Surah al Mulk: The Illusion of Ownership Verse 4​

[Tahira Fatima]

 Verse: 4

ثُمَّ ارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ كَرَّتَيْنِ يَنقَلِبْ إِلَيْكَ الْبَصَرُ خَاسِئًا وَهُوَ حَسِيرٌ

ثُمَّ

ثُمَّ does not merely mean “then.”
Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
It signifies a stage that comes after a pause.
Meaning:
The first reflection is not enough.
The second must come with deliberation.
This word breaks haste.
Allah restrains the human being from rushing to conclusions and says, in effect:
Pause… slow down… think again.

---

Ask your heart:
In which matters do I rush to conclusions—without pausing, without reconsidering?

ارْجِعِ

Root: ر ج ع
Basic meaning: to return, to turn back.
Here, it does not mean merely directing the gaze outward again,
but turning it inward.
The Qur’an shows us the universe—
and then quietly turns us back toward ourselves.

---

Ask yourself:
When I look at problems, do I ever turn my thinking back upon itself?

الْبَصَرَ

Root: ب ص ر
Meaning: to see with the eyes and to comprehend with the heart.
Baṣar is not just eyesight—it is the foundation of baṣīrah (inner insight).
Often, the problem is not with the eyes,
but with the angle of vision.

كَرَّتَيْنِ

Root: ك ر ر
Meaning: to repeat, to return again and again, to examine attentively.
In Arabic usage, “two times” often implies repeatedly, not merely twice.
The more a person reflects,
the more clearly they recognize their own limits.

---

Ask yourself honestly:
Did I truly reflect repeatedly—or did I form an opinion at first glance?
Do I give my faith only one look?
Have I ever returned again and again—كَرَّتَيْنِ—to examine my beliefs, my worship, my actions?
In Ramaḍān:
Is my fasting merely routine,
or do I revisit it repeatedly—asking what transformation it is bringing within me?

يَنقَلِبْ

Root: ق ل ب
Meaning: to turn over, to reverse, to change state.
From this root comes qalb (heart),
because the heart constantly turns.
What truly turns here is human certainty.
The Qur’an is defining the boundary of human intellect:
No matter how much you investigate, how deeply you reflect—your intellect, your vision, will eventually return to you empty-handed.
Why?
Because the Creator cannot be fully contained within the understanding of the created.

---

Ask yourself:
Has my heart ever truly changed after reflection?

إِلَيْكَ

Root: ا ل ي
Meaning: back to you, toward you.
The gaze looks outward at the heavens,
but it returns to the human being.
The real lesson is not outside—it is within.

---

Ask yourself:
While observing others and the world, do I ever truly look at myself?

الْبَصَرُ

The same gaze that once ventured outward
now comes back.
The universe did not change.
The human being did.

---

Ask yourself:
Have I ever admitted that the flaw lies in how I see?

خَاسِئًا

Root: خ س أ
Meaning: to return humiliated, defeated, rebuked.
In the Qur’an, this word is used when arrogance collapses.
This humiliation is not destruction—
it is the doorway to guidance.

---

Picture this in Ramaḍān:
Standing in tarāwīḥ, reciting سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ—
does your intellect not return خَاسِئًا?
Do you not feel: “I truly know nothing”?

وَهُوَ

Root: ه و
Meaning: and it is—a form of emphasis.
The state has fully changed.

حَسِيرٌ

Root: ح س ر
Meaning: utterly exhausted, worn out, spent.
This is not physical fatigue—
this is the exhaustion of the ego.
When a human reaches the limits of understanding,
that is where īmān begins.

---

Look into the mirror of your soul:
Do my acts of worship return خَاسِئًا and حَسِيرًا?
After prayer, do I feel humbled and emptied—thinking, “I offered nothing worthy”?
If yes—this is a sign of depth.
If not—be cautious. Perhaps pride has entered your worship.

---

Comprehensive Essence of the Ayah

This ayah teaches us:

• Allah’s system is perfect
• Human perception is limited
• Through repeated reflection, the human being learns humility

And humility is the very root of faith.