سورة الإسراء

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Dawud al-Raqqi said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the verse: وَ إِنْ مِنْ شَیْءٍ إِلَّا یُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَلَکِنْ لَا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِیحَهُمْ [And there is not a single thing but glorifies Him with His praise, but you do not understand their glorification]. He said: "The sound that is heard from walls due to their cracking and weakening is their glorification."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Zurarah said: I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about the verse: وَ إِنْ مِنْ شَیْءٍ إِلَّا یُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ [And there is not a single thing but glorifies Him with His praise]. He said: "Everything glorifies Him with His praise, and in our view the cracking of the wall is [in reality] its glorification."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Mas'adah ibn Sadaqah said: Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) narrated from his father: A man came to him and said: "... meaning, does a dry tree glorify Allah?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "Yes! Have you not heard how the timbers of the roof of a house make cracking and creaking sounds? That is their glorification. In every state, Allah is pure and free of imperfection."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Regarding His statement, the Exalted: وَ إِنْ مِنْ شَیْءٍ إِلَّا یُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ [And there is not a single thing but glorifies Him with His praise]; the motion of every thing is its glorification of Allah the Mighty and Majestic.

Imam Husayn (peace be upon him)- Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) was asked in his childhood about the sounds of animals, because one of the conditions of the Imam (peace be upon him) is that he knows all languages, even the sounds of animals. According to the narration of Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Harith al-Tamimi, Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) said: When the vulture cries out, it says: "O son of Adam! Live as long as you wish, for its end is death." And when the falcon calls out, it says: "O Knower of all hidden things, and O Remover of afflictions." And when the peacock cries, it says: "O my Master! I have wronged myself and been deceived by my adornment, so forgive me." And when the francolin (a small, colourful bird) sings, it says: "The Most Merciful, who is established upon the Throne. (Ta Ha/5)." And when the rooster crows, it says: "Whoever knows Allah will not forget His remembrance." And when the domestic hen clucks, it says: "O True Object of worship! You are the Truth and Your word is the Truth, O Allah, O Truth." And when the sparrowhawk calls, it says: "I have believed in Allah and the Last Day." And when the kite sings, it says: "Trust in Allah, you will be sustained." And when the eagle cries, it says: "Whoever obeys Allah will not be wretched." And when the shahin (a kind of falcon) sings, it says: "I glorify Allah truly, truly." And when the owl calls, it says: "In distance from people there is comfort." And when the crow calls, it says: "O Sustainer, send lawful sustenance." And when the crane sings, it says: "O Allah, protect me from [the evil of] my enemy." And when the stork sings, it says: "Whoever is not with people is safe from their harm." And when the duck cries out, it says: "O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness." And when the hoopoe calls, it says: "How wretched is the one who disobeys Allah." And the turtledove, when it sings, says: "O Knower of the inner self and secret whispers, O Allah." And the wild pigeon in its song says: "You are Allah, there is no god but You, O Allah." And when the magpie sings, it says: "I glorify Allah, from whom nothing hidden is concealed." And when the parrot sings, it says: "Whoever remembers his Lord, his sin is forgiven." And the sparrow in its song says: "I seek forgiveness from that which angers Allah." And the nightingale, when it sings, says: "Truly and in reality, there is no god except Allah the One." And when the partridge sings, it says: "Nearness to the Truth is [true] closeness." And the quail in its song says: "O son of Adam! What has made you heedless of death?" And the shahin in its song says: "There is no god except Allah the One, and Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his family (are Allah's chosen ones)." And when the ringdove calls, it says: "O One, O Only, O Unique, O Self-Sufficient." And when the shiqrraq (a kind of crow) sings, it says: "O my Master, free me from the fire of Hell." And when the hoopoe sings, it says: "My Master! Forgive the sins of all sinners." And the turtledove in its song says: "If You do not forgive my sin, I am wretched." The shifnin (a kind of dove) says: "There is no power except with Allah, the Most High, the Great." And when the ostrich cries out, it says: "There is no object of worship except Allah." And when the swallow calls, it recites Surah al-Hamd and says: "O Acceptor of the repentance of the repentant, O Allah, praise belongs to You." And when the giraffe cries out, it says: "There is no god except Allah the One, and He is unique." The little lamb, when it bleats, says: "Death is sufficient as a counsellor." And when the kid goat calls, it says: "O my death, hasten, for my sin has grown heavy and increased." When the lion roars, it says: "The command of Allah is weighty, weighty." And when the ox calls out, it says: "O son of Adam! Wait, wait, you are before One who sees and is not seen, and He is Allah." And when the elephant cries out, it says: "No strength or stratagem avails against death [nothing prevents dying]." And when the cheetah calls, it says: "O Unconquerable, O Overpowering, O Possessor of Greatness and Majesty, O Allah." And when the camel bellows, it says: "I glorify the One who humbles the tyrants, I glorify Him." And when the horse neighs, it says: "I glorify our Lord, I glorify Him." And when the wolf howls, it says: "Whatever Allah preserves shall never be lost [ruined]." And when the jackal calls, it says: "Woe, woe to the sinner who persists in his sin." And when the dog barks, it says: "Sins are enough for humiliation and disgrace." And when the hare cries out, it says: "O Allah, do not destroy me, praise belongs to You." And the fox with its voice says: The world is the abode of deception. And when the deer cries out, it says: "Save me from harm and injury." And when the rhinoceros bellows, it says: "O my Master! Come to my aid, otherwise I will perish." And when the camel cries out, it says: "Allah is sufficient for me and He is the best Protector, Allah is sufficient for me." And when the leopard roars, it says: "I glorify the One who, through power, is unconquerable and honoured." And when the snake glorifies, it says: "How wretched is the one who disobeys You, O Most Merciful." And the scorpion in its glorification says: "Evil is a terrifying thing." Then he said: "Allah has not created anything except that it has a glorification with which it praises its Lord." And then His Eminence recited this verse: "وَ إِنْ مِنْ شَیْءٍ إِلَّا یُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَ لکِنْ لا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِیحَهُمْ [And there is not a single thing but glorifies Him with His praise, but you do not understand their glorification]."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) forbade branding animals on their faces and striking their faces, because that animal glorifies and praises its Lord.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): No bird is caught, whether on land or at sea, and no wild animal is hunted, except because it has been negligent in the tasbih (glorification) and remembrance of Allah.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): An animal has six rights upon its owner: he should not load it beyond its capacity, he should not, while mounted upon it, halt it to converse with others, when he dismounts he should give the animal fodder, he should not brand or mark its face, he should not strike it — for that animal too glorifies Allah — and whenever he passes by water he should offer it to the animal.

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) entered upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and found him in sajdah (prostration). When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) rose from sajdah, he struck Ali's (peace be upon him) shoulder with his blessed hand and said: "O Ali (peace be upon him)! Take us to your house — perhaps we may find some food there, for we have been informed that you received a dinar (a gold coin) from Abu Jabalah!" The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) set off, while Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) felt embarrassed before the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), due to the severity of hunger, had tightly bound a stone against his belly. Then they (the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and Ali (peace be upon him)) knocked on the door of Fatimah's (peace be upon her) house. When Fatimah's (peace be upon her) glance fell upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and she saw hunger apparent on his face, she swiftly returned inside the house and said: "Alas, for the helplessness [and shame] before Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) — as though Abu al-Hasan (peace be upon him) does not know that from three days ago until now we have nothing in the house [to eat]." Then she entered a private chamber she had, offered two rak'ahs of prayer, and whispered [to Allah thus]: "O Allah of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! This is Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), Your Prophet, and Fatimah (peace be upon her) is Your Prophet's daughter, and Ali (peace be upon him) is Your Prophet's son-in-law and his cousin, and these two, Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them), are the grandsons — through his daughter — of Your Prophet. O Allah! The Children of Israel asked You to send down upon them a table of food from the heavens, and You sent it down for them, and [despite this] they disbelieved in it. O Allah! The Family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) [if You send down a table of food upon them] will not disbelieve in it." When she gave the salam of the prayer and turned her face to right and left, suddenly she was faced with a large vessel full of bread greased with oil and cooked meat. She lifted it and placed it before the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) stretched out his hand toward the vessel of food, whereupon the vessel of food together with the bread and meat glorified Allah. At that moment the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) recited this verse: وَ إِنْ مِنْ شَیْءٍ إِلَّا یُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ [And there is not a single thing but glorifies Him with His praise]. Then he said: "O Ali (peace be upon him)! Eat from the sides of the vessel and do not destroy the top of the food, for blessing lies within it."