سُوْرَةُ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ
Surah Al-Muminoon (23) — Ayah 88
قُلْ مَنۢ بِيَدِهِۦ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ وَهُوَ يُجِيرُ وَلَا يُجَارُ عَلَيْهِ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿88﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Say "In Whose Hand is the sovereignty of everything (i.e. treasures of each and everything)? And He protects (all), while against Whom there is no protector, (i.e. if Allâh saves anyone none can punish or harm him, and if Allâh punishes or harms anyone none can save him), if you know?" [Tafsir Al-Qurtubî]
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قُلْ
qul
Say
مَنۢ
man
Who is (it)
بِيَدِهِۦ
biyadihi
in Whose Hand(s)
مَلَكُوتُ
malakūtu
(is the) dominion
كُلِّ
kulli
(of) all
شَىْءٍۢ
shayin
things
وَهُوَ
wahuwa
and He
يُجِيرُ
yujīru
protects
وَلَا
walā
and no (one)
يُجَارُ
yujāru
(can) be protected
عَلَيْهِ
ʿalayhi
against Him
إِن
in
If
كُنتُمْ
kuntum
you
تَعْلَمُونَ
taʿlamūna
know
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
88. Say, "If you know, to whom belongs the dominion [85]? And who is it that grants protection, while none can protect against Him?"
[85]
The Literal Meaning of ﴿ملكوت﴾:
In this verse, the word ﴿ملكوت﴾ has been used, which contains all three meanings of ﴿مُلك﴾, ﴿مِلك﴾, and ﴿مَلك﴾. Also, it is an intensive form, which means complete authority or sovereignty over everything, full ownership of everything, and total power and control over everything. Therefore, whatever thing He wills, He can grant it His protection, and no one else can harm it in the least. But if He seizes something, then no one can rescue it from Him, nor can anyone grant protection before He seizes it. From this poem, it is known from the confession of the polytheists of Makkah that their belief was that if Allah seizes someone, no one can grant him protection or rescue him. However, it appears that today’s polytheists have gone even further than the polytheists of Makkah, who say: “If God seizes, Muhammad will rescue; if Muhammad seizes, no one can rescue.” That is, if Allah seizes someone, Muhammadﷺ will rescue him, and if Muhammadﷺ seizes someone, no one can rescue him. From this poem, two things are understood: first, that Muhammadﷺ also has the authority to seize and hold people accountable; second, that his powers are so vast that no one (meaning Allah, as in the poem the word ‘God’ is used in comparison to Muhammadﷺ) can rescue from his grasp. Then, when an objection is raised against this poem, such an interpretation is presented to justify it, which is “an excuse worse than the sin itself,” and it seems as if this verse is being refuted.
[85]
The Literal Meaning of ﴿ملكوت﴾:
In this verse, the word ﴿ملكوت﴾ has been used, which contains all three meanings of ﴿مُلك﴾, ﴿مِلك﴾, and ﴿مَلك﴾. Also, it is an intensive form, which means complete authority or sovereignty over everything, full ownership of everything, and total power and control over everything. Therefore, whatever thing He wills, He can grant it His protection, and no one else can harm it in the least. But if He seizes something, then no one can rescue it from Him, nor can anyone grant protection before He seizes it. From this poem, it is known from the confession of the polytheists of Makkah that their belief was that if Allah seizes someone, no one can grant him protection or rescue him. However, it appears that today’s polytheists have gone even further than the polytheists of Makkah, who say: “If God seizes, Muhammad will rescue; if Muhammad seizes, no one can rescue.” That is, if Allah seizes someone, Muhammadﷺ will rescue him, and if Muhammadﷺ seizes someone, no one can rescue him. From this poem, two things are understood: first, that Muhammadﷺ also has the authority to seize and hold people accountable; second, that his powers are so vast that no one (meaning Allah, as in the poem the word ‘God’ is used in comparison to Muhammadﷺ) can rescue from his grasp. Then, when an objection is raised against this poem, such an interpretation is presented to justify it, which is “an excuse worse than the sin itself,” and it seems as if this verse is being refuted.
