Sajood

Surah 59 Al-Hashr Ayah 1 (Yusuf Ali translation)

Sabbaha lillahI ma fee alssamawatI wama fee alardI wahuwa alaaazeezu alhakeemu

Whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth glorifies Allah. And He is the almighty, the all-wise.

Sajood, the prostration, is the simultaneous glorification of Allah and the ultimate position of submission to Himﷻ .

Surah 59 Al-Hashr Ayah 22-24

Huwa Allahu allathee la ilaha illa huwa

Aaalimu alghaybI waalshshahadatI huwa

Alrrahmanu alrraheemu

Allah is He other than whom there is no other god who knows (all things) both secret and open; He is most gracious, most merciful.

Huwa Allahu allathee la ilaha illa huwa

Almaliku alquddoosu

Alssalamu almuminu almuhayminu

Alaaazeezu aljabbaru almutakabbiru

Subhana AllahI aaamma yushrikoona

Allah is He other than whom there is no other god; the sovereign, the holy one, the source of peace (and perfection), the guardian of faith, the preserver of safety, the exalted in might, the irresistible, the supreme: glory to Allah! (high is He) above the partners they attribute to him.

Huwa Allahu alkhaliqu albario almusawwiru

Lahu alasmao alhusna

Yusabbihu lahu ma fee alssamawatI waalardI

Wahuwa alaaazeezu alhakeemu

He is Allah the Creator, the evolver, the bestower of forms (or colours). To him belong the most beautiful names; whatever is in the heavens and on earth doth declare his praises and glory; and He is the exalted in might, the wise.

Sajood - the ultimate submission and contact with the Creatorﷻ

Make firm contact of head and hands with the ground. To attain the endless benefits of sajood one must truly be present at this time. One must be present both to one’s prostration and the one to whom we prostrate ourselves – Allahﷻ ,the Creator and Sustainer.

1. Sajood brings one to the closest point to Allahﷻ :

“Prostrate yourself and become nigh (to your Lord)” (Surah al Alaq: 19)

“The nearest a slave can be to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so invoke (supplicate) Allah much in it.” (Muslim, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa’I and others, Sahih Al-Jami, 1175)

2. Sajood relieves man of arrogance:

“Only those believe in our verses who, when they are reminded by them, fall down in prostration and exalt [Allah] with praise of their Lord, and they are not arrogant.” (Surah al Sajdah: 15)

4. Sajood frees man from worries, stress and grief:

“We certainly know that their statements sorely grieve you. When you feel so, glorify your Lord with His praise and prostrate yourself before him.” (Surah al Hijr: 97-98).

With yakeen, which is certainty of belief in Allah, we trust in Himﷻ alone and seek help from Himﷻ alone. Sajood is the total submission of body and mind, with yakeen that Allahﷻ has control of all matters.

5. Sajood places man in harmony with the universe:

“Have you not seen that all those who are in the heavens and all those who are in the earth prostrate themselves before Allah; and so do the sun and the moon, and the stars and the mountains, and the trees, and the beasts, and so do many human beings…” (Surah Al Hajj: 18)

Sajood harmonises oneself with one’s surroundings and not doing so causes imbalance for oneself in the environment.

9. Sajood increases and elevates one’s level of consciousness, as specifically mentioned:

“…and those who spend [part of] the night to their Lord prostrating and standing [in prayer]” (Surah al Furqan: 64)

“Their sides forsake their beds, and they call upon their Lord in fear and hope…” (Surah al Sajdah: 16)

These are a small number of known qualities of sajood, and only Allahﷻ has all knowledge.

Sajood gives us the means to achieve the above qualities, at an instant and in any place of our choosing. In moments of despair, of anxiety or in happiness one can prostrate so that we can be free from despair, thank the provider and sustainer of all things and increase our happiness without arrogance.