Tafsir Surah Al-Mulk (4)

Theme: How Can You Feel Secure From The Punishment of Allah While He Is Able to Seize You However He Wills

Do you feel secure that He who [holds authority] in the heaven would not cause the earth to swallow you and suddenly it would sway?

Or do you feel secure that He who [holds authority] in the heaven would not send against you a storm of stones? Then you would know how [severe] was My warning.

And already had those before them denied, and how [terrible] was My reproach.

Notes:

1) How can we feel secure living in this world doing sins, when Allah's punishment can happen anytime He wants; His punishment can happen in the form of natural disaster and when that happened, Allah did not separate believers and the disbelievers; everyone will suffer the calamity equally. Why? Earlier in the surah, Allah has described life as a test. For the believers, this type of test (natural disaster and calamity) can help them to enter jannah, if they have patience and perseverance. So Allah is actually helping them attain jannah, by hardship. Look how merciful Allah is.

Theme: The Flight of The Birds is By the Power of Allah, and It is a proof that He Sees Everything, Big and Small

Do they not see the birds above them with wings outspread and [sometimes] folded in? None holds them [aloft] except the Most Merciful. Indeed He is, of all things, Seeing.

Notes:

1) This ayat is provoking us to look at how the birds spread their wings and fly in the sky, verily Allah is the one who holds every single one of them in the air.

2) Why do Allah mentioned birds?

- If Allah can see and hold the birds in the air and maintained their provisions, we have to have faith that we too are taken care of in every single need. However, we still have to make effort because Allah will not change anything unless we change ourselves first.

- If Allah can see tiny birds in the sky, Allah can see us committing sins also. Indeed He is All-Seeing.

Theme: No One Can Help You And No One Can Grant You Sustenance Except Allah

Or who is it that could be an army for you to aid you other than the Most Merciful? The disbelievers are not but in delusion.

Or who is it that could provide for you if He withheld His provision? But they have persisted in insolence and aversion.

Notes:

1) Allah is the only one who can help us whenever we feel like there's no hope. During the war of Badar, the Muslim army were outnumbered by 313 vs. 10,000. But they had attained victory with Allah's will, where He aided them with His army (the angels). So have faith with Allah, indeed He is the best helper.

Tafsir Surah Al-Mulk (3)

Theme: The Reward of Those Who Fear Their Lord Unseen

Indeed, those who fear their Lord unseen will have forgiveness and great reward.

Notes:

1) "Ajrun kabir" = "ajrun kareem" = jannah.

2) The concept 'fear' in 'fear of Allah' has no negativity. Fearing something or someone usually has negative connotation in it; this fear comes with some hatred where we usually don't want to encounter them, they bring bad feelings to us. But in the context of 'fear of Allah', fear here is out of love. When we love Allah, we fear to do something that He did not like, fear of His punishment and of not being able to see Him in jannah.

And conceal your speech or publicize it; indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.

Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the Acquainted?

Notes:

1) Allah knows everything in our hearts, even the unspoken ones. There are 2 stories of the revelation for [67:13]:

Story 1: There was a spot called Darul Nadwah during the time of Rasulullah SAW. This was where the Musyrikin sat down and discussed plots to kill Rasulullah SAW. Abu Jahal was one of them. But plot after plot, they still failed to kill Ar-Rasul. So one day Abu Jahal figured that they should keep their voice down by whispering so no one could hear them discussing. But verily Allah is All-Hearing.

Story 2 (incomplete): Two men were talking about something bad and said they should speak slowly so Allah won't hear them. But verily Allah is All-Hearing.

Indeed there are no barriers for Allah. Unlike us human, some things are unseen to us because we are barred by space and time.

2) When an ayat ends with Allah's name, it is relevant to the meaning of the ayat. Like ayat number 14 which ends with "Al-lateeful khabeer". "Lateef" mean very tiny, gentle, nice, "khabeer" means knows the ins and outs of His creations. Relevant to the theme of the ayat which talks about Allah is All-Hearing of everything in ones heart; and His forgiveness and great reward to the people who fear their lord unseen. Try ayat number 2 (ends with "ghafurrurraheem" - almighty and forgiving).

Theme: Allah's Favor of Subjugating The Earth To His Servants

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.

Notes:

1) Allah has created the world for us as provisions. And He definitely created us for a purpose. Every single one of us will be asked what we did with our lives and the amanah given to us - time, spouses, children, wealth. It is one of the jobs as believers, which is to "...protect yourselves and your families from the hellfire.." [66:6].

And bear and mind that He could use air/water/land as mercy, or even as punishment in the world.

2) When people do sins, Allah's creations (mountains, sea etc.) will offer to destroy them. Allah will then said, "..leave me alone with my creations, If I created them, I have mercy on them (give them a chance).." (reference needed)

3) In Surah Al-Zalzalah, Allah described the earth to be shaking, and everything inside the earth will be resurrected. The earth will speak, as a witness of our actions. Every spot on the earth where we make sujud or sadaqah or lying or backbiting, the earth will tell. Based on this ayat "That Day, it (earth) will report its news" [99:4], that people do solat/sujud at different spots in masjid/on the face of earth, because the earth will testify for them in the hereafter.