A reflection on Surah Al-Hadid 57:1-3 - how all of creation is already engaged in glorifying Allah (SWT), whether or not we join it.
At Darus Saulieghien Quraan Academy, we like reminding our students that when they pause to glorify Allah (SWT), they are not starting something new, they are joining something already happening all around them. Surah Al-Hadid opens with exactly that picture.
A Glorification That Never Stopped
The surah begins:
سَبَّحَ لِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
"Whatever is in the heavens and earth exalts Allāh, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise." (Surah Al-Hadid 57:1)
The previous surah, Al-Waqi'ah, ends with the command to glorify Allah's name. Al-Hadid opens by showing that the whole universe is already doing exactly that, the heavens, the earth, every created thing engaged in tasbih that has never ceased, whether or not any one person joins in.
Four Names That Frame Reality
The surah then introduces four of Allah's Names together:
هُوَ ٱلْأَوَّلُ وَٱلْـَٔاخِرُ وَٱلظَّـٰهِرُ وَٱلْبَاطِنُ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
"He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing." (Surah Al-Hadid 57:3)
Nothing existed before Him, nothing remains after Him, nothing is above Him, and nothing is hidden from Him. The Prophet (SAW) described angels beating their wings in submission whenever Allah (SWT) decrees a matter in the heavens (Sahih al-Bukhari 7481), a small glimpse of a universe already in constant submission to its Creator.
Choosing to Join Consciously
We hope our students see their own dhikr and salah not as isolated acts, but as consciously joining a glorification that never stops, one the sky, the trees, and every living thing already participates in.
May Allah (SWT) make our students among those who consciously join the glorification that already fills the heavens and the earth. Ameen.