—and consider the standing of Umar, concerning whom the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, said: “If there are any among you who are inspired, then Umar is one of them.” (1) That is, they are inspired to what is correct. Yet despite this, Umar did it openly from the pulpit in the presence of the Companions, and none of them objected to him. This indicates that the prostration is not obligatory.

If it is said: What is the response to the verses cited as evidence by those who maintain that it is obligatory?

The answer is: As for His saying, Exalted is He, “O you who believe, bow and prostrate” [al-Hajj 22:77], then say: Bowing too must be obligatory when reciting the Quran. But to claim that prostration is obligatory while bowing is not obligatory is inconsistent, because the evidence is one and the same. Thus, we know that His saying, “O you who believe, bow and prostrate” [al-Hajj 22:77], is a command to perform the prayer, which consists of bowing and prostration.

As for His saying, “And when the Quran is recited to them, they do not prostrate” [al-Inshiqaq], we say to him: You do not uphold the apparent meaning of this verse—namely, that everyone to whom the Quran is recited is required to prostrate. Yet that is what the verse apparently indicates. Therefore, prostration here means humble submission, not the familiar physical act of prostration; that is, when the Quran is recited to them, they do not humble themselves before it. This applies to the entire Quran: one must humble oneself before all of it.

As for the praise of the angels for prostrating, what is meant by prostration is prayer;