Surah An-Najm (53) — Ayah 62

(Ayah 62) ➊ { فَاسْجُدُوْا لِلّٰهِ وَ اعْبُدُوْا:} That is, the right of this warning by the Messenger is that you abandon all your arrogance and heedlessness and prostrate yourselves before Him, and leave all the partners you have made and worship only Allah alone.
➋ This surah is among the earliest surahs revealed in Makkah, and it is the first surah in which a verse of prostration was revealed. Its impact and eloquence were such that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) recited it in a public gathering, in which both Muslims and polytheists were present, the polytheists, along with the Muslims, involuntarily fell into prostration. Two hadiths regarding this are found in Sahih Bukhari. Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: [ أَوَّلُ سُوْرَةٍ أُنْزِلَتْ فِيْهَا سَجْدَةٌ وَالنَّجْمِ قَالَ فَسَجَدَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَسَجَدَ مَنْ خَلْفَهُ، إِلاَّ رَجُلاً رَأَيْتُهُ أَخَذَ كَفًّا مِنْ تُرَابٍ فَسَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ فَرَأَيْتُهُ بَعْدَ ذٰلِكَ قُتِلَ كَافِرًا، وَهُوَ أُمَيَّةُ بْنُ خَلَفٍ ] [ بخاري، التفسیر، سورۃ النجم، باب : «فاسجدوا للہ واعبدوا» : ۴۸۶۳ ] “The first surah in which a verse of prostration was revealed was {’’ وَ النَّجْمِ ‘‘}, so the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) performed prostration, and everyone behind him also performed prostration, except for one man. I saw him take a handful of soil and prostrate on it. Then I later saw that he was killed as a disbeliever, and he was Umayyah bin Khalaf.” Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: [ سَجَدَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِالنَّجْمِ وَسَجَدَ مَعَهُ الْمُسْلِمُوْنَ وَالْمُشْرِكُوْنَ وَالْجِنُّ وَالإِْنْسُ ] [ بخاري، التفسیر، سورۃ النجم، باب : « فاسجدوا للہ واعبدوا » : ۴۸۶۲ ] “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) performed prostration in Surah An-Najm, and with him, the Muslims, the polytheists, and the jinn and mankind all performed prostration.”

62. 1 This command was given for the rebuke of the polytheists and deniers. That is, when their condition is such that instead of accepting the Qur'an, they mock and belittle it, and the admonition and advice of Our Messenger has no effect on them, then O Muslims! You should bow before Allah and, by demonstrating His worship and obedience, make arrangements for the reverence and honor of the Qur'an. Thus, in compliance with this command, the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions performed prostration, even the disbelievers present in the gathering at that time also performed prostration. As is mentioned in the ahadith.

62. So prostrate yourselves before Allah [43] and worship Him alone.

[43]
The Disbelievers Also Prostrating Along with the Muslims:

This surah is among the early Makkan surahs, and it is the first surah in which a verse of prostration was revealed. Also, this is the first surah that the Prophet ﷺ recited in a public gathering, and according to some narrations, in the Haram, in a gathering of both disbelievers and Muslims. The effect of the Quran was such that when the Prophet ﷺ recited ﴿فَاسْجُدُوْا لِلّٰهِ وَاعْبُدُوْا﴾, the disbelievers, along with the Muslims, involuntarily fell into prostration. As is clear from the following hadith: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ says that the first surah containing a verse of prostration to be revealed was Surah An-Najm. The Prophet ﷺ performed prostration in this surah, and everyone sitting behind him (whether Muslim or polytheist) all performed prostration, except for one person, Umayyah bin Khalaf. He took a handful of soil (brought it close to his mouth) and then prostrated on it. I saw that after this, this person was killed in a state of disbelief (on the day of Badr). [بخاري، كتاب التفسير] It is also famous regarding this occasion that when the Prophet ﷺ recited these verses ﴿اَفَرَءَيْتُمُ اللّٰتَ وَالْعُزّٰي وَمَنٰوةَ الثَّالِثَةَ الْاُخْرٰي﴾, Satan, in a voice similar to the Prophet’s, added these words: ﴿تِلْكَ الغَرَانِيْقُ العُلٰي وَإنَّ شَفَاعَتُهُنَّ لَتُرْجٰي﴾ (These are three exalted goddesses and their intercession is expected). According to some, the incident happened like this: when the Quraysh also prostrated along with the Muslims, later they realized their mistake and wondered what foolishness they had committed. Then they fabricated these words themselves and claimed that they had heard these words from the tongue of Muhammad ﷺ and thought that now he too was inclining towards their religion. That is why they prostrated along with him. Whatever this incident was, this news or rumor became so widespread that those who had migrated to Abyssinia, who had migrated in Rajab of the 5th year of Prophethood, when they heard news of such reconciliation or compromise, returned to Makkah in Shawwal of the 5th year of Prophethood. But upon arriving in Makkah, they found out that all of this was just a tale. Thus, they migrated again and returned to Abyssinia.