of them, fall down in prostration and glorify their Lord with praise, and are not arrogant.”
This is among the most emphatic ways of issuing a command and restricting faith to those who comply, for He denies faith to anyone who is reminded of his Lord’s verses but does not prostrate upon being reminded of them.
In “Sād,” there is an account of David’s prostration, which He calls bowing. In “Hā Mīm Tanzīl,” there is an explicit command:
“Among His signs are the night and the day, the sun and the moon. Do not prostrate to the sun or to the moon, but prostrate to Allah, who created them, if it is Him that you worship.”
“But if they are arrogant, those who are with your Lord glorify Him night and day, and never tire.”
In “al-Najm,” there is an explicit command:
“So prostrate to Allah and worship Him.”
In “al-Inshiqāq,” there is an explicit command to prostrate upon hearing the Quran:
“What is the matter with them that they do not believe, and when the Quran is recited to them, they do not prostrate?”
In “Read in the name of your Lord who created,” there is an unqualified command:
“Prostrate and draw near.”
Thus, the first six passages, up to and including the first in al-Hajj, contain statements and praise. The remaining nine, beginning with the second in al-Hajj, contain commands and censure of those who do not prostrate, except for “Sād.”
We therefore say: Scholars have disagreed over whether the prostration of recitation is obligatory. Some say it is obligatory; others say it is not. Still others say it is obligatory when a prostration verse is recited during prayer; this is one position reported from Ahmad. What appears correct to me is that it is obligatory.
The verses containing praise do not, by themselves, establish an obligation. As for the verses containing commands and censure, it might be argued that those expressed without qualification refer to prayer, such as the second passage in al-Hajj and those in al-Furqān and Iqra. This interpretation is weak. How, then, can it be maintained when some of these passages link prostration to recitation, as in His words: