The short answer: Surah Al-Mulk ("The Dominion"), also called *Tabarak* after its first word, is the 67th surah of the Quran. It has 30 verses, was revealed in Makkah, and opens the 29th juz (para). It teaches that everything belongs to Allah, that He created life and death to test who does the best deeds, and that the whole universe is a sign of His power. Many Muslims recite it every night before sleeping.
Why Muslims recite it every night
In a narration recorded by At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud, the Prophet ﷺ said that a surah of thirty verses interceded for a man until he was forgiven, and that it is *Tabarak alladhi biyadihil mulk*. At-Tirmidhi also records that the Prophet ﷺ would not sleep until he had recited Surah As-Sajdah and Surah Al-Mulk. This is why it is often called the surah that protects, and why so many parents want their children to learn it.
What it is about, in simple words
| Verses | Theme |
|---|---|
| 1–5 | Allah owns everything. He created life and death to test us. Look at the sky again and again: you will find no flaw in it. |
| 6–11 | People who rejected the messengers, and their regret when it is too late. |
| 12–15 | Those who fear Allah without seeing Him get forgiveness and a great reward. Allah made the earth easy to walk on and gives us food from it. |
| 16–22 | Who can protect us except Allah? Look at the birds spreading their wings: only Allah holds them up. |
| 23–30 | Allah gave us hearing, sight and hearts, yet few are thankful. If your water sank into the ground, who could bring it back? |
Children usually love verse 19 about the birds, and the last verse about water, which is easy to connect to everyday life.
When is a child ready to memorise it?
Surah Al-Mulk is a good next step after Juz 'Amma. A child is usually ready when they read fluently from the page and have memorised most of the short surahs. For many children this is around age 7 to 10.
A simple plan
Learn 2 to 3 verses a day, five days a week, and the surah takes roughly two to three weeks. Use the same three steps every day:
- New verses: learn today's verses with the teacher and repeat them until they can be said without looking.
- Recent revision: recite the last few days' verses.
- Older revision: recite the whole surah once a week, or at night before sleeping once it is memorised. Reciting it nightly is also the best revision.
Surah Al-Mulk PDF
Download Surah Al-Mulk as a free PDF: all 30 verses in the Uthmani script (Hafs), using the King Fahd Complex text, on 2 A4 pages, ideal to keep by the bed for nightly recitation.
Tajweed points to watch
- Similar verse endings. Several verses end with similar sounds, so practise the joins between verses.
- Heavy and light letters. Words like الْمُلْكُ and قَدِيرٌ need a clear ق and ك. Our makharij chart shows the difference.
- Noon and tanween rules. Al-Mulk has many examples of Ikhfa and Idgham; see noon sakin and tanween rules.
If you would like a teacher to hear your child every day, our online Hifz classes for kids are one-to-one, and you can book 3 free trial classes.
