Quran Garden

Today, we are going to take a deep dive into the 4^th Ayah of Surah Al-Fatiha.  More specifically, the fascinating secrets behind the word: Mallek.  You are in for a treat!  So sit back and listen.

Session 15

Chapter 1

Verse 4

مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

The Owner of the Day of Recompense. (Chapter 1: Verse 4)

If all of God's bounties warrant praise, then the bounty of "the Day of Recompense" deserves our deepest gratitude.  Why?  Because if the Day of Resurrection did not exist, anyone who filled the world with corruption would escape without being held accountable.  Likewise, if you adhere to justice and deprive yourself of various worldly enjoyments for God's pleasure, you would have worked in vain.  The establishment of the Day of Judgment brings balance and justice to the universe.  Knowing there will be an afterlife—a Day of Reckoning—safeguards the rights of the weak and prevents the world from descending into chaos where the strong endlessly oppress the weak.

Have you noticed how the corrupt actions of a person don't impact only the victim of these actions?  They actually affect society as a whole.  Take theft, for example.  Even if the crime doesn't touch you directly, just hearing about thefts in your neighborhood can make you feel uneasy.  Here, Allah brings a sense of balance as you become aware that the hereafter is awaiting those who have no regard for people's rights in society.  No one, no matter how powerful they seem now, can escape that Day.

Similarly, the integrity of a believer uplifts the entire community.  When a person fears God, respects people's rights, pardons, and forgives, everyone who surrounds them benefits from this noble character.  The society as a whole becomes a better place. 

This Aya has two different recitals مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ and مَلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.  They differ by only one vowel and are both valid ways of reciting Al-Fatiha.  They translate to "Owner of the Day of Resurrection" and "King of the Day of Resurrection," respectively.  Let's take them one by one.

In the first recital مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ , God describes Himself as the "Owner of the Day of Recompense."  The true owner of something is alone responsible for managing it.  No one else has the right to interfere.  I own my clothes, car, and home; therefore, I am responsible for these items, and I can do as I please with them. 

The Arabic word مُلْك means "ownership" or "control" and has three levels.  The first is مِلك, which refers to your personal belongings, such as clothes, books, and a phone.  The next level is the larger مُلْك referring to the property of those who hire or rule people. The highest level is the Dominion of Malakout, which is the vast world beyond what we see or comprehend.  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 (malakout) of the heavens and the Earth, that he could be among those who believe. (Chapter 6:Verse 75)

Along with these three levels of ownership come three levels of owners.  A person who has مِلك is called مالك .  Maalek is the lowest level of ownership because you are 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 مُلْك - he or she is called مَلِك .  مَلِك is the 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 .    

It is interesting to note that Allah, the Exalted, the Almighty, used the word Maalek to describe Himself on the Day of Judgment.  He says, مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ. "Maalek", as 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, thus, 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. (Chapter 36:Verse 65)

The second recital of the verse is مَلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ  "King of the Day of Recompense," implies that, on that Day, God will directly judge the affairs of the people regardless of their previous authority.  In our world, God may grant temporary rule and sovereignty over a kingdom to a person or a group, but in the hereafter, the rule and command will be His alone, as stated in the following verse,

Say: "O Allah, Master of all sovereignty!  You give sovereignty to whomever You wish, and extract sovereignty whomever You wish; You make mighty whomever You wish, and You abase whomever You wish.  All good is in Your hand.  Indeed, You have power over all things." (Chapter 3:Verse 26)

Note that God used the phrase "extract sovereignty" rather than "take sovereignty," implying that no person wants to give up power willingly; instead, it has to be forcefully withdrawn from them.

Here you may question, doesn't rule and control at all times - in this world and the hereafter - belong to God?  The answer is simply yes.  However, God appoints some of His creation as successors and grants them authority on Earth.  Listen to this Aya,               

Have you thought of the man who argued with Abraham about his Lord because God had given him a kingdom?  When Abraham said, "My Lord is the giver of life and death," he replied, "I am the giver of life and death." And Abraham said, "God makes the sun rise from the East.  So make it rise from the West," and dumbfounded was the infidel.  God does not guide those who are unjust.  (Chapter 2:Verse 258)

Thus, true rule and sovereignty do not stem from the person who governs; instead, they are the result of God's will.  If rule had stemmed from one's self, then power would remain with them forever without changing hands.  Remember that many people are put to the test through this type of grant because God will take rulers to account on the Day of Resurrection.  How did they rule?  What did they do with their power?  More importantly, people who were ruled are also tested regarding their behavior.  Did they remain silent about an unjust ruler?  Did they prefer corruption?  Or did they stand for the truth?

Some people are under the impression that God is testing us so that He can gain knowledge of who is corrupt and who is upright.  But this could not be farther from the truth: God is our Creator, and He is all-knowing, all-aware of His creation.  Then, you may ask, why does He test us?  We answer that Allah tests us so we may bear witness against ourselves.  No one can come on the Day of Resurrection and say, "Lord, if only You had given me a chance, I would have followed the right path and implemented your guidelines." To further clarify this point, let's take an example from everyday life.  Universities all over the world conduct exams for their students.  Are the professors who taught these students all year unaware of what their students know?  Do they intend to obtain this knowledge through the exam?  Of course not!  Every teacher can tell you who will ace the test and who will fail well before the examination.  Testing is necessary because it presents the evidence to the students themselves.  If a student fails and then comes to argue, all the teacher has to do is point to the test result.  On the other hand, if the exam were not conducted, every student could claim that they deserve high grades and honors.

To summarize, if you choose to recite "Owner of the Day of Resurrection," you testify that God will run the affairs of that Day as He desires, without interference at any level.  And, if you recite "King of the Day of Resurrection," you testify that God will judge the affairs of His creations, even those whom He had temporarily made kings and rulers in this world.  God wants to reassure you that, if you had been afflicted by a governor or king, a tyrant or a dictator, a Day will come when there will be no owner and no king but Allah Himself.

Now, let's turn our attention to the word "day."  Astronomically, a day begins from sunrise til the next sunrise.  Linguistically, "day" is an adverb of time in which events take place.  Since time cannot be owned, some scholars explained that the verse "Owner of the Day of Resurrection" indicates that Allah is the owner of the affairs and events of that Day, not the day itself.  We reply that such understating is according to our abilities and limitations as humans because we cannot possess time.  We cannot bring back the past, or bring on the future.  But God Almighty is the Creator of time, and He is not restricted by time or place.  He says,

They will challenge you to hasten the punishment.  God will not fail in His promise - a Day with your Lord is like a thousand years by your reckoning.  (Chapter 22:Verse 47)

And, in another verse:

The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him in a Day whose length is fifty thousand years.  (Chapter 70:Verse 4)

Reflecting on these verses, you quickly realize the broader meaning of the word "day."  God is the Creator of time; thus, He can create a day as He wills, be it twenty-four hours, a thousand, fifty-thousand, or one million years.  We typically think of a day as twenty-four hours, split into daylight and night, but on a global scale, day and night are constants.  As Earth rotates, the end of a day in a region marks the start of a new one elsewhere.  Thus, if you view our planet as a whole, you will realize that the day on Earth never ends, nor does the night.  Even on our own planet, a day is a relative phenomenon.

If you learned something valuable today, please share the love and spread the word about QuranGarden with your family and friends.