41:38

فَإِنِ ٱسۡتَكۡبَرُواْ فَٱلَّذِينَ عِندَ رَبِّكَ يُسَبِّحُونَ لَهُۥ بِٱلَّيۡلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ وَهُمۡ لَا يَسۡـَٔمُونَ۩

Faini istakbaroo faallatheena AAinda rabbika yusabbihoona lahu biallayli waalnnahari wahum la yasamoona

But if they are arrogant - then those who are near your Lord exalt Him by night and by day, and they do not become weary.

Word by word
  1. فَإِنِBut if
  2. ٱسۡتَكۡبَرُواْthey are arrogant
  3. فَٱلَّذِينَthen those who
  4. عِندَ(are) near
  5. رَبِّكَyour Lord
  6. يُسَبِّحُونَglorify
  7. لَهُۥHim
  8. بِٱلَّيۡلِby night
  9. وَٱلنَّهَارِand day
  10. وَهُمۡAnd they
  11. لَا(do) not
  12. يَسۡـَٔمُونَ۩tire
Fussilat · 41:38Makkah

If they are too proud, the angels never tire.

Allah does not need our worship


Two responses
too proudto bow to Him alone
meanwhile
the angelsglorify night and day
Who needs the worship
Allah needs me
I need itHe is glorified anyway

Ibn Kathir says if they are too proud to worship Allah alone, the angels with your Lord glorify Him night and day without tiring. He compares it to the verse where Allah entrusts His message to another people if one rejects it. This is a verse of prostration.

You skip a prayer and feel, somewhere inside, like you made a point. Allah lost nothing. Countless angels glorified Him in that same minute. You were the one who missed out.

My worship is something I give to Allah.

Allah is glorified without end. My worship is a gift He gives me, not one I give Him.

Try this

Make one sajdah today slowly, staying a little longer than usual.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 41:37)

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.)