B i s m i l l a a h i r R a h m a a n i r R a h e e m
Teachings of the Qur'aan
Al-Mulk
Soorah 67:1-4
Name and Background
Teachings and Commentary
Ayub A. Hamid
The Seventh Group
When we started the teaching series, we had indicated that
the Qur-aan consists of seven distinct groups of Soorahs. Each group of Soorahs
starts with one or more Makkan Soorahs and ends with one or more Madeenan
Soorahs. Each group covers the life cycle of the Islamic movement until the
completion of the mission, but from a different perspective. Similarly each
group talks about Towheed, Risaalah and Aakhirah and contains some commands of
Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala, but also has its own central theme that is
particularly emphasized in all Soorahs of the group.
The seventh group of Soorahs starts with Soorah Al-Mulk
(Soorah 67) and ends with Soorah An-Naas (Soorah 114) - 48 Soorahs in total.
Because the Soorahs at the end are usually known by most Muslims and because
they are recited the most often in Salaah, we had presented their teaching from
At-Teen to An-Naas on a priority basis. Now we will start from Soorah Al-Mulk
to complete the whole group, and then we will go back to complete the earlier
groups, Inshaa Allaah.
The Makkan Soorahs contained in this group are those revealed
at the earliest stage of the prophetic mission. They were composed of short,
rhythmic verses that were easy on the tongue but extremely powerful in their
impact and effectively packed with profound messages. Initially, they were
short, containing only a few verses each. Thus, as the Prophet sall Allaahu
'alayhi wa sallam recited them to people, they would be instantly picked up and
remembered by friends and foes alike and would become the talk of the town. As
time passed, the length of the Soorahs increased gradually. These Soorahs shook
up the Arabian society quite intensely and polarized Arabs into two factions:
those who believed in them became passionately devoted fans of Islam, and
others became furiously aggressive foes.
The emphasized theme in this group of Soorahs is the warning
to the disbelievers of the punishment of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala in this
world and in the Hereafter. This warning has been given through a rational
approach based on the natural signs surrounding people and generally accepted
historical lessons. The imagery of the condition that people will witness on
the Last Day and on the Day of Judgment has been vividly presented to help
people visualize the reality of that Day and the life Hereafter.
Name and Background
The Soorah came to be identified by the word Al-Mulk
(Kingdom) from the first verse.
This Soorah, like other early Makkan Soorahs, presents
Islamic teachings in a concise, point-form manner, in a style that wakes people
up and encourages them to think. The Soorah reminds people of the temporary
nature of this world, which is only for the purpose of testing people's
performance. The focus of the Soorah remains on the punishment of Allaah in
this world and the Hereafter.
Teachings and Commentary
The Soorah starts with a description of the attributes,
authority, power and might of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala so that people can
form the right views about Him.
1 The source of all blessings and magnificently exalted is
He: In Whose hands is Dominion; and He has power and capability to do
everything; 2 Who created death and life to test which of you is best in
deeds; and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving; and 3 Who created the seven
heavens in layers, one above another; you do not see any inconsistency in the
Most Gracious One's creation; have a look again, do you see any flaw? 4 Then
look back again and again, your sight will return to you humbled while it is
fatigued.
The first word of the Soorah "Tabaaraka" is a superlative and
emphatic form of "barakah" which connotes greatness, grandeur, abundance,
goodness, growth, blessing and permanence. Thus "Tabaaraka" means He Who is
infinitely superior and great, magnificently exalted over everything else, from
Whom emanates abundant goodness, growth and blessing on a constant and
permanent basis.
"In His hands" is a proverbial expression indicating
ownership and control. Dominion (Mulk) implies sovereignty over the entire
universe. He is fully capable of and has absolute might to take care of the
universe on an ongoing basis. He is not merely the Cause who caused the
creation of the universe and then retired. Rather, He is watching over the
operations of the universe like a sovereign king looking after His kingdom.
In "Who created both death and life", the mention of death
before life is worth noting. When people think about these matters, they
usually think that death follows life. What people forget is that there was
nothing before our life was created. Our starting point was "death"
(non-existence), and then Allaah gave us life. But this is a temporary life,
which ends with our death. Then, we will be raised for an eternal life on the
Day of Judgment. Thus, the eternal life of the Hereafter is also preceded by
death.
The current life was made temporary as a test so that
everyone can demonstrate his or her best performance. It is this performance
that will determine the quality of life in the eternal Hereafter. Thus, the
life of this world being a test from Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala automatically
implies that:
§ This life is not without purpose;
§ Death merely signifies the end of the test, it is
not the end of the story;
§ It is Allaah as the examiner who determines what is
the right behaviour, not people who are being tested; and
§ There will be reward and punishment because without
any consequences of actions, the test is illogical and meaningless.
People should keep His two attributes in mind in this
respect: Firstly, He has all the power and might to hold everyone accountable
so that none can evade His judgment or accountability. Secondly, although He is
able to hold everyone accountable for every action a person performs in his or
her life, He is also very forgiving. He is Kind to let people off the hook if
their overall performance is adequate, instead of holding them accountable for
everything. Furthermore, if people repent and seek His forgiveness for their
past mistakes, He forgives them.
"Seven heavens" refers to some sort of division of the
universe into seven layers which people can interpret and understand according
to their level of cosmic knowledge. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala has not
explained such concepts precisely because the Qur-aan is for people of all
levels of knowledge and intellect for all periods of time. The exact nature of
this cosmic reality would have been beyond the level of comprehension of most
people, most of the time. Hence Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala just alludes to
them so that people can reflect on them according to their own capacity.
Everyone, therefore, gets the desired benefit from the reflection according to
his or her knowledge and sophistication, from ordinary folks to advanced
research scientists. This is one of the miracles of the Qur-aan that statements
made by the Qur-aan are never contradicted by scientific facts. The more
advanced the research that establishes a scientific fact, the more impressive
the description of that fact in the Qur-aan proves to be.
When we ponder over the functioning of the universe, we see
that from an atom to the greatest cosmos, every part of the universe is
functioning consistently according to the laws of nature promulgated by Allaah
Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala. In addition, the functioning of the whole universe is so
coordinated and congruent to sustain life that some scientists conclude that
from Big Bang onwards, everything was designed to enable creation of life and
its sustenance.
As is evident from the above notes, the first four verses of
this Soorah inculcate the fundamentals of Islamic faith in a concise manner.
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Copyright © 2008 Ayub A. Hamid
All rights reserved
This document may be used, only with this copyright notice
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attributed to the author Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid. Contact the author for all
other rights, which are reserved.
Note: This series is providing the teachings of the Qur'aan,
not a literal translation. Instead of literal translation, it gives
interpretive meanings of the verses, along with their contextual details.
Please remember that any translation of the Holy Qur'aan is in fact only an
expression of the translator's understanding of the Word of Allaah Subhaanahu
wa Ta'aala, and hence cannot be equated with the Qur'aan itself. Only the
original Arabic text can be called the Holy Qur'aan.
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Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid is a visionary and strategic Islamic
thinker residing in Canada for the last 33 years. His recently published books
are:
1. Islam - Does It Make Sense?
2. Unveiling the Commands-The Truth about Hijaab, Khimaar
and Jilbaab.
3. Finding A Soulmate - A Guide for Parents and Youth.
4. A Book Unlike Any Other.
5. Islam - Adopting Its Paradigms.
6. Exploring the Islamic Beliefs.
http://soundvisioncanada.com/shop/pbrowse.asp?Pg=3&Cat=10004
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The following soowar 'Teachings of the Qur'aan' series by
Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid, are available on request:-
Al Faatihah
Al Baqarah
Aali 'Imraan
A Nisaa'
Al Maaidah
Al An'aam
Al A'raaf
Al Anfaal
At Teen
Al`Alaq
Al Qadr
Al Bayyinah
Al Zilzaal
Al Aadiyatt
Al Qaari`ah
At Takaathur
Al`Asr
Al Humazah
Al Feel
Al Quraish
Al Maa`oon
Al-Kowthar
Al Kaafiroon
Al Nasr
Al Lahab
Al Ikhlaas
Al Falaq
An Naas
K a r i m a
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