Surah Al-Mulk

Ta'awwudh · Seeking Refuge

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani ar-rajim. I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.

The Name · Bismillah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Rahim. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

✦

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

The Surah · Al-Mulk

﴾١﴿ تَبَٰرَكَ ٱلَّذِى بِيَدِهِ ٱلْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌ

Tabaraka alladhi biyadihi al-mulku wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir

Blessed is the One in whose hand is the dominion, and He is capable of all things.

﴾٢﴿ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلْمَوْتَ وَٱلْحَيَوٰةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًۭا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْغَفُورُ

Alladhi khalaqa al-mawta wal-hayata liyabluwakum ayyukum ahsanu 'amala, wa huwa al-'azizu al-ghafur

Who created death and life to test which of you is best in deed, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving.

﴾٣﴿ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَٰوَٰتٍۢ طِبَاقًۭا ۖ مَّا تَرَىٰ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ مِن تَفَٰوُتٍۢ ۖ فَٱرْجِعِ ٱلْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَىٰ مِن فُطُورٍۢ

Alladhi khalaqa sab'a samawatin tibaqa, ma tara fi khalqi ar-Rahmani min tafawut, farji'i al-basara hal tara min futur

Who created seven heavens in layers. You see no disorder in the creation of the Most Merciful. So return your gaze: do you see any break?

﴾٤﴿ ثُمَّ ٱرْجِعِ ٱلْبَصَرَ كَرَّتَيْنِ يَنقَلِبْ إِلَيْكَ ٱلْبَصَرُ خَاسِئًۭا وَهُوَ حَسِيرٌۭ

Thumma irji'i al-basara karratayni yanqalib ilayka al-basaru khasi'an wa huwa hasir

Then return your gaze twice again. Your sight comes back to you humbled and worn out.

﴾٥﴿ وَلَقَدْ زَيَّنَّا ٱلسَّمَآءَ ٱلدُّنْيَا بِمَصَٰبِيحَ وَجَعَلْنَٰهَا رُجُومًۭا لِّلشَّيَٰطِينِ ۖ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابَ ٱلسَّعِيرِ

Wa laqad zayyanna as-sama'a ad-dunya bimasabiha wa ja'alnaha rujuman lish-shayatin wa a'tadna lahum 'adhaba as-sa'ir

We adorned the nearest heaven with lamps and made them missiles against the devils, and We prepared for them the punishment of the Blaze.

﴾٦﴿ وَلِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِرَبِّهِمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ

Wa lilladhina kafaru bi-Rabbihim 'adhabu jahannam, wa bi'sa al-masir

For those who disbelieved in their Lord is the punishment of Hell, and wretched is that destination.

﴾٧﴿ إِذَآ أُلْقُوا۟ فِيهَا سَمِعُوا۟ لَهَا شَهِيقًۭا وَهِىَ تَفُورُ

Idha ulqu fiha sami'u laha shahiqan wa hiya tafur

When they are thrown into it they hear it drawing breath as it boils.

﴾٨﴿ تَكَادُ تَمَيَّزُ مِنَ ٱلْغَيْظِ ۖ كُلَّمَآ أُلْقِىَ فِيهَا فَوْجٌۭ سَأَلَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَآ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَذِيرٌۭ

Takadu tamayyazu mina al-ghayz, kullama ulqiya fiha fawjun sa'alahum khazanatuha alam ya'tikum nadhir

It almost bursts from rage. Every time a company is thrown in, its keepers ask them: did no warner come to you?

﴾٩﴿ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ قَدْ جَآءَنَا نَذِيرٌۭ فَكَذَّبْنَا وَقُلْنَا مَا نَزَّلَ ٱللَّهُ مِن شَىْءٍ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا فِى ضَلَٰلٍۢ كَبِيرٍۢ

Qalu bala qad ja'ana nadhirun fakadhdhabna wa qulna ma nazzala Allahu min shay'in in antum illa fi dalalin kabir

They say: a warner did come to us, and we denied him. We said Allah has sent down nothing, you are in nothing but great error.

﴾١٠﴿ وَقَالُوا۟ لَوْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ أَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِىٓ أَصْحَٰبِ ٱلسَّعِيرِ

Wa qalu law kunna nasma'u aw na'qilu ma kunna fi ashabi as-sa'ir

And they say: had we listened, or had we reasoned, we would not be among the companions of the Blaze.

﴾١١﴿ فَٱعْتَرَفُوا۟ بِذَنۢبِهِمْ فَسُحْقًۭا لِّأَصْحَٰبِ ٱلسَّعِيرِ

Fa'tarafu bidhanbihim fasuhqan li-ashabi as-sa'ir

So they admit their sin. Away with the companions of the Blaze.

﴾١٢﴿ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُم بِٱلْغَيْبِ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌۭ وَأَجْرٌۭ كَبِيرٌۭ

Inna alladhina yakhshawna Rabbahum bil-ghaybi lahum maghfiratun wa ajrun kabir

Those who fear their Lord unseen will have forgiveness and a great reward.

﴾١٣﴿ وَأَسِرُّوا۟ قَوْلَكُمْ أَوِ ٱجْهَرُوا۟ بِهِۦٓ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ

Wa asirru qawlakum awi ijharu bihi innahu 'alimun bidhati as-sudur

Keep your speech secret or say it aloud. He knows what is inside the chests.

﴾١٤﴿ أَلَا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ وَهُوَ ٱللَّطِيفُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ

Ala ya'lamu man khalaqa wa huwa al-latifu al-khabir

Does the One who created not know? And He is the Subtle, the Aware.

﴾١٥﴿ هُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ ذَلُولًۭا فَٱمْشُوا۟ فِى مَنَاكِبِهَا وَكُلُوا۟ مِن رِّزْقِهِۦ ۖ وَإِلَيْهِ ٱلنُّشُورُ

Huwa alladhi ja'ala lakumu al-arda dhalulan famshu fi manakibiha wa kulu min rizqihi wa ilayhi an-nushur

He made the earth tame for you, so walk its shoulders and eat of His provision. To Him is the resurrection.

﴾١٦﴿ ءَأَمِنتُم مَّن فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ أَن يَخْسِفَ بِكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ فَإِذَا هِىَ تَمُورُ

A-amintum man fi as-sama'i an yakhsifa bikumu al-arda fa-idha hiya tamur

Do you feel secure from the One above you, that He would not cause the earth to swallow you while it quakes?

﴾١٧﴿ أَمْ أَمِنتُم مَّن فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ أَن يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَاصِبًۭا ۖ فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ كَيْفَ نَذِيرِ

Am amintum man fi as-sama'i an yursila 'alaykum hasiba, fasata'lamuna kayfa nadhir

Or do you feel secure that He would not send a storm of stones against you? Then you would know how My warning was.

﴾١٨﴿ وَلَقَدْ كَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ

Wa laqad kadhdhaba alladhina min qablihim fakayfa kana nakir

Those before them denied, and how severe was My reproach.

﴾١٩﴿ أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ إِلَى ٱلطَّيْرِ فَوْقَهُمْ صَٰٓفَّٰتٍۢ وَيَقْبِضْنَ ۚ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍۭ بَصِيرٌ

Awalam yaraw ila at-tayri fawqahum saffatin wa yaqbidn, ma yumsikuhunna illa ar-Rahman, innahu bikulli shay'in basir

Do they not see the birds above them, spreading and folding their wings? Nothing holds them up but the Most Merciful. He sees all things.

﴾٢٠﴿ أَمَّنْ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِى هُوَ جُندٌۭ لَّكُمْ يَنصُرُكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ۚ إِنِ ٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ إِلَّا فِى غُرُورٍ

Amman hadha alladhi huwa jundun lakum yansurukum min duni ar-Rahman, ini al-kafiruna illa fi ghurur

Who is this army of yours that would help you apart from the Most Merciful? The disbelievers are in nothing but delusion.

﴾٢١﴿ أَمَّنْ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِى يَرْزُقُكُمْ إِنْ أَمْسَكَ رِزْقَهُۥ ۚ بَل لَّجُّوا۟ فِى عُتُوٍّۢ وَنُفُورٍ

Amman hadha alladhi yarzuqukum in amsaka rizqah, bal lajju fi 'utuwwin wa nufur

Who is this that would provide for you if He withheld His provision? They persist in arrogance and aversion.

﴾٢٢﴿ أَفَمَن يَمْشِى مُكِبًّا عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهِۦٓ أَهْدَىٰٓ أَمَّن يَمْشِى سَوِيًّا عَلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍۢ مُّسْتَقِيمٍۢ

Afaman yamshi mukibban 'ala wajhihi ahda amman yamshi sawiyyan 'ala siratin mustaqim

Is the one who walks fallen on his face better guided, or the one who walks upright on a straight path?

﴾٢٣﴿ قُلْ هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنشَأَكُمْ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْأَبْصَٰرَ وَٱلْأَفْـِٔدَةَ ۖ قَلِيلًۭا مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ

Qul huwa alladhi ansha'akum wa ja'ala lakumu as-sam'a wal-absara wal-af'idah, qalilan ma tashkurun

Say: He brought you into being and gave you hearing, sight, and hearts. Little do you thank.

﴾٢٤﴿ قُلْ هُوَ ٱلَّذِى ذَرَأَكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَإِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ

Qul huwa alladhi dhara'akum fi al-ardi wa ilayhi tuhsharun

Say: He scattered you across the earth, and to Him you will be gathered.

﴾٢٥﴿ وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَٰذَا ٱلْوَعْدُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ

Wa yaquluna mata hadha al-wa'du in kuntum sadiqin

They say: when is this promise, if you are telling the truth?

﴾٢٦﴿ قُلْ إِنَّمَا ٱلْعِلْمُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَإِنَّمَآ أَنَا۠ نَذِيرٌۭ مُّبِينٌۭ

Qul innama al-'ilmu 'inda Allah, wa innama ana nadhirun mubin

Say: the knowledge is with Allah. I am only a clear warner.

﴾٢٧﴿ فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ زُلْفَةًۭ سِيٓـَٔتْ وُجُوهُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَقِيلَ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِى كُنتُم بِهِۦ تَدَّعُونَ

Falamma ra'awhu zulfatan si'at wujuhu alladhina kafaru wa qila hadha alladhi kuntum bihi tadda'un

When they see it drawn near, the faces of those who disbelieved will be distressed, and it will be said: this is what you were asking for.

﴾٢٨﴿ قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَهْلَكَنِىَ ٱللَّهُ وَمَن مَّعِىَ أَوْ رَحِمَنَا فَمَن يُجِيرُ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍۢ

Qul ara'aytum in ahlakaniya Allahu wa man ma'iya aw rahimana faman yujiru al-kafirina min 'adhabin alim

Say: whether Allah destroys me and those with me or has mercy on us, who will protect the disbelievers from a painful punishment?

﴾٢٩﴿ قُلْ هُوَ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ ءَامَنَّا بِهِۦ وَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا ۖ فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ هُوَ فِى ضَلَٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ

Qul huwa ar-Rahmanu amanna bihi wa 'alayhi tawakkalna, fasata'lamuna man huwa fi dalalin mubin

Say: He is the Most Merciful. We believe in Him and we rely on Him. You will come to know who is in clear error.

﴾٣٠﴿ قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَصْبَحَ مَآؤُكُمْ غَوْرًۭا فَمَن يَأْتِيكُم بِمَآءٍۢ مَّعِينٍۭ

Qul ara'aytum in asbaha ma'ukum ghawran faman ya'tikum bima'in ma'in

Say: if your water sank into the ground, who would bring you flowing water?

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What The Surah Means

Overview

Surah Al-Mulk is thirty verses, chapter 67, Makki. It opens Juz 29 and it is the surah the Prophet ﷺ is reported to have recited every night before sleeping, together with Surah As-Sajdah, in a narration recorded by al-Tirmidhi and Ahmad. Al-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud also record that it is a surah of thirty verses that interceded for a man until he was forgiven. Among the early scholars it carried the names al-Mani'a, the preventer, and al-Munjiya, the rescuer.

The argument moves in four sweeps. Sovereignty is established first, then the eye is sent out twice to audit creation for a flaw and comes back beaten. The consequence of denying that sovereignty is shown inside the Fire, in the words of the deniers themselves. Then the surah turns and asks a series of questions no one can answer: who holds the birds up, who is your army, who feeds you, who brings the water back.

The dominion is in a hand that is not yours. Every question in this surah is built to make you admit it.

Verses 1–2 · The Hand and the Test

Blessed is the One in whose hand is the dominion. Who created death and life to test which of you is best in deed.

Tabaraka: the verb carries abundance and permanence together. The blessing is not granted to Him, it belongs to Him and overflows from Him.

Biyadihi al-mulk: the dominion is in His hand. Every other holder of power in your life is holding something on loan, including you.

Khalaqa al-mawta wal-hayata: death is named before life. Ibn Kathir notes that death is treated here as a created thing, not merely the absence of life. The order tells you which one frames the other.

Ahsanu 'amala: best in deed, not most in deed. Al-Fudayl ibn Iyad, quoted by al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir, defined ahsan here as the deed that is both most sincere and most correct, and said that a deed sincere but wrong is not accepted, and a deed correct but insincere is not accepted. Volume is not the metric.

Death first, life second, and the grading is on quality. The test began before you were consulted.

Verses 3–5 · The Audit of the Sky

Seven heavens in layers. You see no disorder. Return your gaze twice, and it comes back humbled and worn out.

Tibaqa: layer upon layer, matched and fitted. Tafawut is discrepancy, the sense of parts that do not agree with each other.

Farji'i al-basar: an order, not an invitation. Go look for the flaw. The surah is confident enough to hand you the instrument and send you out.

Thumma irji'i al-basara karratayn: go back twice more. The repetition is the point. A single glance can be dismissed as a glance. A sustained audit cannot.

Khasi'an wa huwa hasir: the eye returns humbled and exhausted, which is the language used of a beaten animal. It found nothing, and the search itself wore it out.

You were told to look for the crack. You were told to look again. The eye came back empty and tired, and that is the evidence.

Verses 6–11 · The Confession Inside the Fire

When they are thrown in they hear it drawing breath. Its keepers ask: did no warner come to you?

Shahiqan wa hiya tafur: the Fire is given breath and rage, described as something that reacts rather than something inert.

Alam ya'tikum nadhir: the keepers ask the one question that matters at that point. The answer, given by the deniers themselves, is yes. The warning arrived and was refused.

Law kunna nasma'u aw na'qilu: had we listened, or had we reasoned. Two faculties named, hearing and intellect, and both were available the whole time. Ibn Kathir notes the pairing covers the two roads to guidance, the transmitted and the rational.

Fa'tarafu bidhanbihim: they admit it. The surah does not need to prosecute them. It lets them convict themselves in their own words.

They had the warning, the hearing, and the mind. The confession is theirs, not the prosecutor's.

Verses 12–15 · The Unseen and the Ground You Walk

Those who fear their Lord unseen have forgiveness and a great reward. He knows what is inside the chests.

Yakhshawna Rabbahum bil-ghayb: fear of Him while He is unseen, and while you are unseen by other people. The private posture is what earns the great reward.

Wa asirru qawlakum awi ijharu bih: whisper it or announce it, the audience is the same. The verse removes the distinction between your public and your private register.

Ala ya'lamu man khalaq: does the One who made the thing not know the thing. The argument is from manufacture. The maker knows the mechanism.

Al-arda dhalulan famshu fi manakibiha: the earth was made dhalul, tame, broken in like a mount that carries you. Then the command: walk its shoulders and eat His provision. Work is commanded in the same breath as resurrection is named. The surah puts your commute and your accounting in one verse.

He knows the inside of the chest. Now go walk on the earth He tamed, and remember where the road ends.

Verses 16–21 · Four Questions With No Answer

Do you feel secure? Do they not see the birds? Who is your army? Who feeds you?

A-amintum: the security question, asked twice. The ground under a man is the last thing he thinks to doubt, which is exactly why it is named.

Ma yumsikuhunna illa ar-Rahman: nothing holds the birds up but the Most Merciful. The example is chosen because it is ordinary. You have watched it a thousand times without once asking what is holding them.

Amman hadha alladhi huwa jundun lakum: who is this army of yours. The word for the thing men actually trust, force, is put in the form of a question that has no answer.

Amman hadha alladhi yarzuqukum in amsaka rizqah: who provides if He withholds. Lajju fi 'utuwwin wa nufur, they persist in arrogance and aversion, is the verdict on the refusal to answer.

Four questions. No one has ever answered one of them. The persistence in the arrogance is the answer they give instead.

Verses 22–30 · The Two Walks and the Water

Is the one who walks fallen on his face better guided, or the one who walks upright on a straight path?

Mukibban 'ala wajhih: stumbling face down, seeing only the patch of ground in front of him. Sawiyyan 'ala siratin mustaqim: upright, on a road that goes somewhere. The image is posture and direction together, and it describes two men who are both moving.

As-sam'a wal-absara wal-af'idah: hearing, sight, and hearts, the same three instruments the people of the Fire admitted they had. Qalilan ma tashkurun, little do you thank, is the standing charge.

Mata hadha al-wa'd: they demand the timing. The answer refuses the question and restates the role: the knowledge is with Allah, and I am only a clear warner. A man is not required to hold the schedule to deliver the message.

Qul ara'aytum in asbaha ma'ukum ghawran: the surah ends on water sinking into the ground. Not an army, not a market crash. The most ordinary dependency there is, withdrawn by one degree. Nothing you own answers that question.

Water is the closing argument. Everything you have is held one degree above the ground it could sink into.

Structural Summary

Thirty Verses. Whose Hand Is It In?

Verses 1–2The HandDominion held in His hand. Death created before life. The grading is on the best deed, not the most.

Verses 3–5The AuditSeven layered heavens with no discrepancy. Look for the flaw, look twice more, and the eye comes back beaten.

Verses 6–11The ConfessionThe Fire questions its arrivals. Had we listened, had we reasoned. They convict themselves.

Verses 12–15The UnseenFear Him unseen. He knows what is in the chest. Then walk the tamed earth and eat.

Verses 16–19The SecurityThe ground could swallow you. The birds are held up by nothing you can name.

Verses 20–21The QuestionsWho is your army. Who feeds you. Both questions go unanswered, and the arrogance persists.

Verses 22–30The Two WalksFace down or upright. Hearing, sight, and hearts given. And the water that could sink tomorrow.

Why This Surah Is For You

This is the surah of the man who has accumulated. Al-Mulk does not argue that your position is illegitimate. It asks who is holding it. Every venture, every account, every room you can walk into is a delegation, and verse 1 names the hand it was delegated from.

Verse 2 is the correction to the metric most driven men use. Ahsanu 'amala, best in deed, and Al-Fudayl's two conditions for it, sincere and correct. Output volume is the metric of the market. It is not the metric of the accounting.

Verses 3 and 4 are the answer to anyone who claims faith requires you to stop examining. The surah commands the examination, sets no limit on it, and stakes itself on the result. Look for the crack. Look again.

Recite verses 20 and 21 when a season is going well. Who is the army. Who is the provider. A man who can answer those questions honestly on a good month will not lose himself on a bad one.

The Practice · Daily Integration

Thirty Verses. Read It Before Sleep.

Recite Al-Mulk every night before sleeping, following the practice reported of the Prophet ﷺ in al-Tirmidhi and Ahmad. Thirty verses take a few minutes and the habit is the point.

Memorize it in blocks of five. The surah is built in sweeps, and the blocks are the sweeps.

Use verses 3 and 4 as a weekly instruction to go and look. Read something about the created order and come back to the verse.

Use verses 20 and 21 as the check on a good season, and verse 30 as the check on a secure one.

The dominion is in His hand. Read the thirty verses before you sleep, and sleep like a man who knows whose hand it is.

آمِين

Prepared with discipline · Ameen

Verse-By-Verse · Test Yourself

The Quiz

Two questions per verse. Translation and a key Arabic word. Walk through it slow. The goal is comprehension, not speed.

Verse 11 / 60

The Verse

تَبَٰرَكَ ٱلَّذِى بِيَدِهِ ٱلْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌ

Tabaraka alladhi biyadihi al-mulku wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir

What does this verse say?