السجدة
As Sajdah
Verses
30
Revelation
Makki
Period
Middle Makkan
Surah No.
32 / 114
As-Sajdah takes its name from the prostration of true believers mentioned in verse 15. The surah offers a tightly structured argument for the truth of the Quran and the reality of resurrection, addressing Meccan sceptics who denied both. It describes the creation of humanity from clay, the process of ensoulment, and the ultimate return of all souls to their Lord. The contrast between the believers who rise at night in devotion and the wrongdoers awaiting punishment is a central rhetorical feature.
أسباب النزول
Revealed in Makkah in the middle period, when disbelievers were dismissing the Prophet's message as mere invented tales. The surah directly confronts the claim that a human being could have authored the Quran, affirming its divine origin. It also addresses the denial of resurrection with rational argument: the same God who created from nothing can restore what has perished.
“Allah is He who created the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them in six days; then He established Himself above the Throne.”
Establishes divine sovereignty over creation as the foundation for the surah's argument that the same God can raise the dead and author the Quran.
“Their sides part from their beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and hope.”
A celebrated description of those who pray tahajjud, forsaking sleep to stand before Allah, cited by scholars as the Quranic basis for the virtue of night prayer.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) would recite As-Sajdah and Surah Al-Insan in the Fajr prayer on Fridays. (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)