Al-Malik
The Sovereign
Exalted and Glorious
He could not take his brother by the law of the king, except that Allah willed it. (12:76)
There was a king behind them who seized every ship by force. (18:79)
Then high above all be Allah, the True Kind. (20:114)
Exalted be Allah, the True King. The Lord of the Supreme Throne! (23:116)
He is Allah beside Whom none has the right to be worshipped but He, the King, the Holy, the One Free from All Defects, the Giver of Security, the Watcher over His creatures, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. (62:1)
The King of Mankind. (114:2)
Then high above all be Allah, the True King. (20:114)
The king is he who has power and domination over people. The Supreme King is Allah, the Exalted and the Glorious. He reigns with no one after Him.
The Sovereign is the King and the Ruler of all creations. Allah is the Sole Sovereign of the whole human race. He is the Maker and the Master of all created things. Allah is the One and Only Real King who will remain forever, and Who rules not merely over the bodies of all beings, but even over their hearts and spirits.
He who repeats this name, Allah will bestow on him respect by others.
He is Allah, King of kings, and the Kingdom belongs to Him. He is the King of the Day of Judgment; He is the King of His creation; He is the Absolute King. Let us fill our hearts with all of His Majesty. Our obedience to Him is the way to have nearness to Him and to have Him pleased with us.
From: “The Meanings of the Names of Our Lord”, by Shaykh Muhammad Sa’id al-Jamal ar-Rifa’i Head of the Higher Sufi Council in Jerusalem and the Holy Land Teacher at the Dome of the Rock (al-Aqsa)
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Al-Malik
He is the Owner of the universe, of the whole creation the absolute Ruler. Allah is the only Ruler of the entire universe, visible and invisible, and of all creation, from before the beginning and after the end. There is none like Him because He is the Creator of His kingdom, which He created from nothing. Only He knows the size of His kingdom, the number of its population, and the strength of its armies. Only His will, His rule, and His justice exist. What happens is what He wills; and what He does not will, will never happen. He does not need His kingdom, His kingdom needs Him. He rules by Himself; He does not need any help to rule. He has created the universe as a workplace for His creation, and He has created the Day of Judgment as a great court of justice. In this world, we plant our deeds. On the Day of Judgment, we reap their rewards. Everyone will receive the result of his or her doings. There is none other than He in whom to take refuge.
Servants of Allah who come to know their Master, finding the meaning of that Divine Name in themselves, will become sober from the drunkenness of believing their fortunes, their high positions, and their fame to be their own. Those who have served worldly kings as gods will wish instead for the Master of their masters. All will know that they are not left on their own in this divine kingdom, but that there is an absolute Ruler who sees “a black and crawling on a black rock on the darkest of night,” as well as the most secret thoughts and feelings passing through minds and hearts. Everything that we are, and everything that we do, is watched and recorded; all will be accounted for on the Day of Judgment.
A person who knows al-Malik, even if he is a king, will know that at best he is a shepherd charged for a short time to care for a flock that is not his. To the extent of his conscientiousness, hard work, and devotion, he may expect to be rewarded by his master. If he is a bad shepherd, killing and roasting the lambs, drinking all their milk, and letting the wolves ravage the flock, he certainly will be punished. When his duty as a shepherd ends, he will have to give an accounting. It is better to put one’s accounts in order before the day that they must be submitted.
‘Abd al-Malik is the one for whom his Lord is enough. He does not need anything from anyone except his Lord. People who reach such a state are given power and control over their own life and actions. Their Lord appoints them as His deputies, rulers in their own realms, for the kingdom of man is His own being. Our subjects are our tongues, our eyes, our hands, and our other members. Our armies are our ambitions, our desires, our lust, and our anger. If we can control them, and if they obey us, Allah will let us control the lives of others as well. Thus, ‘Abd al-Malik is a servant who has been given the power and control over his own life and actions as well as the lives of others to the extent of the orders and will of Allah. The manifestation of the name ya Malik, the absolute King of the universe, upon a servant of Allah, is the hardest to bear and the most powerful of the attributes manifested in human beings.
If someone truly comes to a state where his Lord is sufficient for him and keeps remembering this Name, he will appear to everyone as awesome and be respected by all.
According to tradition, Khidr (saws) taught the following prayer to be recited 100 times over a sick person: “Allahumma Antal-Malik ul-Haqq ulladhi la ilaha illa anta. Ya Allahu, ya Salamu, ya Shafi” and thrice “ya Shifa Al-Qulub.” (“Our Allah, you are the True King, other than whom there is no other god. Oh Allah, O Source of Peace, O Healer; O medicine of hearts!”) If Allah so wills, a cure will follow.
From: “The Name & the Named”, by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti
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Al-Malik Al Mulk
The Sovereign
Exalted and Glorious
In a seat of truth, near the Omnipotent King. (54:55)
This name is an attribute of Allah which means the Sovereign. Allah is the First and the Last. He is All-in-All and is present everywhere and at all times.
Reciting this sacred name softens the strains and enhances one’s resources.
Al-Malik Al-Mulk – Allah is the Honored One in His Kingdom as He wishes. His wisdom has no limit, nor is there any subsequent order after His. So have humility with a pleading tongue for success, and be needy of what is in His hand.
From: “The Meanings of the Names of Our Lord”, by Shaykh Muhammad Sa’id al-Jamal ar-Rifa’i Head of the Higher Sufi Council in Jerusalem and the Holy Land Teacher at the Dome of the Rock (al-Aqsa)
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MALIK AL-MULK
Allah is the eternal owner of His kingdom. He shares neither the ownership nor the power, government, or guardianship of the universe with anyone. Indeed, the whole universe is one kingdom because all creation is interconnected. In this way, it resembles the human being, whose hands, feet, eyes, mind, heart, and all organs are individual units, yet connected, forming a single totality.
The universe is a whole with harmonious parts, created for a purpose, realizing and fulfilling this purpose. Allah says, “I was a hidden treasure, I wished to be known; therefore I created creation.” Thus the purpose and function of the creation are to know, to find, and to be with the Creator.
The human being is the universe in a microcosm: whatever exists in it, exists in us. Humanity is also the supreme creation and the deputy of Allah. That is why Allah bestows upon some of His servants, for a prescribed time, kingdoms, land, property, and wealth, and lets them rule over them. Allah also gives certain servants the knowledge of how to govern so that their kingdoms grow, and their profits grow. He forbids them to follow their egos, and their selfishness, which can only lead them to perdition. If they become servants of their egos and use the wealth left in their care for themselves, all will be lost upon their deaths. They will be bankrupt, imprisoned in the dungeons of Hell. If people apply Allah’s law to His kingdom which is lent to them and apply it to themselves as well, and if they govern for His pleasure and spend for His sake, the true Owner of the Kingdom will exchange the temporal kingdom He has bestowed upon them here for the eternal kingdom of the Hereafter.
‘Abd Malik al-Mulk becomes a witness to Allah’s power over His kingdom. He, therefore, realizes that Allah uses him as His deputy in governing the universe and himself. That realization makes him a perfect servant, and Allah’s rewards to him may increase to the greatest worldly heights. Such a person depends on nothing except Allah, knowing that He is the only true King, and himself tries only to be a true servant, the highest level any human being can hope to reach.
The faithful who recite this Name 212 times daily will have their sustenance increased by unexpected means. The doubts they have in their minds will turn into assurances. People under their care will respect and obey them with pleasure.
From: “The Name & the Named”, by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti
