67. Al-Mulk (Dominion)
Mecca 77
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ ...
67: 2. He Who created Death and Life,
C5556. "Created Death and Life." Death is here put before Life, and it is created. Death is therefore not merely a negative state.
In 2:28 we read: "Seeing that ye were without life (literally, dead), and He gave you life: then will He cause you to die, and will again bring you to life; and again to Him will ye retum."
In 53:44, again, Death is put before Life. Death, then, is
the state before life began, which may be non-existence or existence in some other form:
the state in which Life as we know it ceases, but existence does not cease; a state of Barzakh(23:100), or Barrier or Partition, after our visible Death and before Judgment; after that will be the new Life, which we conceive of under the term Eternity.
... لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ...
that He may try which of you is best in deed:
C5557. Creation, therefore, is not in mere sport, or without a purpose with reference to man. The state before our present life, or the state after, we can scarcely understand. But our present Life is clearly given to enable us to strive by good deeds to reach a nobler state.
... وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ ﴿٢﴾
and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving --
C5558. All this is possible, because Allah is so Exalted in Might that He can perfectly carry out His Will and Purpose, and that Purpose is Love, Mercy, and Goodness to His creatures.
الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا ...
67: 3. He Who created the seven heavens one above another;
C5559. Cf. 65:12, and n. 5526-27.
The heavens as they appear to our sight seem to be arranged in layers one above another, and ancient astronomy accounted for the motions of the heavenly bodies in an elaborate scheme of spheres. What we are concerned with here is the order and beauty of the vast spaces and the marvelous bodies that follow regular laws of motion in those enormous spaces in the visible world. From these we are to form some conception of the vastly greater Invisible World, for which we want special spiritual vision.
... مَّا تَرَى فِي خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَنِ مِن تَفَاوُتٍ ...
no want of proportion wilt thou see in the Creation of (Allah) Most Gracious,
... فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَى مِن فُطُورٍ ﴿٣﴾
so turn thy vision again:
Seest thou any flaw?
ثُمَّ ارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ كَرَّتَيْنِ ...
67: 4. Again turn thy vision a second time;
C5560. Reverting to the indication of the external or visible world, we are asked to observe and study it again and again, and as minutely as our powers will allow. However closely we observe it, we shall find no flaw in it. Indeed the region of enquiry is so vast and stretches so far beyond our ken, that our eyes, aided with the most powerful telescopes, will confess themselves defeated in trying to penetrate to the ultimate mysteries. We shall find no defect in Allah's handiwork: it is our own powers that we shall find fail to go beyond a certain compass.
... يَنقَلِبْ إِلَيْكَ الْبَصَرُ خَاسِأً وَهُوَ حَسِيرٌ ﴿٤﴾
(thy) vision will come back to thee dull and discomfited, in a state worn out.
وَلَقَدْ زَيَّنَّا السَّمَاء الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَابِيحَ ...
67: 5. And We have, (from of old), adorned the lowest heaven with Lamps,
C5561. "Lowest (or nearest) heaven":
see n. 4035 to 37:6.
... وَجَعَلْنَاهَا رُجُومًا لِّلشَّيَاطِينِ ...
and We have made such (Lamps) (as) missiles to drive away the Evil Ones,
C5562. The phenomenon of the shooting stars has been, explained in 15:16-18, notes 1951-54; and in 37:6-10, and notes thereon. (R).
وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابَ السَّعِيرِ ﴿٥﴾
and have prepared for them the Penalty of the Blazing Fire.
Asad’s Version:
67:2 He who has created death as well as life, 1 so that He might put you to a test [and thus show] which of you is best in conduct, and [make you realize that] He alone is almighty, truly forgiving.
67:3 [Hallowed be] He who has created seven heavens in full harmony with one another: 2 no fault will thou see in the creation of the Most Gracious. And turn thy vision [upon it] once more: canst thou see any flaw?
67:4 Yea, turn thy vision [upon it] again and yet again: [and every time] thy vision will fall back upon thee, dazzled and truly defeated. 3
(67:5) And, indeed, We have adorned the skies nearest to the earth with lights, 4 and have made them the object of futile guesses for the evil ones [from among men]: 5 and for them have We readied suffering through a blazing flame
Yuksel’s Version:
67:3 He created seven heavens in harmony. You do not see any disorder in the creation by the Gracious. Keep looking; do you see any flaw?
67:4 Then look again twice; your eyes will come back humiliated and tired.
67:5 We have adorned the lower heaven with lamps, and We made it with projectiles against the devils; and We prepared for them the retribution of the blazing fire.
[[ Asad’s notes - 1 Since what is termed "death" is stated here to have been created, it cannot be identical with "non-existence", but obviously must have a positive reality of its own. To my mind, it connotes, firstly, the inanimate state of existence preceding the emergence of life in plants or animated beings; and, secondly, the state of transition from life as we know it in this world to the - as yet to us unimaginable - condition off existence referred to in the Qur'an as "the hereafter" or "the life to come" (al-akhirah).
2 Or: "conforming [with one another]", this being the primary significance of tibaq (sing, tabaq). For the meaning of the "seven heavens", see surah 2, note 20.
3 Sc, in its endeavour to encompass the mysteries of the universe.
4 Lit., "lamps" - i.e., stars: cf 37:6, "We have adorned the skies nearest to the earth with the beauty of stars".
5 For the wider meaning of shayatin - a term which in this context points specifically to "the satans from among mankind, that is, the astrologers" (Baydawi) - see surah 1 5, note 16. As regards the term rajm (pi. rujum), which literally denotes the "throwing [of something] like a stone" - i.e., at random - it is often used metaphorically in the ssense of "speaking conjecturally" or "making [something] the object of guesswork" (Jawhari, Raghib - the latter connecting this metaphor explicitly with the above verse -, Lisan al-'Arab, Qamus, Taj al-'Arus, etc.). Cf. also 37:6-10. ]]