Fragment of a Qur’an - Google Art Project

(السجدة), is the 32nd chapter (''

sūrah A ''surah'' (; ar, سورة, sūrah, , ), is the equivalent of "chapter" in the Qur'an. There are 114 ''surahs'' in the Quran, each divided into '' ayats'' (verses). The chapters or ''surahs'' are of unequal length; the shortest surah (''Al-Ka ...

'') of the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...

with 30 verses ('' āyāt''). The name of the chapter has been translated as ۩ "Prostration" or " Adoration". and is taken from the fifteenth verse, which mentions those who "''... fall prostrate and

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hy ...

the praise of their Lord''". Regarding the timing and contextual background of the believed

revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

, it is an earlier "

Meccan surah The Meccan surat are, according to the timing and contextual background of supposed revelation (''asbāb al-nuzūl''), the chronologically earlier chapters ('' suwar'', singular ''sūrah'') of the Qur'an. The traditional chronological order attrib ...

", which means it is believed revealed in Mecca, instead of later in Medina.

Theodor Nöldeke Theodor Nöldeke (; born 2 March 1836 – 25 December 1930) was a German orientalist and scholar. His research interests ranged over Old Testament studies, Semitic languages and Arabic, Persian and Syriac literature. Nöldeke translated several ...

(d.1930), translator of

Tabari ( ar, أبو جعفر محمد بن جرير بن يزيد الطبري), more commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Muslim historian and scholar from Amol, Tabaristan. Among the most prominent figures of the Islamic Golden Age, al-Tabari ...

(

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

–

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

), estimated it as the 70th ( Nöldeke chronology). The traditional Egyptian chronology puts the chapter as the 75th chapter by the order of revelation (after Quran 23).

Summary

The first half of the chapter covers some of Islam's theological concepts, including

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

, creation of human beings,

resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, whic ...

and the judgment day. The second half discusses the contrast between those who "fall prostrate" before God and those who "turn away" from God's sign. The chapter then mentions the Children of Israel as an example of people who follow God's guidance through Moses.

Ayat (verses)

* 1 A. L. M. The " mysterious letters" alif, lām, and mīm * 2 The Quran is without doubt inspired

* 3

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...

did not forge the Quran * 4 The heavens and

earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

created in six days * 5 God will judge all men after the

*5-8 The Omniscient

the Creator of mankind * 9 Yet man, the creature, denies the resurrection * 10 Unbelievers shall be brought before God * 11 They shall

repent Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In modern times, it is generally seen as involving a co ...

too late to avail for pardon * 12-14 Hell must be filled with genii and men * ۩ 15-19 The reward of true believers * 20-21 The punishment of unbelievers here and hereafter * 22 To reject God's signs a great

sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

* 23 The

Pentateuch The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...

given to Moses * 24 Teachers chosen from among the

Israelites The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan. The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stele o ...

to direct them in the way of God * 25 God will settle their disputes in the Judgment-day * 26 The people of Makkah warned by the fate of their predecessors * 27 The resurrection typified in nature, but infidels do not understand * 28-30 The infidels urge Muhammad to hasten the judgment-day

Quranic commentary

hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...

, narrated in the

Tafsir Tafsir ( ar, تفسير, tafsīr ) refers to exegesis, usually of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' ( ar, مُفسّر; plural: ar, مفسّرون, mufassirūn). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, in ...

of ibn Kathir (d.1373), said that Muhammad often recited ''As-Sajda'' together with ''Al-Insan'' ( Quran 76) for the early morning prayer ('' fajr'') every Friday. Bukhārī (d.870): Translation of

Sahih Bukhari Sahih al-Bukhari ( ar, صحيح البخاري, translit=Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī), group=note is a ''hadith'' collection and a book of '' sunnah'' compiled by the Persian scholar Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl al-Bukhārī (810–870) around 846. Al ...

Volume 2, Book 13, Friday Prayer, Hadith Number 16
.

al-Alusi Al-Alusi or Al-Aloosi ( ar, الآلوسي) is a surname and Arabic family name, popular in Iraq among other Arab countries. Notable people with the surname include: * Mahmud al-Alusi (1802–1854), Iraqi Islamic scholar * Mithal al-Alusi Mitha ...

(d.1854), amongst others confirmed another report stating that Muhammad often recited the chapter before going to sleep. Al-Suyuti (d.1505) named the chapter “Sūrah of the Beds,” (''sūrat al-maḍājiʿ'') after a mention of those who "shun heirbeds" in order to worship God at night (''

tahajjud Tahajjud, also known as the "night prayer", is a voluntary prayer Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act o ...

''). Other names of the chapter include the choice of

Al-Qurtubi Imam Abū ʿAbdullāh Al-Qurṭubī or Abū ʿAbdullāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Abī Bakr al-Anṣārī al-Qurṭubī ( ar, أبو عبدالله القرطبي) (121429 April 1273) was an Andalusian jurist, Islamic scholar and muhaddith. He ...

(d.1274): ''Alif Lam Mim Tanzil'' (" Alif, Lam, Mim, The Revelation") after the first words from verses 1 and 2. According to the Islamic tradition, the chapter was revealed during the Meccan phase of

's prophethood. Some scholars argue, based on attaching occasions of revelations (''

asbāb al-nuzūl Occasions or circumstances of revelation ( ''al-nuzūl'', ) names the historical context in which Quranic verses were revealed from the perspective of traditional Islam. Though of some use in reconstructing the Qur'an's historicity, ''asbāb'' is ...

''), that several verses (some say verses 16–20, some say only 18–20, some say only 16) are from Medinan phase, but the arguments are not widely accepted. For example,

Mahmud al-Alusi Abū al-Thanā’ Shihāb ad-Dīn Sayyid Maḥmūd ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Ḥusaynī al-Ālūsī al-Baghdādī ( ar, أبو الثناء شهاب الدين سيد محمود بن عبد الله بن محمود الحسيني الآلوسي الب� ...

opines that the close connection between these verses and the preceding ones means that they are likely from the same period.

References

Citations

References

* *

External links

Quran 32

Clear Quran translation Mustafa Khattab is a Canadian–Egyptian Muslim scholar, author, youth mentor, public speaker, imam, and university chaplain. He holds a professional ijâzah in the Ḥafṣ style of recitation. He is known for his translation of the Quran in ...

Q32:2
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