Surah As-Sajdah 32:1-11 - Quran Translation Commentary

3. Or do they say: “He³ has invented it himself?” Nay, but it is the Truth from your Lord that you may warn a people to whom no warner came before⁴ you so that they may be rightly guided.

4. It is Allah who created the heavens and the earth and what is between) them in six days.⁵ Then He ascended the Arsh⁶ (Throne). You have no guardian and intercessor besides Him. Will you then not remember?⁷

5. He governs all affairs from the heaven to the earth. And then they ascend to Him in a day,⁸ whose span is one thousand years by your reckoning.

6. He is the knower of the invisible and the visible, the Mighty, the Merciful.⁹

7. Who made all things which He created good,¹⁰ and He began the creation of man from clay;¹¹

8. Then He made his breed from the essence of the despised fluid;¹²

9. He then fashioned¹³ him and breathed into Him of His spirit,¹⁴ and made for you (organs of) hearing and sight and hearts.¹⁵ Yet you are seldom thankful.¹⁶

10. And they say: “When we are lost in the earth, how can then we be re-created?” Nay but they are deniers of the meeting with their Lord.¹⁷

11. Say: “The angel of death, who has been given charge of you, will carry away your life, and afterwards to your Lord you will be returned.¹⁸

Commentary

1. For the explanation of the separate letters, please see Notes Nos.1, Surah Baqarah and Surah Yunus. It is a fact that Quran is also a miracle from the point of view of sound, therefore, when these letters are pronounced separately, they draw attention of the hearer towards themselves by creating sound effect. In this surah Alif hints at Ayat, which have been mentioned in verses Nos. 15,22,24, and 26.

Lam points to ‘Liqa-e-Rabbihim’ (Meeting his Lord, ayah No. 10), ‘Liqaa yaumikum haza’ (Attendance on this day Ayah No.4), and Meem points to “Muntaqimoon” (We are going to punish, Ayah No. 22).

2. That is: The revelation of this Book from Allah is beyond any shadow of doubt. Although the arguments in favour of the Quran being the Book authored by Allah have been presented at many places, but at several places this claim has been put forth with full certainty, for the coming of the sun is its own proof. Each and every ayah is the proof of its being the word of God, and whoever will study it with sincerity, will have no difficulty in recognising it. This topic has also appeared in the beginning of Surah Baqarah that there is no doubt in this Book being the word of God. See Surah Baqarah Note No.2.

3. Means the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam.

4. For explanation, please see Surah Qasas, Note No.91.

5. For explanation, please see Surah A’raf Note No.82.

6. This has been explained in Note No.83, Surah A’raf.

7. How is it that such a simple thing is not being understood that the Being who has created this universe in such a planned way and thereafter is governing it, beside Him who else can be your Guardian or Helper, and who is he who can stand up before Him as your intercessor and may get for you your salvation? No such being exists in this universe who can have such might and power before Allah.

8.That is : Allah is governing this universe in a planned way. For this earth every scheme and every plan of His is of a thousand years as reckoned by the earthly units, while this period according to Him is only of one day, in which this planning is completed, and then this matter again returns to Him, that is ultimately everything returns to Him and presents itself before Him. This ayah is one of the allegorical verse, therefore, without entering into any discussion we should be content with the knowledge of the mere outline. And so far as the question of a day of one thousand years is concerned, it is not a thing which cannot be comprehended. Logically we can understand that what we count as a day of 24 hours, it is composed of a day and a night, and it comes as a result of the rising and setting of the sun. But at the level of the sun, where no night exists, to count the day, this measure will be useless. So far as the modern science is concerned the science of astronomy has increased our knowledge to a great extent, e.g. if on earth the solar day is of 365 days, then on Mars it is on this reckoning of 687 days, on Jupiter of about 12 years, on Staurm of 29 years, and on Pluto of 248 years, because these planets complete their revolution round the sun in this time. This difference of the day and the year supports the statement of Quran that the measure of the day with Allah is different from that of the humans and that according to that His day is equal to our one thousand years.

For further explanation please see Surah Hajj, Note No.84.

9. Hints at the fact that He is governing this universe with His full knowledge, perfect might, and vast mercy.

10. Whatever work was to be taken from a thing or a creature, according to that it was given a form. Every thing which He created has balance and is well organised. It signifies that their Creator is a perfectionist and Most Beautiful.

11. That is: Adam was created from clay.

12. The human race was given continuity with the filthy fluid of humans (semen). This essence in the light of the modem Embryology is spermatozoa.

13. That is: After creating the foetus its parts were fashioned and it was given the shape of a human being.

14. It was made into a living human by breathing spirit into it.

For further explanation of spirit please see Surah Hijr, Note No.27 .For the materialists spirit has no reality, as if man has merely a physical existence, and life is the name of movement. The stoppage of this movement is named death. The question arises: what is that thing after whose disappearance the movement of the heart stops and man’s death occurs? We will have to admit that it is a very fine and invisible thing, from whose disappearance man’s physique become a dead body, and the name of that very thing is spirit, which in reality is the inner man. If in a particle atomic energy is hidden, then there is no reason to deny the presence of spiritual energy in man. Then in the body every moment changes take place. New cells take place of the old cells, so much so that in a few years a new body takes place of the old body, but the inner man remains unchanged, which is called Self or Ego, and it is this thing which gives a man his personality and distinguishes him from others. Therefore, denial of spirit is the denial of reality.

15.That is: Gave best faculties for hearing, seeing and understanding.

16. You do not realise fully the excellent existence which has been given to you and for this reason you seldom thank your Creator.

17. That is: Mainly they deny that they have at all to meet their Creator. They do not want that by accepting the concept of accountability they should make themselves followers of Allah’s commands. Therefore, they deny the appearance before God in the garb of their claim that after death body is decomposed and mixed with the dust and it is totally destroyed, then how can it rise on the Day of Resurrection.

18.On death man’s existence does not end, but only his body is destroyed. In fact death is merely the separation of the spirit, which is the internal man, from the body and this function takes place with regularity. Allah has appointed the angel of death to take away the spirit of every person. On the appointed time he takes the life of every person and keeps it in his possession and later on deals with it as commanded by Allah, till on the Day of Resurrection, his body will again be created for his spirit, and he will appear before God with his body for answering about his deeds in the world.