Folio from the Qur'an manuscript with the verses 29-30 of the surah As-Sajdah. The decorative border that follows surrounds the title of the next section of the surahAl-Ahzab.Kufic script. Iraq or Syria, 9th or 10th century.Museum of Islamic Art, Berlin
As-Sajdah (السجدة), is the 32nd chapter (sūrah) of theQuran with 30 verses (āyāt). The name of the chapter has been translated as۩ 'prostration'[1] or 'adoration'[2] and is taken from the fifteenth verse, which mentions those who "... fall prostrate and hymn the praise of their Lord".[1]
Regarding the timing and contextual background of the believedrevelation, it is an earlier "Meccan surah", which means it is believedrevealed in Mecca, instead of later in Medina.Theodor Nöldeke (d.1930), translator ofTabari (Arabic –German), estimated it as the 70th (Nöldeke chronology).[3] The traditional Egyptian chronology puts the chapter as the 75th chapter by the order of revelation (afterQuran 23).
The first half of the chapter covers some of Islam's theological concepts, includingrevelation,God,creation of human beings,resurrection and thejudgment 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 throughMoses.[4]
Ahadith, narrated in theTafsir ofibn Kathir (d.1373), said that Muhammad often recitedAs-Sajda together withAl-Insan (Quran 76) for the early morning prayer (fajr) every Friday.[6][7]al-Alusi (d.1854), amongst others confirmed another report stating that Muhammad often recited the chapter before going to sleep.[1]
Al-Suyuti (d.1505) named the chapter “Sūrah of the Beds,” (sūrat al-maḍājiʿ) after a mention of those who "shun [their] beds" in order to worship God at night (tahajjud).[4][8] Other names of the chapter include the choice ofAl-Qurtubi (d.1274):Alif Lam Mim Tanzil ("Alif, Lam, Mim, The Revelation") after the first words from verses 1 and 2.[1]
According to the Islamic tradition, the chapter was revealed during theMeccan phase ofMuhammad's prophethood. Some scholars argue, based on attachingoccasions of revelations (asbāb al-nuzūl), 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 opines that the close connection between these verses and the preceding ones means that they are likely from the same period.[4]
^abWherry, Elwood Morris (1896).A Complete Index toSale's Text, Preliminary Discourse, and Notes. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, and Co. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.