033 Surah Ahzaab

Surat as-Sajdah (Arabic:"The Prostration") is the 32nd surah of the Quran with 30 verses. The name of the chapter, which means "The Prostration", is taken from the fifteenth verse, which mentions those who ". fall prostrate and hymn the praise of their Lord". Alternative names of the chapter include Alif Lam Mim Tanzil ("Alif, Lam, Mim, The Revelation") after the first words of the chapter (verses 1 and 2), and Al-Madaji' ("The Beds"), after a mention of those who "shun [their] beds" in order to worship God at night (tahajjud). According to the Islamic tradition, the chapter was revealed during the Meccan phase of Muhammad's prophethood. Some scholars argue, based on attaching occasions of revelations, that several verses (some say verses 16–20, some say only 18–20, some say only 16) are from Medinan phase, but the arguments are not widely accepted. For example, Mahmud al-Alusi opines that the close connection between these verses and the preceding ones means that they are likely from the same period. --- Updated: 2018-08-18