What does Quran 37:103 mean?

Quran 37:103 (Surah As-Saaffaat, Ayah 103) translates to: "And when they had both submitted and he put him down upon his forehead,"

Which Surah and Juz is Quran 37:103 from?

This ayah is from Surah As-Saaffaat (Those drawn up in Ranks), the 37th surah of the Quran. It appears in Juz 23.

Are there hadiths related to Quran 37:103?

Yes — there are 5 hadiths related to this ayah from Sunan an-Nasa'i, Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Sunan Abu Dawud.

What tafsir is available for Quran 37:103?

Commentary on this ayah is available from Ibn Kathir, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Abbas, Al-Jalalayn — classical scholars of Quranic exegesis.

What topics does Quran 37:103 relate to?

This ayah connects to these Quranic topics: Prophet Ibrahim, Submission to Allah, Prophethood, Patience, Divine Testing.

Ayah 102

فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ ٱلسَّعْىَ قَالَ يَٰبُنَىَّ ...

37:103As-Saaffaat

Ayah 104

وَنَٰدَيْنَٰهُ أَن يَٰٓإِبْرَٰهِيمُ...

فَلَمَّآ أَسْلَمَا وَتَلَّهُۥ لِلْجَبِينِ

Falammaaa aslamaa wa tallahoo liljabeen

And when they had both submitted and he put him down upon his forehead,

Themes in this ayah

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Lessons from past peoples92

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Lessons from past peoples

37:103Ayah 1182

50 ayahs in As-Saaffaat are strongly about lessons from past peoples. This is one of them.

← Previous on Lessons from past peoples37:102And when he reached with him [the age of] exertion, he said, "O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you,Next on Lessons from past peoples →37:104We called to him, "O Abraham,

Tafsir

Scholars offer complementary perspectives

View Full Tafsir: Al-Jalalayn on 37:103→

And when they had both submitted when they had submitted to and were prepared to comply with God’s command exalted be He and he had laid him down on his forehead when he had pushed him down to the ground thereon — every human being has two brows jabīn between which is the forehead jabha; this was at Minā. Abraham passed the knife across his son’s throat but it did not do anything by some impediment of the Divine Power

The hands prostrate as the face prostrates, so when one of you puts his face down he should put his hands down, and when he raises (the face) he should raise (the hands) too.

Jami` at-Tirmidhi #270Abu Humaid As-Sa'idi narrated:Hasan

"When the Prophet would prostrate, he placed his nose and his forehead on the ground, and he held his forearms away from his sides, and he placed his hands parallel to his shoulders."

Jami` at-Tirmidhi #278(Another chain that) Amir bin Sa'd narrated:Hasan

"The Prophet ordered placing the hands (on the ground)." And he mentioned in it: "From his father."

Sunan Abu Dawud #839The above-mentioned tradition has also been transmitted by Wa’il b. Hujr through a different chain of narrators. This version has:Hasan

When he prostrated himself, his knees fell on the ground before his hands had fallen. Hemmam said: This tradition has also been transmitted by ‘Asim b. Kulaib through a different chain of narrators to the same effect. And one of these two versions, and probably the version narrated by Muhammad b. Juhadah, has the words: When he stood up (after prostration), he stood up on his knees taking the support of his thighs.

Sunan Ibn Majah #603It was narrated that ‘Aishah said:Sahih

“When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) bowed, he neither raised his head nor lowered it, rather (he did something) between that.”