Surah Al-Mulk 67:1-14 - Quran Translation Commentary

3. WHO created seven heavens, one above the other.⁵ you won’t see any defect in the creation of the Most Gracious.⁶ Turn up your eyes, do you see any lift?

4. Then look again and again. Your sight will come back to you weary and failed.⁷

5. We have adorned the lowest sky with lamps and have made them a source of pelting devils⁸ and have prepared a torment of blazing fire for them.⁹

6. And for those who disbelieved in their Lords ¹⁰ is the torment of the Hell and it is a very bad abode.

7. When they will be flung into it they will hear its roaring and it will be boiling.¹¹

8. Bursting with rage.¹² And every time a group is thrown into it, its keepers will ask them: did no warner come to you?¹³

9. They will reply: yes, the warner did come to us but we belied and said: Allah has not revealed anything; you are in a grave error.

10. And they will say: had we listened or followed, we would not have been among the people of the Hell.¹⁴

11. Thus they shall confess their sin, so cursed are the people of the Hell.

12. For those who fear their Lord without seeing Him is forgiveness and a great reward.¹⁵

13. Whether you keep your say secret or reveal it, HE knows even the secrets of the hearts.¹⁶

14. Shall not know He WHO has created?¹⁷ HE is the subtle,¹⁸ the Aware.

Commentary

1. Please see Surah Furqaan, note 1.

2. That is who holds the reins of the universe and Whose sovereignty is magnificent.

3. The series of life and death is not per chance. Allah has created both of them with a great strategy in view. It is to make man pass through trials. He may be allowed the choice of adopting a noble character or of becoming an evil-doer. Then it may be seen as to who proves himself or herself righteous. Those who are virtuous will be the cream of the mankind. Allah will appreciate them and will bestow rewards on them to make them happy. They will be admitted to evergreen paradise to remain therein forever. The higher the character the higher status he or she will attain near Almighty Allah. This is a very great and positive aim for which the worldly life has been made a life of trial.

In this ayah the mention of death is made before that of life which is appropriate. Death is very distasteful whereas life can be both sweet and sour. It is the thought of the bitterness of death which serves the purpose of awakening man from carelessness. According to a Hadeeth :-

“Remember the destroyer of tastes, that is, the death.” (Tirmizi, Abwab-uz- Zuhad)

Then there is one more aspect of trial in death and it is that whether a man dies an illegitimate death or a legitimate one. Does he commit suicide becoming disparate due to calamities or he dies a natural death. Whether he ruins himself or herself for prohibited and unlawful aims or attains martyrdom in the Path of Allah.

4. HE is Overpowering, So fear His clutches and hurry on toward HIS pardoning and forgiveness. This is to say: always live with His fear in heart and pray for the pardoning of your sins as HE will surely forgive.

5. This sky which is spread all above our earth is the first heaven. We are enclosed in its cloak. Though there are huge galaxies and also stars situated at distances of thousands of light years, despite this vastness, this universe is not limited to this covering cloak. The universe having such seven skies or heavens is very very spacious. This thought of seven skies gives us but a little idea of the vastness of this universe. Otherwise we are absolutely unable to imagine its true, real vastness.

The advance of science has not yet fathomed even the first sky. The galloping of its accumen is still limited to the cloak covering us.

6. “Creation of the Most Gracious-Rahman” this phrase is used to reveal that the creation of the heavens (skies) is the manifestation of God’s Grace. The excel lance of the creation is that nothing whatsoever in it is at all inappropriate or out of place. Just observe the world of sky. The huge and handsome ceiling exhibits its beauty through immumerable twinkling stars. There are incalculable milky ways within it and yet everything is most suitably arranged. No rift can ever be pointed out therein. This subject has been described in Surah Quaaf also (Ayat:6).

7. Here is a repeated invitation to observe the heaven with a challenge that your eyes will become tired but will never be able to find any defect with the heavenly world. Expert scientists probing the sky through powerful telescopes have not yet found any rift anywhere.

Moreover, another excellence of HIS craft is that though a very long time (millenniums) have passed since its creation no defect or decadence has at all developed in it. Is this not a clear sign of the Might of an Omnipotent Creator?

8. The stars which, on the one hand, present a very beautiful scene of the sky, also, on the other hand, emit flames of fire (meteoric missiles) which drive away the devils (shaitaans) proceeding toward the heaven. They (shaitaans) are thus hit.

For further clarification please see Surah Hijr, Note: 16.

9. A torment of blazing fire has been prepared for these devils, in the Hereafter. They will be hurled into this Hell. The consequence or end of the devils is described so that people may not be decepted by them and finally meet the same end in Hell.

10. Disbelieving in Allah not only means a man denying His existence, but also not believing in Allah with all His Divine attributes. A large majority or mankind does believe in the existence of God but they deny HIS attributes (described by Quran) like HIS being OMNIPOTENT, ONLY ONE DEITY WORTHY OF WORSHIP, DIRECTOR and MANAGER OF THE UNIVERSE, THE GUIDE, THE JUST, THE DISPENSER OF REWARD AND PUNISHMENT etc. Thus they become unbelievers and deniers because such imperfect belief has no meaning.

11. This picture of the Hell is capable of passing a shiver through our spine. How frightening will be its boiling and bursting and roaring!

For those who fear their Lord without seeing Him is forgiveness and a great reward. Whether you keep your say secret or reveal it, HE knows even the secrets of the hearts. Shall not know He WHO has created? HE is the subtle, the Aware.(Al-Quran)

12. Man is unable to bear even a bomb explosion in this world. Then what will be his condition in Hell where catastrophic explosions will make it burst!

13. That is, The Messenger of God who warns you of that Day.

14. The deniers will realise after entering the hell that they had closed their ears for hearing the admonition given by Allah’s Prophets; that they had also suspended their faculty of reasoning; that had they utilized the God-given abilities they would not have seen this disastrous end.

15. The end of deniers was described above. This ayah gives good tidings to the God-fearing people that they will get the best Rewards.

To fear unseen Allah is the greatest peculiarity of a true Muslim. For further clarification please see Surah Quaaf, note: 39.

16. Therefore neither the smallest good can remain unknown to HIM nor the slightest evil can remain hidden from HIM. All intentions, feelings desires-good or bad-too are known to HIM.

17. This is a proof of the fact that Allah is fully aware of the conditions of HIS slaves. The argument is that HE is their Creator and hence how is it possible that the Creator remains unaware of His creation.

18. HE knows the finest details. HIS knowledge is so deep and thoroughly penetrating that even the tiniest or the tiny things cannot remain hidden from HIM. HE knows both the whole and the part of everything.