Surah 24:41

"Do you not see that God – whatever is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him, and (so do) the birds spreading (their wings in flight)? Each one knows its prayer and its glorifying, and God is aware of what they do."

Christian Footnotes (1)Islamic Commentaries (1)Manuscripts (46)

Everything glorifies Allah, may He be exalted, and to Him belongs the Sovereignty Verses 24:41-42

Show Full Scripture Context (24:41-42) — 2 Verses

Verse 41

أَلَمۡ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُۥ مَن فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱلطَّيۡرُ صَـٰٓفَّـٰتٖۖ كُلّٞ قَدۡ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُۥ وَتَسۡبِيحَهُۥۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمُۢ بِمَا يَفۡعَلُونَ

Do you not see that God – whatever is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him, and (so do) the birds spreading (their wings in flight)? Each one knows its prayer and its glorifying, and God is aware of what they do.

Verse 42

وَلِلَّهِ مُلۡكُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلۡمَصِيرُ

To God (belongs) the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. To God is the (final) destination.

Allah tells us that whosoever is in the heavens and on the earth, i.e., the angels, mankind. Jinn, animals and even inanimate objects, all glorify Him. This is like the Ayah:

{The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein, glorify Him} 17:44,

Quoted Scripture

"and the birds with wings outspread"

means, while they are flying they glorify their Lord and worship Him with the glorification with which they are inspired and to which they are guided. Allah knows what they are doing, and so He says:

Quoted Scripture

"Of each one He knows indeed his Salah and his glorification;"

meaning, He has guided every creature to its own way of worship.

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.

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