Authentic narrations
“Authentic” here means graded ṣaḥīḥ (sound) or ḥasan (good) — both accepted as evidence. Where scholars differ on a grading, every grading is shown.
Virtues & hadith
The virtues of Surah Al-Mulk
What the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions said about this surah — every narration with its Arabic, its collection and number, and how hadith scholars graded it. Weak reports are listed separately, and labelled weak.
Recite it nowIn short: authentic narrations establish that Surah Al-Mulk interceded for a man until he was forgiven, that it pleads for its companion until it brings him into Paradise, that it is “the protector” from the punishment of the grave, and that the Prophet ﷺ would not sleep until he had recited it. The Companion Ibn Masʿūd taught that reciting it every night brings that protection.
It interceded for a man until he was forgiven
Hasanإِنَّ سُورَةً مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ ثَلاَثُونَ آيَةً شَفَعَتْ لِرَجُلٍ حَتَّى غُفِرَ لَهُ وَهِيَ سُورَةُ تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ
The Prophet ﷺ said: “There is a surah of the Quran of thirty verses which interceded for a man until he was forgiven. It is the surah “Blessed is He in whose hand is the dominion” (Tabārak alladhī biyadihil-mulk).”
It argues for its companion until it brings him into Paradise
Hasanسُورَةٌ مِنَ القُرْآنِ مَا هِيَ إِلاَّ ثَلاَثُونَ آيَةً خَاصَمَتْ عَنْ صَاحِبِهَا حَتَّى أَدْخَلَتْهُ الجَنَّةَ وَهِيَ تَبَارَكَ
The Prophet ﷺ said: “There is a surah of the Quran which is only thirty verses. It pleaded on behalf of its companion until it brought him into Paradise — and it is Tabārak.”
It is “the protector” from the punishment of the grave
Sahihسُورَةُ تَبَارَكَ هِيَ المَانِعَةُ مِنْ عَذَابِ القَبْرِ
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Surah Tabārak is the protector (al-māniʿah) from the punishment of the grave.”
Sunnah.com’s Special Virtues collection prints the Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ number as 1140; that is the number in as-Silsilah aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥah. In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ the narration is 3643.
Reciting it every night protects from the punishment of the grave
Hasan (Companion statement)Ibn Masʿūd said: “Whoever recites Tabārak alladhī biyadihil-mulk every night, Allah will protect him by it from the punishment of the grave. In the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ we used to call it al-Māniʿah (the protector). It is a surah in the Book of Allah: whoever recites it every night has done much, and done well.”
These are the words of a Companion, not of the Prophet ﷺ. Many scholars hold that such a statement carries the force of a Prophetic report, because a Companion does not speak about the unseen from opinion — but they are labelled here for exactly what they are.
The Prophet ﷺ would not sleep until he had recited it
Sahih / Hasanكَانَ لاَ يَنَامُ حَتَّى يَقْرَأَ الم تَنْزِيلُ وَتَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ
Jābir reported that the Prophet ﷺ would not sleep until he had recited “Alif Lām Mīm, Tanzīl…” (Surah as-Sajdah, 32) and “Tabārak alladhī biyadihil-mulk” (Surah al-Mulk, 67).
Both of at-Tirmidhī’s chains pass through Layth ibn Abī Sulaym, who is weak; at-Tirmidhī himself notes the corroborating report of Mughīrah ibn Muslim from Abū az-Zubayr, and also Zuhayr’s report that Abū az-Zubayr heard it through Ṣafwān rather than directly from Jābir. Al-Albānī accepted it on the strength of its supporting chains; graders who judge a single chain alone call that chain weak.
Weak narrations to be aware of
These are widely shared, but their chains are weak. A weak report is not attributed to the Prophet ﷺ as certain. Nothing on this page depends on them: what they say about protection in the grave is already established by the authentic reports above.
The Companion who pitched his tent over a grave
WeakA Companion pitched his tent over a grave without knowing it, and heard a man in it reciting Surah al-Mulk to the end. The Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said: “It is the protector, it is the deliverer (al-munjiyah) — it delivers him from the punishment of the grave.”
The meaning — that the surah protects from the grave — is established by the authentic reports above; this particular story is not.
“I would love it to be in the heart of every person of my nation”
WeakReported from the Prophet ﷺ: “I would love it to be in the heart of every person of my nation,” meaning Tabārak.
The long story of the surah pleading in the grave
Very weakA long narration in which the surah confronts the angel in the grave, pleads with its Lord, and welcomes the mouth that recited it — after which, it says, everyone learned it.
The names of the surah
الملك Al-Mulk · The Sovereignty / The Dominion From its first verse, and the name in the mushaf.
تبارك Tabārak · Blessed is He Its first word; the name used in the hadith of Abū Hurayrah, Anas and Ibn Masʿūd.
المانعة Al-Māniʿah · The Protector (the one that prevents) From the narration of Ibn Masʿūd (ṣaḥīḥ).
المنجية Al-Munjiyah · The Deliverer From at-Tirmidhī 2890, which is weak — the name is popular, its source is not strong.
Putting it into practice
- Recite it every night. This follows the practice of the Prophet ﷺ (Jābir’s report) and the teaching of Ibn Masʿūd. Before sleeping, together with Surah as-Sajdah, is the time the Prophet ﷺ chose.
- Reading from the page counts. You do not need to have memorised it — but being its “companion” is easier when you know it by heart. A 30-day memorisation plan.
- Understand what you recite. Scholars explain that the promise belongs to the one who believes in the surah and lives by it. Read its meaning.
How these references were checked
Each reference was checked on 2026-10-20 against the collection on sunnah.com; for narrations outside the six books, against the grading of the scholar named. The Arabic is quoted as published; the English is this site’s own close rendering of that Arabic, so it can be compared word for word. If you find an error, please tell us — it will be corrected.