Quran Garden

Session 361

Chapter 3

Verse 26

Say: "O God, Master of all dominion! You give dominion to whom You will, and extract dominion from whom You will, and You honor whom You will, and abase whom You will; in Your hand is all good; surely You have full power over everything."

(Chapter 3: Verse 26)

Let's start with the phrase "Master of all dominion," translated from the Arabic origin  مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ (Malek Al Mulk).  The word مُلْك (Mulk), which means "ownership" or "control," has a couple of variations.  مِلك (Melk) refers to personal belongings such as the clothes, books, and phones you own.  Mulk, on the other hand, refers to the property of those who hire or rule people.  Everything you see around you falls under the dominion of Mulk, or "the observed world."  There is another dominion that is hidden from us, which we call the "Dominion of Malakout." 

So, to review, there are three levels of dominion or ownership.  The first level is personal Melk, which applies to the simplest things a person may own.  Then there is the larger Mulk, which refers to the property of figures of authority and of those who have people working for them. Lastly, there is Malakout, which is a vast world beyond what we see.  Listen to God's words as He revealed to Abraham, peace be upon him, some of His hidden dominions:

Thus We showed Abraham the visible and invisible dominions of the heavens and the Earth, that he could be among those who believe. (6:75)

Allah wanted Abraham to see the Malakout of the heavens and the Earth, including the parts hidden from our eyes. 

Along with these three levels of ownership come three levels of owners.  A person who has مِلك (Melk) is called مالك (Maalek.)  Maalek is the lowest level of ownership because you can be called Maalek even if your only possession in life is the shirt on your back.  As for a person who has people working under him or her -in other words, has Mulk- he or she is called مَلِك (Malek).  Malek is the same Arabic word used for a king.  It is the highest level a human can attain.  In the divine realm, God is the One who owns every owner and king.  He is the "Master of all dominion," مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ (Maalek Al Mulk).    

It is interesting to note that God, the Exalted, the Almighty, used the word Maalek to describe Himself on the Day of Judgment.  When you recite the fourth verse of Al-Fatiha in your prayers, you say, "Maaleke Youme Al-Deen." "Maalek", if you recall, is the lowest level of ownership! Why would Allah use "Maalek" to describe Himself on that day? We answer that, on the Day of Judgment, no one except God Almighty owns anything at all.  You will not have any possessions, not even a grain of sand.  In fact, you will not even have control over your limbs.  God is the one and only Owner, so the word "Maalek" is sufficient.  It is the strongest expression of God's exclusive rule.  Listen to the following verse:

The day when they will come forth and when not one thing about them will be hidden from God. To whom does the kingdom belong today? To God, the One, the Conqueror! (40:16)

And in another chapter:

On that day We shall seal up their mouths, but their hands will speak to Us, and their feet bear witness to everything they have done. (36:65)

The verse continues, Say: "O God, Master of all dominion! You give dominion to whom You will, and take away dominion from whom You will."  You should never think that anyone has any rule over God's creation without His will.  No one takes a grain of sand forcefully from the Almighty.  But, when a tyrant assumes power, people mistakenly think that matters are outside God's will.  They wonder, "How can God allow such a thing to happen?"  We answer that Allah is best aware of His creation, so He appoints rulers based on their condition.  When people turn away from God's teachings, He appoints an unjust ruler over them.  God says:

In the like manner do We let some of the unjust have power one over another because of their wrongful deeds. (6:29)

Allah puts the oppressor in charge of the unjust.  Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, narrated to us:  "God, the Exalted, the Glorious, will fold the Heavens on the Day of Judgment and then place them on His right hand and say, "I am the King. Where are the tyrants today? And where are the arrogant today?"

Now, we turn our attention to the word "O God," translated from the Arabic origin اللَّهُمَّ (Allahumma).  The word "Allah" is full of linguistic wonders!  The Quran descended from the heavens in Arabic.  The Arabs at the time were known for their eloquence and superb mastery of the language.  Interestingly, the word of majesty "Allah" had a very distinguished position in the Arabic language well before the advent of Islam.

Let me explain.  In Arabic, the preposition used to call on someone is "Ya."  For example, if you wanted to call your son into the room, you would say, "Ya Hasan, come here."  It is equivalent to the English "Hey", or "O."  The preposition "Ya" can be used to call on someone as long as the name is not preceded by the definite article ال (The).  You can use "Ya" to call on Omar, but you cannot use it to call on "the policeman," or "the neighbor."  Any noun preceded by the definite article cannot be joined with "Ya."  The only exception in the Arabic language is the word of majesty "Allah." You can always call on God and say يا الله (Ya Allah).   

It is also important to note that the preposition "Ya" is used to call someone who is far, or not present with you.  Thus, it is not proper to use it to supplicate Allah, because He is with you all the time.  Allah teaches us to supplicate him by اللَّهُمَّ (Allahumma).   The preposition "Ya" is omitted and replaced by the letter م (m, Meem) at the end of the word.  This letter adds a sense of love and closeness to the call.  In the Arabic language, God alone is the One summoned without using the vocative preposition "Ya."

Lastly, the only word that accepts the letter ت (Ta) before it as the article of an oath is the word "Allah." Hence, you can say تالله (Ta Allah) to make an oath, but you cannot use "Ta" with any other word.  All these linguistic honors to the word "Allah" were bestowed well before the advent of Islam.  Even the pagans who denied God gave the name of the Almighty a special status!