The Quran

Preface

أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسجُدُ لَهُ مَن فِي السَّماواتِ وَمَن فِي الأَرضِ وَالشَّمسُ وَالقَمَرُ وَالنُّجومُ وَالجِبالُ وَالشَّجَرُ وَالدَّوابُّ وَكَثيرٌ مِنَ النّاسِ ۖ وَكَثيرٌ حَقَّ عَلَيهِ العَذابُ ۗ وَمَن يُهِنِ اللَّهُ فَما لَهُ مِن مُكرِمٍ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفعَلُ ما يَشاءُ ۩

Yusuf Ali

Seest thou not that to God bow down in worship all things that are in the heavens and on earth,-¹ the sun, the moon, the stars; the hills, the trees, the animals; and a great number among mankind? But a great number are (also) such as are fit for Punishment: and such as God shall disgrace,- None can raise to honour: for God carries out all that He wills.²

Cf. 21:79, and n. 2733. All created things, animate and inanimate, depend on God for their existence, and this dependence can be construed as their Sajda or bowing down in worship. Their very existence proclaims their dependence. How can they be objects of worship? For haqqa in this verse, Cf. 15:64, n. 1990.
Cf. 22:16. There the argument was that those who work in harmony with God’s Law and Will will get their reward, for God always carries out His Plan. Here is the parallel argument: those who defy God’s Will must suffer pain and disgrace, for God is well able to carry out His Will (see also 38:14).