and submissive.

Allah Most High says:

“And among His signs is that you see the earth lying humbled; then, when We send down water upon it, it stirs and swells.”

He thus states that, after being humbled, it stirs—and stirring is movement—and swells, meaning that it rises. This shows that humble devotion involves stillness and lowliness. Hence, while bowing, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would say:

“O Allah, to You I bow, in You I believe, and to You I submit. My hearing, my sight, my marrow, my mind and my sinews are humbly submissive to You.”

Muslim narrated this in his Sahīh. He thus described himself as humbly submissive while bowing, because one who bows is still and humble. The verse has likewise been explained in this sense.

In the well-known Quranic commentary called Tafsīr al-Wālibī, transmitted from ʿAlī ibn Abī Talha, from Ibn ʿAbbās, may Allah be pleased with him and his father—the account also transmitted by authors of Quranic commentaries, such as Abū Bakr ibn al-Mundhir, Muhammad ibn Jarīr al-Tabarī and others, through Abū Sālih ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sālih, from Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sālih, from ʿAlī ibn Abī Talha, from Ibn ʿAbbās—the words of Allah Most High,

“who are humbly devout in their prayers,”

are explained as meaning: “Fearful and still.”

In Quranic commentaries that provide chains of transmission, such as the commentary of Ibn al-Mundhir and others, they narrated through Sufyān al-Thawrī, from Mansūr, from Mujāhid, that he explained “humbly devout” as “being still during prayer.” He said: “Al-Zuhrī said likewise.”

They also narrated through Hishām, from Mughīra, from Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī, that he said: “Humble devotion is in the heart.” He also said: “Still.”

Al-Dahhāk said: “Humble devotion is reverent fear of Allah.” And he narrated