Tafsir of As-Sajdah 32:15

(Only those believe in Our verses) is an initiatory statement formulated to confirm that they do not deserve to be granted guidance, and to intimate that they would not believe even if they were granted it, by specifying who is worthy of it through the method of restriction (qasr). It is as if it were said: "You do not believe in Our verses, which point to Our affairs, nor do you act according to their requirements in terms of righteous deeds, even if We were to return you to the world."

(Those who, when they are reminded of them) — meaning, when they are exhorted by them — (fall down in prostration) — that is, they fall down immediately, without hesitation or stumbling, to say nothing of procrastination, as if they are witnessing what the verses articulate regarding promises and threats. That is to say, they fall down prostrating out of humility before God Almighty, and out of reverence and fear of His punishment, Exalted is He. Abu Hayyan said: "This prostration is among the obligatory prostrations of the Quran." Ibn Abbas said: "Prostration here means bowing (ruku')."

It is narrated from Ibn Jurayj and Mujahid that the verse was revealed concerning a group of hypocrites who would leave the mosque when the prayer was established, so bowing was intended by this. It follows from this that the verse is Medinan, and it is the school of Ibn Abbas that the one who recites a verse of prostration should bow, citing as evidence the saying of the Almighty: "And he fell down bowing and turned in repentance."

There is no hiding the critical debate regarding this line of reasoning.

(And they glorify with the praise of their Lord) — meaning, they declare Him, the Almighty, free at that moment from everything that does not befit His glory, among which is the inability to resurrect [the dead]. They do so while being cloaked in His praise, the Almighty, for His favors, the greatest of which is guidance through the granting of the verses and the granting of success to be guided by them. Thus, the praise is in response to the blessing, and the ba is for accompaniment, with the prepositional phrase in the position of a state (hal).

The invocation of the title of "Lordship" through the method of shifting address (iltifat), along with the attribution to their pronoun, serves to intimate the reason for the glorification and praise, implying that they perform them while mindful of His Lordship over them.

(And they are not arrogant) — regarding belief and obedience, as is done by the one who persists in arrogance as if he had not heard the verses. This clause is a conjunction to the relative clause (silah), or a state related to one of the two pronouns in (they fell down and they glorified). It is also permissible for it to be a conjunction to one of the two verbs.