Al-Mulk 67:24
The Sovereignty · Juz 29 · Page 563
قُلۡ هُوَ ٱلَّذِي ذَرَأَكُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَإِلَيۡهِ تُحۡشَرُونَ ٢٤
Say, "It is He who has multiplied you throughout the earth, and to Him you will be gathered."
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Ma'arif al-Qur'an
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Commentary on 67:23–29
قُلْ هُوَ الَّذِي أَنشَأَكُمْ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ ۖ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ (Say, "He is the One who has originated you, and made for you the ears and the eyes and the hearts. How little you pay gratitude" ...67:23).
Specifying ears, eyes and Heart
Of all the human sense organs, only three are mentioned here on which depends knowledge and perception of the external world. Philosophers have identified five sources of knowledge and perception that are called 'five senses': to see, hear, smell, taste or feel something. Allah has equipped man with 'nose' to smell, with 'tongue' to taste, with 'ears' to hear and with 'eyes' to see; Allah has spread 'skin' throughout man's body to feel. But out of the five physical senses, only two have been mentioned, namely, ears and eyes, because man receives a very limited range of knowledge by smelling, tasting and feeling. Man depends for information largely on hearing and seeing. Of the two organs, his sense of hearing is mentioned first, because a careful analysis shows that most of the information gathered in human life is through hearing, not so much by seeing. The third organ mentioned specifically is the 'heart', because that is the centre of knowledge. Knowledge received through hearing and seeing depends on the human 'heart', unlike the theory of the philosophers and scientists who believe that the centre of knowledge is the human 'brain'.
After this, the non-believers are threatened with punishment. Towards the end of the Surah, a statement is once again repeated to remind them which purports to say: '0 you who live on the earth, dig wells and drink water from it to quench your thirst and grow plants and vegetation, do not forget that none of these things is your personal property. They are a Divine gift. He sent down water, and loaded it in the form of ice and reserved it on the peaks of mountains, so that it may not putrefy. Then He caused the congealed water to melt gradually and allow it to seep or soak into the earth through the pores or small interstices of the mountains and allowed a network of melted water to spread throughout the earth without any pipeline. Whenever man requires, he could dig a few meters deep into the earth from its upper surface to obtain water. This is a Divine gift. If He wills, He could send the water down into the depths of the earth, and it would not be accessible to anyone. This is the import of the following verse.
Page 563
67:13
وَأَسِرُّواْ قَوۡلَكُمۡ أَوِ ٱجۡهَرُواْ بِهِۦٓۖ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ ١٣
And conceal your speech or publicize it; indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.
67:14
أَلَا يَعۡلَمُ مَنۡ خَلَقَ وَهُوَ ٱللَّطِيفُ ٱلۡخَبِيرُ ١٤
Does He who created not know,1 while He is the Subtle, the Aware?
1 translator’s note
- Another accepted meaning is "Does He not know those whom He created...?" ↩
67:15
هُوَ ٱلَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ ذَلُولٗا فَٱمۡشُواْ فِي مَنَاكِبِهَا وَكُلُواْ مِن رِّزۡقِهِۦۖ وَإِلَيۡهِ ٱلنُّشُورُ ١٥
It is He who made the earth tame1 for you - so walk among its slopes and eat of His provision - and to Him is the resurrection.
1 translator’s note
- i.e., stable and subservient. ↩
67:16
ءَأَمِنتُم مَّن فِي ٱلسَّمَآءِ أَن يَخۡسِفَ بِكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَمُورُ ١٦
Do you feel secure that He who is above1 would not cause the earth to swallow you and suddenly it would sway?2
67:17
أَمۡ أَمِنتُم مَّن فِي ٱلسَّمَآءِ أَن يُرۡسِلَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ حَاصِبٗاۖ فَسَتَعۡلَمُونَ كَيۡفَ نَذِيرِ ١٧
Or do you feel secure that He who is above would not send against you a storm of stones? Then you would know how [severe] was My warning.
67:18
وَلَقَدۡ كَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ فَكَيۡفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ ١٨
And already had those before them denied, and how [terrible] was My reproach.
67:19
أَوَلَمۡ يَرَوۡاْ إِلَى ٱلطَّيۡرِ فَوۡقَهُمۡ صَٰٓفَّٰتٖ وَيَقۡبِضۡنَۚ مَا يُمۡسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنُۚ إِنَّهُۥ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءِۭ بَصِيرٌ ١٩
Do they not see the birds above them with wings outspread and [sometimes] folded in? None holds them [aloft] except the Most Merciful. Indeed He is, of all things, Seeing.
67:20
أَمَّنۡ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِي هُوَ جُندٞ لَّكُمۡ يَنصُرُكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِۚ إِنِ ٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَ إِلَّا فِي غُرُورٍ ٢٠
Or who is it that could be an army for you to aid you other than the Most Merciful? The disbelievers are not but in delusion.
67:21
أَمَّنۡ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِي يَرۡزُقُكُمۡ إِنۡ أَمۡسَكَ رِزۡقَهُۥۚ بَل لَّجُّواْ فِي عُتُوّٖ وَنُفُورٍ ٢١
Or who is it that could provide for you if He withheld His provision? But they have persisted in insolence and aversion.
67:22
أَفَمَن يَمۡشِي مُكِبًّا عَلَىٰ وَجۡهِهِۦٓ أَهۡدَىٰٓ أَمَّن يَمۡشِي سَوِيًّا عَلَىٰ صِرَٰطٖ مُّسۡتَقِيمٖ ٢٢
Then is one who walks fallen on his face better guided or one who walks erect on a straight path?
67:23
قُلۡ هُوَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَنشَأَكُمۡ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلسَّمۡعَ وَٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرَ وَٱلۡأَفۡـِٔدَةَۚ قَلِيلٗا مَّا تَشۡكُرُونَ ٢٣
Say, "It is He who has produced you and made for you hearing and vision and hearts [i.e., intellect]; little are you grateful."
67:24
قُلۡ هُوَ ٱلَّذِي ذَرَأَكُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَإِلَيۡهِ تُحۡشَرُونَ ٢٤
Say, "It is He who has multiplied you throughout the earth, and to Him you will be gathered."
67:25
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَٰذَا ٱلۡوَعۡدُ إِن كُنتُمۡ صَٰدِقِينَ ٢٥
And they say, "When is this promise, if you should be truthful?"
67:26
قُلۡ إِنَّمَا ٱلۡعِلۡمُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَإِنَّمَآ أَنَا۠ نَذِيرٞ مُّبِينٞ ٢٦
Say, "The knowledge is only with Allāh, and I am only a clear warner."