Al-A'raaf 7:206

"Indeed, those who are near your Lord [i.e., the angels] are not prevented by arrogance from His worship, and they exalt Him, and to Him they prostrate."

Remembering Allah in the Mornings and Afternoons

Allah ordains that He be remembered more often in the mornings and the afternoons. Just as He ordered that He be worshipped during these two times when He said,

وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ الْغُرُوبِ

(And glorify the praises of your Lord, before the rising of the sun and before (its) setting.) 50:39 Before the night of Isra', when the five daily prayers were ordained, this Ayah was revealed in Makkah ordering that Allah be worshipped at these times, Allah said next,

تَضَرُّعًا وَخِيفَةً

(humbly and with fear) meaning, remember your Lord in secret, not loudly, with eagerness and fear. This is why Allah said next,

وَدُونَ الْجَهْرِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ

(and without loudness in words). Therefore, it is recommended that remembering Allah in Dhikr is not performed in a loud voice. When the Companions asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, "Is our Lord close, so that we call Him in secret, or far, so that we raise our voices" Allah sent down the verse,

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ

(And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor).) 2:186 In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari said, "The people raised their voices with Du`a' (invoking Allah) while travelling. The Prophet said to them,

«يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ارْبَعُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ، فَإِنَّكُمْ لَا تَدْعُونَ أَصَمَّ وَلَا غَائِبًا إِنَّ الَّذِي تَدْعُونَهُ سَمِيعٌ قَرِيبٌ أَقْرَبُ إِلَى أَحَدِكُمْ مِنْ عُنُقِ رَاحِلِته»

(O people! Take it easy on yourselves, for He Whom you are calling is not deaf or absent. Verily, He Whom you are calling is the All-Hearer, close (by His knowledge), closer to one of you than the neck of his animal.)" These texts encourage the servants to invoke Allah in Dhikr often, especially in the mornings and afternoons, so that they are not among those who neglect remembering Him. This is why Allah praised the angels who praise Him night and day without tiring,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ عِندَ رَبِّكَ لاَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ

(Surely, those who are with your Lord (i.e., angels) are never too proud to perform acts of worship to Him) Allah reminded the servants of this fact so that they imitate the angels in their tireless worship and obedience of Allah. Prostration, here, upon the mention that the angels prostrate to Allah is legitimate. A Hadith reads;

«أَلَا تَصُفُّونَ كَمَا تَصُفُّ الْمَلَائِكَةُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهَا يُتِمُّونَ الصُّفُوفَ الْأُوَلَ فَالْأُوَلَ وَيَتَرَاصُّونَ فِي الصَّف»

(Why not you stand in line (for the prayer) like the angels stand in line before their Lord They continue the first then the next lines and they stand close to each other in line. ) This is the first place in the Qur'an where it has been legitimized -- according to the agreement of the scholars -- for the readers of the Qur'an, and those listening to its recitation, to perform prostration.

Всевышний сообщил, что среди Его рабов есть ангелы, которые постоянно поклоняются и служат Ему. Люди должны знать, что Аллах не требует от них поклонения для того, чтобы пополнить ими ряды поклоняющихся или избавиться от унижения и беспомощности. Он велит им поклоняться Ему, дабы они могли извлечь из этого выгоду и получить вознаграждение, во много раз превышающее ценность их благодеяний. Поэтому Он поведал о том, что приближенные ангелы и носители Трона не превозносятся над поклонением Ему, смиряются перед Ним и выполняют каждое Его повеление. Они днем и ночью восхваляют Его и падают ниц только перед Ним, не приобщая к Нему сотоварищей. Что же касается остальных рабов, то они должны брать пример с благородных ангелов и без устали поклоняться Всеведущему Владыке.

Sajdah: Some merits and rules

Sajdah (prostration) as a unit of the Islamic ` Ibadah of Salahhas been mentioned here exclusively since it occupies a distinct place among the rest of the units of Salah.

It appears in Sahih Muslim that a person asked Sayyidaa Thawban ؓ 'tell me about something I should do that will take me to Paradise.' Sayyidna Thawban remained silent. He repeated the question. He still remained silent. When he came up with the question the third time, he said, 'I had asked the same question from the Holy Prophet ؓ and he had ordered me to make sajdah repeatedly because for every sajdah you do, Allah Ta` ala increases a rank and forgives a sin.' This person says that following his meeting with Sayyidna Thawban ؓ he met Sayyidna Abu al-Darda' ؓ . He put the same question to him and he was given the same answer.

Again in Sahih Muslim, but on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ ، it has been reported that the Holy Prophet ؓ said, 'a servant of Allah is closest to his Lord when in sajdah.

Therefore, when you are in a state of sajdah, pray most ardently, for it is strongly hoped that it will be answered. 1'

1. It should be borne in mind that supplication in sajdah should be in nafl salah and using the Arabic prayers either mentioned in the Holy Qur'an or in the sunnah of the Holy Prophet . However, in a sajdah meant for supplication only, one can pray in whatever language he wishes (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)

Let us bear in mind that Sajdah, by itself, is not a recognized act of ` Ibadah. Therefore, according to Imam Abu Hanifah, prostrating in Sajdah abundantly means that one should offer nafl Salah abundantly. An increased number of nafl Salah would naturally result in an increased number of Sajdahs.

But, if a person were to go in Sajdah alone and supplicate after that, it really does not matter. As for the instruction to supplicate in Sajdah, it is particular to Nafl Salats. It is not mandatory.

Surah al-A` raf ends here. Its last verse is an Ayah of Sajdah (requiring the person reciting and the person listening to prostrate in Sajdah). According to a report from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah al appearing in Sahih Muslim, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, ` when a son of Adam recites a verse of Sajdah and then prostrates in Sajdah, the Shaitan runs crying. He says: Alas, man was asked to prostrate in Sajdah and when he obeyed, Paradise became his home, and I was asked to prostrate in Sajdah and when I disobeyed, Hell became my home.'

Other English translations

Tafsīr · classical commentary

Remembering Allah in the Mornings and Afternoons