24:41 An-Noor (The Light)

نبه تعالى عباده على عظمته، وكمال سلطانه، وافتقار جميع المخلوقات له في ربوبيتها، وعبادتها فقال: { أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ } من حيوان وجماد { وَالطَّيْرُ صَافَّاتٍ } أي: صافات أجنحتها، في جو السماء، تسبح ربها. { كُلٌّ } من هذه المخلوقات { قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُ وَتَسْبِيحَهُ } أي: كل له صلاة وعبادة بحسب حاله اللائقة به، وقد ألهمه الله تلك الصلاة والتسبيح، إما بواسطة الرسل، كالجن والإنس والملائكة، وإما بإلهام منه تعالى، كسائر المخلوقات غير ذلك، وهذا الاحتمال أرجح، بدليل قوله: { وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ } أي: علم جميع أفعالها، فلم يخف عليه منها شيء، وسيجازيهم بذلك، فيكون على هذا، قد جمع بين علمه بأعمالها، وذلك بتعليمه، وبين علمه بأعمالهم المتضمن للجزاء.ويحتمل أن الضمير في قوله: { قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُ وَتَسْبِيحَهُ } يعود إلى الله، وأن الله تعالى قد علم عباداتهم، وإن لم تعلموا -أيها العباد- منها، إلا ما أطلعكم الله عليه. وهذه الآية كقوله تعالى: { تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّمَاوَاتُ السَّبْعُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ وَإِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَلَكِنْ لَا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًا }

يخبر تعالى أنه يسبح له من في السموات والأرض أي من الملائكة والأناسي والجان والحيوان حتى الجماد كما قال تعالى "تسبح له السموات السبع والأرض ومن فيهن" الآية وقوله تعالي "والطير صافات" أي في حال طيرانها تسبح ربها وتعبده بتسبيح ألهمها وأرشدها إليه وهو يعلم ما هي فاعلة ولهذا قال تعالى "كل قد علم صلاته وتسبيحه" أي كل قد أرشده إلي طريقته ومسلكه في عبادة الله عز وجل. ثم أخبر أنه عالم بجميع ذلك لا يخفى عليه من ذلك شيء ولهذا قال تعالى "والله عليم بما يفعلون" ثم أخبر تعالى أن له ملك السموات والأرض فهو الحاكم المتصرف الإله المعبود الذي لا تنبغي العبادة إلا له ولا معقب لحكمه.

Everything glorifies Allah, may He be exalted, and to Him belongs the Sovereignty

Allah tells us that whosoever is in the heavens and on the earth, i.e., the angels, mankind, Jinn, animals and even inanimate objects, all glorify Him. This is like the Ayah:

تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّمَـوَتُ السَّبْعُ وَالاٌّرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ

(The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein, glorify Him) 17:44,

وَالطَّيْرُ صَآفَّـتٍ

(and the birds with wings outspread) means, while they are flying they glorify their Lord and worship Him with the glorification with which they are inspired and to which they are guided. Allah knows what they are doing, and so He says:

كُلٌّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلاَتَهُ وَتَسْبِيحَهُ

(Of each one He knows indeed his Salah and his glorification;) meaning, He has guided every creature to its own way of worshipping Allah, may He be glorified. Then Allah tells us that He knows all of that and nothing at all is hidden from Him. He says:

وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ

(and Allah is All-Aware of what they do.) Then Allah tells us that to Him belongs the sovereignty of heaven and earth, and that He is the Ruler and Controller, the God Who is worshipped and besides Whom none other is to be worshipped, and there is none to put back His judgement.

وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ

(and to Allah is the return) means, on the Day of Resurrection, when He will judge as He wills,

لِيَجْزِىَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُواْ بِمَا عَمِلُواْ

(that He may requite those who do evil with that which they have done...) 53:31 He is the Creator and Sovereign, and His is indeed the Authority in this world and the next. To Him be praise at the beginning and in the end.

Have you not seen that God is glorified by all who are in the heavens and the earth prayer being one form of glorification and the birds tayr is the plural of tā’ir between the heaven and the earth spreading their wings? sāffātin is a circumstantial qualifier. Of each one of them He God verily knows its prayer and its glorification; and God knows what they do — the statement is predominantly directed to rational beings.

Commentary

كُلٌّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُ وَتَسْبِيحَهُ (Everyone knows one's own (way of) praying - 41). In the beginning of the verse it is said that every creature on earth and heavens and in between them is busy in the glorification and sanctification of Allah Ta’ ala. The meaning of Tasbih is explained by Sufyan (رح) that Allah Ta’ ala has created everything in this universe like earth, heavens, sun, moon, stars, water, fire, air or sand with purpose, and they are all performing all the time the task they are assigned. They cannot refuse to perform their assigned job. This obedience and submission to carry out the assigned job is referred here as Tasbih. Hence, their Tasbih is by action and not by words. By their actions they are confirming that they are performing this worship because they believe Allah Ta’ ala to be Pure and Almighty.

Zamakhshari and some other commentators have, on the other hand, elaborated that it is not improbable that Allah Ta’ ala has placed so much sense and understanding in everything that they do recognize their Creator and Master. And it is also not improbable that He has taught them some sort of speech, and some special Tasbih and worship in which they keep themselves busy. There is an allusion towards this point in the last sentence كُلٌّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُ وَتَسْبِيحَهُ (Every one knows one's own { way of} praying and proclaiming Allah's purity - 41). It indicates that all creatures are busy in Tasbih and worship of Allah Ta’ ala, but the manner of worship of each creature is different. Angels worship in a different manner, humans worship differently, trees and vegetation also worship differently, and the rocks and minerals yet in another manner. Another verse of the Holy Qur’ an also confirms this view when it says أَعْطَىٰ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ (He who gave everything its shape, then guidance - 20:50) that is ` Allah Ta’ ala created everything and then given guidance to them'. The guidance is that everything is obeying Allah and performing its assigned duty diligently. Apart from this, everything has been guided how to fulfill the need of its existence with such perfection that even the best of minds get boggled. How creative and complicated nests and holes they make for their living, and how they strive and work hard to find and collect their food is in itself a great wonder.