Honorable Muslims!
In this week's khutbah, we will talk about the sixty-seventh surah of the Holy Qur'an, Surah al-Mulk, which we also know as "Tabaraka". We will revisit the messages of this surah, which the Prophet Muhammad (saw) used to recite before going to sleep.[1]
Dear Believers!
Surah al-Mulk is a decree proclaiming that Allah is the sole owner of the heavens, the earth, and all that is created. In the first verse of this surah, Allah the Almighty says, "Blessed is the One in Whose Hands rests all authority. And He is Most Capable of everything."[2] Our Lord is the Malik al-Mulk; He bestows possessions to whom He wills and takes them from whom He wills. He is the One Who possesses absolute power. Our duty is to submit to the power of our Lord. It is to lead a life with the awareness that we are always in need of His help, mercy, and forgiveness.
Dear Muslims!
Surah al-Mulk is a declaration that the ephemeral world is a place of testing. The second verse of the surah reads: "(He is the One) Who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds. And He is the Almighty, All-Forgiving."[3] It is clear from the verse that both our arrival in this world and our departure from it when our time expires are tests. Both health and sickness are tests. Happiness and sorrow are also tests. The important thing is to overcome all these tests with faith, consciousness, and fortitude.
Distinguished Believers!
Surah al-Mulk teaches that the creation of the universe and its functioning in an unprecedented balance indicate the existence and oneness of our Lord. It warns the unbelievers who do not heed the call of our Lord of a severe punishment. The unbelievers, who massacre Muslims today, leaving them hungry and thirsty, will not be spared from humiliation in this world and hell in the Hereafter. Their only words of regret on the Day of Judgment will be, "If only we had listened to the truth and come to our senses". However, our Lord will not speak to them on the Day of Judgment, will not look into their faces, will not vindicate them, and will condemn them to a painful eternal punishment.
Esteemed Muslims!
Surah al-Mulk also heralds a great reward for the believers in the sight of Allah. Believers who wish to attain these glad tidings revere Allah properly. They obey His commands properly, avoid His prohibitions properly, and embrace Islamic morality. These believers cannot remain mere spectators to the cries of the oppressed. They express their legitimate reactions to the atrocities suffered by all the oppressed, especially the people of Gaza, who are struggling with war on the one hand and hunger on the other. They extend the boycott to the point where it stops the oppressors. They always make their supplications for the believers.
Honorable Muslims!
Surah al-Mulk informs us that Allah knows all our words and all that is in our hearts, whether we hide them or express them. Our duty is to use our hands, tongues, minds, and hearts in a way that pleases our Lord. It is to stay away from all kinds of evil, to spread goodness and charity on earth, and to prepare ourselves for the Day of Judgment.
Surah al-Mulk also reminds us of the infinite blessings that Allah has bestowed upon us. He has made the earth habitable for us. He has blessed us with every morsel we eat and every drop of water we drink. He has entrusted us with our hearts so that we can comprehend the truth, our eyes so that we can see the truth, and our ears so that we can hear the truth. Our duty is to be grateful for all the blessings of our Lord.
Blessed are those who implement the messages of Surah al-Mulk in their lives. Blessed are those who strive to be the believers that our Lord wishes. Blessed are those who achieve Allah's pleasure by doing their work in the most beautiful and correct way.
I conclude my khutbah with the following supplication of the Prophet Muhammad (saw): "O Allah, by You we enter the morning, and by You we enter the evening, and by You we live, and by You we died, and to You is the Return."[4]
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[1] Tirmidhi, Fadhail al-Qur'an, 9.
[2] Mulk, 67/1.
[3] Mulk, 67/2.
[4] Tirmidhi, Daawat, 13.
General Directorate of Religious Services