Surah 67. Al-Mulk

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Verses [Section]: 1-14[1], 15-30 [2]

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Quran Text of Verse 15-30هُوَHeالَّذِیْ(is) the One Whoجَعَلَmadeلَكُمُfor youالْاَرْضَthe earthذَلُوْلًاsubservientفَامْشُوْاso walkفِیْinمَنَاكِبِهَا(the) paths thereofوَ كُلُوْاand eatمِنْofرِّزْقِهٖ ؕHis provisionوَ اِلَیْهِand to Himالنُّشُوْرُ (is) the Resurrection ءَاَمِنْتُمْDo you feel secureمَّنْ(from Him) Whoفِی(is) inالسَّمَآءِthe heavenاَنْnotیَّخْسِفَHe will cause to swallowبِكُمُyouالْاَرْضَthe earthفَاِذَاwhenهِیَitتَمُوْرُۙsways اَمْOrاَمِنْتُمْdo you feel secureمَّنْ(from Him) Whoفِی(is) inالسَّمَآءِthe heavenاَنْnotیُّرْسِلَHe will sendعَلَیْكُمْagainst youحَاصِبًا ؕa storm of stonesفَسَتَعْلَمُوْنَThen you would knowكَیْفَhowنَذِیْرِ (was) My warning وَ لَقَدْAnd indeedكَذَّبَdeniedالَّذِیْنَthoseمِنْfromقَبْلِهِمْbefore themفَكَیْفَand howكَانَwasنَكِیْرِ My rejection اَوَ لَمْDo notیَرَوْاthey seeاِلَی[to]الطَّیْرِthe birdsفَوْقَهُمْabove themصٰٓفّٰتٍspreading (their wings)وَّ یَقْبِضْنَ ؕۘؔand foldingمَاNotیُمْسِكُهُنَّholds themاِلَّاexceptالرَّحْمٰنُ ؕthe Most GraciousاِنَّهٗIndeed Heبِكُلِّ(is) of everyشَیْءٍۭthingبَصِیْرٌ All-Seer اَمَّنْWho isهٰذَاthisالَّذِیْthe oneهُوَheجُنْدٌ(is) an armyلَّكُمْfor youیَنْصُرُكُمْto help youمِّنْfromدُوْنِbesidesالرَّحْمٰنِ ؕthe Most GraciousاِنِNotالْكٰفِرُوْنَ(are) the disbelieversاِلَّاbutفِیْinغُرُوْرٍۚdelusion اَمَّنْWho isهٰذَاthisالَّذِیْthe oneیَرْزُقُكُمْto provide youاِنْifاَمْسَكَHe withheldرِزْقَهٗ ۚHis provisionبَلْNayلَّجُّوْاthey persistفِیْinعُتُوٍّprideوَّ نُفُوْرٍ and aversion اَفَمَنْThen is he whoیَّمْشِیْwalksمُكِبًّاfallenعَلٰیonوَجْهِهٖۤhis faceاَهْدٰۤیbetter guidedاَمَّنْor (he) whoیَّمْشِیْwalksسَوِیًّاuprightعَلٰیonصِرَاطٍ(the) Pathمُّسْتَقِیْمٍ Straight قُلْSayهُوَHeالَّذِیْۤ(is) the One Whoاَنْشَاَكُمْproduced youوَ جَعَلَand madeلَكُمُfor youالسَّمْعَthe hearingوَ الْاَبْصَارَand the visionوَ الْاَفْـِٕدَةَ ؕand the feelingsقَلِیْلًاLittleمَّا(is) whatتَشْكُرُوْنَ you give thanks قُلْSayهُوَHeالَّذِیْ(is) the One Whoذَرَاَكُمْmultiplied youفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthوَ اِلَیْهِand to Himتُحْشَرُوْنَ you will be gathered وَ یَقُوْلُوْنَAnd they sayمَتٰیWhenهٰذَا(is) thisالْوَعْدُpromiseاِنْifكُنْتُمْyou areصٰدِقِیْنَ truthful قُلْSayاِنَّمَاOnlyالْعِلْمُthe knowledgeعِنْدَ(is) withاللّٰهِ ۪Allahوَ اِنَّمَاۤand onlyاَنَاI amنَذِیْرٌa warnerمُّبِیْنٌ clear 67. Al-Mulk Page 564فَلَمَّاBut whenرَاَوْهُthey (will) see itزُلْفَةًapproachingسِیْٓـَٔتْ(will be) distressedوُجُوْهُ(the) facesالَّذِیْنَ(of) those whoكَفَرُوْاdisbelievedوَ قِیْلَand it will be saidهٰذَاThisالَّذِیْ(is) that whichكُنْتُمْyou used (to)بِهٖfor itتَدَّعُوْنَ call قُلْSayاَرَءَیْتُمْHave you seenاِنْifاَهْلَكَنِیَdestroys meاللّٰهُAllahوَ مَنْand whoeverمَّعِیَ(is) with meاَوْorرَحِمَنَا ۙhas mercy upon usفَمَنْthen whoیُّجِیْرُ(can) protectالْكٰفِرِیْنَthe disbelieversمِنْfromعَذَابٍa punishmentاَلِیْمٍ painful قُلْSayهُوَHeالرَّحْمٰنُ(is) the Most Gracious;اٰمَنَّاwe believeبِهٖin Himوَ عَلَیْهِand upon Himتَوَكَّلْنَا ۚwe put (our) trustفَسَتَعْلَمُوْنَSo soon you will knowمَنْwhoهُوَ(is) itفِیْ(that is) inضَلٰلٍerrorمُّبِیْنٍ clear قُلْSayاَرَءَیْتُمْHave you seenاِنْifاَصْبَحَbecomesمَآؤُكُمْyour waterغَوْرًاsunkenفَمَنْthen whoیَّاْتِیْكُمْcould bring youبِمَآءٍwaterمَّعِیْنٍ۠flowing

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Translation of Verse 15-30

15. It is HE who made the earth subservient to you ¹⁹ So walk over its shoulders²⁰ and eat of His provisions,²¹ to Him is the resurrection.²²

16. Have you become fearless of the ONE WHO is in the heaven ²³ that HE may cause you to be thrust into the earth and it may begin to shake suddenly.²⁴

17. Have you become fearless of the ONE WHO is in the heaven that HE may send a stone-pelting storm on you? ²⁵ then shall you know how was My warning.

18. Those before them also had denied. So see how was My Punishment. ²⁶

19. Have they not seen the birds above them spreading their wings and closing them? None holds them except the Most Gracious.²⁷ Verily HE watches all things.

20. (Just show) what army do you possess that will be able to defend you against the Most Gracious? ²⁸ Those disbelievers are in illusion.

21. WHO is he who can give you sustenance if HE withholds HIS sustenance?²⁹ Verily these people persist in rebellion and disgust (against Truth).³⁰

22. Is he rightly guided who goes about groveling upon his face or the one who walks upright on a straight path?³¹

23. Say: It is HE WHO created you and made ears, eyes and hearts for you (but) you are seldom thankful.³²

24. Say: It is HE WHO has spread you over the earth and it is HE to whom you shall be gathered.³³

25. They ask: if you are truthful then tell when this promise will be fulfilled? ³⁴

26. Say: Its knowledge is only with Allah.³⁵ I am only a manifest warner.

27. When they will see it near them ³⁶ the faces of the deniers will be grieved and they will be told: this is the thing which you were calling for.

28. Say: Have you ever thought if Allah destroys me and my companions or has mercy on us, who will protect the disbelievers from a painful punishment?³⁷

29. Say: HE is RAHMAAN (The most Gracious) in Whom we have believed and in Whom we have put trust.³⁸ You will soon know who is in error manifest.

30. Say: Have you ever pondered if your water were to sink down in earth, who is then that could bring you flowing water?³⁹

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Commentary

19. HE made the earth suitable for your walking on it, your living on it and your tilling it.

20. That is, walk on its heights. The earth’s heights have been termed its shoulders. The description of walking over its heights has been mentioned specifically as it clarifies that the earth has been subdued to man. Otherwise walking on low lands is quite easy.

21. It means, eat from whatever providence Allah has spread for you in the land.

22. But do not forget that you have to stand before God one day and to account for His favours and thereafter to get reward or punishment according to your deeds.

23. God’s being in the heaven indicates HIS high stature. The common man, while referring to Allah, points up to the sky. This is also appropriate in the sense that Allah’s Arsh (THRONE) is above the heavens. Otherwise, Allah is Omnipresent. HE is both limitless and spaceless.

24. In this and in the following few ayah there is an invitation for people to ponder. They serve to awaken the careless. Is it not likely or possible that Allah may, at any moment, make people restless by making the earth shake severely whereby all living on it may sink down into it? Far from being unlikely, history is full of such happenings occasionally occurring in different regions of the earth. Even now such devastations do take place turning whole habitations upside down within no time.

At the time of writing this the memory of the Latur and Osmanabad quake in South India is very fresh. Thirty thousand people went into an eternal sleep through an earth shake which did not last longer than a few seconds. Several towns were wiped out. In a village named Killari houses of five thousand persons suddenly turned into graves. Are such oft-occurring events not enough to open the eyes of man! But man’s negligence is so great that he finds out various causes of such shakings but closes his eyes from the aspect of admonition behind them. In such circumstances how can he gain guidance?

25. Stones were rained from the sky on the community of Prophet Loot. The Divine wrath can come down in this way also and also in the form of a windstorm lashing sand (sand storms).

26. This refers to the people of Aad, Thamood, Loot and Firaun.

27. How wonderful is it that birds fly in space, without any support, with wide wings which they also fold up and still do not fall down! A man who sees and thinks cannot help but feel that this is only the manifestation of the Grace of the Most Gracious GOD.

28. Even a man having armies cannot escape God’s wrath. Great armies of Firaun could not save that monarch from Divine torment and he too was drowned together with his army.

The polytheists consider their deities as their protectors but when the Divine calamity comes down all of them disappear.

29. The Sustainer (provider) is only Allah. If HE stops the supply of provision no one else can resume it. For example, rain is the main source of sustenance. If God withholds rain who else can bring it?

30. There are signs (proofs, evidences) of Tawheed (oneness of GOD) in all these things and they are very clear. But these people are adamant that they will not obey Allah’s commands that they will do only what they please. They have no interest in Truth and they dislike it. The reason is that in case of the acceptance of Truth they will not be able to do whatever they wish.

31. This is an example of a man who goes astray and of the other who walks on the path of guidance. A man who goes against his (human) nature always takes the opposite (wrong) course and, like animals, keeps his head cast down. But a man who goes by his nature (which includes the belief in the oneness of God) always walks straight and his eyes always look upward.

32. That is, Allah has bestowed the faculties of hearing, seeing and thinking to man so that he may appreciate them and, using them with reason, become thankful to God. But people seldom have this feeling. They do not appreciate God’s gifts and do not use these powers to hear, see and accept Truth.

33. It is Allah alone who has settled billions of humans on this earth. HE has done so to try them in their worldly life and on the Final Day of Judgment, He will assemble all of them before HIM to take an account of their deeds from them.

34. That is, when will the time of Resurrection arrive?

35. This has been explained in Surah Luqmaan, Note: 60.

36. Means the Divine Wrath.

37. The disbelievers were wishing that the Holy Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) should perish and were awaiting his doom. In reply, the Holy Prophet is being asked to say that even if Allah makes me and my companions die, how can you escape the punishment for your disbelief? Our earlier or later death cannot save you from Allah’s wrath when you pepris in your disbelief (kufr).

38. The word ‘RAHMAN’ has been used many times in this Surah. It is to make us observe thoughtfully the signs of God’s Grace spread all around us, to believe in HIM and to become worthy of HIS abundant Mercy. At the end, a proclamation has been made through the mouth of the Holy Prophet that we believe in Rahman; that relying totally HIM we have entrusted ourselves to HIM and hence, we follow whatever Guidance we get from HIM.

39. The concluding ayah invites us to ponder over the Divine attribute of ‘Ruboobiyat’ (HIS being the sustainer) so that man may be thankful to HIM. It is asked: Just think and say if these springs of running water which is a great bounty for you and which are very essential for your life become dry and if their water sinks deep down in the earth to an inaccessible depth then who is it that can make spring water run for you? If this thing is not possible for anyone except Allah, which is a fact, then why do you leave Allah your real Lord aside and worship other who are utterly powerless.