Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 22 Al-Haj, Ayat 18-18

اَلَمۡ تَرَ اَنَّ اللّٰهَ يَسۡجُدُ لَهٗ مَنۡ فِى السَّمٰوٰتِ وَمَنۡ فِى الۡاَرۡضِ وَالشَّمۡسُ وَالۡقَمَرُ وَالنُّجُوۡمُ وَ الۡجِبَالُ وَالشَّجَرُ وَالدَّوَآبُّ وَكَثِيۡرٌ مِّنَ النَّاسِ​ ؕ وَكَثِيۡرٌ حَقَّ عَلَيۡهِ الۡعَذَابُ​ؕ وَمَنۡ يُّهِنِ اللّٰهُ فَمَا لَهٗ مِنۡ مُّكۡرِمٍ​ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ يَفۡعَلُ مَا يَشَآءُ ۩  ؕ‏ ﴿22:18﴾

(22:18) Have you not seen that all those who are in the heavens and all those who are in the earth prostrate themselves before Allah;3031 and so do the sun and the moon, and the stars and the mountains, and the trees, and the beasts, and so do many human beings,32 and even many of those who are condemned to chastisement?33 And he whom Allah humiliates, none can give him honour.34 Allah does whatever He wills.35


Notes

30. See (E.N. 25, Surah Ar-Raad)and (E.N. 41 of Surah An- Nahl).

31. That is, Angels, stars, planets, etc. and all the creation that exists in other parts of the universe, whether it is rational and possesses freedom of will and choice like man, or irrational like animals, vegetation, solid matter, air and light.

32. That is, a large number of the people bow down before Allah not by compulsion but willingly. On the other hand, there are many other people who bow down before Him under compulsion along with everything else in the universe, but they deserve punishment because they refuse to obey Allah in those spheres of life in which they have the choice to obey or not to obey.

33. That is, though the final judgment will be passed on the Day of Resurrection, a discerning eye can see even today those who have already deserved the torment. For instance, the man who rejects the message of the open book of nature and the message of the Prophets and adopts self-made false creeds and then disputes about them with the believers, proves himself to be in manifest error in this world as well.

34. In this verse honor and disgrace mean the acceptance of the truth and its rejection. It is obvious that the one who does not see manifest realities is doomed to disgrace. For Allah lets him attain what he desires and works for. And when Allah does not bestow on anyone the honor of following the truth, there is none else who can bestow it on him.

35. Here it is obligatory to perform a sajdah (prostration), which is agreed upon by all jurists. For further details please See (E.N. 157 of Surah Al-Aaraf).