سُوْرَةُ الْمُلْكِ
Surah Al-Mulk (67) — Ayah 2
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلْمَوْتَ وَٱلْحَيَوٰةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْغَفُورُ ﴿2﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Who has created death and life that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving;
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ٱلَّذِى
alladhī
The One Who
خَلَقَ
khalaqa
created
ٱلْمَوْتَ
l-mawta
death
وَٱلْحَيَوٰةَ
wal-ḥayata
and life
لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ
liyabluwakum
that He may test you
أَيُّكُمْ
ayyukum
which of you
أَحْسَنُ
aḥsanu
(is) best
عَمَلًۭا ۚ
ʿamalan
(in) deed
وَهُوَ
wahuwa
And He
ٱلْعَزِيزُ
l-ʿazīzu
(is) the All-Mighty
ٱلْغَفُورُ
l-ghafūru
the Oft-Forgiving
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.
2. (He) who created death [4] and life to test you as to which of you is best in deed [5]; and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving.
[4]
Death is a Positive Entity Which Allah Created First:
Allah Almighty mentioned death before life, stating that He created death as well. From this, it is understood that death is not merely a negative thing, but rather a positive entity. This refutes the statement of the Mu'tazilah who say that death is simply the absence of life. Whereas the real truth is that death is the separation of the soul and the body, and life is the union of the two. The death before worldly life refers to that period when, after creating Sayyiduna Adam ؑ, Allah Almighty also created all the souls that were to be born from his progeny until the Day of Judgment. The Covenant of Alast is related to this period. [7: 172]
And this period extends from the creation of the soul until its entry into the body of the fetus in the mother's womb.
[5]
Test in the World and Results in the Hereafter:
It is as if Allah created the universe so that, even before the creation of man, the basic necessities of human life would be provided. Then He created man and established the cycle of his life and death, granting him the power of will and choice, and intellect and discernment, to see who, like the other things in the universe, submits to Allah's command and who does not. If one submits, then this is the better path for him and his deeds will be good, and in the case of denial, his deeds will also be bad and he will receive a bad recompense. Thus, this world is a place of trial for every human being, and the time for this test lasts until a person's death. The period from death until resurrection after death is the time of waiting for the results of the test. However, everyone knows whether he is going to fail or pass this test, and accordingly, he experiences discomfort or comfort during this period, and on the Day of Judgment, the results of this test will be formally announced. Marks will be given with utmost justice. Then everyone will be rewarded or punished according to his deeds.
[4]
Death is a Positive Entity Which Allah Created First:
Allah Almighty mentioned death before life, stating that He created death as well. From this, it is understood that death is not merely a negative thing, but rather a positive entity. This refutes the statement of the Mu'tazilah who say that death is simply the absence of life. Whereas the real truth is that death is the separation of the soul and the body, and life is the union of the two. The death before worldly life refers to that period when, after creating Sayyiduna Adam ؑ, Allah Almighty also created all the souls that were to be born from his progeny until the Day of Judgment. The Covenant of Alast is related to this period. [7: 172]
And this period extends from the creation of the soul until its entry into the body of the fetus in the mother's womb.
[5]
Test in the World and Results in the Hereafter:
It is as if Allah created the universe so that, even before the creation of man, the basic necessities of human life would be provided. Then He created man and established the cycle of his life and death, granting him the power of will and choice, and intellect and discernment, to see who, like the other things in the universe, submits to Allah's command and who does not. If one submits, then this is the better path for him and his deeds will be good, and in the case of denial, his deeds will also be bad and he will receive a bad recompense. Thus, this world is a place of trial for every human being, and the time for this test lasts until a person's death. The period from death until resurrection after death is the time of waiting for the results of the test. However, everyone knows whether he is going to fail or pass this test, and accordingly, he experiences discomfort or comfort during this period, and on the Day of Judgment, the results of this test will be formally announced. Marks will be given with utmost justice. Then everyone will be rewarded or punished according to his deeds.
