سُوْرَةُ الْمُلْكِ
Surah Al-Mulk (67) — Ayah 16
ءَأَمِنتُم مَّن فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ أَن يَخْسِفَ بِكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ فَإِذَا هِىَ تَمُورُ ﴿16﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven (Allâh), will not cause the earth to sink with you, and then it should quake?
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ءَأَمِنتُم
a-amintum
Do you feel secure
مَّن
man
(from Him) Who
فِى
fī
(is) in
ٱلسَّمَآءِ
l-samāi
the heaven
أَن
an
not
يَخْسِفَ
yakhsifa
He will cause to swallow
بِكُمُ
bikumu
you
ٱلْأَرْضَ
l-arḍa
the earth
فَإِذَا
fa-idhā
when
هِىَ
hiya
it
تَمُورُ
tamūru
sways
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 16) ➊ { ءَاَمِنْتُمْ مَّنْ فِي السَّمَآءِ اَنْ يَّخْسِفَ بِكُمُ الْاَرْضَ … : ’’ تَمُوْرُ ‘‘} began to move, that is, it started trembling due to a severe earthquake. (See At-Tur: 9) In the previous verse, Allah Almighty mentioned His blessings, and in this verse, He expresses His overwhelming power. The meaning is that although the earth has been made subservient to you so that you may use it as you wish, remember that it belongs to the One in the heavens; if He wills, He can sink you into it (just as He sank Qarun. See Al-Qasas: 81), and if He wills, it can start trembling with an earthquake. Therefore, do not live arrogantly and independently upon it, but rather live as obedient servants, fearing Him. (Ashraf al-Hawashi) The meaning of this verse and the following verse is also mentioned in Surah Al-An'am (65) and Surah Al-Kahf (68, 69).
➋ {ءَاَمِنْتُمْ مَّنْ فِي السَّمَآءِ : ’’ السَّمَآءِ ‘‘ ’’سِمْوٌ‘‘} is derived from "simwun", which means height. Anything that is above is called {’’سَمَاءُ‘‘}. From both these verses, it is clear that the Being of Allah Almighty is above. The Noble Qur’an has mentioned at several places that the Most Merciful is upon the Throne. Muawiyah bin Hakam Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about his slave girl, whether he should free her. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اِئْتِنِيْ بِهَا ] "Bring her to me." I brought her to him, and he asked her: [ أَيْنَ اللّٰهُ؟ ] "Where is Allah?" She said: [ فِي السَّمَآءِ] "In the sky." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ مَنْ أَنَا؟ ] "Who am I?" She said: [ أَنْتَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ ] "You are the Messenger of Allah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ أَعْتِقْهَا فَإِنَّهَا مُؤْمِنَةٌ ] [ مسلم، المساجد، باب تحریم الکلام في الصلاۃ… : ۵۳۷ ] "Free her, for she is a believer." This is the belief of all the righteous predecessors; later people who were influenced by Greek philosophy denied the attribute of elevation (the attribute of being above) of Allah Almighty. Some said He is without a place, some said He is everywhere, and they interpreted the clear texts of the Qur’an and Hadith. Some people even went so far as to say that it is disbelief to ask about Allah’s location. They did not consider that this question was asked by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) himself, and in response, he declared the belief that Allah is above the heavens to be faith (see Muslim: 537). So, God forbid, will this verdict be applied to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) as well?
In the Noble Qur’an {’’ ءَاَمِنْتُمْ مَّنْ فِي السَّمَآءِ ‘‘}, Allah Almighty is stating that He is above the heavens, and this is ingrained in human nature that when he prays, he raises his gaze towards the sky. But those afflicted by philosophy sometimes say that this would mean He is sitting on the heavens, sometimes they say, does He live in the heavens? In this way, they claim He would be dependent on the heavens, whereas the heavens and the earth themselves were created by Him. According to the belief of the righteous predecessors, it is not permissible to use any word for Allah Almighty that He has not used for Himself. Now, who has said that Allah Almighty is standing or sitting? From the Qur’an and Hadith, it is established that Allah Almighty is above and upon the Throne; its modality is unknown to anyone, and He is not dependent on the Throne or on being above, rather, despite being upon the Throne, the Throne itself is dependent on Him, and He is holding the Throne and the heavens and the earth. Among the creation, there are many things that are above, but the things below them are dependent on them for their existence; the example of Allah Almighty is far above this. Whenever a believer imagines Allah Almighty or prays to Him, he is certain that his Lord is above the heavens upon the Throne, and he has no confusion in connecting with his Lord. Those entangled in interpretations cannot even decide where their Lord is to whom they should turn. They cannot get out of the cycle of "without a place." This is the result of abandoning the natural and simple beliefs of Islam and adopting the philosophical labyrinths. For further details, see the commentary of Surah Al-Fajr (22).
➋ {ءَاَمِنْتُمْ مَّنْ فِي السَّمَآءِ : ’’ السَّمَآءِ ‘‘ ’’سِمْوٌ‘‘} is derived from "simwun", which means height. Anything that is above is called {’’سَمَاءُ‘‘}. From both these verses, it is clear that the Being of Allah Almighty is above. The Noble Qur’an has mentioned at several places that the Most Merciful is upon the Throne. Muawiyah bin Hakam Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about his slave girl, whether he should free her. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اِئْتِنِيْ بِهَا ] "Bring her to me." I brought her to him, and he asked her: [ أَيْنَ اللّٰهُ؟ ] "Where is Allah?" She said: [ فِي السَّمَآءِ] "In the sky." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ مَنْ أَنَا؟ ] "Who am I?" She said: [ أَنْتَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ ] "You are the Messenger of Allah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ أَعْتِقْهَا فَإِنَّهَا مُؤْمِنَةٌ ] [ مسلم، المساجد، باب تحریم الکلام في الصلاۃ… : ۵۳۷ ] "Free her, for she is a believer." This is the belief of all the righteous predecessors; later people who were influenced by Greek philosophy denied the attribute of elevation (the attribute of being above) of Allah Almighty. Some said He is without a place, some said He is everywhere, and they interpreted the clear texts of the Qur’an and Hadith. Some people even went so far as to say that it is disbelief to ask about Allah’s location. They did not consider that this question was asked by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) himself, and in response, he declared the belief that Allah is above the heavens to be faith (see Muslim: 537). So, God forbid, will this verdict be applied to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) as well?
In the Noble Qur’an {’’ ءَاَمِنْتُمْ مَّنْ فِي السَّمَآءِ ‘‘}, Allah Almighty is stating that He is above the heavens, and this is ingrained in human nature that when he prays, he raises his gaze towards the sky. But those afflicted by philosophy sometimes say that this would mean He is sitting on the heavens, sometimes they say, does He live in the heavens? In this way, they claim He would be dependent on the heavens, whereas the heavens and the earth themselves were created by Him. According to the belief of the righteous predecessors, it is not permissible to use any word for Allah Almighty that He has not used for Himself. Now, who has said that Allah Almighty is standing or sitting? From the Qur’an and Hadith, it is established that Allah Almighty is above and upon the Throne; its modality is unknown to anyone, and He is not dependent on the Throne or on being above, rather, despite being upon the Throne, the Throne itself is dependent on Him, and He is holding the Throne and the heavens and the earth. Among the creation, there are many things that are above, but the things below them are dependent on them for their existence; the example of Allah Almighty is far above this. Whenever a believer imagines Allah Almighty or prays to Him, he is certain that his Lord is above the heavens upon the Throne, and he has no confusion in connecting with his Lord. Those entangled in interpretations cannot even decide where their Lord is to whom they should turn. They cannot get out of the cycle of "without a place." This is the result of abandoning the natural and simple beliefs of Islam and adopting the philosophical labyrinths. For further details, see the commentary of Surah Al-Fajr (22).
