أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ مِن شَىْءٍ يَتَفَيَّؤُا۟ ظِلَـٰلُهُۥ عَنِ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَٱلشَّمَآئِلِ سُجَّدًا لِّلَّهِ وَهُمْ دَٰخِرُونَ 48
Translations
Have they not considered what things Allāh has created? Their shadows incline to the right and to the left, prostrating to Allāh, while they [i.e., those creations] are humble.
Transliteration
Awalam yaraw ila ma khalaqa Allahu min shay'in yatafayyao zillaluhu 'anil yamini wa ash-shamail sujjadan lillahi wa hum dakhirun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah invites reflection on creation's submission to Allah through the phenomenon of shadows cast by all created things, which shift from right to left as the sun moves across the sky. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret this as evidence that all creation inherently prostrates (in obedience) to Allah, glorifying Him, even though humans may not perceive this divine acknowledgment with their limited senses. The word 'dakhirun' (humiliated/disgraced) emphasizes that all creatures submit in a state of complete humility before their Creator.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah An-Nahl, a Meccan surah focused on divine signs and blessings. It is part of a broader passage (16:46-49) that emphasizes Allah's omnipotence and the universal submission of creation, serving as a powerful rhetorical appeal to the Meccan disbelievers to recognize their Creator through observable natural phenomena.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said regarding the prostration of all creation: 'Everything in the heavens and earth prostrates to Allah' (Jami' At-Tirmidhi). Additionally, Surah As-Sajdah 32:15 mentions those 'who believe in Our signs... they fall down prostrating,' connecting human prostration with the universal submission described here.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that creation itself testifies to Allah's majesty and our place within a universe that inherently glorifies Him. For believers today, it encourages mindfulness of divine signs in daily observations of nature, reminding us that true submission requires humble recognition of Allah's dominion over all existence.