Surah Al Mulk in depth

Bismillahir Rahmaneer Raheem 

In the Name of Allah, The Most Merciful

Alhamdulillah our precious Ustadha Khadija has started the study of Surah Al Mulk in depth on Zoom . She has been running sessions for us since 2020 Covid lockdown through Deen for sisters (DFS). First Surah she started with was Surah Al Mulk. After five years, she has brought us the Surah Mulk again with new notes and new lessons in sha Allah . I look forward to her Sunday sessions at 10:30 AM. I have shared some of my notes here. Any mistakes are from myself (due to lack of my understanding), so please forgive me and anything khair (good) is from my Most Loving and Most Merciful Rabb alhamdulillah and His beloved Rasulullah sallallahu alaihe wa sallam. 

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Alhamdulillah we had four days of eating, drinking and praising/glorifying our Rabb, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala  alhamdulillah. May Allah (swt) accept our efforts during the great days of Dhul Hijjah 1446 , ameen!

There are different kind of hearts, i.e. diseased hearts, dead hearts and sound hearts. Some people have hearts devoid of remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Those hearts are spiritually dead. The best mode of remembrance is reciting, reading the Qur’an. Let's revive our heart with studying the Suratul Mulk in depth in sha Allah! We are about to start a new Hijri year, Hijri 1447 in sha Allah. Let us make intention to study the Words of our Rabb in depth in sha Allah!

We try to recite Suratul Mulk before going to sleep at night as one of the Sunnah of our beloved Rasulullah sallallahu Alaihe wa sallam. We may think we know about the surah but every time we join a new tafseer/tadabbur class we learn new lessons. So keep on learning, sharing and improving together! Whatever you learn sisters, make notes and share the khair with others. Imagine someone learning something good from you and you receive mountains of good deeds on the Yawmul Qiyamah (The Day of Judgement) waiting for you in sha Allah! Come and join us and let's learn more about this beautiful Surah bi idnillahi ta'ala!

Surah Mulk is a Makki surah i.e. it was revealed during the first 13 years of prophethood in Makkah. It is the 67th Surah of the Qur'an (first Surah in Juz Tabarak).  The followers of Islam in Makkah were new reverts/converts. They didn't know about Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They didn't have any revelations before the Qur’an. The surahs of Juz Amma (30^th part) and Juz Tabarak (29^th part of the Qur’an)  were revealed for new Muslims . They are the foundation of our faith. The concept of Tawheed (Oneness of Allah swt), Risaalah (prophethood) and Akhira (Life after death) were alien concepts to them. Most of them had no faith. Majority were of people of Shirk (paganism). They knew a bit about the Christians and Jews .

We may have read about the virtues of specific surah or chapters of the Qur’an. We may think about the reasons why virtues are so important. We live at a time when we hardly read, study and recite the Qur'an cover to cover. Sometimes we restrict our exposure to the Qur'an to only handful of surahs based on the virtues mentioned.  Unfortunately people tend to read same surahs like Ar Rahman, Yaseen again and again. But the Qur'an is not supposed to be approached in that way.  Every part of the Qur'an is special. Every ayah has a purpose and meaning. And every verse is connected to each other.

Surah Mulk is known to be a surah which will intercede for its reciter. But the question is whether is it the only surah which can intercede for us? Not at all. Our fasts and recitation of the Qur'an in general will intercede for us. Our recitation of the Qur'an will talk on our behalf saying "I am the one she was busy with (reciting, revising, reading, studying) the whole night. So any surah can have the potential to save us in sha Allah bi idnillahi ta'ala at the hour of our need. Surah Al Baqara and Surah Al Imran will come as clouds to shade us when there will be no shades on the day of Judgment if we build a habit of reciting them frequently and live by the lessons . 

Sahabas (companions) used to call Surah Al Mulk Al Mania, the surah that protects us, shield us from punishment. In the grave, a person will visit from the side of the feet to punish the dead but it will be said that he can't punish him as he used to recite surah Mulk before sleep. We can also recite the surah in our Salah. If the Suratul Mulk is memorised by the person, the different parts of the body will testify for the person. May Allah (swt) enable us to keep the 30 verses of the Surah Al Mulk in our heart, ameen!

What is the relation between Suratul Mulk and punishment of the grave?

Imagine the grave. My grave will be just one grave with no room for others. My grave will be only mine. One compartment. Six feet under. Our graves are already dug while we are going around busy in life, completely oblivious of our imminent departure from this temporary world at any time. 

There are four concepts of grave mentioned through Qur'an and Hadith literature which are darkness in the grave, squeezing of the grave, Fitna (trials) of the grave and punishment (adhaab) of the grave.

The last experience people will have in this dunia (planet earth) is the footsteps that they hear, loved ones burying them and leaving them behind all alone in the grave. They can't hear or know what's happening above them anymore. The only connection dead people have to this world is the sadaqa jaariya (ongoing charity) they have left behind. We can only pray for them and do good deeds through Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, hoping He (swt) accepts from us on their behalf in sha Allah. Imagine I am dead, so no more connection with dunia, no more relation with my loved ones. I become the person of Akhira, the Hereafter, the other world.

There was a female Sahabiya who was the cleaner of the masjid of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihe wa sallam in Madina Munawwara. What a blessed sahabiya (RadiAllahu anha ) she must have been subhanallah! When she passed away, the sahabas buried her at the night and did not want to disturb the beloved Rasulullah (saw). In the morning, he (saw) noticed her absence and asked about her! He was told about her death. He (saw) went to visit her grave and pray for her. He (saw) told the companions that his du’a is a blessing for her. Through this story we can learn the importance of praying for our dead in sha Allah. May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala enable us to pray for the dead of our Ummah, ameen!

A beneficial supplication that can be said for both the deceased and the living is:

اللَّهمَّ اغْفِرْ لِحَيِّنَا وَمَيِّتِنَا وَشَاهِدِنَا، وَغَائِبِنَا، وَصَغِيْرِنَا وَكَبِيْرِنَا، وَذَكَرِنَا وَأُنْثَانَا. اللَّهمَّ مَنْ أَحْيَيْتَه ُُ مِنَّا فَأَحْيِه ِِ عَلَى         الإِسْلامِ، وَمَنْ تَوَفَّيْتَه ُُ مِنَّا فَتَوَفَّه ُُ عَلَى الإِيْمَانِ، اللَّهمَّ لا تَحْرِمْنَا أَجْرَهُ، وَلا تُضِلَّنَا بَعْدَهُ

Allahumma-ghfir lihayyina wa mayyitina wa shahidina, wa gha'ibina, wa saghirina wa kabirina, wa dhakarina wa unthana. Allahumma man ahyaytahu minna fa ahyihi 'ala al-Islam, wa man tawaffaytahu minna fatawaffahu 'ala al-iman. Allahumma la tahrimna ajrahu, wa la tudillana ba'dahu.

O Allah, forgive our living and our dead, those present and those absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. O Allah, whom among us You keep alive, then let such a life be upon Islam, and whom among us You take unto Yourself, then let such a death be upon faith. O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward and do not let us stray after him (Sunan Ibn Majah, no. 1498).

Graves are very dark so make du'a for them so that it can be full of light. Ya Allah please make the place full of light. Illuminate the dark grave! What will make it illuminous? The Qur'an, the recitation of the Qur'an. We live in the age of screens. Always glued to the blue screens of different gadgets. Our youth are busy playing, browsing, doomscrolling social media in the depth of the night. We adults are guilty too. But the brightness of the screen of this world won’t illuminate our graves! Let us strive for the light for Akhira through attaching our hearts to the Qur'an in sha Allah !

Squeeze of the Qabr Dammatul Qabr 

The graves will squeeze its new arrival just like a mother hugs her child after a long break. The believers will be hugged too. The nonbelievers will be squeezed so hard that it will crush the bones. Allahul musta'an! We seek Allah swt's help!

Saad Ibn Muadh RadiAllahu anhu was one of the greatest companions. When he (ra) died, Rasulullah (saw) told the companions that seventy thousand angels came to take part in his janaza so he (saw) felt so squeezed by their divine presence. He could feel the tightness of the space due to so many angels coming to receive Saad Ibn Muadh (ra)! The heaven’s doors were opened to welcome him! Rasulullah (saw) predicted Saad (ra) may have been saved from the squeeze of the grave.

Fitnatul Qabr The trials of the grave

The Fitna of Qabr will be like Fitnatul Dajjal, the trials of Antichrist. We make dua for protection against four things before completing the Salah. Our beloved Rasulullah (saw) taught us a very comprehensive dua regarding the trials (fitna ) so please learn it, use it and help others to learn it. One of my beloveds Ustadha Uzma Jung taught us this beautiful du'a ages ago and she would urge us to teach to our precious children and youth in general. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive her and bless her with Jannatul ferdous Al A'laa, ameen! 

Sisters, keep learning extra dua for sitting and Ruku position in the prayer, get the Hisnul Muslim (Fortress of the Muslim). Why should we learn more dua? Because dua (supplication) is the essence of worship. Why is the Fitna of grave equivalent to the Fitna of Dajjal, the Antichrist? We may think we may be lucky enough to escape Fitna of Dajjal but every one of us will experience death and the entrance to the grave.  When angels come to the grave for the first time, they will come in a deceiving way, trying to shake us to the core! It is those who are steadfast will be saved from the fitna of the grave.

We can find in the Qur’an about the special people who will be steadfast, having Thabat. The biggest explanation of the Qur'an is the Qur'an itself.

In Surah Ibrahim, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says, Allah makes the believers steadfast with the firm word of faith in this worldly life and the hereafter. And Allah leaves the wrongdoers to stray. For Allah does what He wills.  Surah Ibrahim: 14:27 Kalimah Tayyibah (There is no one worthy of worship except Allah )  is the firm word of faith it is referring to. A good word is like a good tree. The testimony that there is no one worthy of worship other than Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is a like a deep-rooted tree. The deeper the Kalimah shahadah rooted in our heart, the richer the quality of life it will be as a believer in sha Allah.  

Surah Mulk is the surah of Tawheed (Oneness of Allah swt). It teaches us the Kalimah Shahadah. Believers will be challenged in this dunya as it is the Darul Imtihan the abode of tests and trials. Dunya is our exam hall. The more we establish the lessons of surah Mulk in our life, the more steadfast we can be in sha Allah. 

The more we study surah Mulk, the more we understand the Rububiyyah of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He is the creator of everything and everything belongs to Him. Should we not be worshiping the One who created everything? In the Qur’an we are taught to worship our Rabb through Taqwa (Allah consciousness). Sayyidina Ibrahim Alaihes salam was a Haneef, constantly seeker of the truth. He submitted to Islam completely. Given his family and his people were pagans, he never ever accepted Shirk (associating partners with Allah swt). He never compromised his values as a believer.  Ibrahim Alaihes salam asked his people why they worship something which can't hear or see or benefit them! He AS introduces his Rabb in Surah Al Shu’ara. “He is the One who created me and it is He who guides me and He who gives to eat and drink and when I am sick , it is He who heals me and He will cause me to die and then He will bring me to life and who, I hope will forgive me my sins on the Day of judgement. My Rabb! Grant me wisdom and join me with the righteous.” Surah al-Shu’ara:78-83

We must teach ourselves and our children to ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. No one else is worthy to be asked! In Surah Luqman we find the conversation of Luqman (as), a person of wisdom (hikmah) with his beloved son. He taught his son that the worst oppression is Shirk ie associating partners with our Rabb.  

Ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for everything. When you drink, ask Him and thank Him for the water . He is the source of water. Do we show proper etiquette when we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? Whole dominion is in His Hand. Surah Mulk teaches us Tawheed ar Rububiyyah and Tawheed al Uloohiyyah. We as believers direct all our devotion to Him only. Throughout the surah He challenges us with questions on who is in charge. We hope to carry on learning the surah in depth in sha Allah.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala enable us to learn deeply and improve our understanding and enable us to live by this beautiful surah, ameen!

I have shared the details about the DFS sessions here. Please spread the link in sha Allah. Jazakallah Khairan Kathiran. 

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Revive Our Hearts

Surah Al-Mulk:67

Don't forget to join our Flagship Tafseer Class with other like minded sisters 10.30 am 

Every Sunday morning  inshaa'Allah

Deen For Sisters Tafseer Class, in English, open to all ladies on Zoom insha'Allah

Read & Reflect

Surah - Al- Mulk:67

Join live on  Zoom 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9125927619?pwd=bDVVSTRLUytHeFBlN3h0LzUwMkg5dz09

Meeting ID: 912 592 7619 

Passcode: DFS2020

Please save the Meeting ID and the passcode . Every time same link is used. 

So don't forget to set your alarms dear sisters & share the link .

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Iman revisited

Our precious sister, Nadia is teaching us the meaning of Iman. She has been having lessons with us on pillars of faith Alhamdulillah. Masha Allah tabarakallah her sessions are very lively and a feast to my senses.  I am a visual and kinesthetic learner so her style works for me alhamdulillah. So what is Iman?  It comes from the Arabic root letters aa mi na ( aamina) which means to give security and peace. Iman gives us a framework to think and live with alhamdulillah. 

There are 3 levels of faith... Islam, Iman and Ihsan. In sha Allah our aim is Ihsan, the highest level bi idnillahi ta'ala!

Islam is the outward actions such as the five pillars of Islam- Shahada, Salah, Zakah, Sawm and Hajj.

Imaan is the inward actions which are based on the foundations of the five pillars of Islam .

Ihsan is intensifying our worship to gain closeness to our Rabb. I have added the Hadith which teaches us the three terms in details. It is known as Hadith Jibreel . Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sent the archangel Sayyidina Jibraeel AS to teach us our beautiful religion. This is one of the core hadith to remember and follow on a daily basis in sha Allah. 

Hadith Jibreel

Umar ibn al-Khattab reported: We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, one day, a man appeared with very white clothes and very black hair. There were no signs of travel on him and we did not recognize him. He sat in front of the Prophet, rested his knees by his knees, and placed his hands on his thighs.

The man said, “O Muhammad, tell me about Islam.”

The Prophet said, “Islam is to testify there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish prayer, to give charity, to fast the month of Ramadan, and to perform pilgrimage to the House if a way is possible.”

The man said, “You have spoken truthfully.” We were surprised that he asked him and said he was truthful.

He said, “Tell me about faith.”  (Faith is Imaan in Arabic)

The Prophet said, “Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in providence, its good and its harm.”

The man said, “You have spoken truthfully. Tell me about excellence (Ihsan).”

The Prophet said, “Ihsan (Excellence ) is to worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He surely sees you.”

The man said, “Tell me about the final hour.”

The Prophet said, “The one asked does not know more than the one asking.”

The man said, “Tell me about its signs.”

The Prophet said, “The slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and you will see barefoot, naked, and dependent shepherds compete in the construction of tall buildings.”

Then, the man returned and I remained. The Prophet said to me, “O Umar, do you know who he was?” I said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.”

The Prophet said, “Verily, he was Gabriel who came to teach you your religion.”

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 

Conditions of Iman:

1. Belief in the heart

2. Statements of the tongue

3. Actions of the limbs

4. Iman increases with obedience 

As you can see, I cannot say my iman is in my heart and I don't need to pray, fast etc. Sometimes we meet people who claim they have Iman in their heart but they believe they don't need to manifest their Iman through their limbs. Imagine as a mother, I tell my children that I love them but I don't express the love through my action. I neglect them. Is that really love? As believers we love our Rabb, we believe in our heart and we do our best to express the love through worshiping Him the way He wants, with every blessing He has blessed us with bi idnillahi ta'ala. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala enable us to fulfil the conditions of Iman, ameen!

Nadia reminded us the similarity between the elegant Date palm tree and a believer (Mu'min) . This was my favourite part as I am a passionate plant lover ! Alhamdulillah for the awesome nature ! 

Abdullah ibn Umar reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The parable of the believer is that of a date palm tree. Whatever you take from it will benefit you.”

Source: al-Mu’jam al-Kabīr lil-Ṭabarānī 13514

Grade: Sahih (authentic)

Seeds of Date Palm in Jannah insha Allah

1. Date palm trees are evergreen trees. It doesn't shed leaves. Our submission to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala never stops. Believers worship their Rabb in every season, in good days as well as in challenging days. 

2. The tree provides shade through out the year. Believer supports others in every situation. 

3. Date palms are strong, tall and lofty in nature. Believers are strong in heart and present themselves in a beautiful, lofty manner.

4. Date palms has deep network of roots. Even in stormy weather , the roots help the tree to stay intact. A strong believer doesn't break down during a difficult phase of her life. In fact, challenges make her more resilient and humble . It teaches her to have empathy. 

5. The tree yields sweet dates throughout the year. A believer always share his goodness with others. 

6. The older the date palm , the sweeter the dates. The older the believer, the more the wisdom bi idnillahi ta'ala. So old is gold! May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala enable us all to age gracefully , ameen! 

7. The tree can survive hostile environments. The date palms are native to desert climates especially in the middle eastern countries. Imagine the Ummah struggling in different parts of the world! Their Iman is keeping them firm alhamdulillah. Their faith is unwavering subhanallah! 

8. Even if the tree is uprooted, if the roots are not disconnected , it still can survive and carry on producing dates. Sometimes believers can be unwell but they can still benefit others. 

There are so many fascinating facts about the Date palm tree. I have shared two links here if you are interested to research more in sha Alllah. I cannot thanks Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for this amazing plant alhamdulillah. So much to be grateful for in sha Allah !

Natural History Museum  Date Palm: The cornerstone of civilization 

Date palm at Kew Garden 

Let us go back to the topic of this post , Iman ! 

Imaan wears off just like our clothes wear off ( paraphrasing a hadith). So how can we renew our imaan ?

1. Seek knowledge 

It is very important to actively seek knowledge . Sometimes as parents we facilitate for our children to seek knowledge but we do not seek it for ourselves! Knowledge of the Deen is crucial for every one of us. I loved Nadia's words, " Sign up and show up!"

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala increase us in knowledge and enable us to benefit from it, ameen!

2. Make du'a for gaining Iman

We must ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for Iman. O Allah ! Please revive our Iman, revive our yaqeen (certainty). She mentioned the du'a taught by beloved Rasulullah Salllallahu alaihe wa sallam which should be made after the salah . 

Mu'adh (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took hold of my hand and said, "O Mu'adh! By Allah I love you, so I advise you to never forget to recite after every prayer: "Allahumma a'inni ala dhikrika, wa shukrika, wa husni 'ibadatika (O Allah, help me remember You, to be grateful to You, and to worship You in an excellent manner)."

[Abu Dawud].

Today's Jumuah Tadabbur class at Fitya

 Bismillah... In the Name of Allah , The Most Merciful

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah dear readers,

I hope this post/reminder finds you in best of health and Imaan in sha Allah .

Today at our Qur'an Tadabbur class (Reflection of the Qur'anic verses) , our precious teacher Umm Anas focused on ayah (verse) 41 to 45 of Surah Maryam (Surah 19 of the Qur'an). I love the sessions and learn a lot from her precious efforts alhamdulillah. The sessions help me to study and reflect more on the Qur'an. I have shared some of the notes here . I hope my Generous , Most Appreciative Rabb accepts my efforts in sha Allah . Enjoy the read! I hope you find it helpful bi idnillahi ta'ala!

19:41 And mention too in the Book ( the Qur'an), the story of  Ibrahim . He was a man of truth, a prophet.   Innahu kaana Siddiqan Nabiyyaa 

Sayyidina Ibrahim Alaihes salam ( Peace be on him) was a person of strong and firm faith. He was a person of SIDQ meaning he always affirmed the truth and lived by it. There was no doubt in his heart. He had the Qalbus Saleem, the sound heart. A heart completely submitted to its Rabb. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala appointed him as a prophet. He was also given the role of a leader ie imama. We Muslims follow his teachings. In fact , our beloved Rasulullah Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam (Peace and blessings be upon him) is the answer to his prayers for the humanity. We follow his Millah. ( Millata Abeena Ibrahima Haneefa...) 

In these verses, we get to see how he invited his father to the truth. His manner was gentle and loving. He used endearing words to address his father ( Yaa Abati... O my beloved father! O my darling dad! I love you so much!) . We can't really translate the Arabic expressions in English. Arabic is a very rich language so the translation of the Qur'an cannot do justice to the divine Book gifted to us. 

Given he was a man of great love and empathy, he approached his father with utmost affection. He wanted his father to think for himself. That's why he said , "O my father! Why do you worship something that can neither hear nor see nor benefit you in any way ?" 19:42 

Through these questions he wanted to encourage his father to think deeply about his action ie the pagan practices he was involved in. He also told his father the reason why he was having the much needed conversation "Father! Knowledge that has not reached you has come to me: I will guide you to an even path." 19:43 

Here we see his humility as a son. He is gently requesting his beloved father to accept the truth and he offered to help him to follow the path of guidance. He did not attribute the knowledge to himself . Every blessing is from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He is just conveying the truth to his father. Prophets convey the message to us and help us to follow the straight path but they are not in position to convert/revert us. Guidance is only from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That's why we are taught to ask for guidance through reciting Surah Al Fatiha ( The Opening) in our daily prayers ( Salah). Our prayer is not even valid without reading the Surah Al Fatiha. It is called the mother of the Qur'an. 

He carries on... 19:44 "Father! Do not worship Shaitan (Satan) - Shaitan has rebelled against the Lord of Mercy  ( Ar Rahman). 

Here we can learn a very important concept of our core belief (Aqeedah) as Muslims. Life without Tawheed (Belief in Oneness of Allah swt) is in essence a life spent in worshiping Shaitan. Please read it again and let it sink! When we do not obey Allah as our one and only Rabb, we end up obeying the Shaitan, the self-proclaimed enemy ( 'aduu'm mubin). Sayyidina Ibrahim AS is warning his father not to worship Shaitan. He was a pagan, he worshipped idols. By worshipping idols , he was in reality obeying the devil. So what is the consequence of disobedience to our Most Generous Rabb, Ar Rahman ?

19:45 "O my father! I fear that a punishment from the Lord of Mercy may afflict you and that you may become Shaitan's companion (in Hell)". 

The worst sin is to associate partners in worship with our Rabb, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala which is called Shirk. It is the worst form of oppression (zulm). When someone commits Shirk, he/she separates themselves from the mercy of Ar Rahman. And mercy of our Rabb is what we desperately need to enter Jannah . Hell is the permanent address of people who reject the truth and follow anything other than Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. By doing so, they are depriving themselves of the mercy ( Rahma) of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. 

May Allah, Al Haadi (The Guide) guide us to His straight path and bless us with His Jannatul Ferdous al'A'la , ameen ! May Allah , Ar Rahman ( The Lord of Mercy), shower us with His immense mercy in every aspect of our life and reunite us the Ummah in Jannah, ameen!