What is Islam

AL MULK (The Dominion).

1 Blessed be He in Whose hands is Dominion; and He over all things hath Power;
2 He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft Forgiving;
3 He Who created the seven heavens one above another: no want of proportion wilt thou see in the Creation of (Allah) Most Gracious. So turn thy vision again: seest thou any flaw?
4 Again turn thy vision a second time: (thy) vision will come back to thee dull and discomfited, in a state worn out.
5 And We have, (from of old), adorned the lowest heaven with Lamps, and We have made such (Lamps) (as) missiles to drive away the Evil Ones, and have prepared for them the Penalty of the Blazing Fire.
6 For those who reject their Lord (and Cherisher) is the Penalty of Hell: and evil is (such) destination.
7 When they are cast therein, they will hear the (terrible) drawing in of its breath even as it blazes forth,
8 Almost bursting with fury: every time a Group is cast therein, its Keepers will ask, Did no Warner come to you?
9 They will say: Yes indeed; a Warner did come to us, but we rejected him and said, Allah never sent down any (Message): ye are in nothing but an egregious delusion!
10 They will further say: Had we but listened or used our intelligence, We should not (now) be among the Companions of the Blazing Fire!
11 They will then confess their sins: but far will be (Forgiveness) from the Companions of the Blazing Fire!
12 As for those who fear their Lord unseen, for them is Forgiveness and a great Reward.
13 And whether ye hide your word or publish it, he certainly has (full) knowledge, of the secrets of (all) hearts.
14 Should He not know, He that created? And He is the One that understands the finest mysteries (and) is well acquainted (with them).
15 It is He Who has made the earth manageable for you, so traverse ye through its tracts and enjoy of the Sustenance which He furnishes: but unto Him is the Resurrection.
16 Do ye feel secure that He Who is in Heaven will not cause you to be swallowed up by the earth when it shakes (as in an earthquake)?
17 Or do ye feel secure that He Who is in Heaven will not send against you a violent tornado (with showers of stones), so that ye shall know how (terrible) was My warning?
18 But indeed men before them rejected (My warning): then how (terrible) was My rejection (of them)?
19 Do they not observe the birds above them, spreading their wings and folding them in? None can uphold them except (Allah) Most Gracious: truly it is He that watches over all things.
20 Nay, who is there that can help you, (even as) an army, besides (Allah) Most Merciful? In nothing but delusion are the Unbelievers.
21 Or who is there that can provide you with Sustenance if He were to with hold His provision? Nay, they obstinately persist in insolent impiety and flight (from the Truth).
22 Is then one who walks headlong, with his face grovelling, better guided, or one who walks evenly on a Straight Way?
23 Say: It is He Who has created you (and made you grow), and made for you the faculties of hearing, seeing, feeling and understanding: little thanks it is ye give.
24 Say: It is He Who has multiplied you through the earth, and to Him shall ye be gathered together.
25 They ask: When will this promise be (fulfilled)? If ye are telling the truth.
26 Say: As to the knowledge of the time, it is with Allah alone: I am (sent) only to warn plainly in public.
6 27 At length, when they see it close at hand, grieved will be the faces of the Unbelievers, and it will be said (to them): This is (the promise fulfilled), which ye were calling for!
28 Say: See ye? If Allah were to destroy me, and those with me, or if He bestows His Mercy on us, yet who can deliver the Unbelievers from a grievous Penalty?
29 Say: He is (Allah) Most Gracious: we have believed in Him, and on Him have we put our trust: so, soon will ye know which (of us) it is that is in manifest error.
30 Say: See ye? If your stream be some morning lost (in the underground earth), who then can supply you with clear flowing water?

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Explination of the Surah

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-II, 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. 12-14, 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? "