Surah Al-Mulk, Ayah 15
هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ ذَلُولًا فَامْشُوا فِي مَنَاكِبِهَا وَكُلُوا مِن رِّزْقِهِ ۖ وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ
It is He who made the earth subservient to you, so walk among its slopes and eat of His provision. And to Him is the resurrection.
وہی ہے جس نے تمہارے لیے زمین کو نرم بنایا، پس اس کے کندھوں پر چلو اور اس کے رزق میں سے کھاؤ۔ اور اسی کی طرف اٹھ کر جانا ہے۔
Explanation
This verse describes Allah's blessing in making the earth "subservient" (dhalul) - manageable, navigable, and suitable for human habitation and travel. The metaphor of earth's "slopes" or "shoulders" (manakib) suggests the earth's surface that humans can traverse. Allah invites humans to walk on the earth, explore it, and eat from His provision found there. The verse concludes with a reminder that ultimately, all will return to Allah through resurrection. This teaches that the earth is designed for human benefit and exploration, that Allah encourages humans to travel, work, and seek lawful sustenance, that all provision ultimately comes from Allah even when obtained through human effort, and that remembering our final return to Allah should guide how we use earthly resources. The verse promotes both gratitude for earthly blessings and awareness of ultimate accountability.
Context
This verse appears in Surah Al-Mulk (The Sovereignty), describing Allah's blessing in making the earth suitable for human life and encouraging the pursuit of lawful provision while remembering ultimate accountability.