“Say, ‘O Allah , Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will and You take sovereignty away from whom You will. You honor whom You will and You humble whom You will. In Your hand is [all] good. Indeed, You are over all things competent.’” (Qur’an, 3:26)

The beautiful poem in the video above by Brother Ammar al-Shukri reminds us of Allah Maalik al-Mulk. We will explore these meanings today.

Recently, we were all shocked to hear the news of the tragic murder of three beautiful souls: Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha and Razan Abu-Salha. For many of us, this violence was, and still is, hard to process. Perhaps what made it more infuriating was some of the media coverage: some giving ample airtime to the wife of the man who committed the murders while others used it to talk about how to calmly get parking space. In Canada, a dear brother, Mustafa Mattan, was also shot and killed, but the media coverage was almost non-existent. We look around and the world seems to be overtaken by tyrants and oppressors. And those people act as though they are kings or possessors of other people, acting how they will with the lives of innocents.

But who is ultimately in control?

Al-Ghazali stated about Allah, al-Malik, that “everything other than He is subject in its essence and its attributes, while He is independent of everything—and this is what it is to be king absolutely.”

At the end of it all, even if it seems that people are able to act in unjust ways, they are all subject to Allah, who is both al-Malik and al-Maalik; He is both the King and the Ultimate Possessor. When we recite Surat al-Fatiha, we say, “Maaliki youm ad-deen” or “Maliki youm ad-deen”  (“Sovereign of the Day of Recompense”) depending on the type of recitation. They both come from the same root, m-l-k (م-ل-ك), which means to have power over, to possess, and to have kingship.

Maalik means a possessor, while Malik means that you have sovereignty over something and can do with it as you wish. And Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala (exalted is He) is both Maalik and Malik. He fully controls and has ownership over the Day of Judgment and what occurs therein. He is also Maalik al-Mulk, to emphasize and intensify these meanings, that He is the Sovereign over all worlds. And this is something we seldom reflect upon; there will be a day when we will be face to face with the One who has true sovereignty over everything.

Allah tells us that He is “Maaliki youm ad-deen” after He tells as that He is Lord of the worlds. If He is the Lord of the worlds, then He must also be the Lord on the Day of Judgment. But to specifically single out the Day of Judgment is for all of us, who either behave in unethical ways or wonder how others are allowed to behave in such ways. But Allah reminds us that the innocent lives lost are not lost forever. Power will fade. And we will all be before Allah, al-Malik al-Maalik.

Ultimate Justice

While the above Names speak of the reality of who is truly in control, we need to be acquainted with another Name of Allah to understand how Allah exercises His power. We know that “Indeed, Allah does what He intends,” (Qur’an, 22:14). We are also told that on the Day of Judgment:

“And the record [of deeds] will be placed [open], and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, ‘Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?’ And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does injustice to no one,” (Qur’an, 18:49).

We are also told in a beautiful hadith (narration):

“O my servants, I have forbidden oppression for myself and I have made it forbidden among you, so do not oppress one another. ” (Muslim)

Allah is al-`Adl. This word comes from the root `a-d-l (ع-د-ل) which is the opposite of transgression, and thus means to act justly and fairly. Allah has no desires and so His judgment is never clouded, and thus He is able to apply true justice. Al-Ghazali states that to know Allah is Most Just enables us to feel tranquility and prevents us from objecting to God’s judgment or cursing Fate. We know that He is the Most-Merciful as well as the Most-Just.

Connecting to these Names

Al-Malik

Al-Ghazali recounts a story where one person said “to a certain shaykh: ‘Advise me’, and he said to him: ‘Be a king in this world and you will be a king in the next.’ When he said: ‘How might I do that?’ The shaykh answered: ‘Renounce this world and you will be a king in the next.’ He meant: detach your needs and your passions from this world, for kingship lies in being free and able to dispense with everything.”

Al-`Adl

In knowing that Allah is just, we must seriously consider whether we apply justice in our own lives. Are we just to our souls, in ensuring that we have connected to Allah? Are we just to our relatives? And are we just to animals?

Allah (swt) tells us that He has forbidden oppression for Himself and made it forbidden for us. So we should be vigilant over our souls and actions.

In the end, we must know with certainty that Allah is the Ultimate Possessor of everything, and this will be made apparent on the Day of Judgment. We are reminded of this everyday when we recite Surat al-Fatiha so that we never lose sight of that, even when tyrants act like they run the world And Allah, the Possessor and the Most Just, will surely make justice prevail.

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV | Part XVI | Part XVII | Part XVIII | Part XIX | Part XX | Part XXI | Part XXII | Part XXIII | Part XXIV | Part XXV | Part XXVI | Part XXVII | Part XXVIII

The Sovereign

Today we will continue with discussing the meanings of al-Fatiha, the surah (chapter) we must recite in every prayer. As we mentioned previously, our purpose is to be truly devoted to Allah subhana wa ta’ala (Glory be unto Him) in our prayer and to have His words move our hearts. This takes more than just understanding the basic gist of what we are reciting, but it also requires reflecting on their meanings.

We discussed how Allah (swt) placed the verse Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem (the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful) just before telling us that He is “Sovereign of the Day of Recompense”- this is so we know that the One who is the Sovereign of that day is the Most Merciful. Although the translation I have used interprets “Maalik” as “Sovereign,” in Arabic, the meaning slightly differs depending on the recitation. The most popular recitation reads:

(Maaliki yawm al-deen)

But according to another sound recitation, it is read as:

(Maliki yawm al-deen)

These are both valid ways of reciting it, and they are both from Allah’s Names; however, there are subtle differences between Maalik and Malik. Maalik means a possessor, while Malik means that you have sovereignty over something and can do with it as you wish. A person can be a maalik and not a malik, or the other way around; for example, a President is sovereign over a country and has power to act with the resources of that country, but after 4 or 8 years he does not have his post anymore. He was malik, but not a maalik because he did not have permanent possession over those things he had power over. Or conversely, you could have a king or a queen, whose reign over a country is inherited from generation to generation, but like in the United Kingdom for example, they have no power to act or to make decisions (the power to act is with the Prime Minister). So this king can be considered a maalik, but not a malik in the true sense of the meaning.

Allah (swt) is both Maalik and Malik. He fully controls and has ownership over the Day of Judgment and what occurs therein.

The Day of Recompense

When we recite,

“Sovereign of the Day of Recompense” (Qur’an 1:4).

We seldom reflect over the power of these words and what they signify. The Day of Recompense is the Day of Judgment, the day in which we will all return to our Lord to be judged for our time here on earth. Why does Allah (swt) emphasize this when He has already told us that He is the Lord of the Worlds, which includes the Day of Judgment? To remind us of our eventual return, and to show us that all possessions and power that people have in this world will fade away and nothing will remain except His Power over all things. On that day we will not even be able to utter a word unless He has given us permission, as Allah (swt) says:

“The Day that the Spirit and the angels will stand in rows, they will not speak except for one whom the Most Merciful permits, and he will say what is correct” (Qur’an 78:38).

No one will even be able to intercede unless He allows them:

“Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission?” (Qur’an 2:255).

We must also know that the Day of Judgment is closer than we think. Al-Qurtubi stated that for every person who dies, his personal Day of Judgment has already begun. No one can avoid this. If anybody had been able to bypass the process it would have been the beloved Prophet (ﷺ). But even as the Prophet (ﷺ) was dying, he wiped some water over his face and said:

“There is nothing worth of worship but Allah; surely death has its agonies” (Bukhari).

The scenario on that day

We all know the destruction that will come on the Day of Judgment. Allah (swt) tells us:

“When the sun is wrapped up [in darkness], and when the stars fall, dispersing, and when the mountains are removed, and when full-term she-camels are neglected, and when the wild beasts are gathered, and when the seas are filled with flame…” (Qur’an, 81:1-6).

To bring the point home, we can look at the numerous videos that show the destruction caused by storms, earthquakes, and volcanoes. This is nothing compared to what will happen on that day.

We will come out of our graves, and those who did not believe will say,

“They will say, ‘O woe to us! Who has raised us up from our sleeping place?’ [The reply will be], ‘This is what the Most Merciful had promised, and the messengers told the truth'” (Qur’an, 36:52).

On that day the sun will be brought closer, and everybody will be sweating such that the sweat of some people will reach their chins. The only people safe will be the seven types of people for whom Allah promised His shade. Everyone else will be in absolute terror, until suddenly

“And your Lord has come and the angels, rank upon rank” (Qur’an, 89:22).

And Allah’s light will fill up the skies,

“That Day, everyone will follow [the call of] the Caller [with] no deviation therefrom, and [all] voices will be stilled before the Most Merciful, so you will not hear except a whisper [of footsteps]” (Qur’an 20:108).

Who is going to be saved on that day?

The answer can be found in Surat al-Fatiha, in the following verse:

“It is You we worship and You we ask for help” (Qur’an 1:5).

The proof?

“We had certainly sent Noah to his people, and he said, “O my people, worship Allah ; you have no deity other than Him. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a tremendous Day” (Qur’an 7:59).

Thus worshiping Allah, the Sovereign of the Day of Recompense, will save us from the punishment of that day, insha’Allah. When we recite these words, we should remember how Allah (swt) is the Maalik and the Malik, that we will return to Him, and that no one can save us on the day except Him.

May Allah grant us khushoo’ (concentration) in our prayers. Ameen.