564 Page Notes

67 Surah Al-Mulk (continued)

Page 564 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

68 Surah Al-Qalam

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 564 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Surah Al-Mulk

Page 564 of the Quran contains the final four verses of Surah Al-Mulk (Chapter 67), verses 27 through 30.

These concluding verses deliver an intense psychological and physical climax to the Surah. They transition from detailing the visual panic of the disbelievers when they see the promised judgment up close, to a direct rhetorical challenge aimed at those who wished for the destruction of the Prophet ﷺ. Finally, the Surah abruptly closes with a striking existential warning regarding water—the literal chemical baseline of all human life.

The Sunnah and canonical Hadith collections provide profound contextual, linguistic, and practical insights into these final verses.

1. Verse 27: The Faces of Regret

"But when they see it approaching, the faces of those who disbelieved will turn distressed (blackened/sorrowful), and it will be said, 'This is that which you used to call for.'" (Quran 67:27)

The Visual Distortion of Judgment

The Arabic word used is See'at, which describes a face physically contorted by severe grief, horror, and sudden humiliation. The Sunnah explains that this distinct physical darkening of the facial structure on the Day of Judgment is a direct consequence of realized guilt.

The Prophet ﷺ warned his companions that the choices made on earth physically stamp themselves onto a person's appearance in the next world.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The disbeliever’s molar tooth (in Hell) will be like Mount Uhud, the thickness of his skin will be a three-day journey, and his seat in Hellfire will be as far as the distance between Medina and Mecca." Source: Sahih Muslim (Hadith 2851).

Tafsir Connection: Classical commentators like Al-Qurtubi note that the visual distortion described in Verse 27 occurs the moment the reality of the punishment enters their field of vision, instantly shattering their worldly arrogance and physically altering their countenances.

2. Verses 28–29: The Futility of Malice and the Reality of Tawakkul

"Say, [O Muhammad], 'Have you considered: whether Allah should destroy me and those with me or have mercy upon us, who can protect the disbelievers from a painful punishment?' Say, 'He is the Most Merciful; we have believed in Him, and upon Him we have relied...'" (Quran 67:28-29)

The Meccan Plotting Against the Prophet ﷺ

The Sunnah records that the polytheists of Mecca routinely prayed for the physical demise of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his companions. They would comfort themselves by saying, "Muhammad is just a poet, let us simply wait for him to be taken by death, and his movement will collapse." Verse 28 was revealed as a direct rhetorical trap for them.

The Prophet ﷺ countered their malice by reinforcing the absolute nature of Tawakkul (reliant trust) mentioned in verse 29.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught his cousin Ibn Abbas a timeless formula of reliance that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of verse 29: "Know that if the entire nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with something Allah had already destined for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with something Allah had already destined against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried." Source: Jami` at-Tirmidhi (Hadith 2516); graded Sahih.

3. Verse 30: The Absolute Vulnerability of Water

"Say, 'Have you considered: if your water was to become sunken [into the earth], then who could bring you flowing water?'" (Quran 67:30)

The Sunnah of Answering the Quranic Question

Verse 30 ends on an open-ended, rhetorical cliffhanger. It forces the human mind to imagine a terrifying geological event: all subterranean and surface water suddenly draining deep into the core of the earth, completely out of human technological reach.

Because the text asks a direct question—"Who could bring you flowing water?"—the Prophet ﷺ established a specific verbal Sunnah to be spoken immediately upon reciting or hearing this verse.

It is reported from the Sunnah of the companions and early generations (the Salaf) that when a person recites the final verse of Surah Al-Mulk: "Faman ya'teekum bi-ma'in ma'een?", they should immediately reply out loud: "Allahu Rabbul-'Alameen" (Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds [is the only One who can bring it back]). Source: Documented in the Tafsir traditions of Al-Baghawi, Al-Tha'labi, and Al-Wahidi.

Water as a Free Divine Gift

The Prophet ﷺ heavily protected the natural, unearned status of water, strictly forbidding people from monopolizing or hoarding it, directly matching the theology of verse 30 that water is a sovereign gift from God, not a human invention.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Muslims are partners in three things: water, pastures, and fire." Source: Sunan Abi Dawud (Hadith 3477) and Sunan Ibn Majah; authenticated as Sahih.

In another severe tradition, he warned: "There are three types of people whom Allah will not look at on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them... One of them is a man who had surplus water on a path and withheld it from a stranded traveler." Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 2369) and Sahih Muslim.

Surah Al-Qalam

Page 564 of the Quran transitions from the final four verses of Surah Al-Mulk directly into the opening section of Surah Al-Qalam (Chapter 68), verses 1 through 16.

Revealed during the early, intensely hostile Meccan period, these verses serve as a divine shield for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. They defend his sanity and character against the mocking upper class of the Quraysh, while delivering a scathing profile of his primary antagonist at the time—traditionally identified as Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah.

The Sunnah and standard canonical Hadith literature provide explicit background contexts (Asbab al-Nuzul), linguistic definitions, and character frameworks for these sixteen verses.

1. Verse 1: The Cosmic Reality of the Primordial Pen

"Nun. By the pen and what they inscribe..." (Quran 68:1)

The First Object Created by Allah

While commentators like Mujahid mention that "the pen" refers to the literal instruments used by the companions to write down the revelation, the primary prophetic context highlights the primordial Pen of Decrees. The Sunnah frames this verse as an oath by the very tool that mapped out human history.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Verily, the first of what Allah created was the Pen. He said to it: 'Write.' The Pen said: 'O my Lord, what shall I write?' He said: 'Write the decree and whatever will happen throughout eternity.'"

Source: Musnad Ahmad (Hadith 22705) and Sahih Muslim (via similar wordings); authenticated as Sahih.

2. Verses 2–4: The Ultimate Defense of Prophetic Character

"You are not, by the grace of your Lord, a madman. And indeed, for you is a reward uninterrupted. And indeed, you are of a great moral character." (Quran 68:2-4)

The Definition of "Great Moral Character" (Khuluqin 'Adheem)

When the elite of Mecca began calling the Prophet ﷺ insane (Majnun) to deter incoming pilgrims, Allah revealed these lines as a direct rebuttal. The standard definition of how the Prophet ﷺ embodied this "great moral character" is immortalized in a famous Hadith by his wife, Aisha (ra).

Sa'id ibn Hisham asked Aisha, "O Mother of the believers, tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ."

She replied, "Do you not read the Quran?" He said, "Yes." She said: "Verily, the character of the Prophet of Allah was the Quran."

Source: Sahih Muslim (Hadith 746).

Tafsir Integration: Ibn Kathir explains that this means the Prophet ﷺ became a living manifestation of the Quran—whatever it commanded, he did naturally, and whatever it forbade, he avoided completely.

The Mission to Perfect Morality

The Prophet ﷺ explicitly stated that his entire legislative and spiritual purpose was to ground humanity in the standard of excellence mentioned in verse 4.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "I have only been sent to perfect righteous, noble character."

Source: Musnad Ahmad (Hadith 8939) and Al-Adab Al-Mufrad by Al-Bukhari; graded Sahih.

3. Verses 10–16: The Anatomy of a Slanderer

"And do not obey every worthless habitual swearer. [A] slanderer, proceeding with defamation... Cruel, moreover, and an illegitimate child. Because he is a possessor of wealth and children... We will brand him upon the snout." (Quran 68:10-16)

The Profile of Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah

In this severe passage, the Quran strips away the social prestige of a prominent Meccan leader (most exegetes identify him as Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah, the father of Khalid ibn al-Walid). He was rich and influential, but he used his wealth to suppress the truth and slander the Prophet ﷺ as a peddler of "fairy tales of old" (Verse 15).

The Hadith literature defines the core character flaws listed in these verses—specifically 'Utull (translated as cruel, coarse, or violent).

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Shall I not inform you of the people of Hellfire? They are every 'Utull (cruel, coarse person), Jawwaz (arrogant, greedy person), and Mustakbir (proud, haughty individual)."

Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 4918) and Sahih Muslim.

"Branding Him Upon the Snout"

Verse 16 states, "We will brand him upon the snout (nose)." Because Al-Walid walked through Mecca with his nose held high in unbridled arrogance, Allah downgraded his nose to a animalistic "snout" (Khurtoom) and promised him indelible humiliation.

Early historical accounts and classical Hadith commentators (like Al-Jalalayn and Ibn Jarir) note that this prophecy manifested tangibly during the Battle of Badr, where Al-Walid's nose was physically struck and severed by a sword, permanently marking him with a scar of disgrace until his death.