Question: It comes in hadith that there are virtues for anyone who recites Surah Al Mulk before sleeping as prophet (ﷺ) used to do. Is this reward specific to reciting the surah only or even just listening to its recitation is enough to attain it?
Answer: Praise be to Allah.
Concerning the virtue of Soorat al-Mulk, it was narrated by at-Tirmidhi that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “There is a soorah of the Qur’an, thirty verses long, which will intercede for a man until he is forgiven. It is the soorah [which beings with the words] ‘Tabaarak alladhi bi yadihi’l-mulk… (Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion…).’”
Classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan at-Tirmidhi.
At-Tirmidhi also narrated from Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (ﷺ) would not go to sleep until he had recited “Alif, Laam, Meem. [This is] the revelation of the Book” [Soorat as-Sajdah] and “Tabaarak alladhi bi yadihi’l-mulk… (Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion…)” [Soorat al-Mulk].
Classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani.
An-Nasaa’i narrated that Ibn Masood (ra) said: “Whoever recites ‘Tabaarak alladhi bi yadihi’l-mulk… (Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion…)’ [Soorat al-Mulk] every night, Allah will protect him [mana‘ahu] thereby from the punishment of the grave. At the time of the Messenger of Allah (sallahu alahi wassalam), we used to call it al-maani‘ah (the protector). It is a soorah in the Book of Allah which, whoever recites it every night, he will have done a great deal and done well.”
Classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh at-Targheeb wa’t-Tarheeb.
The point – as is the apparent meaning of the hadiths – is that the virtue mentioned is only attained by the one who recites that soorah.
Reciting/reading and Listening do not mean the same. Reciting is different while just listening to it is different. Even though listening also comes under Ibadah and is something that must be done, but the one who just listens does not necessarily attain the same rewards as the one who recites or reads the Surah. There is no basis of its equality in shariah.
Thus we may conclude that whoever wants to attain the virtue mentioned in the hadiths has to read the soorah; it is not enough to simply listen to it.
However, one may repeat after the reciter upon listening and that may constitute as reciting the Surah. There are recorded recitations that allow the listener to repeat after the reciter. If he is able to do that, then that is better, in sha Allah, and by doing that he will actually have read or recited it, and perhaps he will attain a greater reward for his patience in putting up with the hardship involved in that.
Whoever is not able to do any of that, or it is too difficult for him, so he only listens to what he is able to, then we hope that he will not be deprived of the reward of one who reads or recites, or the virtues narrated about reciting such soorahs, if he does what he is able to.
And Allah knows best.