Tafsir Of Surah Mulk – Discover Its Message & Hidden Wisdom
Surah Al-Mulk is the 67th Surah of the Holy Quran, a Meccan Surah. It has 30 verses and two ruku’s. This Surah has been given great importance in various hadiths and is referred to as “Manjiyyah” (the saviour) because it serves as a means of protection from the torment of the grave.This article is aimed at providing Tafsir of Surah Mulk with its verse by verse translation in English.
The main subject of Surah Al-Mulk
The main theme of this Surah is the kingdom of Allah, the philosophy of death and life, the reminder of the Hereafter, and the wisdom of the cosmic order. It emphasises the power of Allah Almighty, His knowledge, and the greatness of His creation.The pupose of Surah Mulk tafsir is to offer complete understanding and commentary of all the verses of this chapter.
Translation and commentary of Surah Al-Mulk
Verse 1
”Blessed is He (Allah) in whose hand is the kingdom, and He has power over all things.”
Commentary
This verse describes the sovereignty of Allah Almighty. “Tabarak” means “extremely blessed”, and “biyadihil mulku” means “in His hand is the kingdom of everything, be it the Earth or the sky, life or death.”
Verse 2
”It is He who created death and life, that He may test you as to which of you is best in deed. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving.”
Commentary
Allah Almighty created life and death, not just a random act. Life is a test, and the best action is the real success.It means that all our actions are being monitored by Allah for which all of us will appear before Him.
Verses 3-5
“Who created the seven heavens one above the other, you will not see any disorder in the
creation of the Most Gracious, then look, do you see any disorder?”
“Then look again and again, your sight will return weary and unsuccessful.”
“And We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, and made them a means of striking the devils, and We have prepared for them the punishment of a blazing fire.”
Commentary
Allah Almighty mentions the creation of the heavens, the adornment of the stars, and the meteors that pelt the devils with stones to teach humans to contemplate the depths of the universe.
Verse 6
”And those who disbelieve in their Lord, for them is the punishment of Hell, and what an evil destination it is.”
Commentary
Here, the end of disbelief is mentioned, that the end of denying the blessings of Allah is Hell.Here is the warning for disbelievers of the fatal end for their disbelief.
Verse 7
When they (the disbelievers) are thrown into Hell, they will hear her breathing heavily, and she will be convulsing.
Commentary
This verse describes the horror of Hell. When the disbelievers are thrown into Hell, it will roar with fury and fury, like the sound of a blazing fire — “shahiqa” means a loud scream or breath. This gives an idea of the intensity and fury of Hell.
Verse 8
It (Hell) is about to burst with fury. Whenever a group is thrown into it, its keepers (angels) will ask them: “Did no warner(Messenger) come to you?”
Commentary
Here, the intensity of the wrath of Hell is described as if it were bursting. And every time a group of sinners is thrown into it, the angels will ask, “Didn’t a prophet or guide come to you in this world?” That is, you were warned, so why didn’t you obey?
Verse 9
They will say: “Why not? A warner came to us, but we denied him and said: ‘Allah has not revealed anything. You are indeed in great error.”
Commentary
The people of Hell will admit that the Prophet and guidance came to them, but they denied it. They used to deny the truth in the world and say that the Prophets are liars and that nothing has been revealed from Allah. This will be an admission of their worldly rebellion and denial.
Verse 10
And they will say: “If only we had listened or understood, then today we would not be the people of the Fire.”
Commentary
This will be a moment of repentance. They will admit that if we had listened carefully to the prophets or acted with reason, we would not be in hell. That is, Allah gave man reason, the ability to listen, but he chose to deny it.
Verse 11
So they will confess their sin, so be far away (from the mercy of Allah) for the people of Hell.
Commentary
The people of Hell will openly confess their sins, but at that time, confession will not be of any use. “فَسُحْقًا” means “be gone away”, meaning they will be deprived of Allah’s mercy and will deserve destruction.
Verse 12
Those who fear their Lord in secret will have forgiveness and a great reward.
Commentary
Allah Almighty rewards those servants who fear and obey Him without seeing Him.Indeed,in this verse Allah SWT praises those beleivers who are loyal to thier Lord.
Verse 13
“Whether you conceal your speech or publicise it, indeed, He knows what is in the breasts.”
Commentary
The above verse describes the power of Allah and His knowlege of what is visible and what is secret in our hearts.He watches all our actions which we perform.
Verse 14
“Does He who created not know?”:
Commentary
Here Allah SWT reminds us His of power of creation by asking a rhetorical question.In the above verse it is clearly mentioned that Allah SWT knows everything including what is public and secret.
Verse 15
”It is He who has made the earth subservient to you.”
Commentary
Allah made the Earth habitabe and usable for Man.Here Allah SWT refers to the multiple resourcesand blessings granted to us from inside this Earth.
Verse 16
”Have you become secure from Him who is in the heavens, lest He should cause the earth to swallow you, and then suddenly it (the earth) would shake?”
Commentary
This verse is warning people not to think that they are safe by disobeying Allah. If Allah wills, He can make the earth a punishment for you and cause it to sink beneath you, as it did with the people of Qarun. “فَإِذَا هِيَ تَمُورُ” means that the earth will start shaking, a severe earthquake or a sinking will bring punishment.
Verse 17
”Have you become fearless of Him who is in the sky, lest He rain down stones on you? Then you will soon know what my warning was.”
Commentary
Another form of Allah’s punishment is described, namely the rain of stones from the sky (as happened to the people of Lot). Allah warns that if you do not desist, a similar punishment may come to you too. “فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ كَيْفَ نَضِيرِ” meaning, you will know that My warning was based on reality, not a joke.
Verse 18
”And indeed, those before them also denied, so see how they were denied.”
Commentary
This verse is giving an example of the past nations to warn the disbelievers of Mecca that the previous nations (such as Ad, Thamud, the people of Lot, etc.) also denied the messengers of Allah, and saw what was their end. Allah’s punishment is very severe and He tightens His grip when the time comes.
Verse 19
”Have they not seen the birds spread out and folded above them? None holds them (in the air) except the Most Gracious.”
Commentary
This Ayatollah points to the signs of Allah’s power, that everything in nature exists by His command.
Verse 20
“Who is there who can help you besides Allah, if He intends to punish you? Nay, these people are in arrogance and rebellion.”
Commentary
Allah Almighty says that if He sends punishment upon humans, no one can help them. The polytheists relied on idols or powerful humans, but the power of all of them is meaningless before Allah. The arrogance and denial of the disbelievers is leading them to destruction.
Verse 21
“Or who is it that can provide for you if He (Allah) withholds your provision? Rather, they are steadfast in rebellion and hatred.”
Commentary
This verse describes the grants and provisions of Allah which nobody can provide but only Allah. But the disbelievers persist in stubbornness, denial, and rebellion despite this clear fact.
Verse 22
“Is the one who walks on his face more guided or the one who walks straight on the path?”
Commentary
This is a parable. The misguided person is like one who falls on his face to the ground, and the one who is guided is on the straight path. Meaning, the path of Allah is guidance, and the one who deviates from it, will be destryed.
Verse 23
“Say: It is He who created you and gave you hearing, sight, and hearts; little do you give thanks.”
Commentary
Allah is the Creator of man. He gave him all the senses and intellect so that man could recognise Him and be grateful, but most people do not thank Allah.
Verse 24
“Say: It is He who spread you throughout the earth, and to Him you will be gathered.”
Commentary
Allah spread the mankind throughout the earth so that they could be tested, and eventually everyone will have to appear before Allah. The concept of the Day of Judgment is described here.
Verse 25
“And they say, ‘When will this promise be fulfilled if you are truthful?'”
Commentary
This Ayat mentions the doubtful minds of the disbelievers who ask about the exact time and date of the day of Judgment.
Verse 26
“Say: The knowledge thereof is with Allah, and I am only a plain warner.”
Commentary
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is commanded to tell those who ask about the day of Judgement that only Allah knows about that.And that His job is only to warn and advise them(the disbelievers) by bringing the message of Allah. This also determines the responsibility of the prophets.
Verse 27
“Then when they see it near, the faces of those who disbelieved will be disfigured, and it will be said, ‘This is what you used to deny.'”
Commentary
When the signs of the Hour appear, the disbelievers will be terrified. Fear will appear on their faces, and they will be reminded that this is what you used to deny. Now there will be no use in regretting.
Verse 28
“Say: Tell me, if Allah destroys me and those with me, or has mercy on us, who is there who can save the disbelievers from a painful punishment?”
Commentary
This argument is being given because the disbelievers used to say, “What will happen to us if the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Muslims are destroyed?” Allah is saying that their destruction or survival will not change the outcome of your disbelief. You should also fear your own outcome.
Verse 29
“Say: It is He (Allah) who will save us, and in Him we have believed, and in Him we have put our trust.” So soon, you will know who is in clear error.
Commentary
This is a declaration of faith and trust. Believers believe in Allah and put their trust in Him, and on the Day of Judgment, it will be known who was on the right path and who was in error.
Verse 30
”Say: Tell me, if your water were lost on the earth, who would bring you clean water?”
Commentary
There is a powerful warning in this verse that if Allah’s blessings are taken away, there is no one else to help them.Therefore we should always thank and fear Allah SWT.
Conclusion
Surah Al-Mulk is not only a great Surah of the Holy Quran but also a divine message that affects every aspect of human life. This Surah acquaints us with the unparalleled power of Allah Almighty, the wonders of His creation, the purpose of man’s creation, and the philosophy of life and death.Through this Surah, we are told that this life is a test, and each individual’s actions will determine their success or failure.
Surah e Mulk shows us the path of piety and calls us to true faith. This Surah announces forgiveness and a great reward for those who fear Allah in the unseen. When a believing servant reads this Surah carefully, his heart is filled with the greatness, mercy, and glory of Allah.This Surah reminds us that the world is mortal, its splendour is temporary, and the real life is in the Hereafter.