Allah has created many creatures for a purpose, and the ultimate goal is to recognize Allah and worship him. Sujud in Islam is clear evidence of this, for the purpose and significance of Sujood can be witnessed in many verses of the Quran. They are referred to as Ayat Sujud, those verses in the Quran in which God instructs reciters to prostrate themselves before him, submitting in prostration to his divine will. The act of Sujood in the Quran and its different types in Islamic worship highlight the absoluteness of prayer to God, the expression of humility, and the connection to our Lord.
Sujood Meaning
Sujood is Arabic for prostrating or bowing down to Allah, and also the plural form of sajdah. In English, Sujood is translated as “prostrations.” It refers to the prostrations that are offered during our five daily prayers, or the Mathanis that appear in the Quran and are usually referred to as the Sujood in the Quran. Sujood is a visual representation of our utter submission and surrender to the will of Allah, demonstrating a Muslim’s total commitment and acknowledgement of Allah’s complete grandness.
Types of Sujud in Islam
Sujud in Islam is key to the worship of Allah, demonstrating his grandeur. They reaffirm, through prostration, that Allah is the one deity who is deserving of worship. Apart from the obligatory prostrations, there are various types of sujud in Islam, each held for a different purpose and has its specific use. Let us discuss the various types of sujud in Islam.
Obligatory Sajdah
The obligatory sajda is the prostration while reciting the five daily prayers, one of the five pillars of Islam. There are two Sujood in each rakat, and the number of rakats ranges from 2-4 (though more may be performed), depending on the time of day or other circumstances. The prayer is deemed incomplete if they omit this prostration. It is not possible for those who are physically ill, or physically incapable of prostrating, but accidentally happen to finish Surah on that verse. Sujood in the Qur’an and prayer as a whole emphasize the significance of submission to Allah.
Sajdah Shukar
Sajdah Shukar is a voluntary Sajdah to do so while receiving blessings or joyful news. In Islam, this act of sujud is a way of showing gratitude to Allah for His blessings. One of the famous hadith related by Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A.) is:
“If there were anything that was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that made him happy or glad, or if good news came to him, he would prostrate and give praise to Allah.” (At-Tirmidhi, 1578; Abu Dawud, 2774)
This routine is a reminder of how to recognize the blessings of Allah with the Sujood.
Sajdah Sahu
Sajdah Sahu Sujood as-Sahw is the sajdah (the term sajdah means a prostration to God in Islam, and is not to be confused with the prostration in the context of worship or other religions) in the ritual prayer (salah) to compensate if any of the previously described actions were performed incorrectly. This sujud of Islam is to secure the prayer finds its validity in the fiqh, defying human reasoning and expressing the mercy of God and the flexibility of Islamic ibadah.
Sajdah Tilawat
Sajdah Tilawat The sajdah for recitation, done upon the reciting or hearing of particular verses in the Quran, called Ayat Sujud. These are the verses called Sujood in the Quran, and you just prostrate at once in obedience and respect. It is fourteen times in the Quran (fifteen according to one opinion) and, unlike other Sujood, for Sajdah Tilawat, no rakah (praying or reading) is required, and only one sujud is the requirement without tashahud and salam. In the prostration, one says, Subhana Rabbial A’laa (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High). A Hadeeth Shareef reported by Hazrat Umar (R.A.) clearly states:
“When the Prophet (SAW) recited a Sura which had the Sajdah (prostration) in it, he would prostrate and we along with him, and some of us went ahead prostrating in the houses and the others in the streets. (Sahih al-Bukhari 1079)
The Positions of the Sujood in the Qur’an
The Quran has many other verses that ask for prostration and highlight Allah’s power and His call to submission for devotees. These Sujood in Quran occur in these verses where the Ulema of consensus have determined, based upon specific conditions the verse falls upon, there are fourteen Ayat Sujud, although some scholars claim fifteen:
Surah Al-A’raf – Ayat 206
Surah Al-Ra’d – Ayat 15
Surah Al-Nahl – Ayat 50
Surah Bani Israil – Ayat 109
Surah Maryam – Ayat 58
Surah Al-Hajj – Ayat 18
Surah Al-Hajj – Verse 77 (Shafe’i view)
Surah Al-Furqan – Ayat 60
Surah Al-Naml – Ayat 26
Surah As-Sajdah – Ayat 15
Surah Sa’d – Ayat 24
Surah Hamim Sajdah – Ayat 38
Surah Al-Najm – Ayat 62
Surah Al-Inshiqaq – Ayat 21
Surah Al-Alaq – Ayat 19
The number of Sujood in the quran. Some scholars questioned how many Sujood in the Quran, and most of them said fourteen, and some said that with the addition of a verse in Al-Hajj, it would make it fifteen Sujood. The above Sujood in the Quran acts as an instruction to prostrate, re-emphasizing the importance of doing so in worship.
Importance of Prostration in Islam
Sujood is an integral part of Islamic worship, signifying devotion, humbleness, and submission. It is an inseparable element of Salah (prayer) and has great spiritual importance. What is Sujud / Sajdah? In Islam, it has a profound meaning beyond physical; it refers to one’s faith, in the sense of a direct connection with Allah.
Source of Closeness to Allah
It is when you are nearest to Allah.itledBorder: Sujood is when you are closest to Allah. By placing one’s face on the ground, a Muslim sublimates their ability, ego, and desires to the Creator. “A’isha reported Hazrat Abu Huraira as saying that the holy Prophet said.
“The closest that the servant is to his Lord is when he is in prostration, so make abundant supplication in it.” (Sahih Muslim 482)
The closeness that Sujood affords lends it to times when we may speak more privately with Allah.
Healing Constricted Hearts
The heart of man is generally always encumbered with so many desires of this world and so much materialism. Sujood is a spiritual medicine to keep your heart pure; it heals. The Quran states:
Verily, we are well aware that your breast is straitened at what they say. Then glorify with praises of your Lord, and be of those who prostrate themselves to Him. (Al-Hijr: 97-98)
When Muslims are in Sujood, they are in a state of peace, free from emotional and spiritual problems.
Acceptance of Prayer
Sujood develops the attitude of humbleness; it is therefore an assertive posture of dua. Jam-e-Tirmazi contains a hadith of Hazrat Ibn Abbas (R.A.) in which the importance of it is narrated:
“As for bowing, glorify the Lord therein, and as for prostration, plead in your humility to the Lord in a (well-pleasing) manner.
This emphasizes that the prayers uttered during the Sujood will be accepted more readily and easily since they express sincerity.
Conclusion
Sajda in Islam is a complex form of worship – Islamic prostrations are obligatory actions of worship, which are a part of the prayers, but also are mandatory (wajib) when the Quran is read, when a Muslim hears a verse which commands the performance of Sajda; as a matter of fact, religious Islamic prostrations are not the only form of Sujood, or ‘submission to a higher entity’, since Sujood are performed in Islam, whenever someone prostrates to Allaah. Each manner of sujud in Islam is a reminder of Allah’s greatness and an avenue to draw near to Him. The quranic Sujood, which are fourteen or fifteen in number, to be performed for Sujood for the quran, are intended as a manner of submission and humility. By doing Sujood, Muslims offer their thanks, beg forgiveness, and find spiritual cure, so Sujood is an essential part of their journey toward God.
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