Memorize Surah al-Mulk Ramadan 2021 | Verse 21

Āyah 21:

 أَمَّنۡ هَـٰذَا ٱلَّذِی یَرۡزُقُكُمۡ إِنۡ أَمۡسَكَ رِزۡقَهُۥۚ بَل لَّجُّوا۟ فِی عُتُوࣲّ وَنُفُورٍ

Who is this “person” that is going to provide for all of you, if He (Allāh) withholds His provision and sustenance (for all of you)? But still, they stubbornly remain in their arrogance and aversion (from the truth).

Allāh has been, and continues to ask the disbelievers questions to point out their ignorance and fallacies. They reject the belief of One True God, they deny that their Creator has done them any favors or has provided them with anything.

So God continues the questioning: Who is this “person” that is going to provide for all of you, if He (Allāh ) withholds His provision and sustenance (for all of you)? Allāh is making a direct and blunt point: if you think you get your food, drink, air, clothes, shelter, life, and everything else you have from other than God, then where is this person? Is it some other god, or some idol, or magical person? Where is this being? Does this being even exist? Or is it some figment of your imagination? A false idea that you’ve created so that, instead of believing and submitting to your Creator that provides you with everything, you can be careless?

And we can all think and reflect on this point, even though God has blessed us with being Muslims. Where would we be if Allāh withheld His provisions for us for even a moment? Not just the food, and drink, but everything in the entire universe required to sustain life on earth. If that was paused even for a moment, the consequences would be disastrous.

And it should also force us to acknowledge that everything we have is simply a gift from God. He is Al-Rabb: The Lord and Master. Which entails not just creating, but providing, and blessing with gifts and luxuries. Our money, homes, jobs, and status are not a result of our efforts, knowledge, or will, but from Allāh Alone.

Allāh ends without giving their response because it’s obvious. They have no response. And despite that, they still won’t acknowledge their Creator. They are arrogant, stubborn, and deluded by their own selves. They don’t want to face the realities of this life, and definitely not the life to come. But still, they stubbornly remain in their arrogance and aversion (from the truth).

أَمَّنۡ هَـٰذَا

• Who is this? Who is it?
• Mockingly saying “where is this person, huh?

ٱلَّذِی یَرۡزُقُكُمۡ

• That is going to provide for you, and sustain you
• That will give your food and drink
• Rain, shelter, clothes, money, family

إِنۡ أَمۡسَكَ رِزۡقَهُۥۚ

• If He, Allāh , The One True God
• Decided to withhold, pause, stop
• His provisions
• What if Allāh just stopped giving and providing
• Who is it that’s going to provide for you?
• How do you expect to survive without Allāh ?

بَل لَّجُّوا۟

• But still
• They stubbornly remain, insist, and persist
  • Relentless, no way to convince them

فِی عُتُوࣲّ وَنُفُورٍ

• In their state, mindset, actions, belief
• Being arrogant, prideful, pompous
  • I don’t need anyone’s help
  • I can do this all on my own
  • Everything is from my own effort
• Turning away, aversion, denial, running away, avoiding
  • The truth, the message, the reality of Who IS The Provider

Let us ourselves, acknowledge, affirm, proclaim that:

• O Allāh , if you withhold anything from us, there is NO ONE that can provide for us, help us, give us even the tiniest bit of that.
• We are 100%, no doubt, completely and solely, reliant on You and You Alone