67:1. Blessed be He in Whose Hand is dominion, and He has power over all things;

67:2. Who has created death and life, so that He may test you [and see] which of you is best in conduct, and He is the Almighty, Oft-Forgiving;

67:3. Who has created seven heavens, one above the other; no defect will you see in the creation of the Most Gracious. Look again; do you see any flaw?

67:4. Keep looking, again and again; your gaze will come back to you humbled and weary [having found no flaws in Allah’s creation].

﴾Blessed be He in Whose Hand is dominion﴿ that is, great and exalted is He, Whose kindness and generosity encompass all things.

Part of His greatness is that in His Hand is dominion and sovereignty of both the upper and lower realms, for it is He Who created them and controls them as He wills, on the basis of universal and religious decrees and in accordance with His wisdom.

Part of His greatness is His perfect might, by means of which He has power over all things, and by means of which He created all that He created of mighty entities such as the heavens and the earth.

f]Who has created death and life﴿-) that is. He decreed for His slaves that He would give them life then cause them to die ﴾so that He may test you [and see] which of you is best in conduct﴿ that is, most sincere and most correct. Allah created His slaves and brought them into this world, and He has told them that they will move on from it. He has issued commands and prohibitions to them and tested them with desires that hinder them from complying with His commands. Whoever submits to the command of Allah and does good deeds, Allah will give him a good living in both realms, but whoever goes along with his whims and desires and turns away from the command of Allah, will have an evil recompense.

c-jand He is the Almighty﴿ to Whom belongs all might, by means of which He subjugates all things and all creatures submit to Him. ﴾Oft-Forgiving﴿ of those who do wrong, fall short and commit sins, especially if they repent and turn to Him, for then He will forgive their sins, even if they reach up to the clouds of the sky, and He will conceal their faults, even if they were so many as to fill the earth.

&﴾Who has created seven heavens, one above the other﴿ - they are not all on one level. He has created them in the most beautiful and precise manner.

﴾no defect will you see in the creation of the Most Gracious﴿ that is, you will not see any flaws or faults in it.

Once all imperfections are ruled out, there will only be perfect beauty that is harmonious in all aspects, in its colour, shape and loftiness, and in all that it contains of the sun, moon, and heavenly bodies, both stationary and moving.

Because its perfection is well known, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) instructs us to look at it repeatedly, and reflect upon all its aspects, as He says: ﴾Look again﴿ and reflect upon it; ﴾do you see any flaw?﴿ that is, do you see any shortcoming or defect?

e﴾Keep looking, again and again﴿ what is meant is looking often, time and time again ﴾your gaze will come back to you humbled and weary [having found no flaws in Allah’s creation]﴿ that is, unable to see any defects or gaps, even if one is extremely keen to do so.

Then Allah begins to describe its beauty:

67:5. We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps and have made them missiles with which to pelt the devils; and We have prepared for them the punishment of the raging fire.

67:6. For those who disbelieve in their Lord there will be the punishment of hell, a hapless journey’s end.

67:7. When they are Hung into it, they will hear its gasping as it boils up.

67:8. almost bursting with rage. Every time a group is flung into it, its keepers will ask them: Did no warner come to you?

67:9. They will say: Yes indeed, a warner did come to us, but we disbelieved and said: Allah has not sent down anything; you are no doubt in grave error.

67:10. And they will say: If only we had listened or understood, we would not be among the inhabitants of the raging fire.

That is. We have beautified ﴾the lowest heaven﴿, which is the one that you see and is nearest to you

﴾with lamps﴿ namely the stars, with all their variations in light and brightness. Were it not for the stars that it contains, it would be a dark roof with no beauty or adornment in it.

But Allah has made these stars an adornment, beauty and light for the heaven, and a means of navigation in the darkness on land and sea.

The fact that Allah tells us that He has adorned the lowest heaven with lamps does not rule out the idea that many of the stars are above the seven heavens, for the heavens are transparent, and that is how the lowest heaven is adorned, even if there are no stars in it.

﴾and have made them﴿ namely the lamps ﴾missiles with which to pelt the devils﴿ who want to eavesdrop on the news of heaven.

Allah has made these lamps to prevent the devils from receiving news of earth. These are the shooting stars, which Allah has prepared in this world for the devils.

﴾and We have prepared for them﴿ in the hereafter ﴾the punishment of the raging fire﴿ because they rebelled against Allah and misled His slaves. Likewise with regard to their followers among the disbelievers, Allah has also prepared for them the punishment of the raging fire. Hence He says:

﴾For those who disbelieve in their Lord there will be the punishment of hell, a hapless journey’s end﴿) in which its inhabitants will be greatly humiliated.

﴾When they are flung into it﴿) by way of humiliation ﴾they will hear its gasping!) that is, a loud and frightening noise ﴾as it boils up, almost bursting with rage﴿ that is, it will almost split apart and break into pieces because of its intense rage towards the disbelievers. So what do you think it will do to them when they are in it?

Then Allah mentions the rebuke of the keepers of hell to its inhabitants: ﴾Every time a group is flung into it, its keepers will ask them: Did no warner come to you?﴿) that is, with regard to your situation now, and the fact that you deserve hell, it is as if you were not told about it and received no warning concerning it.

﴾They will say: Yes indeed, a warner did come to us, but we disbelieved and said: Allah has not sent down anything; you are no doubt in grave error﴿) - thus they will combine disbelief in the particular Messenger who was sent to them and disbelief in everything that Allah sent down.

But they did not stop there; rather they declared that all the Messengers who brought the warning to them, and who were guided and guided others, were misguided. And they did not stop at describing them as being merely misguided; rather they claimed that they went far astray. What stubbornness, arrogance and misguidance could be equal to this?

﴾And they will say﴿, acknowledging that they did not deserve to be guided:

﴾lf only we had listened or understood, we would not be among the inhabitants of the raging fire﴿). So they will state that they did not have the means to be guided, which is the willingness to listen to what Allah sent down and what the Messengers brought, and the ability tounderstand that which will benefit one and help one to comprehend the realities of things, give precedence to what is good, and be deterred from everything that will lead to negative consequences. But they did not listen or understand.

This is in contrast to the people of certain faith and knowledge, those who are prominent in terms of sincerity and faith. They supported their faith by means of the textual evidence, so they listened to that which came from Allah and was brought by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and they learned it in the sense that they understood it and acted upon it.

They also supported their faith by means of rational evidence, so they recognised the difference between guidance and misguidance, right and wrong, good and evil.

Their level of faith was commensurate with what Allah had blessed them with of understanding of the rational and textual evidence. Glory be to the One Who singles out for His grace whomever He wills, and blesses whomever He wills among His slaves, and forsakes those who are not fit for good.

Allah says concerning these people who will enter hell, acknowledging their wrongdoing and stubbornness:

67:11. Thus they will acknowledge their sin. So away with the inhabitants of the raging fire!

That is, away with them, may they be lost and doomed. How wretched and bad they are, for they have missed out on the reward of Allah and are the inhabitants of the blazing fire, which will burn their bodies and reach their hearts.

67:12. Verily those who fear their Lord unseen will have forgiveness and a great reward.

Having mentioned the situation of the doomed evildoers, Allah now mentions the situation of the righteous and blessed:

﴾Verily those who fear their Lord unseen﴿ that is, in all circumstances, even in situations where no one can see them except Allah; they do not commit acts of disobedience towards Him, and they do not fall short with regard to that which He has enjoined upon them.

﴾will have forgiveness﴿, and if Allah forgives their sins, He will protect them from the evil thereof and protect them from the punishment of hell.

﴾and﴿ they will have fja great reward﴿, which is what Allah has prepared for them in paradise of eternal bliss, a vast domain, ongoing pleasures, enjoyment of all that they desire, palaces, lofty dwellings, beautiful hoor, and servants.

And even greater than that will be the pleasure of the Most Gracious, which Allah will bestow upon the people of paradise.

67:13. Whether you conceal your speech or declare it openly, verily

He knows well what is in [people’s] hearts.

67:14. How could He Who created not know His own creation, when He is the Knower of subtleties, the All-Aware?

Here Allah speaks of the vastness of His knowledge, and His all-encompassing knowledge of subtleties.

﴾Whether you conceal your speech or declare it openly﴿ that is, it is all the same to Him, and nothing is hidden from Him.

﴾verily He knows well what is in [people’s] hearts﴿, with all their intentions and wishes, so how about their words and deeds, which are heard and seen?

Then Allah says, giving rational evidence for His knowledge: ﴾How could He Who created not know His own creation?﴿. How could the One Who created all of creation, and perfected it and made it well, not know it?

﴾when He is the Knower of subtleties, the All-Aware﴿ Whose knowledge is so subtle that He knows what is hidden in people’s hearts and minds, all that is concealed, secret and unseen, and it is He Who: ﴾...knows what is said privately and that which is yet more hidden [of unspoken thoughts].﴿ (Ta Ha 20: 7)

The divine name al-Lateef translated here as ﴾the Knower of subtleties﴿, also has another meaning, which refers to His subtle kindness. He is the One Who is most kind to His slave and close friend in a subtle manner, for He bestows upon him kindness from where he does not expect, and He protects him from evil from where he does not realise. He elevates him to the highest status by means that never even cross the mind of the individual, to the extent that He may even put him through hardship so that by means of it he may reach sublime goals and a noble status.

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67:15. It is He Who has made the earth hospitable for you, so travel throughout its regions and eat of the provision granted by Him; and unto Him is the resurrection.

That is, it is He Who has subjugated the earth to you, so that you are able to do all kinds of activities that serve your needs, such as planting, building, tilling, and finding routes by means of which you can reach distant regions and remote lands.

﴾so travel throughout its regions﴿ in order to seek provision and livelihood

﴾and eat of the provision granted by Him; and unto Him is the resurrection﴿ that is, after you depart from this realm that Allah has made as a test and a means of reaching the hereafter, you will be resurrected after your death and gathered to Allah, so that He may requite you for your deeds, both good and bad.

67:16. Do you feel secure that He Who is above the heaven will not cause the earth to swallow you up, and suddenly it would begin to shake?

67:17. Do you feel secure that He Who is above the heaven will not send against you a violent squall of pebbles? Then you will know the consequences of My warning.

67:18. Those who came before them also rejected [the truth]; then how great was the change I wrought!^{1As Allah changed the way He had been dealing with them, changing abundance to scarcity and well-being to destruction. (at-Tabari)}

This is a threat and warning to those who persist in transgression and disobedience that incurs divine wrath and punishment.

﴾Do you feel secure that He Who is above the heaven﴿ namely Allah (is), Who is far above His creation

﴾-fwill not cause the earth to swallow you up, and suddenly it would begin to shake﴿ and convulse, until it destroys you and kills you?

﴾-(Do you feel secure that He Who is above the heaven will not send against you a violent squall of pebbles﴿ that is, a punishment from heaven that will strike you, and thus Allah will wreak vengeance upon you?

﴾Then you will know the consequences of My warning﴿ that is, that which the Messengers and Books warned you of will come to you.

So do not think that feeling safe from divine punishment, whether from the earth or from the heavens, will benefit you, for you will see the consequences of your actions, whether it is a long time coming or not.

Those who came before you disbelieved as you have disbelieved, then Allah (is) destroyed them, so see how Allah wrought change upon them and hastened punishment for them in this world before the punishment of the hereafter, and beware lest the same fate befall you as befell them.

67:19. Do they not see the birds above them, spreading and [partially] folding their wings [and flapping them, in flight]? None holds them aloft except the Most Gracious. Verily He sees all things.

This is a rebuke, urging people to look at the birds which Allah has subjugated, and He has subjugated the air to them; they spread their wings in the air in order to fly, and fold them when they land, and they soar and fly in the air, going wherever they want, according to their needs.

﴾None holds them aloft except the Most Gracious﴿, for it is He Who has subjugated the air to them and has made their physical makeup suitable for flight.

Whoever looks at the birds and reflects upon their situation, that will show him the might of the Creator and His divine care, and he will realise that Allah is the One, and worship is not to be devoted to anyone but Him.

﴾Verily He sees all things﴿, for He controls His slaves in a way that is befitting to them, and as dictated by His wisdom.

67:20. What party is there that could come to your aid against [the punishment of] the Most Gracious? Verily the disbelievers are utterly deluded.

67:21. Who is there that could grant you provision if Allah were to withhold His provision? Yet they persist in defiance and aversion.

Here Allah (tte) says to the arrogant ones who defy His commands and turn away from the truth:

﴾What party is there that could come to your aid against [the punishment of] the Most Gracious?﴿ That is, if the Most Graciousintends ill for you, who could help you and ward it off from you? In other words: Who can help you against your enemies except the Most Gracious? For He is the One Who bestows honour or brings humiliation, whereas others who are mere created beings, even if they all came together to help someone, could not bring him an atom’s weight of benefit against any enemy.

For the disbelievers to persist in their disbelief, after knowing that no one can help them against the punishment of the Most Gracious, is utter self-deceit and folly.

﴾Who is there that could grant you provision if Allah were to withhold His provision?﴿ That is, all provision comes from Allah, so if He were to withhold His provision from you, who is there that could send it to you? People are unable to provide for themselves, so how about providing for others'.' The Provider and Bestower of blessings - for no blessing is granted to people but it is from Him - is the only One Who deserves to be singled out for worship.

But the disbelievers ﴾fpersistj﴿ that is, continue ﴾in defiancethat is, hardheartedness and failing to open their hearts to the truth

﴾and aversion﴿ that is, turning away from the truth.

67:22. Is one who walks stumbling and falling on his face better guided, or one who walks upright on a straight path?

That is, which of the two men is more guided - the one who is wandering in misguidance, sinking in disbelief to the extent that hesees things to be the opposite of what they are, so that he regards truth as falsehood and falsehood as truth, or the one who knows the truth, gives precedence to it and acts upon it by following the straight path in his words and deeds, and in all situations?

Simply looking at the situation of these two men, one will realise the difference between them and know which one is guided and which is misguided, for conduct is greater testimony than words.

67:23. Say: It is He Who has created you and given you hearing, sight and intellect; little it is that you give thanks.

67:24. Say: It is He Who has scattered you throughout the earth, and unto Him you will be gathered.

67:25. They say: When will this promise come to pass, if you speak the truth?

67:26. Say: Knowledge [of when it will come] is only with Allah. I am but a clear warner.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says, explaining that He alone is deserving of worship and calling His slaves to give thanks to Him and worship Him alone:

﴾Say: It is He Who has created you﴿ that is, He has brought you into being from nothing, without any help or supporter.

When He brought you into being. He perfected your creation by giving you hearing, sight and intellect which are the most beneficial of physical faculties.

But despite these blessings, ﴾little it is that you give thanks﴿ to Allah. Those who are grateful are a few among you, and gratitude is scarce among you.

﴾Say: It is He Who has scattered you throughout the earth﴿ that is. He has spread you throughout its regions and caused you to dwell all over the earth. He has issued commands and prohibitions to you, and has bestowed blessings upon you that are of benefit to you, then after that He will gather you on the Day of Resurrection.

But this promise of requital is denied by these stubborn disbelievers, and ﴾(They say﴿, rejecting it:

﴾When will this promise come to pass, if you speak the truth?﴿ They think that as a sign of truthfulness, the Messengers should tell them of the time of its coming. This is not right and it is stubbornness on their part.

Knowledge thereof is only with Allah, not with any individual, and there is no connection between the truthfulness of this belief and being able to say when it will happen. Truthfulness is known from its evidence, and Allah has established proof and evidence for its truthfulness that leaves no room for the slightest doubt, for anyone who listens and pays attention.

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67:27. When they see [the punishment] approaching, the faces of those who disbelieved will be stricken with dismay, and it will be said: This is what you were calling for.

67:28. Say: What do you think, if Allah causes me to die, and those who are with me, or He has mercy on us - then [in either case] who can protect the disbelievers from a painful punishment?

67:29. Say: He is the Most Gracious; we believe in Him and in Him we put our trust. You will come to know who it is that is clearly misguided.

67:30. Say: What do you think, if your water were to disappear under the ground, then who could bring you accessible water?

On the day of requital, when they see the punishment «[approaching j﴿ that is, coming near, that will distress them, and fill them with anxiety, which will show in their faces. They will be rebuked for their disbelief and it will be said to them: This is that which you disbelieved in.

Today you will see it with your own eyes and matters will become clear to you, but you will have no means to save yourselves; there is nothing left but for the punishment to befall you.

Because those who disbelieved in the Messenger (ﷺ) and rejected his call were waiting for him to die, Allah instructed him to say to them: Even if your wishes come true and Allah causes me and those who are with me to die, that will not benefit you in the slightest, because you have disbelieved in the signs of Allah and are deserving of punishment; who will protect you from a painful punishment that has become inevitable for you?

Therefore your efforts and eagerness for my death are of no benefit and are to no avail.

Among the things that they said was that they were guided and the Messenger (ﷺ) was misguided, and they kept repeating that over and over, arguing to prove that they were right and he was wrong. Therefore Allah instructed His Prophet (ﷺ) to tell them about his situation and that of his followers, so as to make it clear to everyone that they were guided and righteous. So they were to say: ﴾we believein Him and in Him we put our trust jj. Belief includes both affirmation in the heart, which will have a positive impact on one’s emotions, and outwardly visible deeds.

Because carrying out deeds and perfecting them depends on putting one’s trust in Allah, Allah singles out trust from among other deeds. Otherwise it comes under the heading of faith, of which it is one of the essential parts, as Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says elsewhere:

﴾... And in Allah put your trust, if you are [truly] believers.﴿ (al-Md 'idah 5: 23)

As this was the attitude of the Messenger (ﷺ) and those who followed him, and it is the sound attitude that is necessary for success and on which happiness depends, and the attitude of his enemies was the opposite, because they had no faith and did not put their trust in Allah, thus it is known who was following true guidance and who had clearly gone astray.

Then Allah tells us that He alone bestows blessings, especially water from which Allah has made every living thing, as He says: ﴾Say: What do you think, if your water were to disappear under the ground, then who could bring you accessible water﴿ that you could drink and give to your livestock, and with which you could irrigate your trees and crops?

This appears in the form of a question but what is meant is negation; in other words, no one can do that except Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).

This is the end of the commentary on Soorai al-Mulk.

All praise and thanks are lor Allah, and may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). his family, and his Companions abundantly t ntil the Day of Judgement.