Al-Malik
Allah is Al Malik, the literal meaning in Arabic is “The King”. The One who reigns dominion over the heavens and the earth and everything that resides within them. There is nothing above Him and He is alone.
From the root m-l-k which has the following classical Arabic connotations: to possess, to own exclusively to exercise authority to command to have power over, command, reign to have dominion over, to have ruling power to have kingship
He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the Sovereign, the Pure, the Perfection, the Bestower of Faith, the Overseer, the Exalted in Might, the Compeller, the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate with Him. (Quran 59:23)
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. (Quran 3:26)
So exalted is Allah, the Sovereign, the Truth;
there is no deity except Him, Lord of the Noble Throne. (Quran 23:116)
Indeed, the righteous will be among gardens and rivers, in a seat of honor near a Sovereign, Perfect in Ability. (Quran 54:55)
So high [above all] is Allah, the Sovereign, the Truth. And, [O Muhammad], do not hasten with [recitation of] the Qur’an before its revelation is completed to you, and say, “My Lord, increase me in knowledge.” (Quran 20:114)
Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said, “The most awful name in Allah’s sight on the Day of Resurrection, will be (that of) a man calling himself Malik Al-Amlak (the king of kings).(Sahih al-Bukhari 6205)
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Name: |
Al-Malik |
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Al-Malik in Arabic |
ٱلْمَلِكُ |
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Arabic root: |
(م ل ك) |
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Al-Malik meaning in English: |
The King, The Sovereign, The Master |
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Al-Malik meaning in Urdu |
مالک |
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Appearance in the Quran: |
10 times |
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Tasbeeh: |
Recite Al-Malik 100 times after prayers, especially Fajr prayers, for protection from hardships and tribulation. |
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Asma ul Husna with similar meaning: |
Malik-ul-Mulk (The Lord of the Kingdom) |
The literal meaning of Al-Malik ( ٱلۡمَلِكُ) is The King. Other meanings of Al-Malik include The Sovereign Lord, the One with Complete Dominion, and the One who alone is the world's master. Al-Malik also refers to the one whose dominion is free from imperfections.
The root word of Al-Malik is mim-lam-kaf (م ل ك). This root word has three Arabic connotations. The first meaning is to own and possess everything. The second meaning is to have exclusive power and command. The third most impactful meaning is to control and have authority above everything.
Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) calls himself Al-Malik 10 times in the Quran. The first and the last Surah of the Quran includes this name of Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى).
مَـٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ ٤
Master of the Day of Judgment. ( Quran 1:4)
مَلِكِ ٱلنَّاسِ
The Master of humankind. (Quran 114-2)
Allah is the master, king, and owner of the whole creation. Allah Al-Malik himself says in the Quran:
قُلِ ٱللَّهُمَّ مَـٰلِكَ ٱلْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِى ٱلْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتَنزِعُ ٱلْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَآءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَآءُ ۖ بِيَدِكَ ٱلْخَيْرُ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ ٢٦
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ "O Allah! Lord, over all authorities! You give authority to whoever You please and remove it from who You please; You honor whoever You please and disgrace who You please—all good is in Your Hands. Surely, You alone are Most Capable of everything.( Quran:3-26)
The word Al-Malik refers to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى), who is the perfect King and true world owner. Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is alone and does not include anyone in His kingship. He (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) does whatever He wills concerning His creation; nothing can prevent or hinder His decisions. All the kings of this world are slaves of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى), and they will be presented in front of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) on the day of judgment. Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) will question the power and authority given to these kings.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Allah will roll up the Earth and Heaven in His hand, and say, "I am King! Where are the kings of the earth? " Sahih al-Bukhari 6519
Al-Malik reflects that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is the creator of the heavens and the earth. Everything in our lives is controlled by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). Thinking this way and reflecting on this attribute of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) gives us freedom and liberation - freedom from our negative thoughts, freedom from the slavery of people and freedom from relying on people. It gives us the inner strength that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is our creator and King. He has control over everything and will make a way out for us. It also encourages us to stay vigilant of our acts that Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى), our creator and the King of the kings, is with us. He is with us wherever we are and watching us. This belief can give us strength in times of hardship.
The Beloved Prophet (ﷺ) taught us to pray morning and evening dhikr to stay in protection.
لا إلهَ إلاّ اللّهُ وحْـدَهُ لا شَـريكَ لهُ، لهُ المُـلْكُ ولهُ الحَمْـد، وهُوَ على كُلّ شَيءٍ قَدير .
'None has the right to be worshiped except Allah, alone. He has no partner; all sovereignty and praise belongs to him, and He is omnipotent.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said that the one who read this in the morning would be guarded from the devil till evening and vice versa. He (ﷺ) added the reward of reading this is equal to setting free a slave, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) will add ten good deeds for him and remove 10 sins from his record. Allah ( سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) will advance him ten degrees and protect him from the devil. (Sunan Abu Dawood 5077). There are a lot of invocations in daily prayers that emphasize this attribute of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). Remembering Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) with this attribute strengthens Muslims, showing them that Allah is their creator and will look after their fears. He ( سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has power over everything.
The root of Al-Malik mim-lam-kaf (م ل ك) has appeared 206 times in the Quran. The word itself has been used ten times in the Quran. Allah Al-Malik is the perfect, just King, ruler, and owner of everything on earth: human beings, animals, galaxies, rivers, stars, and so on. Everything is in the dominion of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). Allah( سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) says in Quran 2:107,
أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مِن وَلِىٍّۢ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ ١٠٧
Do you not know that Allah is the king of the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and your only guardian and helper is Allah?
The 67th Surah of the Quran, Al-Mulk, which has the same root as Malik, refers to the dominion of Allah. It emphasizes the power and control of Allah ( سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) above everything.
تَبَـٰرَكَ ٱلَّذِى بِيَدِهِ ٱلْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌ
Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the Dominion. And He can do all things. ( 67-1).
The first ayah of Surah Mulk is of great significance. It is narrated in a hadith that the Prophet (ﷺ) said. On the day of judgment, the Surah Tabarakal-ladhi bi yadihil mulk will argue for his companion until forgiven. (Sunan Ibn Majah 3786). In moments of grief, despair, and solitude, the Al-Malik attribute of Allah ( سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) fosters hope, strength, and courage. Making the Dhikr of the Al-Malik attribute can help us build a strong relationship with Allah ( سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى).
If we consciously incorporate the Al-Malik attribute of Allah ( سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) into our daily life, it can do wonders. It will help us to handle our daily matters with strength and courage, considering Allah( سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى), my creator, is the owner of the world. In the blink of a second or even less, Allah ( سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) can change things for me. It can free you from the slavery of people and make you dependent on Allah ( سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) only.
In Sahih Bukhari 6205, the Prophet (ﷺ) said that the awful man would call himself Malik Al Amlak ( King of Kings) on the day of judgment. This is a major sin. However, there is no harm in naming a child Abdul-Malik ( Servant of the King), Fazle Malik (The King's Gift), and other such variations.
The phonetic difference between Al-Malik (pronunciation: Al Malik) and Al-Maalik (pronunciation: Al Maalik, as in Malik-il-Mulk) is that there is more emphasis on aa in Al-Malik. The literal meaning of Al-Malik is a king or ruler, whereas the meaning of Al-Maalik is the master and the owner. Allah Al-Malik is a king whose boundaries have no limits. He is from the beginning and will remain endlessly. All the subjects in this world belong to Allah Almighty and need His help for their existence. But Allah ( سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is free from the boundaries of time, people and everything. He ( سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) does not need the support of people. Only Allah ( سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has the right and deserves to be called Al-Malik and Al-Maalik. Because He ( سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is true king and the owner of everything.
The root word mim-lam-kaf (م ل ك) has been used with two variations in the Quran.
هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْمَلِكُ
He is Allah—there is no god except Him: the King. (59;23)
The Master and the Owner
قُلِ ٱللَّهُمَّ مَـٰلِكَ ٱلْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِى ٱلْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتَنزِعُ ٱلْمُلْكَ
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ "O Allah! Lord, over all authorities! You give authority to whoever You please and remove it from who You please. (Quran 3:26)
The One to Whom Belongs the Dominion
ٱلَّذِي لَهُۥ مُلۡكُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ شَهِيدٌ
He has the dominion of the heavens and the earth. And Allah, over all things, is Witness.
Allah ( سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) mention His Al-Malik attribute many times. In Surah AL-A’RAF AYAT 158,
قُلۡ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنِّي رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَيۡكُمۡ جَمِيعًا ٱلَّذِي لَهُۥ مُلۡكُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ يُحۡيِۦ وَيُمِيتُۖ.
Say, [O Muhammad], "O mankind, undoubtedly I am the Messenger of Allah to you all. He has the dominion of the heavens and the earth. No deity is except Him; He gives birth and causes death.