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Surah 67 · Makkah · 30 āyāt
Phase 04 · Ṭāʾif, al-Isrāʾ and the final Makkan years(c. 5–1 BH) — view in timelineAl-MulkThe Sovereignty
الملك
A Makkan surah that argues for one claim: the dominion belongs to Allah alone, and you are inside it. It opens with life and death declared as a deliberate test, walks you through a flawless sky, a Fire that questions its own inmates, an earth made docile beneath your feet, and closes with a question no one can answer — if your water sank into the ground, who would bring it back? The Prophet ﷺ said it intercedes for the one who recites it.
Why it was revealed
Makkah's leaders held wealth, lineage and the keys of the Kaʿbah, and spoke as though the world answered to them. This surah addresses that posture directly: everything they hold is inside a dominion owned by Someone else.
Drawn fromJāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī 2891 (ḥasan); Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī 2892; Musnad Aḥmad 14664; Al-Saʿdī on 67:15, 67:30; Ibn Kathīr on 67:13–14; Ibn Kathīr, intro to Sūrat al-Mulk; al-Ḥākim, al-Mustadrak; Sunan Abī Dāwūd 1400
Abū Hurayrah reported the Prophet ﷺ said: 'There is a surah of thirty āyāt in the Qur'an that interceded for a man until he was forgiven: Tabāraka alladhī bi-yadihi al-mulk.' Ibn ʿAbbās reported that the Prophet ﷺ called it al-māniʿah — the preventer — that saves from the punishment of the grave.
Cited toSunan Abī Dāwūd 1400; Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī 2891 (ḥasan); al-Ḥākim, al-Mustadrak
In the Prophet's ﷺ life
Quraysh assume permanence
The chiefs of Makkah measured worth by wealth and lineage and treated their position as a fixed fact of the world. The surah opens by naming who actually holds the dominion.
Recalled in āyah 1, 2
تَبَـٰرَكَ ٱلَّذِى بِيَدِهِ ٱلْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent -
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلْمَوْتَ وَٱلْحَيَوٰةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْغَفُورُ
[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving -
Cited toIbn Kathīr, intro to Sūrat al-Mulk
- Madd — 2 vowels
- Madd — 2, 4 or 6 vowels
- Madd — 6 vowels (lāzim)
- Madd — 4 or 5 vowels (wājib)
- Ghunnah — 2 vowels
- Qalqalah
- Ikhfāʾ
- Ikhfāʾ shafawī
- Idghām shafawī
- Idghām with ghunnah
- Idghām without ghunnah
- Idghām mutajānisayn
- Idghām mutaqāribayn
- Iqlāb
- Hamzat al-waṣl
- Lām shamsiyyah
- Silent letter
Tajwīd markup and colour convention: Quran.com API (v4) — text_uthmani_tajweed. Recitation audio: Quran.com / Quran Foundation Audio API (v4).
Whose hand holds it: dominion, death, and the test
Tabāraka — abundant, exalted blessing — belongs to the One in whose hand is the dominion. Then a startling order: He created death and life, death first, to test which of you is best in deed. Not most in deed — best. The section ends with a challenge to inspect the sky for a flaw; your gaze will come back exhausted, finding none.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
تَبَـٰرَكَ ٱلَّذِى بِيَدِهِ ٱلْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured
Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent -
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلْمَوْتَ وَٱلْحَيَوٰةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْغَفُورُ
Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured
[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving -
From the tafsīr
Death is mentioned before life because the sequence of existence begins from non-existence; and the test is aḥsanu ʿamalan — the most sincere and most correct, not the most numerous.
Cited toIbn Kathīr
'Al-ʿAzīz al-Ghafūr' closes āyah 2: He is Mighty enough to punish and Forgiving enough to pardon — fear and hope placed side by side at the start of the surah.
Cited toAl-Saʿdī
Key takeaways
- You live inside someone else's dominion; nothing you hold is held outside His hand.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
- The exam is quality of deed, not quantity — sincerity and correctness are the marking scheme.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
- Death is not the interruption of the test; it is part of the design.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
Reflect
If your deeds were graded on 'best' rather than 'most', which one would you fix first?
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Question 1 of 2
According to āyah 2, why did Allah create death and life?
Question 2 of 2
What does the surah say your vision returns with?
The Fire that asks a question
The people of the Blaze are asked by its keepers: did no warner come to you? They answer yes — and then convict themselves: 'if only we had listened or reasoned, we would not be among the companions of the Blaze.' The surah names hearing and reasoning as the two faculties whose neglect leads there.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
From the tafsīr
Their confession — 'we denied and said Allah has not sent down anything' — establishes that the proof had reached them; punishment follows a warning, never precedes it.
Cited toIbn Kathīr
'Law kunnā nasmaʿu aw naʿqil': listening with submission, or reasoning with reflection — either route was enough to save them, and they used neither.
Cited toAl-Qurṭubī
Key takeaways
- No one is punished before a warner reaches them; the case is established first.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
- Salvation runs through two faculties: honest listening and honest thinking.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
- Regret in the Hereafter is precise — people will know exactly which step they skipped.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
Reflect
What truth have you already heard clearly this year and not acted on?
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Question 1 of 2
What question is put to the people of the Blaze?
Question 2 of 2
Which two faculties do they say would have saved them?
Fearing Him unseen — and the One who knows what is in the chest
Those who fear their Lord bi-l-ghayb — unseen, in private — have forgiveness and a great reward. Then the argument turns airtight: conceal your speech or broadcast it, He knows what is within the breasts. Does He not know what He created, and He is al-Laṭīf al-Khabīr?
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
وَأَسِرُّوا۟ قَوْلَكُمْ أَوِ ٱجْهَرُوا۟ بِهِۦٓ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ
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And conceal your speech or publicize it; indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.
أَلَا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ وَهُوَ ٱللَّطِيفُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ
Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured
Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the Aware?
From the tafsīr
'Bi-l-ghayb' means when no one sees them but Allah — the private state is what the reward is attached to.
Cited toIbn Kathīr
'A-lā yaʿlamu man khalaq' is a rational proof: the Maker necessarily knows the made — down to what is whispered inside it. Al-Laṭīf: knowledge that reaches the subtlest, most hidden things.
Cited toAl-Saʿdī
Key takeaways
- The reward is tied to what you do when no one can see you.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
- There is no private room in the dominion — the inside of the chest is already known.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
- Knowing you are seen is not designed to crush you: the same āyah names Him Laṭīf, gentle in His knowing.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
Reflect
What would change in your week if you treated your private hours as your real record?
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Question 1 of 2
Who is promised forgiveness and great reward in āyah 12?
Question 2 of 2
What argument does āyah 14 make?
A docile earth and a sky held above you
He made the earth dhalūl — tamed, submissive — so walk its shoulders and eat of His provision. Then two warnings: are you secure that the earth will not swallow you, or that a storm will not be sent? And a question about the birds overhead, held aloft by none but the Most Merciful. Ends by asking who would provide for you if He withheld His provision.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ ذَلُولًا فَٱمْشُوا۟ فِى مَنَاكِبِهَا وَكُلُوا۟ مِن رِّزْقِهِۦ ۖ وَإِلَيْهِ ٱلنُّشُورُ
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It is He who made the earth tame for you - so walk among its slopes and eat of His provision - and to Him is the resurrection.
From the tafsīr
Dhalūl is used of a docile riding animal: the earth has been broken in for you. The command to walk and eat is a command to work — provision is His, effort is yours.
Cited toIbn Kathīr
'Wa ilayhi an-nushūr' closes the āyah of walking and eating: your daily commerce ends at the resurrection, so live the errand with the destination in view.
Cited toAl-Saʿdī
Key takeaways
- Tawakkul is not idleness: walk the shoulders of the earth, then eat of His provision.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
- Stability under your feet and above your head is a daily withheld punishment, not a guarantee you earned.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
- Every ordinary journey ends at the same address: 'and to Him is the resurrection'.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī; Ibn Kathīr
Reflect
Name three ordinary safeties from today that you have never once thanked Him for.
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Question 1 of 2
How does āyah 15 end, and why does that matter?
Question 2 of 2
How is the earth described in āyah 15?
Two ways of walking — and the question about water
One man stumbles face-down, another walks upright on a straight path — the surah asks which is better guided. It reminds them that hearing, sight and hearts were given to them, and that they rarely thank. It refuses to date the Hour, and ends with a question that silences everyone: if your water sank away in the morning, who would bring you flowing water?
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
قُلْ هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنشَأَكُمْ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْأَبْصَـٰرَ وَٱلْأَفْـِٔدَةَ ۖ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ
Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured
Say, "It is He who has produced you and made for you hearing and vision and hearts [i.e., intellect]; little are you grateful."
قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَصْبَحَ مَآؤُكُمْ غَوْرًا فَمَن يَأْتِيكُم بِمَآءٍ مَّعِينٍۭ
Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured
Say, "Have you considered: if your water was to become sunken [into the earth], then who could bring you flowing water?"
From the tafsīr
The one falling on his face is the disbeliever whose every step is a stumble; the upright walker is the believer on the straight path — a picture of guidance as posture, not just belief.
Cited toIbn Kathīr
The final āyah is an argument from utter dependence: water is beyond human manufacture. The one who cannot secure his own water has no basis for arrogance before his Lord.
Cited toAl-Qurṭubī
Key takeaways
- Guidance shows up in how you walk through life, not only in what you claim to believe.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
- Hearing, sight and heart are on loan and are the exact faculties you will be asked about.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
- Your entire life depends on something you cannot produce — one āyah is enough to dissolve arrogance.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr
Reflect
Which of the three — hearing, sight, heart — have you used least in His obedience this month?
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Question 1 of 2
What three faculties does āyah 23 name as given to you?
Question 2 of 2
What is the final question of the surah?
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Roots from this surah
Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.
م ل ك
āyāt 1to own and to control — dominion
- مُلْكdominion, sovereignty
- مَلِكking
- مَالِكowner
- مَلَكُوتthe unseen realm of His rule
ب ل و
āyāt 2to test by wearing something out until its reality shows
- بَلَاءtrial
- ٱبْتِلَاءtesting
- مُبْتَلًىone being tested
ح س ن
āyāt 2beauty and excellence — doing something well, not merely often
- أَحْسَنbest, most excellent
- إِحْسَانexcellence in worship and conduct
- حَسَنَةa good deed
ذ ل ل
āyāt 15to be lowered, made compliant — used of a tamed mount
- ذَلُولdocile, broken-in
- ذِلَّةhumiliation
- تَذْلِيلmaking easy, subduing
ر ز ق
āyāt 15, 21to provide — every provision that reaches a creature
- رِزْقprovision
- رَازِقprovider
- ٱلرَّزَّاقthe Ever-Providing
ش ك ر
āyāt 23to acknowledge a favour and act on it
- شُكْرgratitude
- شَاكِرgrateful
- شَكُورdeeply, habitually grateful
ن ش ر
āyāt 15to spread out — hence to raise the dead and spread them forth
- نُشُورresurrection
- نَشَرَhe spread out
- مُنتَشِرscattered, dispersed
Carry this with you
- Everything you own sits inside a dominion owned by Someone else.
- You are graded on best, not most.
- The earth is tame under your feet today because He keeps it that way.
- One question about water is enough to end all arrogance.
Where this surah connects
Cross-surah threads
Parts of the Qurʾān explain other parts. Each thread below opens the same subject as it is argued across every other surah you have studied, in revelation order.
Sources behind Sūrah Al-Mulk
Every line of context, tafsīr and takeaway on this page traces back to one of these references. Ḥadīth numbers open on sunnah.com and āyah references open on quran.com, so you can check the claim rather than take it on trust. The Arabic text itself is fetched live from a verified public corpus.
Tafsīr16
- Al-Qurṭubī
- Al-Qurṭubī on 67:10
- Al-Qurṭubī on 67:30
- Al-Saʿdī
- Al-Saʿdī on 67:14
- Al-Saʿdī on 67:15
- Al-Saʿdī on 67:15, 67:30
- Al-Saʿdī on 67:3–4
- Ibn Kathīr
- Ibn Kathīr on 67:12
- Ibn Kathīr on 67:13–14
- Ibn Kathīr on 67:15
- Ibn Kathīr on 67:2
- Ibn Kathīr on 67:23
- Ibn Kathīr on 67:8–9
- Ibn Kathīr, intro to Sūrat al-Mulk
Other references2
- al-Ḥākim, al-Mustadrak
- Sunan Abī Dāwūd 1400
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Al-Mulk · A docile earth and a sky held above you
What destination is attached to daily provision?
Arabic (Uthmānī script) and the Ṣaḥīḥ International translation are fetched live from the Quran.com API (v4), sourced from the King Fahd Complex muṣḥaf — api.quran.com API docs · Translation: Ṣaḥīḥ International · Integrity & testing protocol