The meaning of Tasbih (glorification of Allah) said by the heavens and the earth and everything present therein

Among these, the Tasbih of Allah said by all angels and believing jinn and human beings is self-evident. Everyone knows that. As for disbelieving human beings and the jinn, they obviously do not say it. Similarly, there are other things in this universe about which it is said that they are insensate, devoid of reason and intelligence. How do we rationalize their act of saying Tasbih? Some ` Ulama' say that their Tasbih is circumstantial, state-articulated, the testimony of their state of being - because, the collective condition of everything other than Allah Ta’ ala is telling us that it is neither permanent existence-wise nor survival-wise. This whole ongoing condition has been activated under the power and control of some supreme power - this testimony is its Tasbih.

But, other investigative scholars say that volitional Tasbih of Allah is particular with angels and believing jinns and human beings. But, in terms of the state of His orientation towards what He has created, Allah Ta` ala has cast every particle of this universe into the mould of a chanter of His glory. As regards those who do not believe, or do not believe in in-stitutional religion, they too generally subscribe to God and His greatness. Then, there are materialists, atheists, and modern-day communists who do not obviously subscribe to the existence of God. But, the truth of the matter is that the very existence of theirs, inclusive of all that constitutes it, is compulsively busy glorifying Allah - just as trees, rocks and dust and a zillion other things are busy recounting the glory of the most true Allah. But, this act of glorification, this Tasbih they are all engaged in, is built-in, compulsively ingrained and is responding to the call of the creational imperative. Common people do not hear it. The statement of the Qur'an: وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ , (but you do not understand their extolling [ the act of glorifying Allah ] - 17:44) proves that this originally and elementally ingrained act of extolling Allah performed by everything en masse is something common people cannot understand. As far as circumstantially discernible act of extolling is concerned, intelligent people can identify it readily. This tells us that the act of extolling we are talking about is not simply a testimony of the incumbent's state of existence in the universe. It is real - though, beyond our comprehension. (As mentioned by al-Qurtubi)

As for the phenomenon of pebbles saying tasbih (glory be to Allah) in the blessed hand of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and which was clearly heard by the noble Sahabah, it is obviously a miracle. But, Shaykh Jalaluddin as-Suyuti while explaining this Hadith in al-Khasais al-Kubra has said that pebbles saying tasbih is not the miracle of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . As regards pebbles, they say tasbih wherever they are. In fact, what is his miracle is that once the pebbles were in his blessed hand that tasbih said by them became audible.

Imam al-Qurtubi has declared this refinement as weightier and has supported it with many proofs from the Qur'an, and Sunnah. For example, it was said about Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) in Surah Sad: إِنَّا سَخَّرْ‌نَا الْجِبَالَ مَعَهُ يُسَبِّحْنَ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَالْإِشْرَ‌اقِ (We subjugated the mountains with him which used to glorify Allah, evening and morning - 48:18). And it was said about rocks in a verse of Surah al-Baqarah: وَإِنَّ مِنْهَا لَمَا يَهْبِطُ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّـهِ (and there are still others [ rocks ] which fall down in fear of Allah - 2:74). This proves that rocks have consciousness, sense and the fear of Allah. Then, refuting Christians calling Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) Son of God, it was said in a verse of Surah Maryam: وَتَخِرُّ‌ الْجِبَالُ هَدًّا أَن دَعَوْا لِلرَّ‌حْمَـٰنِ وَلَدًا (and the mountains fall down crumbling that they attribute to the Rahman [ Most-Merciful Allah ] a son - 19:90, 91). Again, it is evident that mountains crumbling in fear are indicative of their consciousness and sense. And once it is conceded that they have sense and consciousness, the saying of tasbih by them should not be considered something improbable.

Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Mas’ ud ؓ said, "a mountain says to the other mountain, 'say, 0 brother, has a man ever gone across you, someone who was good at remembering Allah?' If it says, 'yes,' this mountain is pleased with him." For his proof, Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn 'Mas` ud ؓ recited the verse: وَقَالُوا اتَّخَذَ الرَّ‌حْمَـٰنُ وَلَدًا (And they say, "the Rahman [ Most-Merciful Allah ] has taken a son" - 19:88). After that, he said, "this verse proves it that mountains are affected by listening to words of blasphemy (kufr) and are, thereupon, seized by fear. This being the truth, do you think that they listen to what is false and do not listen to what is true (haqq), do not hear Allah being remembered (dhikr) and are not affected by it?" (Qurtubi with reference to Raqa'iq ibn Mubarak) And the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "there is no jinn, man, tree, rock and common clod of earth that hears the call of the Muezzin (mu'adhdhin), and does not bear witness to his faith and righteousness on the day of Qiyamah." (Mu'atta Imam Malik and Sunan Ibn Majah on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Said al-Khudri ؓ .

Imam al-Bukhari (رح) has reported on the authority of Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Mas’ ud ؓ ، who said, "we used to hear the sound of tasbih (glory to Allah) said by the food when it was being eaten." And a variant appears in another report where it is said, "when we ate with the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، we used to hear the sound of tasbih said by the food." And as narrated by Sayyidna Jabir ibn Samurah ؓ ، it appears in Sahih Muslim that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "I know the rock of Makkah al-Mukarramah that used to say 'salam' to me before the call of prophet-hood - and I know it even now." Some say, 'the reference is to al-Hajar al-Aswad.' Allah knows best.

Imam al-Qurtubi (رح) has said that Hadith reports relating to such matters abound. As for the story of Ustuwanah Hannanah (the dried tree serving as a column for support when the Holy Prophet ﷺ gave his Khutbah in the Masjid), it is common knowledge among Muslims all over the world. When the Holy Prophet ﷺ bypassed it while starting to deliver his Khutbah from a regular mimbar (stepped-platform), the noble Sahabah heard the sound of wailing coming from it.

After all these reports, why should it remain so far out to realize that everything in the heavens and the earth has consciousness and sense and that everything really glorifies Allah. Ibrahim (رح) says that this tasbih is universal. It includes the animate and the inanimate both. So much so that the least sound made by the panels of doors are not devoid of tasbih. Imam al-Qurtubi has said, 'If this glorification of Allah was a state-articulated tasbih, why was it made so particular to Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) in the verse referred to a little earlier? A state-articulated tasbih is something every discerning human being can sense out from everything. This makes it obvious that this tasbih was spoken, verbally and audibly.