MUSLIM ATTITUDES TOWARDS () II. THE PROMINENCE AND MEANING OF PROSTRATION IN MUSLIM LITERATURE

Images and traditions describing all types of are widely diffused in Muslim literature. As was discussed in an earlier article1, the impact of the Prophet’s teachings upon the traditional Arab reluctance towards prostration (sujud) is clearly discernable throughout ancient Arab and early Muslim traditions. However, contrasting trends and the intertwining of Arab and Muslim conceptions also permeate later litera- ture, and in particular qiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ collections, where there is a large body of evidence concerning sujud. In this article the particularities of these traditions will be discussed, with the aim of accounting for the prominence of the sujud in these reports, and pointing out its meaning. To that end this article has been divided into three parts, thus reflecting the differing meanings of the act of the prostration. The first part deals with the traditions describing prostrations to Almighty, as a symbol of true faith; the second discusses images of the prostration reflecting the old conception that to receive a sujud constitutes recognition of hon- our or supremacy; finally the third and last part of this article deals with prostration as sign of evil behaviour, if performed before anything other than God, i.e. before men or idols2.

1. Prostration as a sign of high devoutness and of Muslim faith For the Muslim believer prostration is the highest act of devotion and it is the symbol of his submission to God Almighty. Its importance in the

1 See R. Tottoli, “Muslim attitudes towards prostration (sujud). I”, and prostra- tion at the beginning of and in the Qur’an”, Studia Islamica, 87 (1998). I have also written the following articles in relation to sujud: “Traditions and controversies concern- ing the sujud al-Qur’an in Ìadith literature”, ZDMG, 147 (1997), 371-93; and “The thanksgiving prostration (sujud al-shukr) in Muslim traditions”, BSOAS, 61 (1998), 309- 13. I started my research concerning sujud while I was in during the years 1993-94 for my PhD studies programme at the Dipartimento di Studi e Ricerche su Africa e Paesi Arabi of the Istituto Universitario Orientale, Naples; I would like to thank the Lady Davis Fellowship Trust that granted me a scholarship to study at the Hebrew Uni- versity. Concerning my research on sujud, I am indebted to Prof. M.J. Kister for many discussions about this subject when I was in Jerusalem and for his most valuable sugges- tions. I would also like to thank the Concordance of the Poetry at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and especially the director Prof. A. Arazi. 2 For a similar analysis, containing parallel versions of some of these traditions, about the different kinds of prostration in the Old Testament, see Preuss s.v. Ìwh in Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, ed. by G.J. Botterweck and H. Ringgren, transl. by D.E. Green, IV, Grand Rapids 1980, 250-56. 406 R. TOTTOLI conduct of a good Muslim is also underlined by various legendary re- ports about the creation of the world which emphasize the importance of the sujud in the cult of God. In an interesting version of the cosmogony story in which an , a bull and a whale hold up the world, it is related that this whale had al- ready asked God for permission to fall down prostrate. God had granted His permission to it and the whale prostrated itself and it will go on do- ing so, with its head plunged in the water, until the day of the Resurrec- tion3. According to another report attributed to Ka‘b al-AÌbar (d. 32/ 652)4, every believer has an image or a statue (timthal) similar to him under the of God; when the believer prostrates himself on earth in , the image prostrates itself too, and the see it and ask God to grant forgiveness to the believer5. Some other traditions dealing with the prodigious tales of the eschatological times seek to underline the importance of prostration. In a long report going back to Ibn ‘Abbas (d. 68/687)6 where the fate of the sun and the moon on the day of Resur- rection is described, it is said that they fall prostrate under the Throne every day, along with the angels, but that day they will stay prostrate and they will ask God for His permission to rise again, but God will not an- swer7. Îadith collections relate a shorter tradition where the Prophet 3 See Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘ al-zuhur fi waqa’i‘ al-duhur, Beirut n.d., 9; in a version given by Tha‘labi it is the bull called Bahmut which prostrates itself: Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ al-musamma ‘ara’is al-majalis, Cairo 1954, 357; about this legend, see R. Tottoli, “Un mito cosmogonico nelle QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ di al-™a‘labi”, Annali di Ca’ Foscari, 18,3, serie orientale 20 (1989), 49-59. In the QiÒaÒ al-Qur’an of al-HayÒam b. MuÌammad (Prince- ton, Ms Yahuda 49, 2a) a report states that the first things created, the Pen (qalam) and the Tablet (lawÌ), fell down prostrate to God. See also Ibn al-Jawzi, Talbis , Beirut 1983, 192: after the creation of the letters of the alphabet, the ba’ prostrated itself to God. 4 He was a Jewish convert to Islam and a famous transmitter of traditions dealing with the prophets; see on him M. Lidzbarski, De propheticis, quae dicuntur, legendis arabicis, Leipzig 1893, 31-40; I. Wolfensohn, Ka‘b al-AÌbar und seine Stellung in Îadi† und in der islamischen Legendenliteratur, Gelnhausen 1933; and B. Chapira, “Légendes bibli- ques attribuées a Ka‘b el-Ahbar”, REJ, 69 (1919), 86-107, 70 (1920), 37-43; M. Perl- mann, “A legendary story of Ka‘b al-AÌbar’s conversion to Islam”, in The Starr Memorial Volume, New York 1953, 85-99; M. Perlmann, “Another Ka‘b al-AÌbar story”, JQR, 45 (1954-55), 48-58. 5 Sib† b. al-Jawzi, Mir’at al-zaman fi ta’rikh al-a‘yan, I, ed. by I. ‘Abbas, Beirut 1985, 170; see also Îijri (Ps-Wahb), QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, Alexandria, Ms Baladiyya B1249, 20a, concerning a sujud by the . 6 He is considered the father of Qur’an exegesis; on Ibn ‘Abbas see Encyclopaedia of Islam (= EI2), Leiden-London 1960f., s.v. (L. Veccia Vaglieri), and C. Gilliot, “Portrait «mythique» d’Ibn ‘Abbas”, Arabica, 32 (1985), 127-184. 7 ™abari, Ta’rikh al-rusul wa-l-muluk, ed. by M.A. al-F. Ibrahim, Cairo 1960-69, I,64, 70-71 [ = ed. M.J. de Goeje et al., Leiden 1879f., I,61, 69-70]; see different traditions about the same subject in AÌmad b. Îanbal, Musnad, ed. by ‘A.M. al-Darwish, Beirut 1991, II,643 no. 6898; , al-Bidaya wa-l-nihaya, Beirut-Riyadh 1966, I,32; and Maqdisi, al-Bad’ wa-l-ta’rikh, Cairo n.d. (an. repr. ed. C. Huart, Paris 1899-1919), II,22. See the interesting report passed on by Baghdadi (al-Shaykh al-Mufid), Kitab al-IkhtiÒaÒ, Najaf 1971, 213-14: every day and night the sun prostrates itself four times. MUSLIM ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROSTRATION (SUJUD) 407 himself said that every day the sun arrives under the Throne, prostrates itself and asks permission to rise, but a day will come when it will be ordered to rise from the west8. Naturally, the angels in heaven are solicitous in praising God Al- mighty and in submitting to His will and many religious traditions tell about their prostrations. Their devoted attitude is reflected in the reports describing their prostrations. In fact MuÌammad said that in the sky there is not even the space of four fingers where there is not an angel prostrating9. Some other traditions state that these angels belong to a special category given to devotion to God (mala’ikat al-‘ibada), which is one of the three categories of angels: those standing, those bending and, finally, those prostrating10. Even the high position of results

8 Bukhari, ∑aÌiÌ, Beirut 1992, VI,330 no. 4802, VIII,534-35 no. 7424; Muslim, ∑aÌiÌ, ed. by M.F. ‘Abd al-Baqi, Cairo 1991, I,139 no. 159; AÌmad b. Îanbal, Musnad, VIII,81-82 no. 21410, VIII,106 no. 21515, VIII,129 no. 21597; Tirmidhi, al-Jami‘ al- ÒaÌiÌ, Cairo 1962, IV,479 no. 2186; Daylami, al-Firdaws bi-ma’thur al-khi†ab, Beirut 1986, V, 342 no. 8378; al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-‘ummal fi sunan al-aqwal wa-l- af‘al, Beirut 1989, VI,172-173 no. 15244: see also the references given here, no. 15246; Ibn al-Jawzi, al-MuntaÂam fi ta’rikh al-muluk wa-l-umam, Beirut 1992, I,187; Sib† b. al- Jawzi, Mir’at, 144; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, I,31. In various versions this tradition is given in the Qur’anic commentaries as a comment upon Qur.36:38 or other verses dealing with sujud; see for instance Muqatil b. Sulayman, Tafsir, ed. by ‘A.M. ShiÌata, Cairo 1979-90, III,579; Samarqandi, Tafsir, Beirut 1993, III,99; ‘Abd al-Razzaq, Tafsir, Riyadh 1989, II,142; ™abari, Jami‘ al-bayan ‘an ta’wil ay al-Qur’an, Cairo 1968, XXIII,5; Ibn al- Jawzi, Zad al-masir fi ‘ilm al-tafsir, Damascus-Beirut 1965, IV,454; Suyu†i, al-Durr al- manthur fi l-tafsir al-ma’thur, Beirut 1983, VII,56; Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, Beirut n.d., III,910-11. 9 AÌmad b. Îanbal, Musnad, VIII,121 no. 21572; Tirmidhi, al-Jami‘, IV,556 no. 2312; Ibn Maja, Sunan, ed. by F.M. ‘Abd al-Baqi, Cairo n.d., II,1402 no. 4190; al-Îakim al-Nisaburi, al-Mustadrak ‘ala l-ÒaÌiÌayn, Beirut 1990, II,554 no. 3883, IV,587 no. 8633, IV,623 no. 8726; Daylami, al-Firdaws, I,77 no. 233; al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz, X,363-4 no. 29829, X,367 no. 29838; Ibn al-Jawzi, al-MuntaÂam, I,193: some more references in n.1; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, I,42; Sib† b. al-Jawzi, Mir’at, 135. This Ìadith is also quoted by some tafsirs as a comment on Qur. 76:1. See also the different version in Maqdisi, al- Bad’, I,175: maw∂i‘ shibr, with the isnad: Abu Îudhayfa (IsÌaq b. Bishr) > Muqatil (b. Sulayman) > ‘A†a’, and also II,11: maw∂i‘ qadam. Further reports, containing a variety of particulars which will be not discussed at length here, indicate the readiness of the angels in prostrating themselves; see for instance Ibn Rajab al-Baghdadi, al-Takhwif min al-nar, Beirut n.d., 98, 100: together with prophets the ; Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 179: angels fall down prostrate when they hear the invocations by Jonas; Hannad b. al- Sari, Kitab al-Zuhd, al-Kuwayt 1985, I,129 no. 168; Îijri (Ps-Wahb), QiÒaÒ, 9b; Muqatil, Tafsir, III,531,532: when they heard the revelation, they fell down prostrate for fear of the Last Day; see also ‘Abd al-Razzaq, al-MuÒannaf, ed. by Î. al-R. al-A‘Âami, Beirut 1983, III,565-6 no. 6702; Haythami, Majma‘ al-zawa’id wa-manba‘ al-fawa’id, Beirut 1967, II,327: the angels prostrate themselves together with the dead ascending to Heaven. 10 Ps-AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ (in the Kitab al-shamil), London, Ms British Library or. 1493, 5b. See, about the categories of the angels, Maqdisi, al-Bad’, I,171; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, I,42-43,50; and a tradition in ™abarani, al-Mu‘jam al-kabir, Cairo n.d., II,184 no. 1751; GhaÂali, IÌya’ ‘ulum al-din, Cairo 1939, I,152. See also the similar traditions in IsÌaq b. Bishr, Mubtada’ al-dunya wa-qiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ms 408 R. TOTTOLI from his great devotion: a tradition describing the creation of the angels states that he is the favourite angel of God because he falls down pros- trate on earth and he addresses his praises to God11. Also Iblis, before he fell from grace, would prostrate himself repeatedly: there was no place in the lower sky in which he did not prostrate himself12. It is thus clear, from these reports, that the angels are a model of devotion and that in their solicitude all Muslims can find a stimulation to imitate their behav- iour or, at least, not forget prostration. The relevance of sujud in Muslim religious conception is also evident in the way the past was interpreted in Muslim historiography: almost all the prophets, as role models for the believer, are described while pros- trating themselves to God on different occasions during their lives. This material is collected in Qur’an commentaries, but mostly in qiÒaÒ al- anbiya’ literature13. The first prophet mentioned in connection to the prostration is of course , the first man, who, when he arrived on earth, fell down prostrate asking God’s forgiveness for his sin. Adam prostrated himself for a long time and the sources also relate other par- ticulars concerning this episode14.

Huntingdon 388, 4b: these are the angels of the fourth sky, see also 7b, 177b; Qazwini, ‘Aja’ib al-makhluqat wa-ghara’ib al-mawjudat, Cairo 1966, 35-36; Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 367: it is the angel Rafa’il to describe the different classes of angels, see also Id., 14: the an- gels of the sixth sky; Ibn al-Dawadari, Kanz al-durar wa-jami‘ al-ghurar, I, ed. by B. Radtke, Wiesbaden 1982, 72: the angels of the third sky; see also Ibn al-Jawzi, al- MuntaÂam, I,289; Ibn Îajar, al-IÒaba fi tamyiz al-ÒaÌaba, Beirut n.d., II,117: from IsÌaq b. Bishr; Siyar al-anbiya’, (Anonymous), London, Ms British Library, or. 1510, 61b; Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 166. See also AÌmad b. Îanbal, Kitab al-zuhd, Beirut 1986, 130. 11 IsÌaq b. Bishr, Mubtada’, 8a, and see also 38a; some traditions relate that Gabriel was the first to fall down prostrate when God ordered the angels to prostrate themselves to Adam; see Tottoli, “Muslim attitudes towards prostration (sujud). I”, n. 96; Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 51: the angel ‘Azraya’il stays in sujud for fourty years; see also Suyu†i, al- KhaÒa’iÒ al-kubra, Beirut n.d., I,94: about two sujuds performed by Gabriel towards the Ka‘ba. 12 Sib† b. al-Jawzi, Mir’at, 131. 13 See for instance IsÌaq b. Bishr, Mubtada’, 65b-66b, where all the prophets fall prostrate to God in a long tradition dealing with the pact between God and Adam’s off- spring; cf. al-HayÒam, QiÒaÒ, 18b-19a. 14 IsÌaq b. Bishr, Mubtada’, 49b: fourty days, 56a; Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, ed. by I. Eisenberg, Leiden 1922-23, 56, 58; Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 35: without mentioning a sujud by Adam he states that Adam did not raise his head for three hundred years. Ibn al-Jawzi, al- TabÒira, Beirut 1970, I,16; and Id., al-MuntaÂam, I,213; and Sib† b. al-Jawzi, Mir’at, 206: sujud of one hundred years in India. See also La†a’if al-anbiya’, (Anonymous), Paris, Ms Bibl. Nat. ar. 1926, 74a; QiÒaÒ al-anbiya (Kitab al-majalis ‘ala ‘ilm al-ta’rikh), Berlin, Ms Staatsbibliothek, or. quart. 1171, 144a; Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh madinat Dimashq, facsimile ed., Amman n.d., II,631, II,636: fourty days; and Majlisi, BiÌar al- anwar al-jami‘a li-durar akhbar al-a’imma al-a†har, Beirut 1983, XI,162: fourty days, see also XI,211: Adam cried for a hundred years and then performed a long prostration of three days; the last tradition is also quoted by Ayyashi, Tafsir, Beirut 1991, I,59. Also the king Gayomarth prostrated himself to God, see Diyarbakri, Ta’rikh al-khamis fi aÌwal anfas nafis, Beirut n.d., I,65. MUSLIM ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROSTRATION (SUJUD) 409

QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ literature deals with the prostration of the prophets following Adam. , for instance, asked God to die while prostrating himself and he prostrated himself when he interceded for Harut and Marut15. Also ∑aliÌ prostrated himself, both in the period preceding his prophetical mission before starting to summon his people, and at the end of his life when he was glad to see that some of his people had become believers16. When God asked the mountains which one of them would receive the Ark of , the mount Abu Qubays was chosen because of its humble behaviour: one report even states that God chose it because it fell down prostrate17. The major prophets preceding MuÌammad are also the most solicitous in prostrating themselves. ’s high rank is attested to by the fact that he fell down prostrate on earth the moment he was born. Moreover, one of the privileges he received from God was that the ground could not see his intimate parts when he was prostrating himself, and further he was named khalil (friend) because of the great number of his sujuds18. Abraham, like Idris before him, asked the Angel of death to let him die while he was prostrating himself and he also fell down prostrate when the angels, who were bringing the message of the birth of his son, re- vealed the reason of their visit to him19. Abraham also performed an- other sujud with his son , when God intervened as Abraham was about to sacrifice his son. Some other reports state that his son had asked him to be sacrificed prostrate20. In the stories of various traditions point to sujuds of devotion that he and his father performed. Joseph fell down prostrate and called for God when Gabriel visited him in prison and reproached him for not having invoked God to be released21. Jacob, in turn, prostrated

15 IsÌaq b. Bishr, Mubtada’, 93b-94a; HayÒam, QiÒaÒ, 25b. 16 See Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 114; IsÌaq b. Bishr, Mubtada’, 150b. Regarding other prostra- tions performed by ∑aliÌ, see Majlisi, BiÌar, XI,383; Îijri, QiÒaÒ, 140a, 141b: sujud shu- kran; QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, (Anonymous), Cambridge, Ms University Library Add. 3258, 12a. 17 Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 23. Other traditions also recount that the prophet Noah prostrated himself to God, see QiÒaÒ al-anbiya, Ms Staatsbibliothek, or. quart. 1171, 157a. 18 Îijri, QiÒaÒ, 155a. Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 99; Majlisi, BiÌar, XII,4. 19 Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 88; Diyarbakri, Ta’rikh, I,108. IsÌaq b. Bishr, Mubtada’, 190a; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, I,161, and see I,153: he prostrated himself when informed of the birth of . 20 Ps-AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 25a; al-Îakim al-Nisaburi, al-Mustadrak, II,610 no. 4049; see also HayÒam, QiÒaÒ, 52a: a thanksgiving prostration. We even have evidence of other prostrations by Hagar, and Isaac, in reports that indicate their great devotion to God, see Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 143: Hagar, 150: Isaac prostrated himself immediately after his birth, 152: Sara; Majlisi, BiÌar, XII,122: the son asked Abraham to be sacrificed while in sujud. 21 Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 166; see also Majlisi, BiÌar, XII,268. 410 R. TOTTOLI himself in thanksgiving to God when he was informed by Malik b. Dhu‘r that Joseph was not dead, and later on, when Joseph’s shirt was thrown at him so that he knew his son was still alive22. Another prophet who was very solicitous in prostrations, as the sources show, was : when Iblis managed to tempt him, he was prostrate, and even when his affliction was at its worst he never ceased to prostrate himself and to call for God23. Reports of this kind are also recounted in connection with . There is a of evidence in the Qur’an and in later literature regarding many episodes of his life and these traditions describe Moses’ great de- votion and his numerous prostrations. It is said, for instance, that Moses prostrated himself when he saw an angel in the middle of the road to , or before the burning bush, or with , or when he called God for help against Korah24. Other characters connected to the life of Moses are described as having the same pious behaviour, such as his mother, or the carpenter that constructed the box in which Moses was abandoned in the , or al-Khi∂r, or the seventy men Moses chose to

22 See Muqatil, Tafsir, II,326; Majlisi, BiÌar, XII,310; and, concerning the second episode, Kashani, Kitab al-Òafi fi tafsir al-Qur’an, Tehran n.d., III,45; Nuwayri, Nihayat al-arab fi funun al-adab, Cairo 1923-85, XIII,154. 23 See, concerning the sujud by Job, AÌmad b. Îanbal, Kitab al-zuhd, 72-73; ™abari, Ta’rikh, I,323 [ = I,363]; ™abari, Jami‘, XVII,59; Maqdisi, al-Bad’, III,73; Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil fi l-ta’rikh, Beirut 1965, I,128-30; Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 156, 161-2; Siyar al- anbiya’, 89b, 91a, 92a; Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 181; Samarqandi, Tafsir, II,375; Mawardi, al- Nukat wa-l-‘uyun, Beirut 1992, III,462; Sib† b. al-Jawzi, Mir’at, 380-81; Ibn al-Jawzi, al- MuntaÂam, I,323 and Id., al-TabÒira, I,193; Majlisi, BiÌar, XII,353,369,371; La†a’if al- anbiya’, 73b; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, I,222; Suyu†i, al-Durr, V,654; HayÒam, QiÒaÒ, 84a; Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIII,159-60; Ibshihi, al-Musta†raf fi kull fann mustaÂraf, Beirut 1991, II,498; and Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh, III,254. 24 ™abari, Ta’rikh, I,391 [ = I,451]: to the angel because he was afraid; Suyu†i, al- Durr, VI,402: to the angel; ™arafi, QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, Biblioteca Vaticana, Ms Borg. 125, 107b (= ed. by R. Tottoli in Le QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ di ™arafi, tesi di dottorato, Isti- tuto Universitario Orientale, Napoli 1996, 286): to the angel; Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil, I,175; Majlisi, BiÌar, XIII,359: when talking with God; Ps-AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 38b: Moses fell down prostrate before the burning bush; HayÒam, QiÒaÒ, 96a: before the burning bush; Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 216: against ; Ibn al-Jawzi, al-TabÒira, I,253, and Id., al-MuntaÂam, I,367: against Korah; HayÒam, QiÒaÒ, 119b: against Korah; ™abari, Ta’rikh, I,449 [ = I,524]: against Korah; Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil, I,205: against Korah; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, I,310: against Korah. Concerning a prostration by Moses when he heard a voice, see IsÌaq b. Bishr, Mubtada’, 119b; Azraqi, Akhbar Makka, ed. by R. al-∑. MalÌas, Beirut 19833, I,69; and when talking with God: HayÒam, QiÒaÒ, 114b; Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh, XVII,358. See also Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, I,279, and Id., Tafsir, II,62: along with Aaron; Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh, XVII,304: after his birth; Muqatil, Tafsir, II,66: when he received the ; and see also Abu Nu‘aym, Îilyat al-awliya’ wa- †abaqat al-aÒfiya’, Cairo-Beirut 1986, VI,18, 35. And see ‘Amili, al-Jawahir al-saniyya fi l-aÌadith al-qudsiyya, Najaf 1964, 33, for instructions from God about how to perform the sujud. MUSLIM ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROSTRATION (SUJUD) 411 meet God: all of whom fell down prostrate to God25. The magicians de- feated by Moses became Muslims and prostrated themselves; also the giant Og prostrated himself to ask for forgiveness, as did and even the Pharaoh, who performed sujud and called for God without his people knowing26. Similar images, in which prostration is the most important indication of devotion to God, can be also found in the biographies of and . The Qur’an states that David fell down on earth bending his back (kharra raki‘an; Qur.38:24) when he recognized his sin, but ex- egetical literature usually states that this ‘ was actually a sujud and many reports describe this long prostration27. Nevertheless, apart from this episode, David was particularly renowned in Muslim traditions as a model of devotion and there is a large body of evidence regarding his sujuds28. The same can be said for Solomon, whose deep faith is well

25 Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 211: his mother; Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 124: his mother. Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 169: the carpenter; about the prostration of the seventy chosen by Moses, see Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 212; Muqatil, Tafsir, I,117; ™arafi, QiÒaÒ, 118a ( = Tottoli, Le QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ di ™arafi, 316); ™abari, Jami‘, I,291; Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil, I,192; Ibn Hisham, al-Sira al- nabawiyya, ed. by M. al-Saqqa et al., Cairo 1955, I, 537. And see Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 135: al-Khi∂r owes his name to the fact that every place where he prostrated himself turned green; ‘Umara b. Wathima, Bad’ al-khalq wa-qiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, ed. in R.G. Khoury, Les légendes prophétiques dans l’Islam depuis le Ier jusqu’au IIIe siècle de l’Hégire, Wiesbaden 1978, 23: al-Khi∂r; Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh, XVII,388: a prostration by the wife of Moses. 26 Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 228: Balaam, 234: Og; Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 238: Balaam; Siyar al- anbiya’, 104b: the magicians did not raise their heads until they saw Heaven and Hell; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, I,256: when the magicians prostrated themselves they were able to see their rank in ; the prostration performed by the magicians is mentioned in the Qur’an: 7:120, 20:70 and 26:46. See also Sib† b. al-Jawzi, Mir’at, 411; Siyar al-anbiya’, 107b, concerning the sujud of the Pharaoh; and see the other references and the discus- sion of this tradition in R. Tottoli, “Il Faraone nelle tradizioni islamiche: alcune note in margine alla questione della sua conversione”, Quaderni di Studi Arabi, 14 (1996), 28- 29. Also those worshipping the Calf asked for forgiveness and fell down prostrate, see HayÒam, QiÒaÒ, 116b, and 123b, concerning Joshua. 27 See Muqatil, Tafsir, III,641; ™abari, Jami‘, XXIII,146; Samarqandi, Tafsir, III,133; ™abari, Ta’rikh, I,483-4 [ = I,568-70]; Ibn al-Mubarak, Kitab al-zuhd, Cairo n.d., 103 no. 472f.; AÌmad b. Îanbal, Kitab al-zuhd, 115; Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 282f.; Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 261,263 and see 265, where the invocation pronounced by David during his sujud is quoted; Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 143; and see Ibn al-Jawzi, al-TabÒira, I,277, 279; Siyar al- anbiya’, 129b; Ps-AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 55b; Ibn al-Murajja, Fa∂a’il Bayt al-Maqdis wa-l- Khalil wa-l-Sham, ed. by O. Livne-Kafri, Shfaram 1995, 245 no. 367; Ibn Qudama al- Maqdisi, Kitab al-tawwabin, ed. by G. Maqdisi, Damascus 1961, 16 no. 39; Sib† b. al- Jawzi, Mir’at, 482, 487; ‘Umara b. Wathima, Bad’, 110; R.G. Khoury, Wahb b. Munabbih, Wiesbaden 1972, I,80; Majlisi, BiÌar, XIV,27; Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIV,66- 67; Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh, V,710. 28 Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 307: he fell down prostrate while building the Temple; Ps-AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 58a: before the building of the Temple; Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 268, 276; Ibn Kathir, al- Bidaya, II,17: he died while he was prostrating himself. See also Mujir al-Din, al-Uns al- jalil bi-ta’rikh al-Quds wa-l-Khalil, Amman 1973, I,114; QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, (Anony- mous), Ms Gotha A 1740, 164a. 412 R. TOTTOLI documented by those reports describing his prostrations in several situa- tions29. Of the numerous episodes of his life the one that is mentioned most often is the following: when Solomon was again in possession of his ring, after forty days, the first act he performed was a thanksgiving sujud to God30. And finally, even Bilqis fell down prostrate asking God for forgiveness when she became Muslim31. Jonas is another prophet who was always ready to prostrate himself, e.g. when God chose him for his mission and when he was in the belly of the whale32. The King Zedekiah too, when Isaiah informed him of his predictions, prostrated himself towards God, both out of devotion and to thank the prophet33. In some reports performed a sujud when his donkey was restored to life; a similar episode is also mentioned in the Qur’an but without the prophet being clearly identified34. Prostration is thus considered the natural religious conduct of a good Muslim. When, for instance, Zechariah received the announcement of the gift of proph- ecy from Gabriel, he fell down prostrate35. Also is described as prostrating himself on different occasions during his life. Sujud was a frequent act of devotion in his and his apostles’ lives and, in particular, they performed it when the Table descended from the sky36. The prominent place of the act of sujud in all these traditions is re- flected, and further emphasized, in the reports describing MuÌammad’s

29 ™abari, Ta’rikh, I,492 [ = I,581]; Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 146,147; Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 278; Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 320-21; Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil, I,236; Suyu†i, al-Durr, VI,365; ™arafi, QiÒaÒ, 84b ( = Tottoli, Le QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ di ™arafi, 211); QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, (Anony- mous), Ms Gotha A 1743, 46b f.; and see the tradition in Ps-AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 63a; Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIV,82; Qazwini, ‘Aja’ib, 215. 30 ™abari, Ta’rikh, I,499 [ = I,591]; Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 324; Siyar al-anbiya’, 144a; Ps- AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 62b; ‘Umara b. Wathima, Bad’, 164; Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIV,93. 31 Muqatil, Tafsir, III,309. See Diyarbakri, Ta’rikh, I,248; and Majlisi, BiÌar, XIV,124, about a sujud by AÒaf. 32 Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 174, 178; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, I,233; Nisaburi, al-Mustadrak, II,640 no. 4129; Suyu†i, al-Durr, VII,127; Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIV,176, 178. 33 ™abari, Ta’rikh, I,533 [ = I,640]; Id., Jami‘, XV,23; Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 330; Ps- AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 70b; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, II,33 and II,35: a sujud by Jeremias. See also ‘Umara b. Wathima, Bad’, 241, and 257: a sujud by Jeremias. 34 Qur. 2:259. See Muqatil, Tafsir, I,218; Samarqandi, Tafsir, I,227; and see Ya‘qubi, Ta’rikh, Beirut n.d., I,49, concerning . The name of Alexander the Great can also be added to this list: his savants (ulama’) used to perform sujud to God, see Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 369; Ibn al-Jawzi, al-MuntaÂam, I,290; Majlisi, BiÌar, XII,202, 205; and cf. Ibn al- Jawzi, al-TabÒira, I,390: Alexander met a man in sujud. 35 Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 301; Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIV,196. 36 Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 186; Ps-AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 84a; HayÒam, QiÒaÒ, 141a; Mujir al-Din, al-Uns, I,162; Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh, XIV,52. See Majlisi, BiÌar, XIV,241: before per- forming some miracles; and see Siyar al-anbiya’, 165b; and Ps-AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 94a, 95a: about prostrations performed by the of Ephesus. And cf. Ibn al-Jawzi, al- MuntaÂam, II,44, concerning the prostration to God by Nestorius. MUSLIM ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROSTRATION (SUJUD) 413 readiness to prostrate himself to God. He was the last prophet and throughout his life was the most solicitous in performing sujud: when affirming his submission to God’s will and the importance of prostra- tion, when receiving God’s inspiration, and, in particular, when ascend- ing to the sky (mi‘raj) or interceding for mankind at the end of Time37. The same tendency is of course also evident in the utterances attributed to him and collected in Ìadith literature, where the praising of prostra- tion forms the subject of many traditions38. In fact, in all these traditions prostration almost became the symbolic act of the Muslim faith: patriarchs and prophets, preceding MuÌam- mad’s mission, were all true believers and they displayed their faith through frequent and long prostrations to God. MuÌammad himself, as a role model for humankind, is often described while prostrating him- self and many of the utterances attributed to him stress the prominence of this act in Muslim devotional rites. No doubt all this material had the function of encouraging people to perform sujud and, at the same time, of overcoming any residual resistance to prostration among the be- lievers39.

2. Traditional notions of supremacy connected to prostration in Muslim traditions

Along with the material which has been referred to above in which sujud symbolizes the profound faith of the prophets and their devotion to God, some other traditions from qiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ literature bear the signs of the traditional concepts of supremacy associated with the image of the prostration. In this kind of report the prophets are the object of prostrations performed by others or even by things or animals which thereby attest to their high rank. It was customary for kings and figures of authority to receive prostrations in pre-Islamic Middle East. Tradi-

37 So many traditions describe prostrations performed by the Prophet that it is not pos- sible to discuss all of them here. Some have been discussed in the other articles dedicated to prostration and quoted at n. 1. For other material, see, for instance, Suyu†i, al-KhaÒa’iÒ, I,155, 178, 200: before the battle at Badr. Some traditions state for instance that MuÌammad fell down prostrate immediately after his birth: Abu Nu‘aym al-IÒfahani, Dala’il al-nubuwwa, Beirut n.d., II,611; Suyu†i, al-KhaÒa’iÒ, I,48; La†a’if al-anbiya’, 152a; see also al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz, XIV,446 no. 39201: on the day of Resurrection MuÌammad will be brought before God, he will see Him on His Throne and he will fall down prostrate. 38 On these traditions see Tottoli, “Muslim attitudes towards prostration (sujud). I”, chapt. 5. 39 See in particular Tottoli “Muslim attitudes towards prostration (sujud). I”, chapt. 4, on Arab hostility towards prostration. 414 R. TOTTOLI tions including this kind of secular prostration served as an indication of the high status of the prophets and as a confirmation of their prophecy. A large number of reports containing similar images of prostration re- late to Abraham. It is said, for instance, in one of these traditions, that saw a green branch growing from ’s loins in a dream, and that twigs then sprouted from the branch and twined around the east and the west and the heavens. No one was left in the kingdom of Nimrod who did not prostrate himself before that branch, and even his palace and the throne and all the things in it joined in the prostration40. Nimrod himself, mentioned simply as ‘the King’, fell down prostrate to Abra- ham, when he saw him emerging from the fire alive41. Also animals were used to attest to the high rank of Abraham. A tradition in an early Ìadith collection, the MuÒannaf of Ibn Abi Shayba (d. 235/849), says that Abraham had to face two hungry lions which had been brought against him probably by Nimrod, but instead of tearing him to pieces, they started licking him and then prostrated themselves to him42. Finally another tradition tells that the animals used to mimic Abraham’s behav- iour: when Abraham prostrated himself to praise God, they too pros- trated themselves in worship43. Some reports describe the old custom of falling down prostrate before men thus attesting that this was an ancient form of greeting. For this rea- son Esau performed sujud seven times before his brother Jacob, and also and , along with their children, including Joseph, performed a prostration of the same kind44. Particularly important in relation to this subject is Joseph’s dream and its fullfillment which are directly men- tioned in the Qur’an (Qur. 12:4 and 12:100), where the sujud clearly signifies the supremacy of Joseph and his power45. As usual the body of extra-canonical traditions enriches the description of this episode and some reports mention other dreams containing images of prostration46. It

40 Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 127. 41 IsÌaq b. Bishr, Mubtada’, 168b. 42 Ibn Abi Shayba, al-MuÒannaf fi l-aÌadith wa-l-athar, Beirut 1989, VII,448; AÌmad b. Îanbal, Kitab al-zuhd, 127 no. 411; Ibn al-Jawzi, al-MuntaÂam, I,260; Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh, II,321. 43 QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, Ms Staatsbibliothek or. quart. 1171, 178b. 44 Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, I,196. 45 On these Qur’anic verses see Tottoli, “Muslim attitudes towards prostration (sujud). I”, chapt. 6. 46 Ps-AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 29a; ™arafi, QiÒaÒ, 88b ( = Tottoli, Le QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ di ™arafi, 226). In some traditions Jacob states that he will prostrate himself to Joseph, see ™abari, Jami‘, XIII,45; ™arafi, QiÒaÒ, 100a ( = Tottoli, Le QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ di ™arafi, 261); Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, I,215. In some reports also Joseph’s mother Rachel was brought back to life again to prostrate herself to Joseph: see Sib† b. al-Jawzi, Mir’at, 373; ™abarsi, Majma‘ al-bayan fi tafsir al-Qur’an, Beirut 1992, V,341; Majlisi, BiÌar, XII,290; this is MUSLIM ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROSTRATION (SUJUD) 415 is stated in another case that even prostrated himself to Joseph (sajada li-Yusuf), when Joseph, who he had not yet recognized, pre- tended to read in a cup what had happened previously between him and his brothers47. Finally a tradition states that also the cupbearer, when he went back to Joseph who was still in prison, fell down prostrate before him48. Similar traditions can be found in the biography of Moses. Moses met with a flock of sheep and they, recognizing him as a prophet, fell down prostrate to God, speaking in an intelligible way and attesting their faith in God and in the truth of Moses’s mission49. Even if the text clearly in- dicates that the prostration was addressed to God, there is no doubt that this report echoes other traditions in which animals prostrate themselves to prophets, thus attesting their prophetical mission. This is the case, for instance, with David: when gave birth to Solomon, the earth laughed and the animals fell down prostrate towards David50. A further particular regarding prostration as a sign of supremacy is added in one report which states that the most important idol of the pagan people of prostrated itself to the Ark of the Israelites51. The Prophet with the most prodigious power over animals was Solo- mon and thus it comes as no surprise to find many reports about animals prostrating to him. It is said, for instance, that different animals used to prostrate themselves to honour him, as is the case with the ant of the well-known episode in the Qur’an52. Moreover, a tradition also quoted by tafsirs in commenting on Qur. 38:34 says that when after forty days in the belly of a fish Solomon found his ring, everything which he met an exegetical explanation of Qur.12:100 where it is stated that the two parents prostrated themselves, even though Rachel had already died. See Tottoli, “Muslim attitudes towards prostration (sujud). I”, chapt. 6, for more details and a comprehensive analysis of these questions. 47 ™arafi, QiÒaÒ, 99a ( = Tottoli, Le QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ di ™arafi, 257); Suyu†i, al-Durr, IV,506; Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil, I,150; Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 133; ™abari, Ta’rikh, I,355 [ = I,402]; Siyar al-anbiya’, 81b. 48 HayÒam, QiÒaÒ, 70b. The ‘king’ also fell down prostrate before Joseph, see Abu Nu‘aym, Îilyat, IV,42. 49 Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 207. 50 Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 268. And see ‘Ali b. Rabban al-™abari, al-Din wa-l-dawla fi ithbat nubuwwat al-nabi MuÌammad, Beirut 1973, 140, 142, concerning prostrations mentioned in the translation of a Psalm. 51 ‘Umara b. Wathima, Bad’, 88. 52 Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 295: two larks; Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 284: the ant, 285: the mosquitoes; ™arafi, QiÒaÒ, 83b ( = Tottoli, Le QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ di ™arafi, 209): an ‘; Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIV,103: the ant prostrated itself to Solomon and said: ‘before prostrating my- self to you I prostrated only to Abraham’, and see also XIV,83, 85, and XIV,108: a sujud by ∑akhr, XIV,127; QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, Ms Gotha A 1740, 78b f. See also ‘Umara b. Wathima, Bad’, 139, about a prostration by the hoopoe when visiting the Queen of . 416 R. TOTTOLI prostrated itself to him. Further particulars are added in an interesting version given by Muqatil b. Sulayman (d. 150/767): whenever Solomon used to pull on his ring, everyone who saw him, both the and , prostrated itself before him53. Other traditions state that when he had found this ring and regained his authority, even people used to perform a sujud to honour him54. The same episode can be found in the story of Jesus and . Before their births, their mothers met and John’s mother told Mary she could feel the child in her womb prostrating himself to that in Mary’s womb. This tradition is usually quoted by tafsirs commenting on Qur. 3:39: «God gives thee good tidings of John, who shall confirm a Word of God»55. Jesus was also the object of a prostration performed by animals. When the men who had been transformed into pigs asked him to intercede with God in their favour, they addressed this request while prostrating themselves to him56. And finally, when Jesus was born, many traditions state that all the idols on earth crumbled and the devils, in alarm, ran to Iblis. A noteable version of this story, which was attributed to Wahb b. Munabbih (d. 110/728), specifies that the idols fell down prostrate57. 53 Muqatil, Tafsir, III,645, and 646; QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, (Anonymous), Ms Gotha A 1743, 49a. See also ‘Abd al-Razzaq, al-MuÒannaf, V,428 no. 9753, and Id., Tafsir, II,165: every bird, beast or thing; Qazwini, ‘Aja’ib, 215; ™abari, Jami‘, XXIII,159: every tree, stone or thing; Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, IV,53: every bird or jinni; Suyu†i, al-Durr, VII,186: everything; Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 294: everything; Ibn al-Jawzi, al-TabÒira, I,291: every man, jinni, bird, stone or tree. 54 Mawardi, al-Nukat, V,97; and see also Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIV,72, about a prostra- tion before Solomon, even if it is indicated that it was a sujud al-shukr to God. The same particulars are also mentioned regarding Alexander the Great: his ‘ulama’, in addition to prostrating to God, fell down prostrate also towards him, before answering his request; see Majlisi, BiÌar, XII,202. 55 See ™abari, Jami‘, III,253, XVI,63; Suyu†i, al-Durr, II,189; Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, I,541; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, II,65; al-Qa∂i ‘Iya∂, al-Shifa’ bi-ta‘rif Ìuquq al-MuÒ†afa, Beirut 1988, I,97; ™abari, Ta’rikh, I,595, 599 ( = I,726, 733); Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 375, 383; HayÒam, QiÒaÒ, 133a; Nisaburi, al-Mustadrak, II,649 no. 4156; Sib† b. al-Jawzi, Mir’at, 569; Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIV,213; Ibn Abi ‘Udhayba, QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, Jerusalem, Ms Khalidiyya, 23 Sira, 126b; Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil, I,300, 309; Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh, XIX,527; Majlisi, BiÌar, XIV,187, 189; ™arafi, QiÒaÒ, 120b ( = Tottoli, Le QiÒaÒ al- anbiya’ di ™arafi, 332); see also Samarqandi, Tafsir, I,265: it was a sujud taÌiyya; cf. Abu Îayyan al-TawÌidi, al-BaÌr al-muÌi†, Beirut n.d., III,131; and see the discussion in Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, II,65. John prostrated himself to Jesus to attest his supremacy, as it is clearly asserted by a tradition in a qiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ collection where John’s mother said that Jesus belonged to a higher rank (af∂al) than John and that this was the reason for his prostration; see Ps-AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 78a. 56 Ps-AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 84b-85a; cf. the prostration in Ibn al-Jawzi, al-MuntaÂam, I,19. 57 Siyar al-anbiya’, 150a; and cf. the different version in Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh, XIX,525. The three Magi also prostrated themselves to Jesus, see Ya‘qubi, Ta’rikh, I,69. Regarding a prostration by idols at the revelation of a Qur’anic verse, see Ibn al-Jawzi, Zad, I,362. MUSLIM ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROSTRATION (SUJUD) 417

The same images also occur with regard to the prophet MuÌammad and are gathered in Ìadith collections or in works dedicated to the signs of the prophecy (dala’il al-nubuwwa). It is said, for instance, that MuÌammad’s father ‘Abdallah had been born with a peculiar light in his face and that his father, i.e. MuÌammad’s grand-father, said that he had dreamt of a white bird coming out of ‘Abdallah’s nostril; this bird, rep- resenting MuÌammad, flew over the Ka‘ba and the fell down prostrate towards him58. ‘Abd al-Mu††alib dreamt of a tree with its top reaching the sky and its branches reaching East and West, to which Arabs and non-Arabs prostrated themselves: this tree represented MuÌammad59. Nevertheless, two episodes from MuÌammad’s life and connected to prostration are particularly important and dealt with exten- sively in the sources. The first one is the story of the prostration by stones and trees: it is said that every tree or stone the Prophet passed by prostrated itself to him. Some versions add that this happened in Syria before MuÌammad received his prophetical mission60. A different tradi- tion confirms this last particular: a man from , a Christian called ‘Addas, prostrated himself to MuÌammad and kissed his feet when he received proof that he was a prophet61. The second episode is the sujud performed by a camel towards the Prophet. This is usually mentioned at the beginning of those Ìadiths where the Prophet rejects the attempted prostrations of his Companions with the statement that sujud before men is forbidden in Islam62. All these traditions were meant to emphasize the

58 Suyu†i, al-KhaÒa’iÒ, I,48, and see also I,85: Abu ™alib recites a poem praising MuÌammad where it is said that the learned men (aÌbar) prostrate themselves to him. See also IsÌaq b. Bishr, Mubtada’, 184a: when prophetical inspiration reached MuÌammad, the angels in the sky prostrated themselves. And cf. Abu Nu‘aym, Îilyat, V,388, regard- ing the high rank of the Muslims: Moses read in the Tablets that mountains almost pros- trate themselves to the light emanating from their hearts. 59 Abu Nu‘aym, Dala’il, I,99-100. 60 Ibn Abi Shayba, al-MuÒannaf, VII,430; Tirmidhi, al-Jami‘, V,590 no. 3620; al- Îakim al-Nisaburi, al-Mustadrak, II,673 no. 4229; Abu Nu‘aym, Dala’il, I,171 no. 109: with other sources quoted; al-Qa∂i ‘Iya∂, al-Shifa’, I,307, 309; Bayhaqi, Dala’il al- nubuwwa, Beirut 1985, II,25, VI,69; Suyu†i, al-KhaÒa’iÒ, I,67,83; ™abari, Ta’rikh, II,278 [ = I,1125]; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, II,284-5, III,14. 61 Bayhaqi, Dala’il, II,416; Abu Nu‘aym, Dala’il, I,296; Suyu†i, al-KhaÒa’iÒ, I,182; but cf. Ibn Hisham, al-Sira, I, 421, and ™abari, Ta’rikh, II,346 [ = I,1202], where the epi- sode includes no mention of sujud; in fact see also Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, III,136: ‘Addas only kissed his hands and feet. 62 See Ibn Furat al-Kufi, Tafsir, Beirut 1992, II,388 no. 514; Ibn Abi Shayba, al- MuÒannaf, VII,436; AÌmad b. Îanbal, Musnad, IV,317 no. 12614, IX,353 no. 24525: the Companions said: O Prophet, beasts and trees prostrate themselves to you; Baghdadi, Kitab al-IkhtiÒaÒ, 296; Haythami, Majma‘, IV,310-11, IX,4-5,7,9; Damiri, Îayat al- Ìayawan al-kubra, Cairo 1978, II,329: two camels; Abu Nu‘aym, Dala’il, 379-385 nos. 276-287, no. 276 in particular: sheep that prostrate themselves in front of the Prophet, 380 no. 278: a camel, 381-85 nos. 281-87: different traditions about the subject; 418 R. TOTTOLI high status of MuÌammad and the prophets through images connected to prostration. Prostration as a sign of supremacy can be also found in the Arabic poetry of the early Muslim period. A very clear example can be found in a verse by Jarir (d. 111-15/729-33 ca.) where the prince Mu‘awiya b. Hisham b. ‘Abdallah (d. 117-19/735-37 ca.) is praised: when the other kings see him appearing, they drop weapons and fall down prostrate63. In a verse by ™urayÌ (d. 165/782) praising the Caliph al-Walid b. Yazid (d. 126/744) it is stated that all the people prostrate themselves to him when they realize his power64. Another verse praising a Caliph, Yazid b. ‘Abd al-Malik (d. 105/724), also mentions the prostration performed by men to attest his supremacy: his valour and his courage in battle are so great that the crowned heads, i.e. the kings, prostrate themselves before him, in submission65. There are also verses where images of prostration by animals are mentioned in poetical eulogies praising someone. In a poem Farazdaq (d. 112/730 ca.) mentions the prostration performed by some lions as a sign of power and submission: Bishr b. Marwan (d. 74/693) is thus compared to a lion at whose roar other lions fall down prostrate66. In another verse it is said that wild animals fall down prostrate in the forest, as a sign of respect, before Yazid67. Many poetical verses contain mentions of prostrations performed by animals, and a list of the images of this kind would be very long. Indeed, what is particularly relevant in all these poems from the early Muslim period is the continuity of its im- ages with those of pre-Islamic poetry68.

Bayhaqi, Dala’il, VI,28-29; Suyu†i, al-KhaÒa’iÒ, II,37,38, 56-58, 60: sheep; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, VI,135-36, 141, 143: sheep; al-Qa∂i ‘Iya∂, al-Shifa’, I,312: sheep; Diyar- bakri, Ta’rikh, I,44; Ibn Balaban, al-IÌsan bi-tartib ÒaÌiÌ Ibn Îibban, Beirut 1987, VI,183 no. 4150; La†a’if al-anbiya’, 168a. See also Anbari, Kitab al-a∂dad, Beirut 1987, 195: God gave this camel ‘aql when it prostrated itself to the Prophet. 63 Jarir, Diwan, ed. by I. ‘A. al-∑awi, n.p. 1935, 183,9: ma ra’atka ‘ala al-‘uqabi mulukuhum / alqaw silaÌahum wa-kharru sujjada; see another verse by Jarir, related to prostration, in R. Geyer, Altarabische Diiamen, Leipzig-New York 1908, 182. Similar images can of course be found in pre-; see for instance Umayya b. Abi l- ∑alt, who describes God saying that before Him, as before a king on the Throne, faces fall down prostrate: see in F. Schultess, Umajja ibn Abi-Ò-∑alt, Leipzig 1911, 28 (no. 25,29), and also 58 (no. 55,2); and Anbari, Kitab al-A∂dad, 80. 64 Abu l-Faraj al-IÒbahani, Kitab al-aghani, Cairo 1929f., IV,324. 65 ™abari, Ta’rikh, VI,585 [ = II,1389]: …tara dhawi al-taji lahu sujuda; the verse is by al-Qu†ami. 66 See Farazdaq, Diwan, ed. by R. Boucher, Paris 1870, I,173; and for a mention of another prostration by the lions, see Naqa’i∂ Jarir wa-l-Farazdaq, ed. by A.A. Bevan, Leiden 1905-12, 255, (no. 44,5). 67 Farazdaq, Diwan, I,184. 68 See for instance Farazdaq, Diwan, I,185: a prostration by the jinn; see also Naqa’i∂ Jarir wa-l-Farazdaq, 487 (no. 55,43); al-Akh†al, Diwan, ed. by A. al-∑alÌani, Beirut 1891, 243; Abu l-Faraj al-IÒbahani, Kitab al-aghani, X,233. For a verse of the same kind, MUSLIM ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROSTRATION (SUJUD) 419

In conclusion it is evident that the reports and the verses discussed here show the continuity of the traditional ideas associated with being the object of a prostration. In fact sujud, performed by animals, things and above all men, is a sign of submission and an acknowledgement of the supremacy of the man receiving it. Consequently, in religious tradi- tions it is the prophets who are worthy of receiving prostrations, while in poems praising the kings or the powerful, they are the objects deserving prostration.

3. Prostration before men, idols or images as sign of evil behaviour

Another category of traditions where sujud is mentioned is that de- scribing the prostration to men, or, in completely negative terms, by idol-worshippers to idols. In reports of this kind, prostration is a way of demonstrating that someone is not Muslim, since Islam prescribes pros- tration to God only and performance of sujud before someone else, man or, above all, idol, breaks this rule. The Muslim opposition to secular prostration is well attested in Ìa- diths, where some utterances of the Prophet clearly forbid falling down prostrate before men. Many reports in fact deal with the Prophet’s clear- cut refusal to accept prostration from his followers as a way of greet- ing69. The evil nature of the prostration before men is further underlined in some other religious traditions mainly from qiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ litera- ture. Nimrod’s wickedness, for instance, grew to the extent that he ex- pected sujud from people visiting him and thus he also asked Abraham to fall down prostrate before him70. The symbol of evil humanity, the Pharaoh, could not be absent from this kind of tradition. Thus, it is said that he expected prostrations from people visiting him, as happened with the who either refused or, in other versions, prostrated them- selves pretending to perform the act for the Pharaoh, but secretely dedi- cating it to God71. Further reports attest that the Pharaoh was the object see Ibn Qutayba, Kitab al-shi‘r wa-l-shu‘ara’, ed. by M.J. de Goeje, Leiden 1904, 419; and Carmina Hudsailitarum, ed. by J.G.L. Kosegarten, I, London 1854, 1 (no. 1,9); Zabidi, Taj al-‘arus, Cairo 1306-7 H., II,188; Ibn ManÂur, Lisan al-‘Arab, ed. Dar al- ma‘arif, Cairo n.d., IV,2623. Cf. the similar verses given in R. Geyer, Gedichte von Abu Basir Maimun ibn Qays al-A‘sha, London 1928, 53 (no. 5,63) and 352 (no. 9,16). For similar images in traditions, see Ghazali, IÌya, III,10; Qazwini, ‘Aga’ib, 238. 69 See Tottoli, “Muslim attitudes towards prostration (sujud). I”, chapt. 5, for a dis- cussion of this question. 70 Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 86: Abraham answered that the sujud is due to God only; Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh, II,319; and see Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIII,98: Iblis prostrated himself be- fore Nimrod; see also XIII,110: kuffar prostrate themselves to Nimrod. 71 Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 198-9; Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 117. 420 R. TOTTOLI of a sujud, from his people, or, in a very important tradition, from Iblis, the faithful minister and his ministers72. Finally, prostration was included amongst the honours required in the presence of the king Nebuchadnezzar, but the prophet took care not to perform this act of greeting, thus attesting his true faith73. The same thing also happened around the time of the prophet Dhu l-Kifl, but the king was convinced by the prophet that prostration was not the correct way of greeting and later, when he became Muslim, he forbade his people to fall down pros- trate before him74. If secular prostration represents the type of behaviour which was con- trary to Muslim precepts, prostration to an idol or to the is the sign of patent unbelief and of evil behaviour that is not only alien to, but also opposed to Islam. In fact, in many reports the fact that people prostrate themselves to idols serves as a clear-cut attestation of their evil nature. In most of these traditions describing idolatrous prostration the protago- nist behind the act is Iblis, as was the case with Cain’s offspring. When Cain died, the devil, disguised as an angel, convinced them to worship their father’s mummy which had been placed upon a golden throne and stated that everybody entering the room had to perform three prostrations75. Even prior to Iblis’ intervention there is some suggestion of the wickedness of Cain’s offspring: they used to prostrate themselves to images or idols76. An often mentioned episode of this kind concerns . When the two angels arrived on the earth, a woman led them astray and promised to give herself to them if they prostrated them-

72 See Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 198; Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 117; people prostrated themselves to the Pharaoh, see Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 218; Mujir al-Din, al-Uns, I,88; Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIII,175- 76, 207; and see also HayÒam, QiÒaÒ, 89a. Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 99, mentions another pros- tration to the Pharaoh at the time of Joseph: the cupbearer prostrated himself to the ‘king’ when he brought him Joseph’s interpretation of his dream. 73 ‘Umara b. Wathima, Bad’, 273-74; Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 338, and see also 342; Ibn al- Jawzi, al-MuntaÂam, I,418; Siyar al-anbiya’, 158a; Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 157; Ps-AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 73b; Majlisi, BiÌar, XIV,367, cf. also 370; Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIV,159; Abu Nu‘aym, Dala’il, I,83-4 no. 44; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, II,325; cf. this motif in a Christian text, in G. Levi Della Vida, Note di storia letteraria arabo-islamica, Roma 1971, 146 (transl. 176). 74 See ™arafi, QiÒaÒ, 105a ( = Tottoli, Le QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ di ™arafi, 277); Ps-AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 47a; HayÒam, QiÒaÒ, 128a-128b; Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh, VI,133; Ibn Qudama al- Maqdisi, Kitab al-tawwabin, 54 no. 130. A similar report states that the Yemenite king Dhu l-Kala‘, when talking with ‘Umar, confessed to have committed a serious sin in the time of the jahiliyya: he had accepted the prostration of about hundred thousand people; see Ibn Qudama, Kitab al-tawwabin, 132 no. 309. 75 Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 50. 76 IsÌaq b. Bishr, Mubtada’, 82b; Îijri, QiÒaÒ, 74a; QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, Ms Staatsbibliothek or. quart. 1171, 151a; see also Abrégé des Merveilles, ed. by Carra de Vaux, Paris 1984, 94. MUSLIM ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROSTRATION (SUJUD) 421 selves to an idol. This story ends with the description of the prostration performed by the two angels when their will had grown weak because they were drunk77. Moreover, also Noah’s people, summoned by the prophet to believe in God before the Flood, were idol-worshippers and used to prostrate themselves to their idols78. Some reports recount that the enigmatic aÒÌab al-rass who are men- tioned in the Qur’an (Qur. 25:38, 50:12) prostrated themselves to the devil, when he appeared looking like a fish riding upon four other fishes and that they also used to prostrate themselves before a talking tree in- side which dwelt Iblis79. Iblis also interfered with the offspring of the people of : he was able to convince them that their king was not completely dead and that if they fell down prostrate before him, he would speak to them. So Iblis made a statue resembling him and gave it the power of speech, and when its face was uncovered, all the people, believing it was their king, prostrated themselves and treated it as their god80. Similar prostrations to idols are ascribed also to the Thamud, in- cluding their prophet ∑aliÌ’s father, and to Shu‘ayb’s people81. Various other characters who were renowned for their wickedness, such as Abraham’s enemy Nimrod, also feature as protagonists in tradi- tions of this kind. It is said, for instance, that Nimrod had a personal idol, called Daylun, which he used to interrogate about Abraham, and which he used to prostrate himself to, or, in other reports, it is stated that he was the first to worship fire and to prostrate himself before it82. Idola- try was so widely diffused among his people that there are even descrip- tions of Abraham’s father worshipping idols and prostrating himself to

77 IsÌaq b. Bishr, Mubtada’, 96a-96b; see also Samarqandi, Tafsir, I,143; Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 53; Siyar al-anbiya’, 26b; Ps-AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 10b; Suyu†i, al-Durr, V,522-23; Sib† b. al-Jawzi, Mir’at, 230; Maqdisi, al-Bad’, III,14; QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, Ms Staatsbiblio- thek or. quart. 1171, 152a; Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIII,43. 78 Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 87; Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 55; Maqdisi, al-Bad’, III,16; QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, Ms Staatsbibliothek or. quart. 1171, 156a; see also Ps-Mas‘udi, Akhbar al-zaman, Cairo 1938, 58. 79 Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 149,152; Majlisi, BiÌar, XIV,150f., and cf. XI,388; Nuwayri, Ni- hayat, XIII,93-94, and XIII,87: a sujud to the idols by the aÒÌab al-bi’r; Îusayni, QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ ‘ala ra’y al-imamiyya, Berlin, Ms Staatsbibliothek Petermann I 633, 147b. See also a discussion and translation of the other versions of this legend in B. Scarcia Amoretti, “Un’interpretazione iranistica di Cor. XXV,38 e L,12”, RSO, 43 (1968), 38. 80 Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 120. 81 See Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 111, 193; Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 72; Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIII,72, 171; QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, Ms Staatsbibliothek or. quart. 1171, 164a; QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, Cam- bridge, Ms Add. 3258, 3a; and see QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, Ms Staatsbibliothek or. quart. 1171, 161a, concerning a prostration by ’s people. 82 Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 125: about the idol Daylun; Ya‘qubi, Ta’rikh, Beirut n.d., I,23: about fire worship. Concerning the prostration to the idols and to Nimrod himself, see QiÒaÒ al- anbiya’, Cambridge, Ms Add. 3258, 33b, 34a, 36a, 38b, 41a f. 422 R. TOTTOLI them83. Iblis is again the central character in traditions connected to prostration in the story of Job: he tempted Job’s wife, promising to re- turn to her everything had been taken away from her husband, if she per- formed a single prostration to him84. Some traditions about the say that the evildoers even prostrated themselves to it as if it were their idol85. The gravity of this act is underlined in a version of the ten commandments which specifically prohibits prostration to false idols86. Traditions regarding idolatrous prostration can also be found in the biography of Solomon. Some reports state for instance that a prostration of this kind was the reason for his punishment, i.e. the losing of his ring and his power, for forty days. In fact Solomon married a foreign woman, even if it had been prescribed that he should marry a woman from among his own people. Partly as a result of homesickness and without informing her husband, this woman made statues and images of her par- ents and performed prostrations before them, urging other people to do the same87. There is other material pointing to a particular individual’s 83 Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 76; Îijri, QiÒaÒ, 151a-152a; IsÌaq b. Bishr, Mubtada’, 165a; ™abarsi, Majma‘, VII,72; Muqatil, Tafsir, III,84,611-2: Abraham’s people had a feast every year where they prostrated themselves to the idols; Majlisi, BiÌar, XII,22; QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, (Anonymous), Paris Ms Bibl. Nat. ar. 1924, 62b; Suyu†i, al-Durr, V,637; Mujir al-Din, al-Uns, I,29 and I,26: Abraham’s father Terah also prostrated himself to the idols. Another tradition in Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIII,104, states that Terah also prostrated himself before Nimrod; see also QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, Ms Staatsbibliothek or. quart. 1171, 171b, 173b, 175b: Terah prostrated himself to Nimrod and before idols. 84 Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 162; Ps-AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 32b; ™arafi, QiÒaÒ, 88b ( = Tottoli, Le QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ di ™arafi, 225); Khazin, Lubab al-ta’wil fi ma‘ani l-tanzil, Cairo 1955, IV,315; Mujir al-Din, al-Uns, I,73; Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil, I,130; Majlisi, BiÌar, XII,370; Abu l-Fida’, Kitab al-mukhtaÒar fi akhbar al-bashar, Beirut 1956, I,27; Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh, III,253. 85 See, for instance, Îusayni, QiÒaÒ, 98a; and Abu l-Faraj al-IÒbahani, Kitab al- aghani, VII,135, and Majlisi, BiÌar, XIII,209: 70.000 prostrated themselves to the Calf, and cf. XIII,186. Concerning the prostration to the bull (thawr) of the damned in Hell, which is described in the story of Jesus and the skull, see Ibn al-Jawzi, al-Nu†q al-mafhum min al-Òamt al-ma‘lum, (as an appendix to Ibn Abi l-Dunya, Man ‘asha ba‘da l-mawt), Beirut 1987, 127; and Abu Nu‘aym, Îilyat, VI,12. Prostration to cows is attributed to Hindus and Brahmins, see Ibn al-Jawzi, Talbis Iblis, 77, and cf. 81: prostration before water. 86 Ya‘qubi, Ta’rikh, I,37, and see also I,43, with the prescription to stone whomever prostrates himself to the sun, the moon or others. In connection with this prescription it must be remembered that the Prophet forbade praying at sunrise or sunset; see in fact M.J. Kister, “Do not assimilate yourselves… La tashabbahu…”, JSAI, 12 (1989), 322 n. 4. 87 This story is in almost all the qiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ collections; see for instance Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 322; ™abari, Ta’rikh, I,497 [ = I,588]; Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 293; Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 152; Ibn al-Jawzi, al-TabÒira, I,290; Id., Zad, VII,133; Ibn Qudama, Kitab al-tawwabin, 18 no. 45; Ps-AÒma‘i, QiÒaÒ, 61b; Siyar al-anbiya’, 143a; ‘Umara b. Wathima, Bad’, 156; Mawardi, al-Nukat, V,95; Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIV,128; Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh, VII,572. Muqatil, Tafsir, III,645, says that she worshipped this image with no mention of prostrations. See also the discussion in Tottoli, Le QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’ di ™arafi, 437; and MUSLIM ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROSTRATION (SUJUD) 423 wickedness by evidencing his prostration to idols or to men. ’s people, for instance, were evildoers and they used to perform sujud to idols, such as the king of , ‘Amil, who used to prostrate himself to his idol asking its favour88. Prostration was in fact widespread among the Babylonian people: they used to prostrate themselves before a gigan- tic idol to which the Israelites refused to fall down prostrate89. The same motif also occurs in the story of the seven sleepers of Ephesus, the asÌab al-kahf of the Muslim tradition: they sought refuge in a cave because of the customary practice of their people of prostrating themselves to an idol at the entrance of their town90. The role of this idolatrous prostration is even more prominent in some versions of the story of Jirjis where this act is the cause of all the misfortune that befell him: the King of Mosul prescribed prostration to an idol called Apollo, but Jirjis, who was a believer, refused, and was tortured and killed. The king had promised to spare his life if he performed but one single pros- tration to the idol91. This can be contrasted with the case of an Israelite, called BarÒiÒa: he was captured, and about to be put to death when Iblis appeared before him and promised to rescue him in exchange for a sujud to him. BarÒiÒa accepted, but Iblis did not keep his word and he died an unbeliever92. In all the traditions discussed here prostration to an idol, as opposed to prostration to God, is the act that represents un-Muslim behaviour. For this reason this motif is also used as a polemical device in reports deal- ing with questions of rivalry within the Muslim community. It is for in-

Diyarbakri, Ta’rikh, I,250, but cf. I,252 where he reports a statement that this was not Solomon’s sin; and see I,245: it was also customary to perform prostration before the . 88 Concerning all these episodes, see Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 247; Ibn Iyas, Bada’i‘, 176, 133; and cf. Ibn ‘Asakir, Ta’rikh, III,83. 89 Siyar al-anbiya’, 159b; Majlisi, BiÌar, XIV,368; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, II,132; and see also Ibn al-Îariri, ‘Umdat, 85b, and 86b: Babylonians used to prostrate themselves to a big snake (thu‘ban ‘aÂim). 90 ‘Abd al-Razzaq, al-MuÒannaf, V,423 no. 9752; ™abari, Ta’rikh, II,7 [ = I,779]; Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 420-22, 427; Ibn al-Jawzi, Zad, V,110. 91 ™abari, Ta’rikh, II,24 f. [ = I,796 f.]; Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 429-30, 433-34; Siyar al- anbiya’, 164a-164b; Ibn al-Jawzi, al-Nu†q, 80. 92 Ibshihi, al-Musta†raf, 588. This report is related by tafsirs as explaining Qur. 59:16, see Muqatil, Tafsir, IV,283; ‘Abd al-Razzaq, Tafsir, II,385; ™abari, Jami‘, XXVIII,50; Suyu†i, al-Durr, VIII,117-18; Samarqandi, Tafsir, III,347; Ibn al-Jawzi, Talbis Iblis, 35- 36; Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, IV,532; Id., al-Bidaya, II,137; Qazwini, ‘Aja’ib, 212; Ghazali, IÌya’, III,30. Moreover, in relation to other prostrations to idols, see Kisa’i, QiÒaÒ, 305; and Nuwayri, Nihayat, XIV,220: about a miracle performed by Jesus with the aim of pre- venting people from prostrating themselves before idols. And see the general statement by al-Qa∂i ‘Iya∂, al-Shifa’, II,287: The sujud to idols, the sun, the moon, the cross and fire is a sign of unbelief. 424 R. TOTTOLI stance said, as a way of condemning adversaries, that they used to pros- trate themselves to figures other than God and thus were not good Mus- lims93. Prostration to an idol thus became a sign of unbelief and, conse- quently, a very widely diffused image in religious literature to dismiss rivals as evildoers or, in polemics, to discredit adversaries. Some comments can now be made about the origins of all this mate- rial. The growth of traditions underlining the Muslim precept regarding secular prostration — though the Qur’an mentions episodes of secular prostrations —94, and the large number of traditions about idolatrous prostrations — despite the fact that prostration to idols was not wide- spread in pre-Islamic Arabia — indicate that the question of the prostra- tion to idols or men was not a pressing one at the beginning of Islam, but became so later. The need to emphasize the originality of the Muslim faith and to distinguish it from Jewish and Christian customs, where the performance of prostration before religious or civilian authorities and to the cross were established practices, seems to have been the motivating factor that spurred the first generations of Muslims to gather together and propagate material about this issue95. Evidence on this point emerges from the Arabic poetry of the Umayyad period, various other Muslim traditions, and also from Christian and Jewish literature. In Arabic poetry from the first Muslim century there are some impor- tant verses which shed light on sujud. In fact, the poetry of this period displays all the typical features of traditions dealing with prostration: some verses hint at the Muslim precepts against secular prostration, while others mention the sujud before men, before fire, or even the devil, in order to mock an adversary or rival96. More importantly, Christian

93 It is worth noting that the image of the prostration to an idol is also used in the po- lemics about the succession of the Prophet. See for instance Abu Îayyan, al-BaÌr al- muÌi†, I,605: Shi‘ites maintain that had no right to be MuÌammad’s successor because he prostrated himself before idols, while ‘Ali did not. Another Shi‘ite source like Sulaym b. Qays, Kitab Sulaym b. Qays, Najaf n.d., 65, states that when Abu Bakr was appointed Caliph Iblis gathered the devils and everyone prostrated himself before him. On the other side, see the anti-Shi‘ite story, where a prostration is mentioned, related by Ibn Taymiyya, al-‘IÒyan al-musallaÌ aw qital ahl al-baghy fi dawlat al-Islam wa-mawqif al-Ìakim minhu, Beirut 1992, 198. In the tafsir of Qur†ubi an accusation is raised against the ∑ufis, to show their evil behaviour: they perform sujud to their shaykhs, see Qur†ubi, al-Jami‘, I,251. Mention of a prostration to al-Îallaj is made by Ibn al-Jawzi, Talbis Iblis, 195. See also Ghazali, al-IqtiÒad fi l-i‘tiqad, Cairo 1966, 123, about prostration to an idol as a symbol of unbelief. 94 See Tottoli, “Muslim attitudes towards prostration (sujud). I”, chapt. 6. 95 See Tottoli, “Muslim attitudes towards prostration (sujud). I”; and on traditions of the same kind see M.J. Kister, “Do not assimilate yourselves… La tashabbahu…”, JSAI, 12 (1989), 321-71. 96 See for instance Farazdaq, Diwan, I,93, where, praising the Caliph Marwan, he wrote: ila ibni al-imamayni alladhayni abuhuma / imamun lahu law la al-nubuwwatu MUSLIM ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROSTRATION (SUJUD) 425 prostration before the cross is mentioned by some poets in verses in- tended to ridicule adversaries and which constitute evidence of the Mus- lim disdain for this custom97. This same hostility towards any prostration other than that to God and these same polemical tendencies are also reflected in Ìadith collections. A tradition attributed to the Prophet says that at the end of time, among the things Jesus will correct, such as breaking the cross, will also be the restoration of a ‘proper prostration’, which will be performed to God only98. Moreover, in some versions of the well attested Ìadith in which the Prophet forbade secular prostration it is said that a Companion asked the Prophet permission to fall down prostrate before him, a practice he had seen performed by and before religious authorities and generals, and in the Christian kingdom of al-Îira99. A similar re- quest was denied by the Prophet in relation to the prostration of a certain ‘Addas who was, according to the sources, a Christian from Nineveh100. yusjadu; P. Crone and M. Hinds, God’s Caliph. Religious Authority in the First Century of Islam, Cambridge 1986, 31, translate this as: “an imam to whom prostration would have been made were it not for the nubuwwa”, i.e.: were it not for the revelation to MuÌammad, the Caliph would have received a prostration. Boucher translated this pas- sage “Sans la défense du Prophète”. Another interesting verse is given by Farazdaq: he mocks the Azd of Bosra saying that they do not fall prostrate to God but to fire: Diwan, I,86. The same Farazdaq is mocked by Jarir using an image connected to prostration: Farazdaq prostrates himself to Muqa‘is, i.e. he yields to the Muqa‘is, a tribal group of the Tamim who, it was claimed, had humiliated Farazdaq’s sister: hadha al-Farazdaq sajidan li-Muqa’is, in Naqa’i∂ Jarir wa-l-Farazdaq, 980 (no. 101). See Ibshihi, al- Musta†raf, I,373, for another, similar, anonymous verse where the author states: ‘if it were permitted I would prostrate myself before you’. And see also a verse in Abu l-Faraj al-IÒbahani, Kitab al-aghani, XI,328, concerning the prostration to the devil; and al- Mu‘afa b. Zakariya, al-Jalis al-ÒaliÌ al-kafi wa-l-anis al-naÒiÌ al-shafi, Beirut 1987, III,206, a prostration to an image. 97 Jarir, for instance, attacks Faradzaq saying that he has joined the Christians and per- forms sujud before the cross; see Abu Tammam, Naqa’i∂ Jarir wa-l-Akh†al, ed. by A. ∑alÌani, Beirut 1922, 132 no. 43,13. In another verse, Farazdaq distinguishes between Muslims and Christians, stating that the former prostrate themselves to God, while the lat- ter prostrate themselves to an idol (i.e. the cross); see Farazdaq, Diwan, 108. 98 ‘Abd al-Razzaq, al-MuÒannaf, XI,401 no. 20844; Tha‘labi, QiÒaÒ, 403; IsÌaq b. Bishr, Mubtada’, 176a; Ibn Kathir, al-Nihaya fi l-fitan wa-l-malaÌim, Beirut 1988, 95; QiÒaÒ al-anbiya’, Ms Gotha A 1740, 195a; see also the different versions in Bukhari, ∑aÌiÌ, IV,497 no. 3448; Muslim, ∑aÌiÌ, I,136 no. 155. In a relevant passage in Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, II,79, it is said that God explained to Jesus that Muslims are the privi- leged community because no other people attest the unity of God or bend their necks in sujud like them. 99 About this tradition see Tottoli, “Muslim attitudes towards prostration (sujud). I”, n. 33. And see Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, al-Tafsir (= MafatiÌ al-ghayb), Beirut 1990, II,195: the Prophet asked Christians and Jews about their prostrations to and and they answered: it is the way of greeting used by the prophets (taÌiyyat al-anbiya’), in re- sponse to which the Prophet answered that this was a lie. 100 See above, p.417 n. 61. 426 R. TOTTOLI

Finally, the polemical nature of this material about sujud is confirmed by various Christian and Jewish works which expressly defend secular prostration and prostration to the cross against Muslim opinion101.

4. Conclusion

In the Muslim literature analyzed here various aspects and images connected to prostration have been distinguished. According to Muslim beliefs, sujud should be addressed to God only and many traditions state very clearly that the good Muslim should perform this act regularly, since models for the believers such as the prophets and MuÌammad him- self were solicitous in prostrating themselves. At the same time some other reports reveal the concept of supremacy connected to prostration: if to perform a sujud was deemed humiliating, it was, at the same time, regarded as an acknowledgement of the supremacy and high rank of the one receiving it. Finally, in another group of traditions the symbol of prostration is used as a sign of wickedness and un-Muslim behaviour. This is the case for secular prostration, which Muslim traditions forbid and, especially, for the prostration to images, statues or idols which is considered not only as a evil act but as a symbol of lack of faith. These traditions display a polemical attitude aimed at underlining the original- ity of Muslim customs in contrast to those of Christians and Jews.

Istituto Universitario Orientale Roberto TOTTOLI Napoli home address: via Ambrosi 9 I-25089 Villanuova sul Clisi (BS) Italia

101 See for instance Théodore Abu Qurrah, Traité du culte des icônes, ed. by I. Dick, Beirut-Roma 1986, 130-1; see also C.H. Becker, “Christliche Polemik und islamische Dogmenbildung”, in Islamstudien, I, Leipzig 1924, 449. For Christian arguments in re- sponse to the Muslim polemics against the prostration to images of Christ and the cross, see also S.H. Griffith, “Islam and the Summa Theologiae Arabica”, JSAI, 13 (1990), 250. Regarding Jews, see the defense of the secular prostration by al-Qirqisani, Kitab al-anwar wa-l-maraqib, ed. by L. Nemoy, New York 1939-43, 675-76 (I am indebted to Prof. B. Chiesa for this reference). The question of the prostration to the cross must be seen in connection with the Muslim opposition to the cult of the images. On this, see Crone, “Islam, Judeo-Christianity and Byzantine Iconoclasm”, JSAI, 2 (1980), 68.