Sajda-e-Taazimi (Prostration out of Respect)

--- Sajda-e-Taazimi in the Holy Quran ---

Allah (swt) has mentioned the order of doing sajdah to Adam (as) almost five times in the holy Qur'an.

1. Al- Baqarah 2:34

2. Al-A'raf 7: 11

3. Bani Israeel 17:61

4. Al-Kahf 18:50

5. Taha 20:116

In above verses Allah (swt) has not only permitted the sajdah of his caliph, but He Himself ordered for it. The one who did sajdah

of Allah for thousands of years (Iblees named azazeel) and denied the sajdah of Adam (as) was considered kafir (2:34), fasiq (18:50) and among those who do not do sajdah at all (20: 116).

Tafseer of Sajdah of Adam (as) from the Imam’s (as):

In a long tradition Imam Raza (as) narrates from his fore fathers upto the Holy Prophet (saww):

إن الله تبارك و تعالى خلق آدم فأودعنا صلبه و أمر الملائكة بالسجود له تعظيما لنا و إكراما و كان سجودهم لله عز و جل عبودية و لآدم إكراما و طاعة لكوننا في صلبه فكيف لا نكون أفضل من الملائكة و قد سجدوا لآدم كلهم أجمعون

"Then the Blessed the Sublime God created Adam, placed us in his loin and ordered the angels to fall in prostration in order to exult and honor us. Their prostration was indeed equal to their worship of the Honorable the Exalted God and a form of honoring and obedience for Adam due to our being in his loin. How could we then not be nobler than the angels while all the angels have fallen in prostration for Adam?”"

[Source: Taweel Al Aayat Pg.836 / Elal ush Sharae Vol.1 Pg.5]

For those who say that the Prostration to Prophet Adam (as) was a specific order of Allah (swt) then read the below verses of the Holy Quran on prostration of Prophet Yunus (as) and others to Prophet Yusuf (as).

إِذْ قَالَ يُوسُفُ لِأَبِيهِ يَا أَبَتِ إِنِّي رَأَيْتُ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوْكَبًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ رَأَيْتُهُمْ لِي سَاجِدِينَ

Behold! Joseph said to his father: "O my father! I did see eleven stars and the sun and the moon: I saw them

prostrate themselves to me!" [Quran 12:4]

وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيْهِ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ وَخَرُّوا لَهُ سُجَّدًا وَقَالَ يَا أَبَتِ هَٰذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُؤْيَايَ مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّي حَقًّا وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بِي إِذْ أَخْرَجَنِي مِنَ السِّجْنِ وَجَاءَ بِكُم مِّنَ الْبَدْوِ مِن بَعْدِ أَن نَّزَغَ الشَّيْطَانُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِي إِنَّ رَبِّي لَطِيفٌ لِّمَا يَشَاءُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ

And he raised his parents high on the throne (of dignity), and they fell down in prostration, (all) before him. He said: "O my father! this is the fulfillment of my vision of old! Allah hath made it come true! He was indeed good to me when He took me out of prison and brought you (all here) out of the desert, (even) after Satan had sown enmity between me and my brothers. Verily my Lord understand best the mysteries of all that He planneth to do, for verily He is full of knowledge and wisdom. [Quran 12:100]

--- 50 Slaves doing prostration to Imam Ali un Naqi (as) ---

١ - عنه مدينة المعاجز: ٥٥١ / ٦٠.

عن محمد بن حمدان، عن إبراهيم بن بلطون، عن أبيه قال: كنت أحجب المتوكل، فأهدي له خمسون غلاما "من الخزر فأمرني أن أتسلمهم وأحسن إليهم، فلما تمت سنة كاملة كنت واقفا " بين يديه إذ دخل عليه أبو الحسن علي بن محمد النقي عليهما السلام، فلما أخذ مجلسه أمرني أن أخرج الغلمان من بيوتهم، فأخرجتهم، فلما بصروا بأبي الحسن عليه السلام سجدوا له بأجمعهم، فلم يتمالك المتوكل أن قام يجر رجليه حتى توارى خلف الستر، ثم نهض أبوالحسن عليه السلام

فلما علم المتوكل بذلك خرج إلي وقال: ويلك يا بلطون، ما هذا الذي فعل هؤلاء الغلمان؟ فقلت: لا والله، ما أدري. قال:

سلهم. فسألتهم عما فعلوا فقالوا: هذا رجل يأتينا كل سنة فيعرض علينا الدين، ويقيم عندنا عشرة أيام، وهو وصي نبي المسلمين.

فأمرني بذبحهم، فذبحتهم عن آخرهم.

فلما كان وقت العتمة صرت إلى أبي الحسن عليه السلام، فإذاخادم على الباب فنظر إلي، فلما بصر بي قال: " ادخل " فدخلت، فإذا هو - عليه السلام - جالس فقال: " يا بلطون ما صنع القوم؟ " فقلت:

يا ابن رسول الله ذبحوا والله عن آخرهم، فقال لي: " كلهم؟ " فقلت:

إي والله.

فقال عليه السلام: " أتحب أن تراهم؟ " قلت: نعم، يا ابن رسول الله. فأومأ بيده أن ادخل الستر، فدخلت فإذا أنا بالقوم قعود وبين أيديهم فاكهة يأكلون.

It is narrated from Muhammed s/o Hamdan, from Ibrahim s/o Baltun, from his father, he said: “ I was one of the gatekeepers of Mutawaakil. One day fifty slaves were gifted to him by Khazar, mutawakkil ordered me to take their custody and treat them well.

A year later, I was in the court of Mutawakkil, while Abul-Hasan Imam Ali Ibn Muhammed An-Naqi(as) arrived, while Imam(as) took his seat, Mutawakkil ordered me to bring out those slaves from their shelters, hence I brought all of them. When they came, they all fell in Sajdah (ta’zimi) for Abul-Hasan(as) as soon as they saw him. Mutawwakkil couldn’t control his anger on seeing this, stood up and walked out, hiding himself behind the curtain. After a while Imam Abul-hasan(as) left.

When Mutawakkil realized that he(as) has gone away, he came out and screamed in anger; “ Woe unto you O Baltun! What have these slaves done?

I replied: “ By Allah(swt), I do not know at all”.

He said: ask them, then I asked them about their action. They replied: “This (holy) person comes to us every year for ten days and teaches us religion and he is the vicegerent of Holy Prophet(saww)”.

Then Mutawakkil ordered me to kill them, then I had to kill all of them.

Later that evening I went to Abul-Hasan(as), as I reached his door, the slave of Imam(as) looked at me, recognized me and allowed me to go inside. Then I eneterd the house.

Imam Hadi(as) was sitting, he asked: “What happened to those people O Baltun!?

I replied: “ By Allah(swt), all of them were killed.”

Imam(as) asked: “All of them?”

I replied: “Yes by Allah(swt).”

He(as) said: “Would you like to see them?”

I replied: “ Yes O, the son of Prophet(saww)!”

He(as) pointed toward a curtain and told me to enter, as soon as I entered, I saw all of them were sitting (alive) and eating fruits kept in front of them!

[Source: As Saqib Fil Manaqib Pg:529]

http://shiaonlinelibrary.com/الكتب/1341_الثاقب-في-المناقب-ابن-حمزة-الطوسي/الصفحة_529

Imam Baqir (as) narrates:

علي بن محمد وغيره، عن سهل بن زياد، عن محمد بن الوليد شباب الصيرفي عن مالك بن إسماعيل النهدي، عن عبدالسلام بن حارث، عن سالم بن أبي حفصة العجلي، عن أبي جعفر (عليه السلام) قال: كان في رسول الله صلى ثلاثة، لم تكن في أحد غيره لم يكن له فيئ وكان لا يمر في طريق فيمر فيه بعد يومين أو ثلاثة إلا عرف أنه قد مر فيه لطيب عرفه وكان لا يمر بحجر ولا بشجر إلا سجد له

"The Holy Prophet (saww) had 3 things which none other than him had. There was no shadow of the Prophet (saww). From where ever the Prophet (saww) used to pass such a smell use to come for 3 days that people came to know that the Prophet (saww) had passed from here. And which ever stone and tree the Prophet (saww) passed by they fell in his prostration (out of respect)."

[Source: Al Kafi Vol.1 Pg.442]

http://al-shia.org/html/ara/books/lib-hadis/al-kafi-1/14.htm#03

It is narrated from Imam Raza (as):

ومثل المؤمنين في قبولهم ولاء أمير المؤمنين في يوم غدير خم كمثل الملائكة في سجودهم لآدم، ومثل من أبى الولاية مثل إبليس

"The similitude of the believers in accepting the guardianship (Wilayah) of the Commander of the Believers (Ali) on the day of Ghadir Khum is that of the angels in prostrating before Adam, and the similitude of the one who rejected the Wilayah is that of the devil (Iblis)."

[Source: Iqbal Al-Amaal - Sayed Ibn Taoos, Pg.465]