The virtue associated with Sūrah al-Mulk is established in authentic narrations. The Prophet ﷺ said: “There is a sūrah of thirty verses which interceded for a man until he was forgiven; it is Sūrah al-Mulk.” He ﷺ also said: “It is the protector from the punishment of the grave.” These narrations indicate that the specific merit is tied to the recitation of the sūrah as Qur’an.

In Islamic understanding, the Qur’an is the Arabic revelation itself. The special rulings and virtues connected to recitation apply to the Arabic wording that Allah revealed. A translation, while extremely beneficial for understanding and reflection, is considered an explanation of meaning, not Qur’an in the technical sense. Therefore, reading the translation does not carry the exact same specific virtue mentioned in the hadith regarding protection, because that virtue is linked to reciting the Qur’an itself.

However, this does not mean that someone who cannot read Arabic is deprived of reward or closeness to Allah. Reading the translation with reflection is a virtuous act, increases knowledge, strengthens īmān, and is rewarded according to intention. It is especially valuable for understanding what one is striving to recite.

For someone who cannot read Arabic, reading from a transliteration is permissible and encouraged as a step toward reciting the Qur’an. Even if pronunciation is imperfect, a sincere effort is beloved to Allah. The Prophet ﷺ said: “The one who recites the Qur’an with difficulty will have a double reward.” This applies to those who are learning and striving.

In addition, listening to Sūrah al-Mulk being recited in Arabic attentively before sleeping is also a good practice and is included by many scholars among the ways of attaining its virtue, especially for those still learning to recite.

Therefore, the best approach for someone who does not read Arabic is to combine these matters: listen to the sūrah regularly, read its translation to understand its meaning, and use transliteration to recite as much as they are able, with the intention of learning the Arabic text over time.

Summary ruling:
The specific virtue of protection associated with Sūrah al-Mulk is tied to reciting it as Qur’an in Arabic; reading the translation is rewarded for understanding but does not replace recitation, while reading transliteration or listening to the sūrah are encouraged steps for those who cannot yet read Arabic.