Quran Universe
24:41

أَلَمۡ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُۥ مَن فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱلطَّيۡرُ صَـٰٓفَّـٰتٖۖ كُلّٞ قَدۡ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُۥ وَتَسۡبِيحَهُۥۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمُۢ بِمَا يَفۡعَلُونَ

Alam tara anna Allaha yusabbihu lahu man fee alssamawati waalardi waalttayru saffatin kullun qad AAalima salatahu watasbeehahu waAllahu AAaleemun bima yafAAaloona

Do you not see that Allah is exalted by whomever is within the heavens and the earth and [by] the birds with wings spread [in flight]? Each [of them] has known his [means of] prayer and exalting [Him], and Allah is Knowing of what they do.

Word by word
  1. أَلَمۡDo not
  2. تَرَyou see
  3. أَنَّthat
  4. ٱللَّهَAllah
  5. يُسَبِّحُglorify
  6. لَهُۥHim
  7. مَنwhoever
  8. فِي(is) in
  9. ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِthe heavens
  10. وَٱلۡأَرۡضِand the earth
  11. وَٱلطَّيۡرُand the birds
  12. صَـٰٓفَّـٰتٖۖ(with) wings outspread
  13. كُلّٞEach one
  14. قَدۡverily
  15. عَلِمَknows
  16. صَلَاتَهُۥits prayer
  17. وَتَسۡبِيحَهُۥۗand its glorification
  18. وَٱللَّهُAnd Allah
  19. عَلِيمُۢ(is) All-Knower
  20. بِمَاof what
  21. يَفۡعَلُونَthey do
An-Nur · 24:41Madinah

Even the birds in flight know how to praise Him.

Every creature has its own prayer

Who is glorifying Allah
the heavensangels
the earthpeople, jinn, animals
birdswings spread
each knows
its own prayerthe way it was guided to
Who is out of tune
nature is silentjust physics
everything is praisingam I joining in?

Ibn Kathir explains that angels, humans, jinn, animals and even inanimate things glorify Allah. The birds glorify Him while they are flying, each with the way it was inspired and guided to. He compares it to the verse that the seven heavens and earth glorify Him.

You are stuck in traffic, scrolling. Above the windscreen a flock of birds turns in the sky. They are not wasting the moment. They are in prayer, in their own way. You are the one creature who can choose whether to join.

Nature is just scenery while I get on with life.

Everything around me is already praising Allah; I am invited to join.

Try this

The next time you see birds flying, say SubhanAllah once with them.

Related17:44
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

See you not that Allah, He it is Whom glorify whosoever is in the heavens and the earth, and the birds with wings outspread? Of each one He knows indeed his Salah and his glorification; and Allah is All-Aware of what they do (41)And to Allah belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, and to Allah is the return (42)

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 السَّمَاوَاتُ السَّبْعُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ

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

وَالطَّيْرُ صَافَّاتٍ

(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 صَلَاتَهُ 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,

لِيَجْزِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُوا بِمَا عَمِلُوا

(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.