maybe a silly question but answer please

[karim fattah]

salam,

this might be a bit of a silly question, but its never bad too ask is it?
quran 22:18 says: Do you not see that to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth and the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, the moving creatures and many of the people? But upon many the punishment has been justified. And he whom Allah humiliates - for him there is no bestower of honor. Indeed, Allah does what He wills.

it here says that the sun and the moon etc prostrate.

the definition of prostrate is: ofxord: Lying stretched out on the ground with one's face downwards., prostrate oneselfThrow oneself flat on the ground so as to be lying face downwards, especially in reverence or submission.

cambridge: lying with the face down and arms stretched out, especially as a sign of respect or worship

the moon and the sun and the stars and mountains dont lie with their face down in submission to god do they? they are always in the same position, so how can the quran then say that they are prostrating

jazakallahum khayran

[A proud Muslim]

If I said that animals eat, would I mean that they eat as we humans eat? No.

In the Quran, it says:

"The seven heavens and the earth and whatever is in them exalt Him. And there is not a thing except that it exalts [ Allah ] by His praise, but you do not understand their [way of] exalting. Indeed, He is ever Forbearing and Forgiving." Quran [17:44].

So we conclude that the way they prostrate is definitely different from the way we prostrate. If their exalting is different, then their prostrating should be. The anteater eats the food without nibbling it with his teeth (he doesn't have teeth) let's look at the definition of eat.

 Eat : put (food) into the mouth and chew and swallow it.

This definition is for humans, not all creatures. Get it?

[Syedsamad]

Prostrate here is a general word used to denote that planet worship allah or rather they are abide to the order of allah

[Dr Tazeen]

When we perform sajda we do NOT lie flat on the ground,so its not that everything performing sajdah would be lying flat.

Sajda is simply the tilt or the affect of the gravity or a greater degree of movement towards the gravitational field.