“Have they not considered the things Allah has created, whose shadows incline to the right and to the left, prostrating to Allah in humility? And to Allah prostrates whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth—every creature—and the angels as well; and they are not arrogant.” (48–49)

Concerning His saying, “Have they not considered the things Allah has created”: Hamzah and al-Kisa’i read the verb in the second person, as a direct address; they also read it this way in Surah al-Ankabut. The others read it in the third person, as a statement about those who plot evil deeds. That is, have they not considered every upright object Allah has created that casts a shadow?

“Whose shadows incline”: Abu Amr and Ya‘qub read the verb in the feminine form, while the others read it in the masculine form. That is, the shadows lean and turn from one side to another. At the beginning of the day they are in one condition, then they shrink, and at the end of the day they return in another condition, prostrating to Allah. Thus, their inclining and turning is their prostration to Allah.

The afternoon shadow is called fay’, because it returns—that is, it returns from the west toward the east. Fay’ means return. Prostration also means inclining. Thus it is said, “The palm tree prostrated,” when it leans.

Concerning His saying, “to the right and to the left, prostrating to Allah”: Qatadah and al-Dahhak said: the right refers to the beginning of the day, and the left to the end of the day; the shadows prostrate to Allah.

Al-Kalbi said: Before the sun rises, the shadow is to your right, your left, before you, and behind you; the same is so when it sets. When it rises, the shadow is before you; when it rises high, it is to your right; afterward, it is behind you; and shortly before the sun sets, it is to your left. This is its shifting and turning, and that is its prostration.

Mujahid said: When the sun passes its zenith, everything prostrates to Allah.

It was also said that what is meant by the shadows is the prostration of the bodies themselves.

If it is asked: Why is “the right” expressed in the singular, while “the left” is expressed in the plural?

The answer is that, when two related nouns occur together, it is customary in Arabic to mark plurality in only one of them. This is like His saying, “Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing” (al-Baqarah 2:7), and His saying, “He brings them out of darknesses into the light” (al-Baqarah 2:257).

It was also said that “the right” refers back to “what Allah has created,” for the wording of “what” is singular; whereas “the left” refers to its plural meaning.

“And they are humbled”: that is, abased. “And to Allah prostrates whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth”: the relative pronoun “whatever” is used because beings without reason outnumber those endowed with reason, and grammatical usage follows what predominates, just as the masculine form prevails over the feminine. “Every creature”: that is, every living being that moves about.

It is also said that prostration means obedience. All things—animate and inanimate—are obedient to Allah. Allah Most High said, “They said, ‘We have come willingly’” (Fussilat 41:11).