This verse discloses the condition of the nearer angels: they are in constant adoration of Allah; they chant His praises, and before their Lord they remain prostrated in humility. Their devotion is never tainted by any hint of conceit or pretense; on the contrary, they proper1y realize the grandeur and loftiness of their Maker and modestly submit to Him.
Moreover, there is also a sense from the verse that points to a contrast between these obedient angels and those humans and jinn who show arrogance and disobedience. While they have been given lots of bounties from Allah (SWT), they keep on disobeying Him, acting on their desires heedless of the commands of their Creator. They do not recognize Allah as great and do not humble themselves before Him.
This verse also calls and invites us, as human beings, to follow the example of the angels by prostrating to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala anytime this verse or any other verse of prostration is being recited. Such a prostration is what is called in Arabic sajda at-tilawah, a recommended practice instituted by the Prophet Muhammad salla Allaahu alayhi wa sallam and his Companions radi Allaahu anhum.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ عِندَ رَبِّكَ لَا يَستَكبِرُونَ عَن عِبَادَتِهِ وَيُسَبِّحُونَهُ وَلَهُ يَسجُدُونَ (٢٠٦)
English Translation
The righteous are humble before God; they praise and glorify Him. (206)
Those nigh to Allah are not too proud to worship Him, nor are they averse (to worship). They celebrate His praises and prostrate themselves before Him. (Yusufali)
Those who are near Him are not too proud to worship Him; they praise Him and prostrate themselves before Him. (Pickthall)
The true believers never turn away from serving Allah; they celebrate His praises and always prostrate before Allah, humbling themselves. (Shakir)
Tafseer by Farhat Hashmi
This tafseer by Farhat Hashmi elaborates on the concept of sajda in the Quran. A breakdown is as follows:
The Quran mentions sajda: There are 15 particular places where in the Quran, the readers are invited to perform sajda to indicate their subservience and modesty before Allah.
An-Nasa’i: “hearing sajda requires the act of sajda” Scholars agree that when a person reciting hears a verse which requires one to do the act of sajda, ideally both the one reciting and the one listening need to do the act of sajda. This is based on a narration attributed to Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him).
Additional Information:
Farhat Hashmi advises to listen to a lecture on alhudapk.com for details about these 15 places in the Quran. Please look it up; for now, it is not always safe to do so.
There are many virtues and fazeelat of Sajdah al-Tilawah. Following is what we can extract from the hadith you provided:
Humility and Submission: To perform Sajdah al-Tilawah expressing humility and submission before Allah in those verses dealing with the description of the glory or power of Allah.
Displeasure of Satan: This Hadith describes how Satan becomes troubled when a mukallaf (believer) performs Sajdah al-Tilawah. This act shows that the person becomes distant from the influence of Satan.
Reward of Paradise: This Hadith emphasizes that Sajdah al-Tilawah holds a great reward and besides being similar to the reward of Jannah, is also included in it.
Dua for Sajdah al-Tilawah:
“I have prostrated my face to the One Who created it and brought forth its faculties of hearing and seeing by His might and power. Blessed is Allah, the Best of creators.”
“I prostrate myself unto the One Who created it, and shaped its hearing and vision with His might and strength. And so blest is Allah, the Best of creators.”
Please, note that there are other acceptable and approved wordings for the Dua in the prayer of Prostration of Recitation. You can get them using some of the Islamic apps.
Great job with translating the Dua for Sajdah of Recitation! Here is the breakdown:
Sajada wajhiya lil ladhi khalaqahu: “Prostrated is my face to the One Who created it”: that one completely submits their self to Allah, and claims that He is the only creator.
wa shaqa sam`ahu wa basarahu: “and formed its hearing and seeing”: whereby there is shown a very great detail and power in the creation—grace hearing and sight.
be howleehee wa quwatehee: “by His power and ability” – It draws special attention to the boundless capability of Allah in the creation of everything.
fatabarakallahu ahsanal Khaliqeen: “So blessed is Allah, the Best of creators” – glorifies Allah and enunciates the expression that Allah is the most brilliant and best Creator.
This beautiful and lovely dua helps a person show thankfulness, humbleness, and submission in terms of Sajdah al-Tilawah.
Yes, you are correct! This is what we can learn as a substitute for Dua during Sajdah al-Tilawah:
Subhāna rabbiyal ‘a’lā: If one has not learned the Dua explicitly above, he can use this sentence: “Subhāna rabbiyal ‘a’lā” (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High). This is common for prostration in regular prayers.
Importance of Sajdah al-Tilawah Performance of Sajdah al-Tilawah is desirable, important, and highly rewarding acts recommended, fazl. The Hadith that you referred to says that Satan is repelled; this in itself shows the spiritual worth of this action.
Here are a few more points for consideration:
Of course, “Subhan Rabbi al Ala’a” may be actually said, but it’s not hurting to learn and commit to memory this particular dua especially for Sajdah al-Tilawah to acquire more reward.
What is important is that your Sajdah al-Tilawah be sincere to Allah, the Sublime, and that through it you humble yourself before your Lord. Indeed, the words you can say are not restricted to what has so far been illustrated.
I hope this helps explain some of the options you have for making dua in Sajdah al-Tilawah.
FAQ: First Sajda in the Quran
Here is a compilation of some of the more common questions regarding the first Sajda in the Quran:
Q: What is the first verse in the Quran in which there is a requirement
There is no such thing as the “first sajda” because the order of revelation was different from that of the Quranic verses to what we have currently in the Quran. There are 15 specific places most of the Muslims believe that sajda is required in these places.
Q: How can I find all the places where sajda is required?
The easiest way is to consult a Quran with the sajda markings. Generally, these markings are in the margin next to the appropriate verse.
You can also look up on online resources that will have a list of the 15 verses with sajda.
Some scholars and teachers may also provide lectures or resources on the locations.
Not sure if a verse applies to sajda? No problem, you can proceed and continue reciting the Quran since you may perform the sajda as soon as any of these verses referring to the Greatness of Allah, mentioning other people’s Might, or the people’s act of prostration is presented. And there is no harm in performing extra sajda as part of respect and submission.
Q: What if I bypass a prostration when I am reciting?
One need not overthink on this, simply keep on reciting and go to sajda whenever you remember that you have missed one.
Q: What if I am listening to someone recite and they reach a sajda verse?
Most of the great scholars believe that if a person is listening to the recitation of Quran and an aya requiring a sajda is recited he should also perform the sajda if able.
You can look up “sajda ayat” or “verses with sajda in Quran” and you will come up with a list of the 15 locations.
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