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Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem
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Translators: Ahmed Ali ● Amatul Rahman Omar ● Daryabadi ● Faridul Haque ● Hamid S. Aziz ● Maulana Mohammad Ali ● Pickthall ● Sarwar ● Shakir ● Yusuf Ali
Recitation by Mishary Al-Alfasy
Name
The Surah takes its name al-Mulk from the very first sentence.
Period of Revelation
It could not be known from any authentic tradition when this Surah was revealed,
but the subject matter and the style indicate that it is one of the earliest
Surahs to be revealed at Makkah.
Theme and Subject Matter
In this surah, on the one hand, the teachings of Islam have been introduced
briefly, and, on the other, the people living in heedlessness have been aroused
from their slumber in a most effective way. A characteristic of the earliest
surahs of the Makkan period is that they present the entire teachings of Islam
and the object of the Holy Prophet's mission, not in detail, but briefly, so
that they are assimilated by the people easily. Moreover, they are particularly
directed to make the people shun heedlessness, to make them think, and to arouse
their dormant conscience.
In the first five verses man has been made to realize that the universe in which
he lives is a most well organized and fortified Kingdom in which he cannot
detect any fault, any weakness or flaw, how ever hard he may try to probe. This
Kingdom has been brought from nothing into existence by Allah Almighty Himself
and All the powers of controlling, administering and ruling it are also entirely
in Allah's hand and His power is infinite. Besides, man has also been told that
in this wise system he has not been created without a purpose, but he has been
sent here for a test and in this test he can succeed only by his righteous deeds
and conduct.
In vv. 6-11, dreadful consequences of disbelief which will appear in the
Hereafter have been mentioned, and the people told that Allah, by sending His
Prophets, has warned them of these consequences in this very world, as if to say
"Now, if you do not believe in what the Prophets say and correct your attitude
and behavior accordingly, in the Hereafter you will yourself have to admit that
you really deserved the punishment that was being meted out to you."
In vv. 12-l4, the truth that has been impressed on the minds is that the Creator
cannot be unaware of His creation, as if to say: "He is aware of each open and
hidden secret of yours, even of the innermost ideas of your hearts. Hence, the
right basis of morality is that man should avoid evil, fearing the
accountability of the unseen God, whether in the world there is a power to take
him to task for this or not, and whether in the world there is a possibility of
being harmed by such a power or not. Those who adopt such a conduct in the world
alone will deserve forgiveness and a rich reward in the Hereafter."
In vv. 15-23, making allusions, one after the other to those common truths of
daily occurrence, which man does not regard as worthy of much attention, he has
been invited to consider them seriously. It has been said: "Look: the earth on
which you move about with full satisfaction and peace of mind, and from which
you obtain your sustenance has been subdued for you by Allah; otherwise this
earth might at any time start shaking suddenly so as to cause your destruction,
or a typhoon might occur, which may annihilate you completely. Look at the birds
that fly above you; it is only Allah Who is sustaining them in the air. Look at
your own means and resources: if Allah wills to inflict you with a scourge, none
can save you from it; and if Allah wills to close the doors of sustenance on
you, none can open them for you. These things are there to make you aware of the
truth, but you see them like animals, which are unable to draw conclusions from
observations, and you do not use your sight, hearing and minds which Allah has
bestowed on you as men; that is why you do not see the right way."
In vv. 24-27, it has been said: "You have ultimately to appear before your God
in any case. It is not for the Prophet to tell you the exact time and date of
the event. His only duty is to warn you beforehand of its inevitable occurrence.
Today you do not listen to him and demand that he should cause the event to
occur and appear prematurely before you; but when it does occur, and you see it
with your own eyes, you will then be astounded. Then, it will be said to you
"This is the very thing you were calling to be hastened."
In vv. 28-29 replies have been given to what the disbelievers of Makkah said
against the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) and his Companions. They cursed
the Holy Prophet and prayed for his and the believers destruction. To this it
has been said: "Whether those who call you to the right way are destroyed, or
shown mercy by Allah, how will their fate change your destiny? You should look
after yourselves and consider who would save you if you were overtaken by the
scourge of God? You regard those who believe in God and put their trust in Him as
the misguided. A time will come when it will become evident as to who was
misguided in actual truth.
In conclusion, the people have been asked this question and left to ponder over
it "If the water which has come out from the earth at some place in the desert
or hill country of Arabia and upon which depends your whole life activity,
should sink and vanish underground, who beside Allah can restore to you this
life giving water?"
1Tabaraka is a superlative from barkat. Barkat comprehends the meanings of
exaltation and greatness, abundance and plentifulness, permanence and
multiplicity of virtues and excellences. When the superlative tabaraka is formed
from it, it gives the meaning that Allah is infinitely noble and great; He is
superior to everything beside Himself in His essence and attributes and works;
His beneficence is infinite, and His excellences are permanent and everlasting.
(For further explanation, see E.N. 43 of AI-A`raf, E.N. 1.4 of Al-Mu'minun
E.N.'s 1 and 19 of Al-Furqan).
2As the word al-Mulk has been used definitely, it cannot be taken in any limited
meaning. Inevitably it would imply sovereignty over everything that exists in
the Universe. "In Whose hand is the Kingdom' does not mean that He has physical
hands, but that He is possessor of all power and authority and no one else has
any share in it.
3That is, He can do whatever He wills: nothing can frustrate or hinder Him from
doing what He pleases.
4That is, the object of giving life to men in the world and causing their death
is to test them to see which of them is best in deeds. Allusion has been made in
this brief sentence to a number of truths:
(1) That life and death are given by Allah; no one else can grant life nor cause
death;
(2) that neither the life nor the death of a creation like man, which has been
given the power to do both good and evil, is purposeless; the Creator has
created him in the world for the test: life is for. him the period of the test
and death means that the time allotted for the test has come to an end;
(3) that for the sake of this very test the Creator has given every man an
opportunity for action, so that he may do good or evil in the world and
practically show what kind of a man he is;
(4) that the Creator alone will decide who has done good or evil; it is not for
us to propose a criterion for the good and the evil deeds but for Almighty
Allah; therefore, whoever desires to get through the test, will have to find out
what is the criterion of a good deed in His sight; the fifth point is contained
in the meaning of the test itself, that is, every person will be recompensed
according to his deeds, for if there was no reward or punishment the test would
be meaningless.
5This has two meanings and both are implied here:
(1),'That He is Almighty: in spite of being dominant over all His creatures, He
is Merciful and Forgiving for them, not tyrannous and cruel; and
(2) that He has full power to punish the evildoers: no one can escape His
punishment; but He is forgiving for him who feels penitent, refrains from evil
and asks for His forgiveness.
6For explanation, see E.N. 34 of AI-Baqarah, E.N 2 of Ar-Ra`d, E.N. 8 of Al-Hijr,
E.N. 113 of Al-Hajj, E.N. 15 of Al-Mu'minun, E.N. 5 of As-Saaffat, E.N. 90 of
Al-Mu'min.
7Literally, tafawut is disproportion: two things being out of accord and
agreement with each other. So, the Divine words mean: "You will not see any
indiscipline, any disorder and discordance anywhere in the universe, there is
nothing disjointed and out of proportion in this world created by Allah: all its
parts are well connected and in perfect harmony and coordination.
8The word futur means a crack, rift, fissure, or a thing's being split and
broken. The verse means to say that the whole universe is so closely well-knit
and everything in it, from a particle on the earth to the huge galaxies, so well
connected and coherent that the continuity of the system of the universe seems
to break nowhere, however hard one may try to probe and investigate. (For
further explanation, see E.N. 8 of Surah Qaf).
9"The nearest heaven": the heaven the stars and planets of which can be seen
with the naked eye; the objects beyond that which can be seen only through
telescopes are the distant heaven; and the heavens still farther away are those
which have not yet been seen even with telescopes.
10The word masabih in the original has been used as a common noun, and
therefore, automatically gives the meaning of the lamp's being splendid and
glorious. It means: "We have not created this universe dark, dismal and
desolate, but have decked and decorated it with stars, the glory and grandeur of
which at night strike man with amazement."
11This does not mean that the stars themselves are pelted at the Satans, nor
that the meteorites shoot out only to drive away the Satans, but it means that
the countless meteorites which originate from the stars and wander in space at
tremendous speeds and which also fall to the earth in a continuous shower
prevent the Satans of the earth from ascending to the heavens. Even if they try
to ascend heavenward these meteorites drive them away. This thing has been
mentioned here because the Arabs believed about the soothsayers, and this also
was the claim made by the soothsayers themselves, that the Satans were under
their control, or that they had a close contact with them, and through them they
received news of the unseen, and thus, could foretell the destinies of the
people. That is why at several places in the Qur'an, it has been stated that
there is absolutely no possibility of the Satans' ascending to the heavens and
bringing news of the unseen. (For explanation, see E.N.'s 9-12 of AI-Hijr,
E.N.'s 6, 7 of As-Saaffat).
As for the truth about meteorites, man's information in this regard is still
without a scientific basis. However, the theory which seems best to account for
all the facts known today and the information gathered from the examination of
the meteorites fallen on the earth, is that meteorites originate from the
disintegration of one or more planets and wander in space and sometimes fall to
the earth under its gravitational pull. (See Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. XV,
under "Meteorites").
12That is, the fate of all those,whether men or Satans, who disbelieve in their
Lord. (For the explanation of the meaning of disbelieving in the Lord (Rabb),
see E.N 161 of AI-Baqarah, E.N. 178 of An-Nisa', E.N. 39 of Al-Kahf, E,N. 3 of
Al-Mu'min
13The word shahiq is used for producing a cry like the ass's braying. The
sentence may also mean that it could be the sound of Hell itself, as well as
that it would be the sound coming from Hell, where the people already flung into
it would be screaming and crying. This second meaning is supported by Surah Hud:
106, where it has been said: "Therein they will pant and hiss (because of
thirst)", and the first meaning is confirmed by Al-Furqan: 12, which says: "When
the Hell will see them from afar, they will hear the sounds of its raging and
roaring." On this basis, the correct meaning is that it would be the noise made
both by Hell and by the dwellers of Hell.
14The real nature of this question will not be of a question that the keepers of
Hell would like to ask them whether a warner from Allah had come to them or not,
but the object would be to make them realize that no injustice had been done to
them by casting them into Hell. They would try to make them confess that Allah
had not kept them uninformed and unwarned: He had sent the Prophets to them; He
had informed them of the truth and of the Right Way; He had warned them that if
they followed a way other than the Right Way, it would lead them to Hell, in
which they had been cast. But they had not listened to the Prophets. Hence, they
rightly deserved the punishment which was being meted out to them at that time.
This thing has been pointed out over and over again in the Qur'an that the test
for which Allah has sent man in the world is not being conducted by keeping man
absolutely unaware and uninformed of the requirements of the test only to see
whether he found the right way by himself or not; but Allah has made the most
appropriate arrangements that could possibly be trade of guiding him to the
Right Way, and it is that He has raised the Prophets and sent down the Books.
Now the test of man lies in this whether he accepts the Prophets and the Books
brought by them and adopts the straight way, or turns away from them to follow
his own desires, whites and speculations. Thus, the Prophethood, in fact, is
Allah's argument which He has established against man and on its acceptance or
rejection depends his whole future life. No one, after the appointment of the
Prophets, can present the excuse that he remained unaware of the Truth, or that
he has been caught and put to the hard test unawares, or that he is being
punished while he was innocent. This theme has been presented in countless
different ways in the Qur'an; for instance, see Al-Baqarah: 213, and E.N. 230 on
it; An-Nisa': 41-42, 165 and E N.'s 64 and 208; Al-An`am: 130-131, and E.N.'s
98-100; Bani Isra'il: 15 and E.N. 17; Ta Ha: 134; Al-Qasas 47, 59, 65 and E.N.'s
66, 83; Fatir: 37; AlMu'min: 50 and E.N. 66.
15That is, "Not only you but the people who have believed in and followed you
also are misguided and lost in grave error."
16"Had we only listened or understood": "Had we listened to the Prophets with
attention as seekers after Truth or used our intellect to understand what
actually was the message they were presenting before us." Here listening has
been given priority over understanding, the reason being that the pre-requisite
of obtaining guidance is to listen to what the Prophet teaches (or to read if it
is in the written form, like a seeker after Truth). To ponder over it in an
attempt to understand the truth is secondary. Without the Prophet's guidance man
cannot by himself reach the Truth directly by using his intellect and common
sense.
17The word dhanb (sin) has been used in the singular. It means that the real sin
because of which they became worthy of Hell was to belie the Messengers and
refuse to obey them; all other sins are its consequences.
18This is the real basis of morality in religion. A person's refraining from an
evil because it is an evil in his personal opinion, or because the world regards
it as an evil, or because its commission is likely to bring loss in the world,
or because it may entail a punishment by a worldly power, is a very flimsy basis
for morality. A man's personal opinion may be wrong, he may regard a good thing
as bad and a bad thing as good because of some philosophy of his own. In the
first place, the worldly standards of good and evil have never been the same:
they have been changing from time to time. No universal and eternal standard in
the moral philosophies is found today, nor has it ever been found before. The
fear of worldly loss also does not provide a firm foundation for morality. The
person who avoids an evil because he fears the loss that may result from it for
himself, cannot keep himself from committing it when there is no fear of
incurring such a loss. Likewise, the danger of the punishment by a worldly power
also is not something which can turn a person into a gentleman. Everybody knows
that no worldly power is knower of both the seen and the unseen. Many crimes can
be committed unseen and unobserved. Then, there are many possible devices by
which one can escape the punishment of every worldly power; and the Laws made by
a worldly power also do not cover all evils. Most evils are such as do not come
within the purview of the mundane laws, whereas they are even worse than the
evils which they regard as punishable. That is why, the Religion of Truth has
raised the edifice of morality on the basis that one should refrain from an evil
in fear of the unseen God Who sees man under all conditions, from Whose grasp
man cannot escape in any way, Who has given man an all-pervading, universal and
everlasting criterion of good and evil. To forsake evil and adopt good only out
of fear of Him is the real good which is commendable in religion. Apart from
this, if a man refrains from committing evil for .any other reason or adopts
acts which in view of their external form are regarded as good acts, his these
moral acts will not be worth any merit and value in the Hereafter, for they are
like a building which has been built on sand.
19That is, there are two inevitable results of fearing God unseen:
(1) That whatever errors and sins one will have committed because of human
weaknesses, will be forgiven provided these were not committed because of
fearlessness of God; and
(2) that whatever good acts a man performs on the basis of this belief, he will
be rewarded richly for them.
20The address is to all human beings, whether they are believers or unbelievers.
For the believer it contains the admonition that while living his life in the
world he should always remember that not only his open and hidden deeds but even
his secret intentions and innermost thoughts are not hidden from Allah; and for
the unbeliever the warning that he may do whatever he may please fearless of
God, but nothing that he does can remain un-noticed and unseen by Him.
21Another translation can be: "Would He not know His own creatures?" In the
original man khalaqa has been used, which may mean: "Who has created" as well as
"whom He has created, " In both cases the meaning remains the same. This is the
argument for what has been said in the preceding sentence. That is, how is it
possible that the Creator should be unaware of His creation? The creation may
remain unaware of itself, but the Creator cannot be unaware of it. He has made
every vein of your body, every fiber of your heart and brain. You breathe
because He enables you to breathe, your limbs function because He enables them
to function, How then can anything of yours remain hidden from Him?
22The word Latif as used in the original means the One Who works in
imperceptible ways as well as the One Who knows the hidden truths and realities.
23That is, "This earth has not become subdued for you of its own accord, and the
provisions also that you are eating have not become available here by
themselves, but Allah has so arranged it by His wisdom and power that your life
became possible here and this splendid globe became so peaceful that you are
moving about on it with full peace of mind, and it has become such a vast table
spread with food that it contains endless and limitless provisions for your
sustenance. If you are not lost in heedlessness and look about yourself
intelligently you will find how much wisdom underlies the making of this earth
habitable for you and arranging in it immeasurable stores of provisions for
you." (For explanation, see E.N.'s 73, 74, 81 of Surah An-Naml, E.N.'s 29, 32 of
Ya Sin, E.N.'s 90, 91 of Al-Mu'min, E.N. 7 of Az-Zukhruf, E,N. 7 of Al-Jathiyah,
E,N. 18 of Surah Qaf.)
24That is, "While you move about on the earth and eat of what Allah has.
provided for you here, you should not forget that ultimately you have to appear
before God one day."
25This does trot mean that Allah lives in the heavens, but it has been so said
because man naturally looks up to the heaven whenever he wants to turn to Allah,
raises his hands heavenward in prayer and implores Allah turning his eyes up to
heaven whenever he finds himself helpless in an affliction. Then whenever a
calamity befalls him suddenly, he says it has descended from heaven; whenever
something unusual happens, he says it has come from heaven; and he calls the
Books revealed by Allah as heavenly Books. Accordingly to a tradition-in Abu
Da'ud, a person came before the Holy Prophet with a black slave-girl and said:
"It has become obligatory on me to set a slave free; can I set this slave-girl
free? Holy Prophet asked the slave-girl, "Where is Allah?" She pointed
heavenward with her forger. The Holy Prophet asked, "Who am I?" She first
pointed towards him and then towards the heaven, by which she obviously meant to
say: "You have come from Allah." Thereupon the Holy Prophet said: "Set her free;
she is a believer." (A story closely resembling this has been narrated in
Mu'watta, Muslim and Nasa'i also). About Hadrat Khawla bint Tha`Ibah.. Hadrat
'Umar once said to the people: "She is the lady whose complaint was heard above
the seven heavens" (In E.N. 2 of Surah al-Mujadalah, we have given full details
concerning this). All this clearly shows that it is natural with man that
whenever he thinks of God, his mind turns to the heaven above and not to the
earth below. In view of this very thing the words man fis-samaa. (He Who is in
the heaven) have been used about Allah. There is no room here for any doubt that
the Qur'an regards Allah Almighty as living in the heaven. In fact, there cannot
be any basis for this doubt, for in the very beginning of this Surah Al-Mulk, it
has been stated: "He Who created seven heavens, one above the other", and in Al-Baqarah
it has been said "You will face Allah in whatever direction you turn your face."
(v : 115)
26The object is to impress this: " Your very survival and well-being on the
earth are at all tunes dependent upon Allah Almighty's grace and bounty: you are
not strutting about on this earth at will by your own power: you are under
obligation only to Allah's protection for each moment of your life that you are
passing here, otherwise Allah at any moment may cause such an earthquake to
occur as may make this very earth to become your grave instead of the cradle
that it is, or may cause a windstorm to blow razing all your towns and
settlements to the ground. "
27"My warning": the warning that was being given through the Holy Prophet (upon
whom be peace) and the Qur'an to the disbelievers of Makkah to the effect: "If
you do not refrain from your disbelief and polytheism and do not accept the
message of Tauhid being given to you, you will be overtaken by the scourge of
God."
28The allusion is to the communities who had belied the Messengers, who had come
to them previously and consequently been afflicted with Divine punishment.
29That is, each bird that flies in the air, does so in the protection of the
All-Merciful God. He it is Who has given to each bird the form and structure by
which it became able to fly; He it is Who has taught each bird the method to
fly; He it is Who has made the air obey the laws by which it became possible for
the heavier than air bodies to fly in it; and He it is Who upholds every bird in
the air; otherwise the moment Allah withdraws His protection from it, it drops
to the ground.
30That is, this is not confined only to birds, but whatever exists in the world,
exists because of Allah's keeping and guardianship. He alone provides the .
means necessary for the existence of everything, and He alone keeps watch that
everything created by Him is provided with the necessities of life.
31Another translation can be: "Who is there beside the Merciful, who comes to
your rescue as your army?" The translation that we have adopted in the text
above has relevance to the following sentence, and this second to the preceding
discourse.
32"Walking prone on his face": walking with face turned down like the cattle on
the same track on which someone put him.
33That is, "Allah had made you men, not cattle. You were not meant to follow
blindly whatever error and deviation you found prevailing in the world, without
considering for a moment whether the way you had adopted was right or wrong. You
had not been given these ears that you may refuse to listen to the one who tries
to distinguish the right from the wrong for you, and may persist in whatever
false notions you already had in your mind; you had not been given these eyes
that you may follow others like the blind and may not bother to see whether the
signs scattered around you in the world testified to the Unity of God, which the
Messenger of God is preaching, or whether the system of the universe is Godless,
or is being run by many, gods simultaneously. Likewise, you had also not been
given this knowledge and intelligence that you may give up thinking and
understanding to others and may adopt every crooked way that was enforced by
somebody in the world, and may not use your own intellect to see whether it was
right or wrong. Allah had blessed you with knowledge and intelligence, sight and
hearing, so that you may recognize the truth, but you are being ungrateful to
Him in that you are employing these faculties for every other object than the
one for which these had been granted." (For further explanation, see E.N.'s 72,
73 of An Naml E.N.'s 75, 76 of Al-Mu'minun, E.N.'s 17, 18 of As-Sajdah, E.N. 31
of AI-Ahqaf). "
34That is, "After being resurrected from death, you will be gathered together
from every corner of the earth and presented before Allah."
35They did not ask this question in order to know the time and date of
Resurrection so that if they were told the Year, the month, the day and time of
its occurrence, they would accept it. But, in fact, they thought that
Resurrection was impossible, and its occurrence remote from reason, and they
asked this question in order to have an excuse for denying it. They meant to
say, "When will this strange story of Resurrection and gathering together, that
you are telling us, materialize? What for has it been put off? Why don't you
make it appear forthwith so that we are assured of it?" In this connection, one
should understand that one can be certain of Resurrection only by rational
arguments, and these have been elaborated at many places in the Qur'an. As for
the date of its occurrence only an ignorant person could raise such a question
about it, for even if it is told, it does not make any difference. The
unbeliever would say: "Well, when it does occur on the date you tell, I shall
then believe in it; how can I believe today that it will actually occur on that
very day?" (For further explanation, see E.N. 63 of Surah Luqman, E.N. 116 of
Al-Ahzab, E.N.'s 5, 48 of Saba' E.N. 45 of Ya Sin).
36That is, "This I know that it will certainly come, and knowing this much only
is enough for warning the people before its actual occurrence. As for the
question when it will actually come, the knowledge of it is with Allah, not with
me, and there is no need of this knowledge for administering the warning. This
can be better understood by an example. As to the exact time when a person will
die, it is only known to Allah; however, all know that everyone has to die one
day. Our this knowledge is enough that we may warn a heedless friend of ours
that he should look after himself and his interests before death. For this
warning it is not necessary to know the exact day on which he will die.
37That is, they will be in the same agony as is suffered by the criminal who is
being taken to the gallows.
38When the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) started his mission in Makkah and
the members of the different clans of Quraish began to embrace Islam, the people
of every house started cursing him and his Companions. They started practicing
magic and charms on him to cause his death, even devising plots to kill him. At
this, it was said: "Say to them: what will it profit you whether we perish or we
live by the grace of God? You should worry for yourselves as to how you will
save yourselves from the punishment of Allah?"
39That is, "We have believed in God, and you are denying Him; we have put our
trust in Him, and you have put your trust in yourself, your own resources and
false deities besides Allah; therefore, only we deserve to be shown mercy by
Allah, not you".
40That is "Has another besides Allah the power to restore these springs of water
to you? If none else has this power, and you know fully well that none has it,
then who is worthy of worship: God or your false deities, who do not have the
power to restore them? Then ask your own selves as to who is misled and
misguided: those who believe in One God, or those who believe in many gods."