Tafsir of Surah Al-Mulk - Verse 2

Which was revealed in Makkah

The Virtues of Surat Al-Mulk

Imam Ahmad recorded from Abu Hurayrah that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said,

«إِنَّ سُورَةً فِي الْقُرْآنِ ثَلَاثِينَ آيَةً شَفَعَتْ لِصَاحِبِهَا حَتْى غُفِرَ لَهُ:

تَبَارَكَ الَّذِى بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ»

(Verily, there is a chapter in the Qur'an which contains thirty Ayat that will intercede on behalf of its reciter until he is forgiven. (It is): (Blessed be He in Whose Hand is the dominion.)) This Hadith was collected by At-Tirmidhi and the four Sunan Compilers. At-Tirmidhi said concerning it, "This is a Hasan Hadith." At-Tabarani and Al-Hafiz Ad-Diya' Al-Maqdisi both recorded from Anas that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«سُورَةٌ فِي الْقُرْآنِ خَاصَمَتْ عَنْ صَاحِبِهَا حَتْى أَدْخَلَتْهُ الْجَنَّةَ:

تَبَارَكَ الَّذِى بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ»

(There is a chapter of the Qur'an that will argue on behalf of its reciter until it causes him to enter into Paradise. (It is): (Blessed be He in Whose Hand is the dominion.))

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Glorification of Allah and mentioning the Creation of Death, Life, the Heavens and the Stars

Allah the Exalted glorifies His Noble Self and informs that the dominion is in His Hand. This means that He deals with all of His creatures however He wishes and there is none who can reverse His decree. He is not questioned concerning what He does because of His force, His wisdom and His justice. For this reason Allah says,

وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

(and He is Able to do all things.) Then Allah says,

الَّذِى خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَوةَ

(Who has created death and life) Those who say that death is an existing creation use this Ayah as a proof because it is something that has been created. This Ayah means that He brought creation into existence from nothing in order to test the creatures. He examines them to see which of them will be best in deeds. This is similar to Allah's statement,

كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَكُنتُمْ أَمْوَتًا فَأَحْيَـكُمْ

(How can you disbelieve in Allah Seeing that you were dead and He gave you life.) (2:28) In this Ayah Allah named the first stage, which is non-existence, "death." Then he named the origin or beginning of existence, "life." This is why Allah says,

ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ

(Then He will give death, then again will bring you to life ( on the Day of Resurrection)) (2:28). Concerning Allah's statement,

لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً

(He may test you which of you is best in deed.) it means best in deeds. This is as Muhammad bin `Ajlan said. It should be noted that Allah did not say "which of you does the most deeds." Allah then says,

وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ

(And He is the Almighty, the Oft-Forgiving.) This means that He is the Almighty, the Most Great, the Most Powerful and the Most Honorable. However, along with this He is Most Forgiving to whoever turns to Him in repentance and seeks His pardon after having disobeyed Him and opposed His commandment. Even though Allah is Almighty, He also forgives, shows mercy, pardons and excuses. Then Allah says,

الَّذِى خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَـوَتٍ طِبَاقًا

(Who has created the seven heavens one above the other;) meaning stacked one on top of the other. Are they connected to each other, meaning that they are in elevated ascension, some of them being stacked above others, or separated with space between them There are two views concerning this, and the most correct opinion seems to be the latter as is proven in the Hadith of Isra' (the Prophet's Night Journey) and other narrations. Concerning Allah's statement,

مَّا تَرَى فِى خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَـنِ مِن تَفَـوُتٍ

(you can see no fault in the creation of the Most Gracious.) means, it (the creation) is done in a flawless manner, and these are connected with each other so as to forms a straight level, having no disunion, conflict, inconsistency, deficiency, flaw or defect. This is the reason that Allah says,

فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَى مِن فُطُورٍ

(Then look again. Can you see any rifts) meaning, look at the sky and pay close attention to it. Do you see any flaw, deficiency, defect or rifts in it Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak, Ath-Thawri and others said concerning Allah's statement,

فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَى مِن فُطُورٍ

(Then look again. Can you see any rifts) that it means cracks. As-Suddi said that,

هَلْ تَرَى مِن فُطُورٍ

(Can you see any rifts) means any tears. Qatadah said,

هَلْ تَرَى مِن فُطُورٍ

(Can you see any rifts) means, `do you see any defects O Son of Adam (mankind)' In reference to Allah's statement,

ثُمَّ اْرجِعِ البَصَرَ كَرَّتَيْنِ

(Then look again and yet again, ) Qatadah said, "It means (look) twice."

يَنقَلِبْ إِلَيْكَ البَصَرُ خَاسِئًا

(your sight will return to you Khasi',) Ibn `Abbas said that Khasi' means humiliated. Mujahid and Qatadah both said that it means despised.

وَهُوَ حَسِيرٌ

(and worn out.) Ibn `Abbas said that this means it will be exhausted. Mujahid, Qatadah and As-Suddi all said that it means broken down fatigue that comes from weakness. Thus, the Ayah means that if you continuously looked, no matter how much you look, your sight will return to you.

خَاسِئًا

(Khasi') due to the inability to see any flaw or defect (in Allah's creation).

وَهُوَ حَسِيرٌ

(and worn out.) meaning, exhausted and broken down feebleness due to the great amount of repeated looking without being able to detect any deficiency. Then, after Allah negated any deficiency in the creation of the heavens, He explains their perfection and beauty. He says,

وَلَقَدْ زَيَّنَّا السَّمَآءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَـبِيحَ

(And indeed We have adorned the nearest heaven with lamps, ) This refers to the stars which have been placed in the heavens, some moving and some stationary. In Allah's statement,

وَجَعَلْنَـهَا رُجُوماً لِّلشَّيَـطِينِ

(and We have made them (as) missiles to drive away the Shayatin,) The pronoun `them' in His statement, "and We have made them" is the same type of statement as the stars being referred to as lamps. This does not mean that they are actually missiles, because the stars in the sky are not thrown. Rather, it is the meteors beneath them that are thrown and they are taken from the stars. And Allah knows best. Concerning Allah's statement,

وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابَ السَّعِيرِ

(and We have prepared for them the torment of the blazing Fire.) means, `We have made this disgrace for the devils in this life and We have prepared for them the torment of the blazing Fire in the Hereafter.' This is as Allah said in the beginning of Surat As-Saffat,

إِنَّا زَيَّنَّا السَّمَآءَ الدُّنْيَا بِزِينَةٍ الْكَوَكِبِ - وَحِفْظاً مِّن كُلِّ شَيْطَـنٍ مَّارِدٍ - لاَّ يَسَّمَّعُونَ إِلَى الْمَلإِ الاٌّعْلَى وَيُقْذَفُونَ مِن كُلِّ جَانِبٍ - دُحُوراً وَلَهُمْ عَذابٌ وَاصِبٌ - إِلاَّ مَنْ خَطِفَ الْخَطْفَةَ فَأَتْبَعَهُ شِهَابٌ ثَاقِبٌ

(Verily, We have adorned the near heaven with the stars (for beauty). And to guard against every rebellious devil. They cannot listen to the higher group (angels) for they are pelted from every side. Outcast, and theirs is a constant (or painful) torment. Except such as snatch away something by stealing, and they are pursued by a flaming fire of piercing brightness.) 37:6-7 Qatadah said, "These stars were only created for three purposes: Allah created them as adornment for the heaven (sky), as missiles for the devils and as signs for navigation. Therefore, whoever seeks to interpret any other meanings for them other than these, then verily he has spoken with his own opinion, he has lost his portion and burdened himself with that which he has no knowledge of." Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim both recorded this statement.

The Reality of Life and Death

خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ (...the One who created death and life...67:2) Out of the human conditions, only two phenomena, i.e. life and death are mentioned here, because they cover all of human conditions and actions of his entire life. The creation of 'life' is quite obvious, because life is a positive reality that can be the object of creation and bringing into existence. However, one may ask how 'death' can be 'created', while it is a negative concept that refers to a state of non-existence. In answer to this question, the leading commentators have come up with different explanations. The most plausible one is that 'death' is not a state of pure non-existence. It actually refers to the removal of soul from the body and its transfer from one place to another. Thus it is a positive phenomenon. Just as 'life' is a phenomenon that relates to a human body, 'death' too is a phenomenon that overtakes him. Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Abbas ؓ and other leading commentators have mentioned that 'life' and 'death' are two corporal entities. 'Death' has the corporal shape of a ram, and 'life' that of a mare. This statement apparently interprets the authentic Tradition which states that when the inmates of Paradise will have entered Paradise, and the inmates of Hell will have entered Hell, death will be brought in the form of a ram and will be slaughtered near Sirat (the Bridge) and it will be announced that there shall be no more death, and every one shall remain in the same state eternally as he or she will have attained. It may not necessarily be deduced from this Tradition that 'death' is a corporal entity in the mortal world also. There are many abstract conditions and actions in this world, which will assume concrete shapes and bodies in the Hereafter. This is verified by many authentic Traditions. 'Death', which is a condition that overtakes man, will also assume the shape of a concretised ram and will be slaughtered. [ Qurtubi ]

Tafsir Mazhari has stated that although 'death' is a negative phenomenon, it is not pure non-existence. It is a state of non-existence for a thing that will at some time come into existence. All such non-existent things have shapes in the World of Similitudes عالم المثال [ lam-ul-Mithal ] before coming into existence in the realm of creation عالم الناسوت[` Alam-un nasut ]. Such non-existent things are called a: الاعیان الثابتہ al-A` yan-uth-Thabitah. On account of these shapes, they do have some sort of existence even before they come into perceived existence. The existence of the World of Similitude [` Alam-ul-Mithal ] has been proved by the commentator through various ahadith. And Allah knows best!

Various Categories of Death and Life

It is stated in Tafsir Mazhari that Allah, with His Supreme Power and Consummate Wisdom, has divided His creation into different types. Each one is awarded 'life' befitting its type. The perfect and consummate life is awarded to man, which has been invested with the capability to recognise the Divine Being and His Attributes to a specific degree. It is on the basis of this recognition that he is made liable to carry out the sacred laws of Shari` ah, which has been termed by the Qur'an as a 'trust'. The heavens, the earth and the mountains feared to bear the burden of this trust but man, on account of his God-given capability, bore it. The antonym of this type of 'life' is the particular type of 'death', which is mentioned in the verse:

أَوَمَن كَانَ مَيْتًا فَأَحْيَيْنَاهُ

'Could it be that the one who was dead and We gave him life. [ 6:122] '

In this verse, a non-believer is referred to as 'dead' and a believer as 'alive', because a non-believer has wasted his 'recognition of Allah' that was the essential characteristic of this type of life. In other types or species of creation, this quality of life is absent, but they do possess senses and capability of movement, which is the second category of life. The antonym of this degree of life is the 'death' referred to by the Qur'an thus:

كُنتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا فَأَحْيَاكُمْ ۖ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ

'...you were lifeless and He gave you life, then He will make you die, then make you live again. [ 2:28]

In this context, 'life' refers to the ability to sense and move, and 'death' refers to its cessation. Some of the existent entities do not even possess the ability of sensing and movement. They merely possess the capability of growth as in the case of trees and vegetables. 'Life' is attributed to them as well in a limited sense (of growing), and as opposed to this, their 'death' is to lose the ability to grow. In this sense, the Holy Qur'an has used the words 'life' and 'death' in the following verse:

يُحْيِي الْأَرْ‌ضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا

'...how He brings the dead earth back to life. [ 30:50] '.

These degrees of life are confined to humankind, the animal kingdom and the vegetable kingdom. No other species of creation possesses these qualities of life. Therefore, idols made of stones are referred to in the Qur'an as

أَمْوَاتٌ غَيْرُ‌ أَحْيَاءٍ

'- dead, having no life_[ 16:21]

Nevertheless, inorganic matters too have a special (though very limited) element of 'life', which is necessary to the concept of existence. It is due to this element of 'life' that the Holy Qur'an says

:

وَإِن مِّن شَيْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ

'...And there is not a single thing that does not extol His purity and praise. [ 17:44]

This analysis also explains why 'death' in the above verse has been mentioned before 'life'. The reason seems to be that death or non-existence is the state that comes before life. In other words, everything that came into existence was the beginning in a state of lifelessness or non-existence, then it was awarded life.

Another explanation of mentioning 'death' before 'life' could be that the verse itself has declared that the purpose of creating human death and life is 'test',

لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا

'...so that He may test you as to which of you is better in deeds. [ 2]

This test is more important and is of greater significance in 'death' rather than in 'life', because the one who thinks of death constantly will have the tendency to do more and more righteous deeds. No doubt, the element of test is available in 'life' too, because every step of one's life reminds him of his own inability and powerlessness as against Allah's absolute power, which creates in him the tendency to act righteously. The thought of death, however, is most effective in correcting one's conduct. Sayyidna ` Ammar Ibn Yasir reports a Prophetic Hadith which says:

کفٰی بالموت وَاعِظَاً و کفٰی بالیقین غِنَی

"Death is sufficient as a preacher, and certitude is sufficient as a cause of being free from needs." [ Transmitted by Tabarani ]

This signifies that witnessing the death of friends and relatives is the most effective preacher. If that does not exert any influence on one, nothing else will. And he whom Allah has granted the wealth of faith and certitude is the most need-free person.

Sayyidna Rabi` Ibn Anas ؓ has stated that the thought of 'death' makes man disgusted with this world and makes him inclined towards the Hereafter.

لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا (...so that He may test you as to which of you is better in deeds.... 67:2). It should be noted here that Allah did not say 'which of you does more deeds', but said 'which of you is better in deeds'. This indicates that it is not the quantity of actions that counts, but rather the quality of actions, that is, their being righteous and acceptable in the sight of Allah. That is why man's actions will not be counted on the Day of Judgment, but they will be weighed. In some instances, the weight of one action would be heavier than a thousand actions.

What is a Good Action?

Sayyidna Ibn ` Umar ؓ said that once the Holy Prophet ﷺ recited verse [ 2] and when he reached the words "better in deeds", he stopped and explained that 'better in deeds' is the person who abstains most from the things Allah has forbidden and is always ready to obey Him. [ Qurtubi ]

A study of the present world reveals a certain contradiction. The whole universe (except for human beings) is running quite perfectly and in the most well-organised manner. It has no defect in it anywhere. On the contrary, one finds many defects in human life. This is because the nature of man’s creation is different. Man in this world is living under testing conditions. A test essentially demands freedom of action. This freedom of action has given the opportunity to human beings to create disturbance and imbalance in the world. The transgression rampant in the human world is the price of human freedom. If such conditions did not exist, how could divine approval be given to those worthy persons who did not transgress, in spite of having opportunities to transgress and who abstained from arrogance in spite of having the power to be arrogant?