Quran Universe
13:15

وَلِلَّهِۤ يَسۡجُدُۤ مَن فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ طَوۡعٗا وَكَرۡهٗا وَظِلَٰلُهُم بِٱلۡغُدُوِّ وَٱلۡأٓصَالِ۩

Walillahi yasjudu man fee alssamawati waalardi tawAAan wakarhan wathilaluhum bialghuduwwi waalasali

And to Allah prostrates whoever is within the heavens and the earth, willingly or by compulsion, and their shadows [as well] in the mornings and the afternoons.

Word by word
  1. وَلِلَّهِۤAnd to Allah
  2. يَسۡجُدُۤprostrates
  3. مَنwhoever
  4. فِي(is) in
  5. ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِthe heavens
  6. وَٱلۡأَرۡضِand the earth
  7. طَوۡعٗاwillingly
  8. وَكَرۡهٗاor unwillingly
  9. وَظِلَٰلُهُمand (so do) their shadows
  10. بِٱلۡغُدُوِّin the mornings
  11. وَٱلۡأٓصَالِ۩and in the afternoons
Ar-Ra'd · 13:15Madinah

Everything bows to Allah, even your shadow.

Willing or not, all creation submits

Who prostrates
the willingbelievers, by choice
the unwillingstill under His control
their shadowsmorning and afternoon
all bow to
Allahfull control over everything
The only real choice
I am outside His ruleI decide everything
willingly or unwillinglythe choice is only how

The surah keeps showing the people of Makkah signs of Allah's power. Here it says everything in the heavens and earth prostrates to Him. Believers do it willingly. Those who refuse are still subject to Him, and even their shadows lean and stretch through the day.

Walk outside at eight in the morning and your shadow is long beside you. At four in the afternoon it falls the other way. You did not plan either. Your body already follows His order. The only question left is whether your heart joins it.

I am free to live as if no one is in charge.

Everything already bows to Allah; I get to choose to bow willingly.

Try this

Next time you see your shadow, let it remind you to make one sincere sajdah today.

Related16:48
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And unto Allah falls in prostration whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and so do their shadows in the mornings and in the afternoons (15)

Everything prostrates unto Allah

Allah affirms His might and power, for He has full control over everything, and everything is subservient to Him. Therefore, everything, including the believers, prostrate to Allah willingly, while the disbelievers do so unwillingly,

وَظِلَالُهُم بِالْغُدُوِّ

(and so do their shadows in the mornings), in the beginning of the days,

وَالْآصَالِ

(and in the afternoons.) towards the end of the days. Allah said in another Ayah,

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَىٰ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ مِن شَيْءٍ يَتَفَيَّأُ ظِلَالُهُ

(Have they not observed things that Allah has created: (how) their shadows incline.)[16:48]