Tafsir of Surah As-Sajdah - Verse 17

The State of the People of Faith and Their Reward Allah states:

إِنَّمَا يُؤْمِنُ بِـَايَـتِنَا

(Only those believe in Our Ayat,) means, who accept them as true,

الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِّرُواْ بِهَا خَرُّواْ سُجَّداً

(who, when they are reminded of them, fall down prostrate,) means, they listen to them and obey them in word and deed.

وَسَبَّحُواْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَهُمْ لاَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ

(and glorify the praises of their Lord, and they are not proud.) means, they are not too proud to follow them and submit to them, unlike the ignorant among the rebellious disbelievers. Allah says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِى سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَخِرِينَ

(Verily, those who scorn My worship, they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!) (40:60). Then Allah says:

تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ

(Their sides forsake their beds,) meaning, they pray the voluntary night prayer and forego sleep and resting on a comfortable bed. Mujahid and Al-Hasan said that the Ayah

تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ

(Their sides forsake their beds, ) refers to voluntary night prayer. Ad-Dahhak said, "It refers to Salat Al-`Isha' in congregation and Salat Al-Fajr in congregation.

يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفاً وَطَمَعاً

(to invoke their Lord in fear and hope,) means, in fear of His punishment and in hope of His reward.

وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ

(and they spend out of what We have bestowed on them.) means, they do both obligatory and supererogatory acts of worship. Their leader in this world and the Hereafter is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Imam Ahmad recorded that Mu`adh bin Jabal said, "I was with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on a journey one morning, walking near him. I said, `O Prophet of Allah, tell me of a deed that will grant me admittance to Paradise and keep me away from Hell.' He said:

«لَقَدْ سَأَلْتَ عَنْ عَظِيمٍ وَإِنَّهَ لَيَسِيرٌ عَلَى مَنْ يَسَّرَهُ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ، تَعْبُدُ اللهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُ بِهِ شَيْئًا، وَتُقِيمُ الصَّلَاةَ وَتُؤْتِي الزَّكَاةَ، وَتَصُومُ رَمَضَانَ، وَتَحُجُّ الْبَيْت»

(You have asked about something great, and it is easy for the one for whom Allah makes it easy. Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, establish regular prayer, pay Zakah, fast Ramadan and perform pilgrimage to the House.) Then he said:

«أَلَا أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى أَبْوَابِ الْخَيْرِ؟ الصَّومُ جُنَّةٌ، وَالصَّدَقَةُ تُطْفِىءُ الْخَطِيئَةَ، وَصَلَاةُ الرَّجُلِ فِي جَوْفِ اللَّيْل»

(Shall I not tell you of the gates of goodness Fasting is a shield, charity wipes out sin, and the prayer of a man in the depths of the night.) Then he recited:

تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ

(Their sides forsake their beds,) until he reached

جَزَآءً بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ

(as a reward for what they used to do.) Then he said:

«أَلَا أُخْبِرُكَ بِرَأْسِ الْأَمْرِ وَعَمُودِهِ وَذِرْوَةِ سَنَامِهِ؟»

(Shall I not tell you of the greatest of all things and its pillars and pinnacle) I said, `Of course, O Messenger of Allah.' He said:

«رَأْسُ الْأَمْرِ الْإسْلَامُ، وَعَمُودُهُ الصَّلَاةُ، وَذِرْوَةُ سَنَامِهِ الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ الله»

(The greatest of all things is Islam, its pillars are the prayers and its pinnacle is Jihad for the sake of Allah.) Then he said:

«أَلَا أُخْبِرُكَ بِمَلَاكِ ذلِكَ كُلِّهِ؟»

(Shall I not tell you the factor on which all of that depends) I said, `Of course, O Messenger of Allah.' He took hold of his tongue and said,

«كُفَّ عَلَيْكَ هذَا»

(Restrain this.) I said, `O Messenger of Allah, will we be accountable for what we say' He said,

«ثَكِلَتْكَ أُمُّكُ يَا مُعَاذُ، وَهَلْ يَكُبُّ النَّاسَ فِي النَّارِ عَلى وُجُوهِهِمْ أَوْ قَالَ: عَلى مَنَاخِرِهِمْ إِلَّا حَصَائِدُ أَلْسِنَتهِم»

(May your mother be bereft of you, O Mu`adh! Will the people be thrown into Hell -- (or he said) on their faces -- except because of what their tongues say) It was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah in their Sunans. At-Tirmidhi said, "It is Hasan Sahih."

فَلاَ تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَّآ أُخْفِىَ لَهُم مِّن قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ

(No person knows what is kept hidden for them of delights of eyes) means, no one knows the vastness of what Allah has concealed for them of everlasting joy in Paradise and delights such as no one has ever seen. Because they conceal their good deeds, Allah conceals the reward for them, a fitting reward which will suit their deeds. Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, "If people conceal their good deeds, Allah will conceal for them what no eye has seen and what has never crossed the mind of man. It was recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim. Al-Bukhari quoted the Ayah: d

فَلاَ تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَّآ أُخْفِىَ لَهُم مِّن قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ

(No person knows what is kept hidden for them of delights of eyes) Then he recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالى: أَعْدَدْتُ لِعِبَادِي الصَّالِحِينَ مَا لَا عَيْنٌ رَأَتْ، وَلَا أُذُنٌ سَمِعَتْ، وَلَا خَطَرَ عَلى قَلْبِ بَشَر»

(Allah says: "I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and it has never crossed the mind of man.") Abu Hurayrah said: "Recite, if you wish:

فَلاَ تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَّآ أُخْفِىَ لَهُم مِّن قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ

(No person knows what is kept hidden for them of delights of eyes.) It was also recorded by Muslim and At-Tirmidhi. At-Tirmidhi said, "It is Hasan Sahih." In another version of Al-Bukhari:

«وَلَا خَطَرَ عَلَى قَلْبِ بَشَرٍ، ذُخْرًا مِنْ بَلْهِ مَا أُطْلِعْتُمْ عَلَيْه»

("and no body has ever even imagined of. All that is reserved, besides which, all that you have seen is nothing.") It was also reported from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet said:

«مَنْ يَدْخُلِ الْجَنَّةَ يَنْعَمْ لَا يَبْأَسْ، لَا تَبْلَى ثِيَابُهُ، وَلَا يَفْنَى شَبَابُهُ، فِي الْجَنَّةِ مَا لَا عَيْنٌ رَأَتْ، وَلَا أُذُنٌ سَمِعَتْ، وَلَا خَطَرَ عَلى قَلْبِ بَشَر»

(Whoever enters Paradise, will enjoy a life of luxury and never feel deprivation, his clothes will never wear out, his youth will never fade. In Paradise there is what no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, and has never crossed the mind of man.) This was recorded by Muslim.

Before approaching verse 16: تَـتَجَافٰى جُنُوْبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَّطَمَعًا (Their sides remain apart from their beds. They call their Lord with fear and hope - 16), it should be borne in mind that disbelievers, Mushriks and the deniers of the day of Qiyamah were warned in the verses previous to it. After that, starting from: اِنَّمَا يُؤْمِنُ بِاٰيٰتِنَا ! (Only those people believe in Our verses - 15) mentioned there are special attributes of sincere believers and the high ranks reserved for them. Pointed to in the cited verse is one such attribute of these believers: They leave the comfort of their beds, rise and get busy with the remembrance of Allah in submission and supplication - because, they are apprehensive of His displeasure and punishment while remaining hopeful of His mercy and reward. This very combination of fear and hope keeps them returning to Dhikr and Du'a' repeatedly, anxiously and animated at the same time.

The Salah of Tahajjud

The majority of commentators takes the expression denoting the leaving of beds and getting busy with Dhikr and Du'a' to mean the Salah of Tahajjud and Nawafil that are offered after rising from sleep (which is the saying of al-Hasan, Mujahid, Malik and al-Awza'i رحمۃ اللہ علیہم). And it is supported by narrations of Hadith as well.

According to a report in the Musnad of Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and others, Sayyidna Mu` adh Ibn Jabal v narrates: 'Once I was in the company of the Holy Prophet ﷺ on a journey. One morning during the course of the journey when I was near him, I requested: "Y Rasulallah, tell me to do something which helps me enter Paradise and keeps me away from Hell." He said, "You asked for something very difficult. But, for whomsoever Allah Ta’ ala makes it easy, for him it becomes easy." Then he said, "This is what you should do: Worship Allah and associate no one with Him, and establish Salah, and pay Zakah, and keep the fasts of Ramadan, and perform the Hajj of Baytullah." And then he said, "Here, now let me tell you about the gateways of righteousness: Fasting is a shield (that saves you from punishment). Sadaqah puts off the fire of one's sins - so does one's Salah in the middle of the night." And after having said that, he recited the cited verse of the Holy Qur'an: تَتَجَافَىٰ جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ (Their sides remain apart from their beds - 16).

Sayyidna Abu ad-Darda', Qatadah and Dahhak ؓ have said that this attribute of sides remaining apart from beds also applies to those who make their Salah of ` Isha' with Jama` ah and then go on to make their Salah of Fajr with Jama` ah. And according to a narration of Sayyidna Anas ؓ appearing in Tirmidhi with sound chains of authority, this verse: تَتَجَافَىٰ جُنُوبُهُمْ (Their sides remain apart) was revealed about people who do not sleep before the Salah of 'Isha' and keep waiting for the Jama’ ah of ` Isha'.

And according to some other reports, this verse is about people who offer nawafil between Maghrib and ` Isha' (reported by Muhammad Ibn Nasr). And about this verse, Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ said: People who would, on waking up, remember Allah - lying, sitting and on sides - are also included therein.

Ibn Kathir and other Tafsir authorities have said that there is no contradiction in all these sayings. It is correct to say that this verse is inclusive of all - while the late night Salah remains the superior most. Bayan ul-Qur'an has also opted for this approach.

And Sayyidah Asma' bint Yazid ؓ narrates: The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, 'when Allah Ta’ ala will gather everyone from the first to the last, a proclaimer whose call will be heard by the entire creation will call: 'This day everyone on the plains of Resurrection will find out as to who is really deserving of honor and compliment.' Then, the proclaiming angel will proclaim: '0 people assembled on the plains of Resurrection, let those rise from among you, those whose attribute was: تَتَجَافَىٰ جُنُوبُهُمْ (Their sides remain apart from their beds - 16) '. At this call, these people will stand up, though their number will be small. (Ibn Kathir) And some words of the same narration say that these people will be sent to Paradise without reckoning. After that, all others will stand and face reckoning. (Mazhari)

For an individual to avail of guidance, his willingness to accept the Truth is the most important factor. Only those who, by temperament, are ready to accept the Truth whenever it presents itself before them—whether it be revealed through a person of lesser importance, whether such acceptance be a tacit admission of one’s own error, or whether such acceptance leads to upsetting the existing system of one’s life—are capable of availing of guidance. Only those who have such a capacity will find the Truth. Those who want to accept the Truth, but at the same time want their ‘greatness’ to remain intact, will never find it. A man who sacrifices his greatness for the sake of Truth actually finds the greatest thing, namely, the greatness of God. God enters his life in such a way that he sleeps thinking about Him and wakes up with memories of God. His hopes and fears are all linked with God. He surrenders all his possessions to God to the point of not keeping back anything for himself. Such people will forever relish the bounties of the eternal Gardens of Paradise.