Quranic Reflection No. 373 Āyat 15:98 – Comfort through tasbīh

فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَكُنْ مِنَ السَّاجِدِينَ
Fasabbih bihamdi rabbika wakun minas-sājdīn
So celebrate the praise of your Lord and be among those who prostrate
(Sūratul Hijr, No.15, Āyat 98)

When the polytheists rejected the mission of the Holy Prophet sallalāhu ‘alayhi wa-ālihi wa-sallam they mocked him and the message he brought. Their harsh and scornful words bothered the Prophet who was keen on their guidance. Allah ‘azza wa-jall reassures him in various verses of the Quran. In verse 97 of Suratul Hijr Allah tells the Prophet He knows that he is upset at what they say. Then he tells him – in the above verse – to seek comfort through the glorification of Allah and prostration.

This verse tells the Prophet to glorify Allah with His praise. The ‘ba’ before ‘hamd’ is for ‘musāhiba’ – companionship. Glorifying Allah and praising Him go together. The ‘fa’ at the beginning of the verse shows that it is connected to the verse before it. Recommendation of glorification and praise of Allah is after stating that Allah knows about the Prophet’s hardship and is giving him a means of comfort. If the fact that people can reject God bothers you, then remind yourself of His elevated status and it will not disturb you so much. The prostration mentioned at the end refers to the act of salāt. Tafsīr Majma’ul Bayān narrates from Ibn Abbas that when the Prophet was saddened by anything he would pray salāt and the symptoms of his grief would diminish through it.

Glorification of Allah erases the adverse effects of the harsh words of others. It reminds the glorifier that ultimately Allah is above everything. All the pettiness of daily human interaction, the small minds and mean words of people, the big fuss over things that don’t matter – all these seem so insignificant in the face of glorification of Allah. It is hence a medicine for emotional and mental stress.

Tasbīh or glorification of Allah renews the strength of the believer. It imbibes him with courage, inspires him to move on and grants him an inner purity that illuminates things clearly. It helps to steady and support, to make the will firm and grants the power of tolerance and patience.

Recite this verse to remind yourself of the powerful, healing effects of glorifying Allah. It is a great habit to form, and will help us deal with all forms of negativity in interactions with others.

Sources: Āyatullāh Nāsir Makārim Shirāzī (Ed.), Tafsīr-e Namūneh; http://www.alketab.org/