41:37

وَمِنۡ ءَايَٰتِهِ ٱلَّيۡلُ وَٱلنَّهَارُ وَٱلشَّمۡسُ وَٱلۡقَمَرُۚ لَا تَسۡجُدُواْ لِلشَّمۡسِ وَلَا لِلۡقَمَرِ وَٱسۡجُدُواْۤ لِلَّهِۤ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَهُنَّ إِن كُنتُمۡ إِيَّاهُ تَعۡبُدُونَ

Wamin ayatihi allaylu waalnnaharu waalshshamsu waalqamaru la tasjudoo lilshshamsi wala lilqamari waosjudoo lillahi alathee khalaqahunna in kuntum iyyahu taAAbudoona

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 prostate to Allah, who created them, if it should be Him that you worship.

Word by word
  1. وَمِنۡAnd of
  2. ءَايَٰتِهِHis Signs
  3. ٱلَّيۡلُ(are) the night
  4. وَٱلنَّهَارُand the day
  5. وَٱلشَّمۡسُand the sun
  6. وَٱلۡقَمَرُۚand the moon
  7. لَا(Do) not
  8. تَسۡجُدُواْprostrate
  9. لِلشَّمۡسِto the sun
  10. وَلَاand not
  11. لِلۡقَمَرِto the moon
  12. وَٱسۡجُدُواْۤbut prostrate
  13. لِلَّهِۤto Allah
  14. ٱلَّذِيthe One Who
  15. خَلَقَهُنَّcreated them
  16. إِنif
  17. كُنتُمۡyou
  18. إِيَّاهُHim alone
  19. تَعۡبُدُونَworship
Fussilat · 41:37Makkah

Bow to the Maker of the sun, not the sun.

The most beautiful things are still creations


His signs
night and dayalternating
sun and moonin their orbits
point to
their Creatorprostrate to Him
Where to bow
the beautiful thing
the One who made it

Ibn Kathir says the sun and moon are the most beautiful of the bodies we see, so Allah points out that they too are created, under His control. Night and day mark weeks, months, years, worship and rights. Worship of Him does not benefit if others are worshipped beside Him.

Nobody bows to the sun today. But you might organize your whole life around a career, a person, a look, a number in the bank. Beautiful things become what we bow to. Look past them to their Maker.

Loving something beautiful very deeply cannot be a problem.

The most beautiful things are signs. My bowing belongs only to the One who made them.

Try this

Watch a sunset or sunrise this week and say subhanallah for the One behind it.

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

And from among His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Do not prostrate yourselves to the sun nor to the moon, but prostrate yourselves to Allah Who created them, if you worship Him (37)But if they are too proud, then there are those who are with your Lord glorify Him night and day, and never are they tired (38)And among His signs; that you see the earth barren, but when We send down water to it, it is stirred to life and growth. Verily, He Who gives it life, surely is able to give life to the dead. Indeed He is Able to do all things (39)

From among the Signs of Allah

Here Allah reminds His Creation of His power, and that He is the One Who has no equal, and He is Able to do all things. Allah's saying;

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ ۚ 

(And from among His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon.) means, He created the night with its darkness and the day with its light, and they alternate without ceasing. And He created the sun with its shining light, and the moon with its reflected light. and He allotted their stages and gave them separate orbits in the heavens, so that by the variations in their movements man may know the stages of night and day, of weeks, months and years, and time periods related to people's rights, acts of worship and various transactions. Moreover, because the sun and moon are the most beautiful of the heavenly bodies that can be seen in both the upper and lower realms, Allah points out that they are created entities which are in a state of enthrallment to Him, subject to His dominion and control. So He says:

لَا تَسْجُدُوا لِلشَّمْسِ وَلَا لِلْقَمَرِ وَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَهُنَّ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ 

(Do not prostrate yourselves to the sun nor to the moon, but prostrate yourselves to Allah Who created them, if you (really) worship Him.) meaning, 'do not associate anything in worship with Him, for your worship of Him will be of no benefit to you if you worship others alongside Him, because He does not forgive the association of others in worship with Him.' He says:

فَإِنِ اسْتَكْبَرُوا 

(But if they are too proud,) i.e., to worship Him Alone, and they insist on associating others with Him,

 فَالَّذِينَ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ

(then there are those who are with your Lord) i.e., the angels,

يُسَبِّحُونَ لَهُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْأَمُونَ ۩

(glorify Him night and day, and never are they tired.) This is like the Ayah:

 فَإِنْ يَكْفُرْ بِهَا هَٰؤُلَاءِ فَقَدْ وَكَّلْنَا بِهَا قَوْمًا لَيْسُوا بِهَا بِكَافِرِينَ

(But if these disbelieve therein, then, indeed We have entrusted it to a people who are not disbelievers therein.)(6:89).

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ

(And among His signs) means, signs of His ability to bring the dead back to life.

 أَنَّكَ تَرَى الْأَرْضَ خَاشِعَةً

(that you see the earth barren,) means, lifeless, with nothing growing in it; it is dead.

فَإِذَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا الْمَاءَ اهْتَزَّتْ وَرَبَتْ

(but when We send down water (rain) to it, it is stirred to life and growth.) means, it brings forth all kinds of crops and fruits.

إِنَّ الَّذِي أَحْيَاهَا لَمُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ ۚ إِنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

(Verily, He Who gives it life, surely is able to give life to the dead. Indeed He is Able to do all things.)