Why Was Surah Sajdah Revealed?

Surah Sajdah is the 32nd chapter of the Noble Quran that Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad SAW in Mecca. The surah gets its naming from the 15th verse of the surah, which is a verse of sajdah (prostration).

Is there any reason Why was surah Sajdah revealed? This post will be looking at this question as well as other related issues.

Period of Revelation Of Surah Sajdah

From the style of the Surah it appears that it was sent down during the middle Makkah period, more particularly in its initial stage, for one does not find in its background that severity of the persecution and tyranny which one finds in the Surahs sent down in the later stages.

Why Was Surah Sajdah Revealed?

There is no specific reasons why Surah sajadah was revealed in most of tafsir books. However, there are some ayat in the surah that have reasons of revelations.

The main goal of surah Sajdah is proving the truth behind the issue of our origin and resurrection.

Furthermore, surah Sajdah talks about the clear difference between the believers and disbelievers and their fate. Allah, through this surah, wishes to strengthen our belief in resurrection and increase our Godwariness.

According to Tafsir of Madudi, the main theme of Surah Sajdah is to remove the doubts of the people concerning Tauhid, the Hereafter and the Prophethood, and to invite them to all these three realities.

The disbelievers of Makkah, when they talked of the Holy Prophet in private, said to one another, “This person is forging strange things sometimes he gives news of what will happen after death.

He says: when you have become dust, you will be called to render your accounts, and there will be Hell and Heaven.

Sometimes he says: these gods and goddesses and saints are nonentities: One God alone is the Deity.

And sometimes he says: the discourses which I recite are not my own but Allah’s Word.

All these are strange things which he presents.”The answer to these doubts and misgivings forms the theme and subject matter of this Surah.

In this connection, the disbelievers have been told:

“Most certainly it is Allah’s Word, which has been sent down in order to arouse a people who are sunk in heedlessness, being deprived of the bounties and blessings of Prophethood.

How can you call it a fabrication when its having been sent dawn from Allah is manifest and self evident?”

Then, they have been asked, “Use your common sense and judge for yourselves which of the things presented by the Quran is strange and novel?

Look at the administration of the heavens and the earth: consider your own creation and structure.

Don’t these things testify to the teaching which this Prophet is presenting before you in the Quran?

Does the system of the universe point to Tauhid or to shirk?

When you consider this whole system and your own creation, does your intellect testify that the One Who has given you your present existence, will not be able to create you once again?”

Then a scene of the Hereafter has been depicted, the fruits of belief and the evil consequences of disbelief have been mentioned and the people exhorted to give up disbelief even before they meet their doom and accept the teaching of the Quran, which will be to their own advantage in the Hereafter.

Then they have been told:

It is Allah’s supreme Mercy that He does not seize man immediately for his errors to punish him finally and decisively but warns him beforehand by afflicting him with small troubles and hardships and calamities and losses and strokes of misfortune so that he may wake up and take admonition.

Then it is said: “This is not the first and novel event of its kind that a Book has been sent down upon a man from God.

Before this the Book had been sent upon Musa also, which you all know. There is nothing strange in this at which you should marvel.

Be assured that this Book has come down from God, and note it well that the same will happen now as has already happened in the time of Moses.

Leadership now will be bestowed only on those who will accept this Divine Book. Those who reject it shall be doomed to failure.”

Then the disbelievers of Makkah have been admonished to the effect:

“See the end of the doomed communities of the past by whose ruined habitations you pass during your trade journeys.

Will you like to meet the same doom yourself? Do not be deluded by the apparent and superficial.

Today you see that no one is listening to Muhammad (upon whom be Allah’s peace) except a few young men and some slaves and poor men, and he is being made the target of curses and ugly remarks from every side.

From this you have formed the wrong impression that his mission will fail. But this is only a deception of your eyes.

Don’t you see the phenomenon in your daily life that a land previously lying absolutely barren starts swelling with vegetation and plant life everywhere just by a single shower of the rain though before this no one could ever imagine that under the layers of its soil there lay hidden such treasures of greenery and herbage?”

In conclusion, the Holy Prophet has been addressed to the effect: “These people mock at what you say and ask as to when you will attain this decisive victory.

Tell them: when the time comes for the final judgment regarding you and us, believing then will not profit you at all. If you have to believe, believe now. But if you intend to await the final judgment, then await it as you please.”

Surah Sajdah is a surah that has countless benefits and teaches us many lessons.

In surah Sajdah, Allah talks about various matters including the Resurrection, punishment of disbelievers, creation of man from clay, the rewarding of the believers, and other issues.

Surah Sajdah is named Sajdah because verse 15 of this surah provokes a sajdah when recited and heard.

Verses 16 and 18 are two of the most famous verses of this surah.

Verse 16 states that those who believe in Allah’s signs leave their beds to supplicate their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend out of what Allah has provided them.

Major Themes Of The Surah

• Divine Laws and Guidance
• Al-Qur’an is beyond all doubts and is sent to warn those people to whom no Warner has come before.
• On the Day of Judgement, the disbelievers shall believe but that belief will be of no benefit to them.
• There is a special reward for those who forsake their beds and invoke their Rabb with fear and hope, and spend in charity.
• Al-Qur’an is similar to the Book which was given to the Prophet Musa.

Read also How Many Pages Are In The Quran?