وَمِنْ ءَايَـٰتِهِ ٱلَّيْلُ وَٱلنَّهَارُ وَٱلشَّمْسُ وَٱلْقَمَرُ ۚ لَا تَسْجُدُوا۟ لِلشَّمْسِ وَلَا لِلْقَمَرِ وَٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَهُنَّ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ 37
Translations
And of His signs are the night and day and the sun and moon. Do not prostrate to the sun or to the moon, but prostrate to Allāh, who created them, if it should be Him that you worship.
Transliteration
Wa min ayatihi al-layl wa al-nahr wa al-shams wa al-qamar. La tasjudu li al-shams wa la li al-qamar wa asjudu li Allah alladhi khalaqahunna in kuntum iyyahu ta'budun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents the night, day, sun, and moon as signs (ayat) of Allah's creative power, while explicitly prohibiting prostration to these celestial bodies and commanding prostration to Allah alone, their Creator. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir note this verse addresses pre-Islamic Arab practices of sun and moon worship, clarifying that worshipping creation rather than the Creator constitutes a fundamental violation of tawhid (monotheism). The ayah emphasizes that true worship belongs exclusively to Allah, who brought these magnificent celestial phenomena into existence.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Fussilat, a Meccan chapter revealed during the early Islamic period when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) faced pagan Arab societies that practiced astral worship. The surah's broader context involves refuting polytheistic beliefs and establishing the oneness of Allah through rational arguments about creation, making this verse particularly relevant to Arabian contexts where sun and moon worship were prevalent religious practices.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Indeed, the sun and the moon are two of the signs of Allah (ayat). Do not prostrate to them' directly affirms the prohibition mentioned in this ayah. Additionally, hadith collections contain reports that some pre-Islamic Arabs would prostrate to the sun and moon, which this verse specifically addresses.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to recognize the magnificent celestial bodies as evidence of Allah's power while directing all worship and reverence exclusively toward the Creator, not creation. In the modern context, it reminds us to appreciate scientific and natural phenomena as divine signs while maintaining spiritual focus on Allah, avoiding the subtle forms of idolatry present in materialism or excessive attachment to worldly phenomena.