كان النبي ﷺ يقرأ في الجمعة في صلاة الفجر ﴿الم (1) تَنْزِيلُ﴾ السجدة و﴿هَلْ أَتَى عَلَى الْإِنْسَانِ﴾
The Prophet ﷺ used to recite on Friday, in the dawn prayer, “Alif-Lam-Mim. Tanzil” (As-Sajdah) and “Has there come upon man…” (Al-Insan).
Virtues and benefits of Surah As-Sajdah
The Prophet ﷺ used to recite Surah As-Sajdah (“Alif-Lam-Mim. Tanzil”) in the dawn prayer on Friday with Al-Insan, as narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim, and he would not sleep until he had recited it with Al-Mulk. It is one of the Mathani, given to the Prophet ﷺ in place of the Gospel, which is why it is read at Friday dawn and every night before sleeping.
Its virtues at a glance
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Its recitation at Friday dawn
The Prophet ﷺ used to recite As-Sajdah and Al-Insan on Friday in the dawn prayer. According to Ibn Taymiyyah, this is because they mention what happened and will happen on that day: the creation of Adam, the return to Allah and the gathering of creation.
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The Prophet’s ﷺ recitation before sleeping
The Prophet ﷺ would not go to sleep until he had recited As-Sajdah and Al-Mulk.
Authentic (sahih)At-Tirmidhi (2892) and An-Nasa’i (As-Sunan al-Kubra, 10544)
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The reward of reading it with Al-Mulk
Ka’b said: “Whoever recites Tanzil (As-Sajdah) and Blessed is He in whose hand is the dominion, seventy good deeds are recorded for him, seventy sins are removed from him and he is raised seventy degrees.” The chain to him is good.
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One of the Mathani
It is one of the Mathani, given to the Prophet ﷺ in place of the Gospel, according to the hadith of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa’: “… and I was given in place of the Gospel the Mathani.”
When to recite it
- In the dawn prayer on Friday, with Al-Insan (Al-Bukhari 891 and Muslim 880)
- Every night before sleeping, with Al-Mulk, following the Prophet ﷺ (At-Tirmidhi 2892)
Hadiths on its virtues
Arabic text, translation, reference and authenticity grade of each hadith.
كان رسول الله ﷺ لا ينام حتى يقرأ ﴿الم (1) تَنْزِيلُ﴾ السجدة و﴿تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ﴾
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would not sleep until he had recited “Alif-Lam-Mim. Tanzil” (As-Sajdah) and “Blessed is He in whose hand is the dominion”.
من قرأ ﴿تَنْزِيلُ﴾ السجدة و﴿تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ﴾ كتب له سبعون حسنة، وحط عنه سبعون سيئة، ورفع له بها سبعون درجة
Whoever recites “Tanzil” (As-Sajdah) and “Blessed is He in whose hand is the dominion”, seventy good deeds are recorded for him, seventy sins are removed from him and he is raised seventy degrees.
Widespread but unproven narrations
The hadith “Alif-Lam-Mim. Tanzil will come on the Day of Resurrection with two wings, shading its companion” is mursal with a good chain; Khalid ibn Ma’dan’s saying “Recite the Saviour…” includes a female narrator of unknown status, and Tawus’s saying “They were favoured by sixty good deeds” has a weak chain.
تجيء ﴿الم (1) تَنْزِيلُ﴾ السجدة يوم القيامة لها جناحان تظل صاحبها، تقول: لا سبيل عليك، لا سبيل عليك
“Alif-Lam-Mim. Tanzil” (As-Sajdah) will come on the Day of Resurrection with two wings, shading its companion and saying: “No one has a way against you, no one has a way against you.”
اقرأوا المنجية، وهي ﴿الم (1) تَنْزِيلُ﴾ فإنه بلغني أن رجلًا كان يقرؤها ما يقرأ شيئًا غيرها، وكان كثير الخطايا فنشرت جناحها عليه وقالت: رب اغفر له فإنه كان يكثر قراءتي، فشفعها الرب فيه
Recite “the Saviour” (al-Munjiyah), that is “Alif-Lam-Mim. Tanzil”; it has reached me that a man used to recite it and nothing else, and he had many sins. It spread its wing over him and said: “Lord, forgive him, for he used to recite me often”, and the Lord accepted its intercession for him.
فضلتا على كل سورة في القرآن بستين حسنة
(As-Sajdah and Al-Mulk) were favoured over every other surah of the Qur’an by sixty good deeds.
What the surah is about
- Praise of the Qur’an, revealed by Allah, and the refutation of those who call it fabricated
- Allah alone created the heavens and the earth; signs of His power and the creation of man
- The idolaters’ objections to the resurrection and their refutation
- A scene of the Last Day: the criminals before Allah
- The qualities of the believers and the bliss Allah has prepared for them, against the Fire of the defiant
- The Torah given to Moses and the righteous of his people made leaders
- The call to the idolaters to reflect on Allah’s signs
- The command to the Prophet ﷺ to turn away from the idolaters, with the promise of victory
Main purpose: To show the reality of creation and the states of man in this world and the Hereafter.
About Surah As-Sajdah
As-Sajdah (the Prostration) is a Meccan surah, the 32nd in the order of the Qur’an, revealed after Al-Mu’minun, so it is among the last Meccan surahs. It has thirty verses. It is also called “Alif-Lam-Mim. Tanzil” and “Al-Madaji’” (the Beds), according to Al-Alusi; Khalid ibn Ma’dan called it “the Saviour” (al-Munjiyah).
Tafsir of Surah As-Sajdah Listen to As-Sajdah by other reciters
Detailed study in Arabic
The full Arabic text: introduction, virtues, themes, and a study of the chain and authenticity of each hadith.
- التعريف بسورة السجدة
- فضائل سورة السجدة
- موضوعات سورة السجدة
- مقاصد سورة السجدة
- تلخيص سورة السجدة
- الأحاديث الواردة في الفضل ودرجتها
Virtues of other surahs
All 114 surahs- Virtues of Surah Al-Kahf A light between two Fridays and protection from the Dajjal
- Virtues of Surah Al-Mulk Intercedes for its reciter and protects from the grave’s punishment
- Virtues of Surah Ya-Sin Whoever recites it at night seeking Allah’s Face is forgiven
- Virtues of Surah Al-Baqarah Satan flees the house where it is recited; it is the peak of the Qur’an
- Virtues of Surah Al-Fatihah The greatest surah of the Qur’an, without which there is no prayer
- Virtues of Surah Al-Ikhlas It equals a third of the Qur’an; loving it earns Allah’s love
- Virtues of Surah Al-Waqi’ah One of the surahs that greyed the Prophet ﷺ; he recited it at Fajr
- Virtues of Surah Ar-Rahman Recited by the Prophet ﷺ to the jinn, who responded better than people
- Ayat al-Kursi The greatest verse in the Book of Allah, a guard against Satan