Surah Al-Mulk 67:2 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection
سُورَةُ المُلۡكِ · Meccan · Verse 2 of 30
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلْمَوْتَ وَٱلْحَيَوٰةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًۭا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْغَفُورُ
English: who created death and life to test you [people] and reveal which of you does best––He is the Mighty, the Forgiving;
Bengali: যিনি সৃষ্টি করেছেন মরণ ও জীবন, যাতে তোমাদেরকে পরীক্ষা করেন-কে তোমাদের মধ্যে কর্মে শ্রেষ্ঠ? তিনি পরাক্রমশালী, ক্ষমাময়।
Meaning & Reflection
Notice the order: 'He created death and life' — death first. al-Razi and Ibn Kathir observe that death is spoken of as something created, a designed reality, not mere absence; and al-Biqa'i explains death is placed first because the thought of our ending arrests the heart and drives it to submit. Then the purpose: 'to test which of you is best in deed.' al-Saadi is precise — 'best', not 'most': the test is the quality of the deed (most sincere and most correct), never the quantity. Ask yourself: I plan my life as if death were an interruption to it, when this verse frames death as part of the very design. If my deeds are being weighed for sincerity, not counted for volume, does that change what I did today — and why?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Biqa'i, al-Razi, al-Saadi.
Reflect with the Five Lenses
Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Al-Mulk 67:2:
- Wording. Look closely at the specific words and structure. Which word stands out, and why might Allah have chosen it here?
- Quranic Worlds. Place the verse in its context — what is happening around it, and what world does it open up?
- Personal Experience. Ask not just what this means, but what it means TO me and FOR me, right now in my life.
- Connections. How does this verse connect to other verses, to the Sunnah, or to themes across the Quran?
- General Lessons. What timeless lesson or action point can I carry away and live by?