❖ The Reality of the Sun’s Prostration and Its Shar‘i Explanation ❖
Question:
Hadiths mention that the sun prostrates under Allah’s Throne every day. How is this possible when the sun is always visible somewhere on earth? Please clarify this matter.
Answer by: Fadhilat al-‘Ālim Khidr Hayat (حفظه الله)
Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
"فَإِنَّهَا تَذْهَبُ حَتَّى تَسْجُدَ تَحْتَ العَرْشِ"
[Sahih al-Bukhari: 3199, Sahih Muslim: 159]
"Indeed, the sun goes and prostrates under the Throne."
✔ The prostration (sajdah) of creation is in accordance with its form and nature.
✔ Just as a human’s sajdah is to place the forehead on the ground, similarly the sun and other creations prostrate in their own prescribed way.
✔ The sun’s sajdah may be its movement in orbit and its obedience to Allah’s command.
✔ According to some scholars, this prostration symbolizes the sun’s unwavering submission to Allah's command.
✔ It represents that the sun is constantly fulfilling its duties by divine command, which is akin to obedience and sajdah.
✔ The sun’s prostration under the Throne is part of the unseen realm, the exact nature of which cannot be fully grasped by human intellect.
✔ Our obligation is to accept Allah’s word, whether or not we comprehend its full reality.
✔ Just as one cannot count grains of desert sand or stars in the sky, similarly, the unseen matters lie beyond our full understanding.
✔ Allah’s power is beyond human comprehension.
✔ If a human can now, through technology, see people in different parts of the world simultaneously, then for Allah to cause the sun to prostrate and still make it visible to us is not at all difficult.
✔ Faith demands submission to whatever Allah and His Messenger ﷺ have conveyed, even if the details remain beyond our perception.
✔ In matters of the unseen, acceptance and contentment reflect the true servitude of a believer.
The sun’s prostration under the Throne is a matter of the unseen, and only Allah knows its true nature.
It may symbolize the sun’s obedience to Allah's command through its orbital movement.
Since the human intellect is limited, complete comprehension of such matters is not necessary.
Instead, it is the duty of faith to accept Allah’s word as true, even if its full reality is not understood.
والله أعلم
Question:
Hadiths mention that the sun prostrates under Allah’s Throne every day. How is this possible when the sun is always visible somewhere on earth? Please clarify this matter.
Answer by: Fadhilat al-‘Ālim Khidr Hayat (حفظه الله)
❖ Meaning of the Hadith
Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
"فَإِنَّهَا تَذْهَبُ حَتَّى تَسْجُدَ تَحْتَ العَرْشِ"
[Sahih al-Bukhari: 3199, Sahih Muslim: 159]
"Indeed, the sun goes and prostrates under the Throne."
❖ Understanding the Reality of the Sun’s Prostration
① Meaning of Prostration:
✔ The prostration (sajdah) of creation is in accordance with its form and nature.
✔ Just as a human’s sajdah is to place the forehead on the ground, similarly the sun and other creations prostrate in their own prescribed way.
✔ The sun’s sajdah may be its movement in orbit and its obedience to Allah’s command.
② Symbolic Meaning:
✔ According to some scholars, this prostration symbolizes the sun’s unwavering submission to Allah's command.
✔ It represents that the sun is constantly fulfilling its duties by divine command, which is akin to obedience and sajdah.
③ A Matter of the Unseen (غیبی معاملہ):
✔ The sun’s prostration under the Throne is part of the unseen realm, the exact nature of which cannot be fully grasped by human intellect.
✔ Our obligation is to accept Allah’s word, whether or not we comprehend its full reality.
❖ Balancing Intellect and Faith
✔ The Limits of Human Reasoning:
✔ Just as one cannot count grains of desert sand or stars in the sky, similarly, the unseen matters lie beyond our full understanding.
✔ The Power of Allah:
✔ Allah’s power is beyond human comprehension.
✔ If a human can now, through technology, see people in different parts of the world simultaneously, then for Allah to cause the sun to prostrate and still make it visible to us is not at all difficult.
❖ The Requirement of Faith
✔ Faith demands submission to whatever Allah and His Messenger ﷺ have conveyed, even if the details remain beyond our perception.
✔ In matters of the unseen, acceptance and contentment reflect the true servitude of a believer.
❖ Summary
The sun’s prostration under the Throne is a matter of the unseen, and only Allah knows its true nature.
It may symbolize the sun’s obedience to Allah's command through its orbital movement.
Since the human intellect is limited, complete comprehension of such matters is not necessary.
Instead, it is the duty of faith to accept Allah’s word as true, even if its full reality is not understood.
والله أعلم
