AL-MULK(Sovereignty)Name
The Surah takes its nameal-Mulk from the very first sentence.
Period of Revelation
Itcouldnotbeknownfromanyauthentictraditionwhenthis Surahwas revealed,butthesubjectmatterandthestyleindicatethatitisoneoftheearliest Surahstobe revealedatMecca.
Theme and Subject Matter
Inthis surah,ontheonehand,the teachingsofIslamhavebeen introducedbriefly,and,ontheother,thepeoplelivinginheedlessnesshavebeen arousedfromtheirslumberinamosteffectiveway.Acharacteristicoftheearliest surahsofthe Meccanperiodisthattheypresenttheentire teachingsofIslamandtheobjectoftheHolyProphet'smission,notindetail,butbriefly,sothattheyare assimilatedbythepeopleeasily.Moreover,theyareparticularly directedtomakethepeopleshunheedlessness,tomakethemthink,andtoarousetheirdormantconscience.
In the first five verses man has been made to realize that the universe in which he lives is a most well organized and fortified Kingdom in which he cannot detect any fault, any weakness or flaw, how ever hard he may try to probe. This Kingdom has been brought from nothing into existence by Allah Almighty Himself and All the powers of controlling, administering and ruling it are also entirely in Allah's hand and His power is infinite. Besides, man has also been told that in this wise system he has not been created without a purpose, but he has been sent here for a test and in this test he can succeed only by his righteous deeds and conduct.
In vv. 6-11, dreadful consequences of disbelief which will appear in the Hereafter have been mentioned, and the people told that Allah, by sending His Prophets, has warned them of these consequences in this very world, as if to say "Now, if you do not believe in what the Prophets say and correct your attitude and behavior accordingly, in the Hereafter you will yourself have to admit that you really deserved the punishment that was being meted out to you."
In vv. 12-l4, the truth that has been impressed on the minds is that the Creator cannot be unaware of His creation, as if to say: "He is aware of each open and hidden secret of yours, even of the innermost ideas of your hearts. Hence, the right basis of morality is that man should avoid evil, fearing the accountability of the unseen God, whether in the world there is a power to take him to task for this or not, and whether in the world there is a possibility of being harmed by such a power or not. Those who adopt such a conduct in the world alone will deserve forgiveness and a rich reward in the Hereafter."
In vv. 15-23, making allusions, one after the other to those common truths of daily occurrence, which man does not regard as worthy of much attention, he has been invited to consider them seriously. It has been said: "Look: the earth on which you move about with full satisfaction and peace of mind, and from which you obtain your sustenance has been subdued for you by Allah; otherwise this earth might at any time start shaking suddenly so as to cause your destruction, or a typhoon might occur, which may annihilate you completely. Look at the birds that fly above you; it is only Allah Who is sustaining them in the air. Look at your own means and resources: if Allah wills to inflict you with a scourge, none can save you from it; and if Allah wills to close the doors of sustenance on you, none can open them for you. These things are there to make you aware of the truth, but you see them like animals, which are unable to draw conclusions from observations, and you do not use your sight, hearing and minds which Allah has bestowed on you as men; that is why you do not see the right way."
In vv. 24-27, it has been said: "You have ultimately to appear before your God in any case. It is not for the Prophet to tell you the exact time and date of the event. His only duty is to warn you beforehand of its inevitable occurrence. Today you do not listen to him and demand that he should cause the event to occur and appear prematurely before you; but when it does occur, and you see it with your own eyes, you will then be astounded. Then, it will be said to you "This is the very thing you were calling to be hastened."
In vv. 28-29replieshavebeengiventowhatthe disbelieversofMeccasaidagainsttheHolyProphet(uponwhombepeace)andhis Companions.TheycursedtheHolyProphetand prayedforhisandthe believersdestruction.Tothisithasbeensaid:"Whetherthosewhocallyoutotherightwayare destroyedorshownmercybyAllah,howwilltheirfatechangeyourdestiny?Youshouldlookafteryourselvesandconsiderwhowouldsaveyouifyouwere overtakenbythescourgeofGod?YouregardthosewhobelieveinGodandputtheirtrustinHimasthemisguided.Atimewillcomewhenitwillbecomeevidentastowhowasmisguidedinactualtruth.
In conclusion, the people have been asked this question and left to ponder over it "If the water which has come out from the earth at some place in the desert or hill country of Arabia and upon which depends your whole life activity, should sink and vanish underground, who beside Allah can restore to you this life giving water?"
