To exalt ALLAH.

[faithful]

Assalem aalaykum

(Qaf 50: 39) Bear then with patience what they say. Exalt with the praise of your Lord before sunrise and before sunset. (40) And exalt Him in the night, and at the ends of the prostrations.

(AlInsan 76:26) and in the night prostrate to Him; and exalt Him for a long night.

Can someone explain to me what's the meaning of "exalt", i'm not talking about the litterary meaning, but the word in arabic is "Sabbih" and I know that the "Tasbih" of the prophet (pbuh) was saying "SubhanALLAH, AlHamduliELLEH, ALLAHu akbar"... so is this recommandations mentionned in the verse? If it's so, then doing "Tasbih" is it obligatory after every prayer?

I appreciate if someone explains this for me.

[ihsan]

These verses actually refer to prayer itself. Prayer is often referred to by various names, as well as particular aspects. Allah refers to the Bani Israel to pray, by telling them to bow down with those who bow down. This bow is referring to ruku, the primary point being 2:

1. Abolish the tribal mentality that prevented the Bani Israel from accepting Islam. They held that they were the chosen people, and would not accept a Prophet coming from a different line. By bowing with the Muslims, it would inculcate humility.

2. Ruku was something the Bani Israel primarily abandoned in their prayer.

In the above mentioned verses, tasbih is mentioned for prayer, because it is a primary characteristic of prayer. Tasbih actually refers to acknowledging that Allah is above any NEGATIVE qualities, while taqdis is the affirmation of all POSITIVE qualities. Prayer is a manifestation of both.

The tasbih is mentioned in these verses of qurah Qaf, because the verses seem to be in the context of rejecting the claims of the disbelievers that life is for nothing. The verses initiate with God not creating the heavens and earth for sport, meaning it is beyond Him to do something negative. One is maintaining this reality of seriousness of purpose of God in prayers, throughout the day, as alluded to by the times of prayer. Surah Insan seems to be in a similar context.

[faithful]

Thank you Ihsan for answering me.

I'm going to take this part: "And exalt Him in the night, and at the ends of the prostrations", it's obvious when ALLAH (praise to Him) says Exalt Him in the night that the prayer itself is aimed by that, but what confuses me and lets me think about the other Tasbih is "at the ends of the prostrations" because prostration is an act that the one does during the prayer so it can't mean pray after prostrations, do you see my point?

[hlatif]

Salaam sister,

First may be I should give the linguistic background to the term TASBIH. The root is S-B-HA and it means floating above the water and swimming unhindered. Therefore the conceptual meaning that comes out of this is being above something and being free and unhindered. The aboveness takes the form of :

1- Above the negative that is being mentioned. For example it always comes after the claim that God has a son. Here the subhan means Allab is above that.
2- Being above any low point and that is why we do TASBIH when we are low as in prostration and Ruku because we are saying We accept that we are low and humble and Allah is above that.

And so on and so forth.

So when we do the tasbih and say the four things:

1- Subhan Allah: Allah is conceptually above anything certainly anything that is "low" but also above anything that is high.
2- Alhamdulillah: Praise belongs to Allah mainly for His actions towards us as well as being praiseworthy for His attributes.
3- Allah Akbar: God is greater meaning do not be overtaken by anything big because God is greater and this includes all aspects of greatness.
4- La ilaha illa Allah: No one is worthy of Worship but Allah

I hope this helps a little

Hussein

[ihsan]

Thank you Ihsan for answering me.

I'm going to take this part: "And exalt Him in the night, and at the ends of the prostrations", it's obvious when ALLAH (praise to Him) says Exalt Him in the night that the prayer itself is aimed by that, but what confuses me and lets me think about the other Tasbih is "at the ends of the prostrations" because prostration is an act that the one does during the prayer so it can't mean pray after prostrations, do you see my point?

Sujood in this context, just as ruku in Surah Baqarah, refers to the prayer as a whole. The verse, in this particular aspect, is saying that even after one has completed prayer, one should not get tired of glorifying the Almighty. IMO this reference of "after SUJOOD" is contrasted to the "exalt him in the night", because it is depicting what happends in the day, after one completes sujood and finishes the prayer. One RISES to continue his work in the day, while one normally doesn't rise after prayer in the night, but goes to sleep.

Also, the rising of the worshipper after sujood is contrasted to the movement of the sun it seems. The times of sunset and sunrise are situations where it seems the sun is prostrating at the horizons, striking at the concept of star-worship and reflecting the power of Allah, where even the greatest objects cannot deviate from his laws.

[Zhulfiqar]

3- Allah Akbar: God is greater meaning do not be overtaken by anything big because God is greater and this includes all aspects of greatness.

Am I wrong by deducing from the above that 'all aspects of greatness' entails also 'great in size'?

[aamantubillah]

Am I wrong by deducing from the above that 'all aspects of greatness' entails also 'great in size'?

That would assume God has shape. God is beyond matter, time, and outside what we can imagine. So it does not entail size.

[hlatif]

Salaam all,

This Aya may be an answer to the above inquiry

6:103 (Asad) No human vision can encompass Him, whereas He encompasses all human vision: for He alone is unfathomable, all-aware.

[Ron]

Salam All,

3- Allah Akbar: God is greater meaning do not be overtaken by anything big because God is greater and this includes all aspects of greatness.

I agree with the explanation but the word "Greater" does not convey quite as well as the word Supreme:

1. Greatest in power, authority, or rank; paramount or dominant.

2. Greatest in importance, degree, significance, character, or achievement. (American Heritage Dictionary)

As such, size is not an issue. Plus in English it doesn't work so well to say "God is Greater" but it works better and articulates the thought better when one says "God is Supreme."

Regards

[faithful]

I hope this helps a little

Waalaykum Assalem Hussein;
It does!
Thank you so much for your answer.

Sujood in this context, just as ruku in Surah Baqarah, refers to the prayer as a whole. The verse, in this particular aspect, is saying that even after one has completed prayer, one should not get tired of glorifying the Almighty. IMO this reference of "after SUJOOD" is contrasted to the "exalt him in the night", because it is depicting what happends in the day, after one completes sujood and finishes the prayer. One RISES to continue his work in the day, while one normally doesn't rise after prayer in the night, but goes to sleep.

Also, the rising of the worshipper after sujood is contrasted to the movement of the sun it seems. The times of sunset and sunrise are situations where it seems the sun is prostrating at the horizons, striking at the concept of star-worship and reflecting the power of Allah, where even the greatest objects cannot deviate from his laws.

Salam Ihsan;
Thank you for this answer, I think you just said what I was looking for, I really appreciate the answer and your patience.

[Sadiq_b]

Salaam

In 50:40 And of the night exalt Him and after prostration., For "after prostration" the word adbar is used.

Tafsir al-Jalalayn says the following:

(read adbār, as the plural of dubur, or idbār as the verbal noun from adbara, ‘to pass’), in other words, perform supererogatory prayers as prescribed by the Sunna after the obligatory ones; it is also said to mean the actual uttering of glorifications at these times, with continuous praise.

So this Tafseer is interpreting it to mean the Sunna prayers after the Obligatory ones.

I however personally agree with the interpretation that the verse is asking us to remember Allah's glory even after our prayers are done. Meaning, we may exalt Allah during the Sajda due to the prayer being obligatory but what is important is to have in one's heart the rememberance of Allah not just in the prayer but at all times.

[faithful]

Salam Sadiq

Good informations!

I however personally agree with the interpretation that the verse is asking us to remember Allah's glory even after our prayers are done. Meaning, we may exalt Allah during the Sajda due to the prayer being obligatory but what is important is to have in one's heart the rememberance of Allah not just in the prayer but at all times.

Do you mean saying the Tasbeeh?

Thank you for the reply.

[sumuque]

Salaam all,

This Aya may be an answer to the above inquiry

6:103 (Asad) No human vision can encompass Him, whereas He encompasses all human vision: for He alone is unfathomable, all-aware.

Good point, Muhammad himself closed the entire case here. I think this is more like a satire, "off course you can not find him nor reach him, because He does not exists !"

[salaam]

Assalem aalaykum

(Qaf 50: 39) Bear then with patience what they say. Exalt with the praise of your Lord before sunrise and before sunset. (40) And exalt Him in the night, and at the ends of the prostrations.

(AlInsan 76:26) and in the night prostrate to Him; and exalt Him for a long night.

Can someone explain to me what's the meaning of "exalt", i'm not talking about the litterary meaning, but the word in arabic is "Sabbih" and I know that the "Tasbih" of the prophet (pbuh) was saying "SubhanALLAH, AlHamduliELLEH, ALLAHu akbar"... so is this recommandations mentionned in the verse?

If it's so, then doing "Tasbih" is it obligatory after every prayer?

I appreciate if someone explains this for me.

As for the glorification that has been commanded after "being free from prostrations", it may imply the after-Prayer devotions as well as the offering of the voluntary prayers at the end of the prescribed obligatory Prayers. Hadrat Umar, Hadrat 'Ali, Hadrat Hasan bin 'Ali, hadrat Abu Hurairah, Ibn `Abbas, Sha`bi, Mujahid, 'Ikrimah, Hasan Basri, Qatadah, Ibrahim Nakha`i and Auza'i say that it implies the two rak ats after the Maghrib Prayer. Hadrat `Abdullah bin `Amr bin 'As, and according to a tradition, Hadrat `Abdullah bin 'Abbas also, held the opinion that it implies the after-Prayer devotions, and Ibn Zaid says -that the object of this Command is that voluntary Prayers also should be offered after the prescribed obligatory Prayers.

According to a tradition reported in Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Hadrat Abu Hurairah, once the poor emigrants from Makkah came before the Ho]y Prophet, and said "O Messenger of Allah, the rich people have attained high ranks for themselves The Holy Prophet asked: What has happened ? They said: They offer the Prayers as we offer, and they observe the Fasts as we observe; but they practise charity, which we cannot, and they set the slaves free which we cannot.

The Holy Prophet said: Should I tell you a thing which if you practised, you would surpass all others, except those who practised the same that you practised?
It is this that you should pronounce Subhan-Allah, al-Hamdu-lillah and Allah-u-Akbar, 33 times each after every Prayer.
" After some time, the same people came and said: `Our rich brothers also have heard this and they too have started practising, it

." Thereupon the Holy Prophet said: "This is Allah's bounty and He bestows it on whomever He wills."
According to a tradition these devotional words have to be repeated ten times each instead of 33 times each.
Hadrat Zaid bin Thabit has reported that the Holy Prophet instructed his Companions that they should pronounce Subhan-Allah and al Hamdu-lillah 33 times each and Allah-u-Akbar 34 times after every Prayer.
Afterwards an Ansar Companion submitted: "I have seen in a vision that somebody was telling me that it would be better if I pronounced these three devotional words 25 times each and then La ilaha ill-Allah 25 times. The Holy Prophet replied: Well, you may do likewise." (Ahmad, Nasa'i, Darimi).
Hadrat Abu Said Khudri says: °I have heard the Holy Prophet pronounce the following words when he would return after the Prayers were over: Subhana Rabbika Rabbil- `izzat-i `anima yasifun ' wa salam-un 'alal-mursalin, wal-hamdu lillah-i Rabb-il alamin. " (Jassas Ahkam al-Qur 'an).

Besides these, several other forms of the after-Prayer devotional pronouncements also have been reported from the Holy Prophet.

Those who wish to act on this instruction of the Qur'an may select the one they find suitable from Mishkat.' Bab adh-dhikr 6a `d as-Salat, commit it to memory and practise it.

Nothing can be better than what the Holy Prophet himself has taught in this regard. But what one should bear in mind is that the real object of the devotional pronouncements is not to utter these words only as a matter of course but to refresh and fix their meaning in the mind. Therefore, the meaning of whatever devotions one pronounces should be understood well and then practiced with full consciousness of the meaning