Surah An-Noor · سُوْرَةُ النُّوْرِ · Juz 18
Q 24:41
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱلطَّيْرُ صَـٰٓفَّـٰتٍ ۖ كُلٌّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُۥ وَتَسْبِيحَهُۥ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ
Translations
Do you not see that Allah is exalted by whomever is within the heavens and the earth and [by] the birds with wings spread [in flight]? Each [of them] has known his [means of] prayer and exalting [Him], and Allah is Knowing of what they do.N'as-tu pas vu qu'Allah est glorifié par tous ceux qui sont dans les cieux et la terre; ainsi que par les oiseaux déployant leurs ailes? Chacun, certes, a appris sa façon de L'adorer et de Le glorifier. Allah sait parfaitement ce qu'ils font.Tafsir
O Messenger! Do you not know that all the inhabitants of the heavens and earth from the creation of Allah, glorify Him? The birds that fly in formation also glorify Him. Of all those creations, Allah knows of the prayer of every one who prays, i.e. the human; and the glorification of every one that glorifies Him, i.e. the birds. Allah is all-aware of what they do, no action of theirs is hidden from Him.
Read Ibn Kathir (Ibn Kathir (abridged, English))
See you not that Allah, He it is Whom glorify whosoever is in the heavens and the earth, and the birds with wings outspread? Of each one He knows indeed his Salah and his glorification; and Allah is All-Aware of what they do (41)And to Allah belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, and to Allah is the return (42)
Everything Glorifies Allah, May He Be Exalted, and to Him Belongs the Sovereignty
Allah tells us that whosoever is in the heavens and on the earth, i.e., the angels, mankind, Jinn, animals and even inanimate objects, all glorify Him. This is like the Ayah:
تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّمَاوَاتُ السَّبْعُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ
(The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein, glorify Him)(17:44),
وَالطَّيْرُ صَافَّاتٍ
(and the birds with wings outspread) means, while they are flying they glorify their Lord and worship Him with the glorification with which they are inspired and to which they are guided. Allah knows what they are doing, and so He says:
كُلٌّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُ وَتَسْبِيحَهُ
(Of each one He knows indeed his Salah and his glorification;) meaning, He has guided every creature to its own way of worshipping Allah, may He be glorified. Then Allah tells us that He knows all of that and nothing at all is hidden from Him. He says:
وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ
(and Allah is All-Aware of what they do.) Then Allah tells us that to Him belongs the sovereignty of heaven and earth, and that He is the Ruler and Controller, the God Who is worshipped and besides Whom none other is to be worshipped, and there is none to put back His judgement.
وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ
(and to Allah is the return) means, on the Day of Resurrection, when He will judge as He wills,
لِيَجْزِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُوا بِمَا عَمِلُوا
(that He may requite those who do evil with that which they have done...)(53:31) He is the Creator and Sovereign, and His is indeed the Authority in this world and the next. To Him be praise at the beginning and in the end.
Arabic text: Tanzil (Uthmani). Translations: Sahih International (en), Muhammad Hamidullah (fr). tanzil.net