Welcome to our weekly program "Path towards Enlightenment" in which we present you a fluent and easy-to-understand explanation of the ayahs of the holy Quran. Last Friday we completed Surah Luqman and today we are going to start Surah Sajdah.

This is the 32nd Surah of the holy Quran and its ayahs have been sent down in Mecca. First we listen to and read ayahs 1 to 3 of Surah Sajdah:

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

الم

تَنزِيلُ الْكِتَابِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ مِن رَّبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

أَمْ يَقُولُونَ افْتَرَاهُ ۚ بَلْ هُوَ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ لِتُنذِرَ قَوْمًا مَّا أَتَاهُم مِّن نَّذِيرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ

In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful

“Alif, Lām, Mīm”.

“The [gradual] sending down of the Book, there is no doubt in it, is from the Lord of all the worlds.”

“Do they say, ‘He has fabricated it’? Rather it is the truth from your Lord that you may warn a people to whom there did not come any warner before you, so that they may be guided [to the right path].”

Surah Sajdah, like the previous one, that is, Surah Luqman, is one of the 29 Surahs which start with Horoof Muqatta’at or seemingly unarranged alphabets. As we said at the beginning of Surah Baqarah, the meaning of Horoof Muqatta’at is known only to God and His Prophet, although some exegetes have tried to interpret them. Here in Surah Sajdah, God has used the alphabets Alif Lam Mim, at its start, similar to Surah Baqarah. This is among the marvels of the unmatched eloquence of the Holy Qur'an, which bewildered the infidels of the age of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Today also, they continue to confound the disbelievers of our own days, who despite the advancement in science and technology, have failed to meet the divine challenge to bring about at least some phrases equal to those of the Holy Qur'an.

Surah Sajdah, is one of the four Suras of Qur’an which contain obligatory prostration in ayah 25. There are some almost detailed explanations about Origin and Resurrection in this Surah. 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.

Ayah number two emphasizes that there is no doubt in the legitimacy of the Qur’an and its commandments as well as treasures of knowledge. This scripture was revealed by God Almighty for the guidance of all mankind, and it was a gradual revelation that lasted 23 years, and the recipient was none other than the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). 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. Laying emphasis on the phrase “The Lord of the Worlds” 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.

The next ayah referring to the habit of the pagans, the unbelievers, and the atheists, to belie the Qur’an, tells the Prophet not to be disappointed by their accusations since Truth ought to be conveyed for the guidance of mankind, who should be warned as well as given good tidings, irrespective of the calumny that polytheists and faithless hypocrites repeatedly label at this great heavenly Book.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. Without an iota of doubt, the holy Qur’an is the Ultimate Truth, revealed by the Lord Most High for the guidance of humanity.
2. It is the habit of the unbelievers to express doubts, but when one reads the holy Qur’an, without prejudice, the facts and realities become crystal clear, since the source of this Book is the One and Only Creator of the world.
3. Among the goals of the Prophets is to warn mankind of the consequences of their sins, and to give tidings of God’s Mercy to those who repent, reform, rectify their behaviour, and come to the right path.

Now we listen to and read ayah 4 of Surah Sajdah:

اللَّـهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ ۖ مَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَا شَفِيعٍ ۚ أَفَلَا تَتَذَكَّرُونَ

“It is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them in six days, then He settled on the Throne. You do not have besides Him any guardian or intercessor. Will you not then take admonition?”

This ayah refers to the creation of the universe by God, Who has no partner, and Who created the universe in 6 periods of time. Here in order to negate polytheism, the eternal power of Allah and the creation of heavens and earth is emphasized. In other words, this ayah refers to one of the most important bases of the Islamic beliefs, i.e. Monotheism, and the absoluteness of Divine Power. The use of the word day is to emphasize the phases of creation of the heavens and the earth which have passed through different periods. One day all the spheres of the solar system were in the form of a single melted mass. Another day some planets separated from the sun and began to rotate around it. One day the earth was entirely fiery, and another day it became cold and appropriate for the life of plants and animals. Then, the living creatures came into being in different stages. It is evident that the infinite power of Allah is enough to create the entire universe in one moment or less than that, but this gradual system can illustrate better the glory, knowledge and providence of Allah in all stages. For example, if an embryo could complete all its periods of development to be born, its wonders would remain aloof from the man’s view. But when we see that every day and every week during this period of nine months foetus gets a new shape and adopts some new surprising circumstances, and it passes its wonderful stages one after another, we will be better acquainted with the greatness of Allah. Next to the statement of the creation of the things, the verse refers to the subject of Divine sovereignty over the world of existence. Thus, when Allah says He established Himself on ‘Arsh, this is not an indication to its bodily meaning that He may have shape and size, and a throne like human kings to sit on it. It actually means He is both the Creator of the world of existence and the administrator over the whole universe, and none can challenge His power. At the end of this ayah, the subject of Monotheism is again emphasized, as an admonition and this means that besides God there is no real guardian or intercessor.

From this ayah we learn that:

1. God is the Source of creation and He created the whole universe without any partner or associate.
2. Mankind needs to be reminded of the divine blessings and divine wisdom regarding the world of creation and its wonders, so as not to go astray.

Now we listen to and read ayahs 5 and 6 of Surah Sajdah:

يُدَبِّرُ الْأَمْرَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ

ذَٰلِكَ عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

“He directs the command from the heaven to the earth; then it ascends toward Him in a day whose span is a thousand years by your reckoning.”

“That is the Knower of the sensible and the Unseen, the All-Mighty, the All-Merciful,”

In continuation of the previous ayahs regarding the creation of the world by God, these ayahs once again emphasize that the entire universe is under the command of God and there is no Administrator except Him. 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. He not only administrates the affairs of this world but all of human behaviors and deeds return to Him on the resurrection and nothing is out of His knowledge and power. The use of the word ‘thousand’ here refers to the Day of Resurrection, whose span by the reckoning of mankind could be a thousand years. In short, whatever takes place in the world is presented in the divine court on the Day of Resurrection. On the basis of His infinite knowledge, God Who is the Knower of the sensible and the unseen and is the All-Mighty and the All-Merciful, deals justly with His servants without the least oppression or injustice.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. God Almighty is Administrator of the orderly universe, and everything is from Him and unto Him is the final return.
2. Management of the world affairs and the laws ruling over the world is based on the infinite knowledge of God Almighty.
3. God’s knowledge towards all affairs whether sensible or unseen is the same, and based on justice without the least oppression.

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