Islamicstudies.info
Tafheem.net | About |
Zoom Page: Ctrl+, Ctrl-, Ctrl0
Font | Contact us
Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
Introduction to Tafheem | Glossary | Verbs
Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear

 Surah Al-Mulk 67:1-10 [1/2]
  
|
Intro
 
Display
 
Recite
|
Display Options [
V1 /
V2 /
V3 /
Book /
S1 /
S2 /
En /
Ar |
W
]
Section
Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
تَبَـٰرَكَBlessed is
ٱلَّذِىHe
بِيَدِهِin Whose Hand
ٱلْمُلْكُ(is) the Dominion,
وَهُوَand He
عَلَىٰ(is) over
كُلِّevery
شَىْءٍthing
قَدِيرٌAll-Powerful.
﴿١﴾
ٱلَّذِىThe One Who
خَلَقَcreated
ٱلْمَوْتَdeath
وَٱلْحَيَوٲةَand life
لِيَبْلُوَكُمْthat He may test you,
أَيُّكُمْwhich of you
أَحْسَنُ(is) best
عَمَلاً‌ۚ(in) deed.
وَهُوَAnd He
ٱلْعَزِيزُ(is) the All-Mighty,
ٱلْغَفُورُthe Oft-Forgiving.
﴿٢﴾
ٱلَّذِىThe One Who
خَلَقَcreated
سَبْعَseven
سَمَـٰوَٲتٍheavens
طِبَاقًا‌ۖone above another.
مَّاNot
تَرَىٰyou see
فِىin
خَلْقِ(the) creation
ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ(of) the Most Gracious
مِنany
تَفَـٰوُتٍ‌ۖfault.
فَٱرْجِعِSo return
ٱلْبَصَرَthe vision,
هَلْcan
تَرَىٰyou see
مِنany
فُطُورٍflaw?
﴿٣﴾
ثُمَّThen
ٱرْجِعِreturn
ٱلْبَصَرَthe vision
كَرَّتَيْنِtwice again.
يَنقَلِبْWill return
إِلَيْكَto you
ٱلْبَصَرُthe vision
خَاسِئًاhumbled
وَهُوَwhile it
حَسِيرٌ(is) fatigued.
﴿٤﴾
وَلَقَدْAnd certainly
زَيَّنَّاWe have beautified
ٱلسَّمَآءَ ٱلدُّنْيَاthe nearest heaven
بِمَصَـٰبِيحَwith lamps,
وَجَعَلْنَـٰهَاand We have made them
رُجُومًا(as) missiles
لِّلشَّيَـٰطِينِ‌ۖfor the devils,
وَأَعْتَدْنَاand We have prepared
لَهُمْfor them
عَذَابَpunishment
ٱلسَّعِيرِ(of) the Blaze.
﴿٥﴾
وَلِلَّذِينَAnd for those who
كَفَرُواْdisbelieved
بِرَبِّهِمْin their Lord
عَذَابُ(is the) punishment
جَهَنَّمَ‌ۖ(of) Hell,
وَبِئْسَand wretched is
ٱلْمَصِيرُthe destination.
﴿٦﴾
إِذَآWhen
أُلْقُواْthey are thrown
فِيهَاtherein,
سَمِعُواْthey will hear
لَهَاfrom it
شَهِيقًاan inhaling
وَهِىَwhile it
تَفُورُboils up.
﴿٧﴾
تَكَادُIt almost
تَمَيَّزُbursts
مِنَwith
ٱلْغَيْظِ‌ۖrage.
كُلَّمَآEvery time
أُلْقِىَis thrown
فِيهَاtherein
فَوْجٌa group,
سَأَلَهُمْwill ask them
خَزَنَتُهَآits keepers,
أَلَمْ`Did not
يَأْتِكُمْcome to you
نَذِيرٌa warner?`
﴿٨﴾
قَالُواْThey will say,
بَلَىٰ`Yes,
قَدْindeed
جَآءَنَاcame to us
نَذِيرٌa warner,
فَكَذَّبْنَاbut we denied
وَقُلْنَاand we said,
مَا`Not
نَزَّلَ ٱللَّهُhas Allah sent down
مِنany
شَىْءٍthing.
إِنْNot
أَنتُمْyou (are)
إِلَّاbut
فِىin
ضَلَـٰلٍerror
كَبِيرٍgreat.``
﴿٩﴾
وَقَالُواْAnd they will say,
لَوْ`If
كُنَّاwe had
نَسْمَعُlistened
أَوْor
نَعْقِلُreasoned,
مَاnot
كُنَّاwe (would) have been
فِىٓamong
أَصْحَـٰبِ(the) companions
ٱلسَّعِيرِ(of) the Blaze.`
﴿١٠﴾


بِسۡمِ اللهِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِيۡمِ تَبٰرَكَ الَّذِىۡ بِيَدِهِ الۡمُلۡكُ وَهُوَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ قَدِيۡرُۙ‏   اۨلَّذِىۡ خَلَقَ الۡمَوۡتَ وَالۡحَيٰوةَ لِيَبۡلُوَكُمۡ اَيُّكُمۡ اَحۡسَنُ عَمَلًا ؕ وَهُوَ الۡعَزِيۡزُ الۡغَفُوۡرُۙ‏  الَّذِىۡ خَلَقَ سَبۡعَ سَمٰوٰتٍ طِبَاقًا​ ؕ مَا تَرٰى فِىۡ خَلۡقِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ مِنۡ تَفٰوُتٍ​ ؕ فَارۡجِعِ الۡبَصَرَۙ هَلۡ تَرٰى مِنۡ فُطُوۡرٍ‏  ثُمَّ ارۡجِعِ الۡبَصَرَ كَرَّتَيۡنِ يَنۡقَلِبۡ اِلَيۡكَ الۡبَصَرُ خَاسِئًا وَّهُوَ حَسِيۡرٌ‏  وَلَـقَدۡ زَيَّـنَّا السَّمَآءَ الدُّنۡيَا بِمَصَابِيۡحَ وَجَعَلۡنٰهَا رُجُوۡمًا لِّلشَّيٰطِيۡنِ​ وَاَعۡتَدۡنَا لَهُمۡ عَذَابَ السَّعِيۡرِ‏  وَلِلَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا بِرَبِّهِمۡ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ​ؕ وَبِئۡسَ الۡمَصِيۡرُ‏   اِذَاۤ اُلۡقُوۡا فِيۡهَا سَمِعُوۡا لَهَا شَهِيۡقًا وَّهِىَ تَفُوۡرُۙ‏  تَكَادُ تَمَيَّزُ مِنَ الۡغَيۡظِ​ؕ كُلَّمَاۤ اُلۡقِىَ فِيۡهَا فَوۡجٌ سَاَلَهُمۡ خَزَنَـتُهَاۤ اَلَمۡ يَاۡتِكُمۡ نَذِيۡرٌ‏  قَالُوۡا بَلٰى قَدۡ جَآءَنَا نَذِيۡرٌ  ۙ فَكَذَّبۡنَا وَقُلۡنَا مَا نَزَّلَ اللّٰهُ مِنۡ شَىۡءٍ ۖۚ اِنۡ اَنۡتُمۡ اِلَّا فِىۡ ضَلٰلٍ كَبِيۡرٍ‏  وَقَالُوۡا لَوۡ كُنَّا نَسۡمَعُ اَوۡ نَعۡقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِىۡۤ اَصۡحٰبِ السَّعِيۡرِ‏  

Translation
(67:1) Blessed is He1 in Whose Hand is the dominion of the Universe,2 and Who has power over everything;3 (67:2) Who created death and life that He might try you as to which of you is better in deed.4 He is the Most Mighty, the Most Forgiving;5 (67:3) Who created the seven heavens one upon another.6 You will see no incongruity in the Merciful One's creation.7 Turn your vision again, can you see any flaw?8 (67:4) Then turn your vision again, and then again; in the end your vision will come back to you, worn out and frustrated. (67:5) We have adorned the lower heaven9 with lamps,10 and have made them a means to drive away the satans.11 We have prepared for them the chastisement of the Blazing Fire. (67:6) The chastisement of Hell awaits those who disbelieve in their Lord.12 What a wretched destination! (67:7) When they will be cast into it, they will hear it roar as it boils,13 (67:8) as though it will burst with rage. Every time a multitude is cast into it, its keepers will ask them: “Did no warner come to you?”14 (67:9) They will say: “Yes, a warner came to us, but we gave the lie to him and said: 'Allah has revealed nothing. You are surely in huge error.'15 (67:10) They will say: 'If we had only listened and understood,16 we would not be among the inmates of the Blazing Fire.'”

Commentary

1. Tabaraka is a superlative from barkat. Barkat comprehends the meanings of exaltation and greatness, abundance and plentiful, permanence and multiplicity of virtues and excellences. When the superlative tabaraka is formed from it, it gives the meaning that Allah is infinitely noble and great. He is superior to everything beside Himself in His essence and attributes and works. His beneficence is infinite, and His excellences are permanent and everlasting. (For further explanation, see ( E.N. 43 of Surah Al-Aaraf); (E.N. 1-4 of Surah Al-Muminoon); (E.Ns 1 and 19 of Surah Al-Furqan).

2. As the word al-Mulk has been used, it cannot be taken in any limited meaning. Inevitably, it would imply sovereignty over everything that exists in the universe. In Whose hand is the dominion does not mean that He has physical hands, but that He is possessor of all power and authority and no one else has any share in it.

3. That is, He can do whatever He wills, nothing can frustrate or hinder Him from doing what He pleases.

4. That is, the object of giving life to man in the world and causing his death is to test him to see which of them is best in deeds. Allusion has been made in this brief sentence to a number of truths:

(1) That life and death are given by Allah, no one else can grant life nor cause death.

(2) That neither the life nor the death of a creation like man, which has been given the power to do both good and evil, is purposeless. The Creator has created him in the world for the test. Life is for him the period of the test and death means that the time allotted for the test has come to an end.

(3) That for the sake of this very test the Creator has given every man an opportunity for action, so that he may do good or evil in the world and practically show what kind of a man he is.

(4) That the Creator alone will decide who has done good or evil. It is not for us to propose a criterion for the good and the evil deeds but for Almighty Allah. Therefore, whoever desires to get through the test, will have to find out what is the criterion of a good deed in His sight. Every person will be recompensed according to his deeds, for if there was no reward or punishment the test would be meaningless.

5. This has two meanings and both are implied here:

(1) That He is Almighty, in spite of being dominant over all His creatures, He is Merciful and Forgiving for them, not tyrannous and cruel.

(2) That He has full power to punish the evildoers. No one can escape His punishment. But He is forgiving for him who feels penitent, refrains from evil and asks for His forgiveness.

7. Literally, tafawut is disproportion: two things being out of accord and in disagreement with each other. So, the divine words mean: You will not see any indiscipline, any disorder and discordance anywhere in the universe, there is nothing disjointed and out of proportion in this world created by Allah: all its parts are well connected and in perfect harmony and coordination.

8. The word futoor means a crack, rift, fissure, or a thing’s being split and broken. The verse means to say that the whole universe is so closely well-knit and everything in it, from a particle on the earth to the huge galaxies, so well connected and coherent that the continuity of the system of the universe seems to break nowhere, however hard one may try to probe and investigate. (For further explanation, see (E.N. 8 of Surah Qaf).

9. The world’s heaven: the heaven the stars and planets of which can be seen with the naked eye; the objects beyond that which can be seen only through telescopes are the distant heaven; and the heavens still farther away are those which have not yet been seen even with telescopes.

10. The word masabih in the original has been used as a common noun, and therefore, automatically gives the meaning of the lamp’s being splendid and glorious. It means: We have not created this universe dark, dismal and desolate, but have beautified and decorated it with stars, the glory and grandeur of which at night strike man with amazement.

11. This does not mean that the stars themselves are pelted at the Satans, nor that the meteorites shoot out only to drive away the Satans, but it means that the countless meteorites which originate from the stars and wander in space at tremendous speeds and which also fall to the earth in a continuous shower prevent the Satans of the earth from ascending to the heavens. Even if they try to ascend heavenward these meteorites drive them away. This thing has been mentioned here because the Arabs believed about the soothsayers, and this also was the claim made by the soothsayers themselves, that the Satans were under their control, or that they had a close contact with them, and through them they received news of the unseen, and thus, could foretell the destinies of the people. That is why at several places in the Quran, it has been stated that there is absolutely no possibility for the Satans ascending to the heavens and bringing news of the unseen. (For explanation, see (E.Ns 9-12 of Surah Al-Hijr), (E.Ns 6, 7 of Surah As- Saaffat).

As for the truth about meteorites, man’s information in this regard is still without a scientific basis. However, the theory which seems best to account for all the facts known today and the information gathered from the examination of the meteorites fallen on the earth, is that meteorites originate from the disintegration of one or more planets and wander in space and sometimes fall to the earth under its gravitational pull. (See Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. XV, under Meteorites).

12. That is, the fate of all those, whether men or Satans, who disbelieve in their Lord. (For the explanation of the meaning of disbelieving in the Lord (Rabb), see( E.N 161 of Surah Al-Baqarah); (E.N. 178 of Surah An-Nisa); (E.N. 39 of Surah Al-Kahf); (E.N. 3 of Surah Al-Momin).

13. The word shahiq is used for producing a cry like the donkey’s braying. The sentence may also mean that it could be the sound of Hell itself, as well as that it would be the sound coming from Hell, where the people already flung into it would be screaming and crying. This second meaning is supported by (Surah Houd, Ayat 106), where it has been said: Therein they will pant and hiss (because of thirst), and the first meaning is confirmed by (Surah Al- Furqan, Ayat 12), which says: When the Hell will see them from afar, they will hear the sounds of its raging and roaring. On this basis, the correct meaning is that it would be the noise made both by Hell and by the dwellers of Hell.

14. The real nature of this question will not be of a question that the keepers of Hell would like to ask them whether a warner from Allah had come to them or not, but the object would be to make them realize that no injustice had been done to them by casting them into Hell. They would try to make them confess that Allah had not kept them uninformed and unwarned. He had sent the Prophets to them. He had informed them of the truth and of the right way. He had warned them that if they followed a way other than the right way, it would lead them to Hell, in which they had been cast. But they had not listened to the Prophets. Hence, they rightly deserved the punishment which was being meted out to them at that time.

This thing has been pointed out over and over again in the Quran that the test for which Allah has sent man in the world is not being conducted by keeping man absolutely unaware and uninformed of the requirements of the test only to see whether he found the right way by himself or not; but Allah has made the most appropriate arrangements that could possibly be made of guiding him to the right way, and it is that He has raised the Prophets and sent down the Books. Now the test of man lies in this whether he accepts the Prophets and the Books brought by them and adopts the straight way, or turns away from them to follow his own desires, wishes and speculations. Thus, the Prophethood, in fact, is Allah’s argument which He has established against man and his entire future life depends on its acceptance or rejection. No one, after the appointment of the Prophets, can present the excuse that he remained unaware of the truth, or that he has been caught and put to the hard test unawares, or that he is being punished while he was innocent. This theme has been presented in many different ways in the Quran; for instance, see ( Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 213, and E.N. 230); ( Surah An-Nisa, Ayats 41-42, 165 and E.Ns 64 and 208); (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayats 130-131 and E.Ns 98-100); (Surah Bani Israil, Ayat 15 and E.N. 17); (Surah Ta Ha, Ayat 134); (Surah Al-Qasas, Ayats 47, 59, 65 and E.Ns 66, 83); (Surah Fatir, Ayat 37); (Surah Al-Momin, Ayat 50 and E.N. 66).

15. That is, not only you but the people who have believed in and followed you also are misguided and lost in grave error.

16. If we had listened or understood: If we had listened to the Prophets with attention as seekers after truth or used our intellect to understand what actually was the message they were presenting before us. Here listening has been given priority over understanding, the reason being that the pre-requisite of obtaining guidance is to listen to what the Prophet teaches, or to read if it is in the written form, like a seeker after truth. To ponder over it in an attempt to understand the truth is secondary. Without the Prophet’s guidance man cannot by himself reach the truth directly by using his intellect and common sense.