Bismillah.
Surah Al-Mulk was revealed in the early Makki time period when Rasulullah (S)’s mission had just begun. Teachings of Islam are briefly introduced as well as a warning to those who are living in heedlessness.
(1) Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent.
Allah (SWT) begins the surah with reminding man of the greatness of his Lord. Allah is superior to everything in His attributes, essence, and works. He is permanent and everlasting. The source of all blessings is Allah, and He is most blessed. He has complete power and ownership of the kingdom. He is Qadeer, always in power and capable of exercising His power. Allah doesn’t mention His name but says “ka” which means “He”, in order to force every human being to ponder and think of who could be capable of having this much power. Who else can create and own the heavens and the earth and everything in it? Only Allah.
(2) [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
Allah continues describing His attributes. Only He can grant life and only He can give death. And all of this is not in vain, but to test us. Allah created us in this world to see who will do the best in their lifetime. We have been given the free will to do good or evil in this world. We can choose to follow the straight path of Islam or follow the path of our lust and desires. But Allah wants ahsan ‘amal from us. Allah wants quality, not quantity. He is urging us, inspiring us to work toward the best deeds. He will judge our sincerity and intentions. At the end of the ayah Allah mentions two of his names, Al-‘Azeez and Al-Ghafoor. Allah is Al-Azeez, the All Mighty who can take your life at any time no matter how sad and tragic it may be. He is capable of punishing you for your sins, but he is still Al-Ghafoor, The Forgiving. He forgives us for our mistakes, for every time we fall into wrong and turn back to Him and seek forgiveness. With both these attributes Allah keeps us in a state of fear and hope, a state we should always be in. We should always fear His punishment and hope for His mercy.
(3) [And] who created seven heavens in layers. You do not see in the creation of the Most Merciful any inconsistency. So return [your] vision [to the sky]; do you see any breaks?
Allah continues showing His might and power through examples of His creations. Look at the skies and how perfectly they have been layered. Notice the perfection in just this one creation of your Lord. Think about the vastness of the universe and the billions of huge galaxies beyond us – all in perfect order. Contemplate and think of who else has the power to create something so perfectly? The things we make always have defects and are constantly updated and upgraded. But the creations of Allah are perfect with no defects at all.
(4) Then return [your] vision twice again. [Your] vision will return to you humbled while it is fatigued.
We are told to reflect again and again and make it a habit to reflect upon these creations. If you consistently and sincerely reflect then Allah will change your perspective. If you find it difficult to give up desires in the way of Allah you need to first recognize who Allah is. In order to recognize Him, you need to reflect upon His creations and remember his Greatness, His Might, His Mercy and all of His attributes. Learn to fall in love with Allah while pondering over his creations. We can also take this ayah to mean that you can stare at the sky day and night but you will never find any defect in it because the creations of Allah are perfect.
(5) And We have certainly beautified the nearest heaven with stars and have made [from] them what is thrown at the devils and have prepared for them the punishment of the Blaze.
Look in the evening and notice the beauty in the sky. Look at the stars and the moon that Allah has created as lamps for us. Everything Allah creates has a purpose. The stars and the moon weren’t created only to adorn the sky but to also help us get a sense of direction at night. They are also used as a form of protection for the heavens against the Shayateen. (It was believed that soothsayers used Shayateen who ascended to the heavens to gather news of the unseen. Allah is saying that they have no news of the unseen because the heavens are protected from them with these stars.) Just as the heavens and earth were created for a reason, we have been created with a purpose as well – to worship Allah (SWT). In the next part of the surah Allah (SWT) gives the result of those people to choose to live up to their purpose of creation and those who choose to follow their own ways.
