatest thing, namely, the greatness of God. God enters his life in such a way that he sleeps thinking about Him and wakes up with memories of God. His hopes and fears are all linked with God. He surrenders all his possessions to God to the point of not keeping back anything for himself. Such people will forever relish the bounties of the eternal Gardens of Paradise.

18-22. A believer (mu’min ) is one who accepts the…

A believer (mu’min ) is one who accepts the Divine Truth and a sinner (faasiq) is one who rejects it for the sake of self-protection. These are two separate characters – entirely different from each other – and the fate of individuals who are entirely different in character cannot be the same.

In the present world, one who accepts the Truth, proves that he gives prime importance to Truth. Such a person will have greatness conferred upon him in the Hereafter. As opposed to this, one who considers himself great, while ignoring the Truth, shall have a lesser position in the real life of the Hereafter.

23-26. The awarding of the Book of God to a group…

The awarding of the Book of God to a group is tantamount to bestowing the keys of world leadership upon that group. But, such status is conferred on a group only when it exercises patience. ‘When they were steadfast’ has been explained as ‘When they were patient with the world.’ (Tafsir ibn Kathir). In other words, they attained the position of leadership when they exercised patience in the face of the adversity of this world.

People accept that person (or group) as a leader or Imam who appears to be at higher level than their own?who lives for principles when others live for self-interest, who supports justice when others take the side of their own community; who shows tolerance on being wronged when others seek revenge; who reconciles with deprivation when others rush to find gains; who offers to make sacrifices for the sake of Truth when others know only how to sacrifice for self-interest. Such virtues are rooted in patience, and those who exercise this patience become leaders of the world.

Man does not often learn lessons from events until the same disaster befalls him as has befallen others. Those who make innovative interpretations of religion and thus cause differences to arise, incur the risk of final rejection on the Day of judgement and thereafter experience nothing but unending denigration.

27-30. In ancient Makkah the polytheists were domi…

In ancient Makkah the polytheists were dominant, while Islam was in a very weak position, so much so that the polytheists used to ridicule Islam and Muslims. In response to this, Almighty God has given an example: He asks people to consider a land which is dry and barren. To all appearances, it seems impossible that it will ever become covered with greenery. But, God causes the clouds to pour rain-water on it. In a few days time, the dry land is replaced with lush green fields. Similarly, God’s powers can cause Islam to flourish and become the predominant ideology of the world.