A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.
The meaning of the term "Rabb" (Lord).
In the Arabic language, the term "Rabb" is applied
to an owner who has authority over his property,
to a master, a manager,
to one who nurtures, reforms, and maintains.
It is not used without being annexed to something
except when referring to Allah the Exalted.
As He, the Almighty, has said:
“There was indeed a sign for Sheba in their dwelling-place: Two gardens on the right hand and the left (as who should say): Eat of the provision of your Lord and render thanks to Him. A fair land and an indulgent Lord!” (34:15)
“There was indeed a sign for Sheba in their dwelling-place: Two gardens on the right hand and the left (as who should say): Eat of the provision of your Lord and render thanks to Him. A fair land and an indulgent Lord!” (34:15)
However, when it is used to describe someone other than Allah the Exalted,
it must be annexed to something else.
Thus, one says "Rabb al-dar" (master of the house),
or "Rabb al-dabbah" (owner of the beast),
meaning its owner who has authority over it.
The Qur'an most frequently uses the term "Rabb"
in reference to Allah the Exalted,
and it appears mostly in the annexed form,
as He, the Almighty, has said:
"Lord of the worlds."
And He said: "Lord of the heavens and the earth,"
"and whatever is between them."
And He said: "Your Lord,"
"and the Lord of your forefathers."
It is a description of Allah, the Almighty,
that encompasses the linguistic meanings
mentioned for the term "Rabb."
For Allah’s Lordship over the universe,
and everything within it,
entails His authority over it,
His management of it, His reforming of it,
and the execution of His command within it at every moment.
He, glory be to Him, is with the universe,
at every hour, in every affair.
He creates and provides sustenance,
He gives life and causes death,
He lowers and raises,
He gives and withholds,
He honors and humiliates.
He is ever-watchful over every soul,
regarding its good and its evil,
and everything in the universe
subsists through Him.
The entire affair of the universe is managed
by the will and decree of Allah.
The prohibition against using the name "Rabb"
for anyone other than Allah the Exalted.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, forbade
a servant from saying to his master,
"My Lord" (Rabbi).
He, peace be upon him, said:
"None of you should say,
'Feed your lord,'
'Perform wudu for your lord,'
but let him say, 'My master' (sayyidi) and 'my patron' (mawlaya)."
"And none of you should say,
'My slave' (abdi) or 'my slave-girl' (amati),"
but let him say,
"My young man" (fataya) or "my young woman" (fatati),
or "my servant" (ghulami).
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
The reason for this prohibition
is that the reality
of Lordship (Rububiyyah) belongs only
to Allah the Exalted,
because the "Rabb" is the owner
who sustains and maintains a thing,
and the reality of this
exists only for Allah the Exalted alone.
As for that which
one does not have absolute authority over, among animals
and inanimate objects,
it is not disliked to apply the term "Lordship"
to its owner.
Thus, it is correct to say,
"Master of the house," "owner of the horse,"
and "owner of the garment,"
and so on.
The name "Rabb"
is among the greatest of praises
with which Allah, the Almighty,
praises Himself.
The name "Rabb"
is among the greatest of praises with which
Allah, the Almighty, praises Himself.
For He has praised
Himself as being the Lord
of the worlds,
and He is the Lord of the heavens and the earth
and whatever is between them.
And He said: "And He is the Lord of everything,"
and "He is the Lord
of the Mighty Throne."
And other verses in which
the name "Rabb" is mentioned for Allah,
the Almighty.
All of them are in the context of praising
Allah and magnifying Him.
"Rabb" is one of the most frequent names
by which Allah, the Almighty, is invoked,
because
the Rabb is the Nurturer
of all His servants through His management
and various types of blessings.
He is the Nurturer, in particular,
of His chosen ones by reforming
their hearts, their souls,
and their characters. Since
this is the case,
the most frequent supplication of the prophets of Allah,
His chosen ones, and His allies
was with this majestic name,
as they began their supplications with it.
Adam,
peace be upon him, and his wife said:
"Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves,"
“They said: Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If thou forgive us not and have not mercy on us, surely we are of the lost!” (7:23)
"and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us,"
"we will surely be among the losers."
And Nuh (Noah), peace be upon
him, said: "My Lord,"
"forgive me and my parents."
And Musa (Moses), peace be upon
him, said: "My Lord, forgive"
"me and my brother, and admit us"
"into Your mercy."
Yusuf (Joseph), peace be upon him, said:
"My Lord, the prison is dearer"
"to me than that to which they invite"
"me."
And he said: "My Lord,"
“O my Lord! Thou hast given me (something) of sovereignty and hast taught me (something) of the interpretation of events - Creator of the heavens and the earth! Thou art my Protecting Guardian in the world and the Hereafter. Make me to die muslim (unto Thee), and join me to the righteous.” (12:101)
"You have taught me of the interpretation"
"of hadiths. Originator of"
"the heavens and the earth,"
"You are my protector in this world"
"and the Hereafter. Cause me to die"
"as a Muslim and join me"
"with the righteous."
And Zakariyya (Zechariah), peace be upon him, said:
“Then Zachariah prayed unto his Lord and said: My Lord! Bestow upon me of Thy bounty goodly offspring. Lo! Thou art the Hearer of Prayer.” (3:38)
"a goodly offspring."
"Indeed, You are the Hearer"
"of supplication."
And Sulayman (Solomon), peace be upon him, said:
"My Lord, forgive me"
“He said: My Lord! Forgive me and bestow on me sovereignty such as shall not belong to any after me. Lo! Thou art the Bestower.” (38:35)
"that will be suitable for anyone"
"after me."
And the righteous servants of Allah said:
"Our Lord, indeed we"
"have heard a caller"
"calling to faith,"
"saying, 'Believe in your Lord,' so we have believed."
"Our Lord,"
"forgive us our sins,"
"remove from us our misdeeds,"
"and cause us to die"
"with the righteous."
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
would often
invoke Him by the name "Rabb,"
and praise and magnify Him through it.
Among these instances
is his saying, peace be upon him:
"Shall I not guide you"
"to the master of seeking forgiveness?"
"O Allah,"
"You are my Lord,"
“And (mention) Dhu'n-Nun, when he went off in anger and deemed that We had no power over him, but he cried out in the darkness, saying: There is no Allah save Thee. Be Thou Glorified! Lo! I have been a wrong-doer.” (21:87)
"You created me and I am Your servant."
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
And his saying, peace be upon him,
when he went to his bed:
"O Allah, Lord of the heavens,"
"and Lord of the earth,"
"and Lord of the Mighty Throne,"
"our Lord,"
"and Lord of everything."
Narrated by Muslim.
And his saying, peace be upon him,
during the night prayer:
"O Allah, Lord of Jibril (Gabriel),"
"and Mika'il (Michael),"
"and Israfil."
Narrated by Muslim.
And his saying, peace be upon him,
at times of distress:
"There is no god but Allah,"
"the Almighty, the Forbearing."
"There is no god but Allah,"
"Lord of the Mighty Throne."
"There is no god but Allah,"
"Lord of the heavens"
"and the earth,"
"and Lord of the Noble Throne."
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
All of this indicates
that this name
encompasses great meanings,
and for that reason,
Allah is invoked by it.
The covenant that Allah took
from the children of Adam
It is Tawhid (the Oneness of Allah).
The covenant that Allah took
from the children of Adam
is what He deposited within their innate nature (fitrah),
consisting of the acknowledgment that He is their Lord,
their Creator, and their Sovereign.
This is the meaning of His saying, the Exalted:
"And [mention] when
your Lord took from
the children of Adam
from their loins
their descendants
and made them testify
as to themselves,
'Am I not your Lord?'
They said, 'Yes,
we have testified.'"
[This was] lest you say
on the Day of Resurrection,
"Indeed, we were
of this unaware."
The intent of the verse
is not
that Allah established a proof against them
based on what they acknowledged at the time of their extraction
from the loins of Adam, peace be upon him,
and made them testify against
themselves regarding that,
as some have claimed.
Nor does the wisdom of Allah,
the Exalted, necessitate this.
Reality testifies that this covenant
and pledge is not remembered by
anyone, nor does it cross [their minds].
So how could
Allah establish a proof against them regarding a matter
of which they have no knowledge,
nor any trace,
nor any sign?
This indicates that the intended meaning is
what Allah deposited
into their innate nature at the time of their birth,
consisting of Tawhid,
as the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Every newborn
is born upon the fitrah,
then his parents make him a Jew,
or a Christian,
or a Magian."
Agreed upon.
Shirk in Rububiyyah (Lordship).
Most polytheists acknowledged
the Lordship of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic,
and did not deny it,
as the Exalted said:
"And if you asked them,
'Who created the heavens
and the earth and subjected the sun
and the moon?' they would surely say,
'Allah.' Then how
are they deluded?"
Yet, despite their acknowledgment of the Tawhid of Lordship,
and that Allah is the Creator and Disposer of affairs,
they fell into Shirk
in Uluhiyyah (Worship),
and worshipped others besides Allah.
However, some polytheists
fell into Shirk in Lordship
alongside their Shirk in Worship.
Among them are the Christians,
due to their belief
that Jesus, peace be upon him,
forgives sins and saves people from them,
and manages affairs alongside Allah
regarding provision and all other
matters of the servants.
Among them are the Magians,
who attributed the occurrences of good
to Light,
and attributed the occurrences of evil to Darkness.
Among them are the worshippers of the stars
and celestial bodies,
who believe they manage
the affairs of the world,
such as the Sabaeans.
Among them is a faction of the extremist Sufis,
who claim that the saints (awliya'),
or their souls after
their death,
act in managing the affairs of the world
and fulfilling the needs of the people.
They have regarding this
nonsense and claims
that are false and suspicious,
and titles for which Allah has sent down
no authority.
For them, the world is managed by
the Ghawth (Succor) or the Qutb (Pole),
the Greatest, and he is—
in their claim—a saint from among the saints of Allah.
He is followed by two ministers,
then the Awtad (Pegs),
who are four, holding up the world
from its four sides.
Then the Abdal (Substitutes),
who are seven, in every
continent of the seven continents
of the earth, one of them,
and so on, to the end of what they claim
of these absurdities
and inanities for which
Allah has sent down no authority.
They claim through them
the control of these people over the world
and the management of its affairs.
This is undoubtedly among the greatest
forms of Shirk, and it is Shirk
in Lordship, which was not even committed
by the early polytheists
from the people of the Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance).
It necessitates for them the lack of
forgiveness and eternity in the Fire.
Among the forms of Shirk
in Lordship is legislating
other than what Allah has revealed,
because legislation is among the characteristics
of the Lord, the Mighty and Majestic.
The Exalted said:
“Say: Allah is Best Aware how long they tarried. His is the Invisible of the heavens and the earth. How clear of sight is He and keen of hearing! They have no protecting friend beside Him, and He maketh none to share in His government.” (18:26)
anyone.
The fruits of the Tawhid of Lordship.
For faith,
in the Tawhid of Lordship,
there are many magnificent fruits.
Among the most important of them:
First:
Defining for people their purpose
for which they were created,
and informing them of what benefits them
and what harms them by receiving
that from their Lord,
because it does not befit the Lord of the worlds
to leave
His servants neglected,
without informing them of what benefits them
in their worldly life and their afterlife.
"Did you think that We
created you in vain
and that to Us
you would not be returned?"
Second:
Realizing the Tawhid of Names and Attributes,
because the Lord
must be Living, Sustaining,
Creator, All-Powerful,
All-Knowing, All-Hearing,
All-Seeing, Possessor of Will.
And say the same
regarding all the Names of Allah
and His supreme Attributes.
Third:
Contentment with the judgment of Allah and His law,
because acknowledging the Lordship of
Allah, the Mighty and Majestic,
is contentment with what Allah apportions
to the servant and decrees for him.
This also necessitates
contentment with what He legislates
and commands,
and desisting from what He forbids.
Fourth:
Love for Allah, the Mighty and Majestic,
gratitude to Him, glorification of Him,
and veneration of Him.
Creatures are naturally disposed to love
those who rectify them, provide for them,
and do good to them.
This produces in the heart of the servant
the love of Allah, the love of what
He loves, and the love of those whom He loves,
and hatred of what He hates,
and hatred of those whom He hates,
and hastening to His pleasure, glorifying Him,
venerating Him,
thanking Him, and praising Him.
Fifth:
Reliance (Tawakkul) upon Allah in all matters.
For whoever is certain
that Allah is the Provider, the Disposer of affairs,
and that He is over all
things All-Powerful,
his heart is filled with reliance
upon Him, Glorified be He, in all
his affairs.
Sixth:
Turning to Allah and supplicating
to Him during times of hardship and calamity,
out of certainty that He
alone is the Disposer of affairs,
The Bringer of Benefit and the Bringer of Harm.
The Reliever of distress.
And the One who fulfills all needs.
The use of the oneness of Allah as evidence.
The Lordship (Rububiyyah) is based upon the Oneness of Allah (Tawhid).
The Oneness of Allah in worship (al-uluhiyyah).
And among the greatest requirements of Tawhid
The Lordship [of Allah] as established through rational evidence.
through it upon the Oneness of Allah
The divinity, therefore,
It has been singled out as an independent concept.
This is because the Lord
He who created the heavens and the earth
And what is contained therein, and He who possesses
He alone possesses the authority to dispose of them.
and the management of its affairs.
He alone is the One who is worthy of worship.
For He associates no one with Himself.
No one [is] in that regard.
It is for this reason that the verses were revealed.
By using the Lordship of Allah as evidence.
regarding divinity
And the rejection of associating partners with Allah in worship.
Exalted is He, after the affirmation.
regarding Lordship
Among these examples is the saying of Allah the Almighty:
Ah, the best.
... what do they associate [with Allah]?
As for
Who created the heavens
and the earth
and He has sent down for you
from the sky
water
and He has sent down for you
from the sky
water
Then We caused to grow
with it
gardens
possessing great beauty
It was not for you
for you to grow
its trees
Is there a god with
Allah
Rather, they are a people
They equate [others with Allah].
And in the same manner
The same thing came as a remainder.
The verses up to the verse
The sixty-fourth.
This refers to His saying, the Almighty:
Do you believe
The creation begins, then
He returns it, and
He provides for you from the heavens.
And the earth
Is there a god
with Allah
Say, "Bring forth your proof."
your proof
if you are
the truthful
Allah, the Almighty, says:
Do they associate with Allah partners that
He creates something
They are being created.
and they are unable
For them is victory.
...and their souls.
They are victorious.
And like this
This is the essence of what is argued for using the concept of Lordship.
...on divinity, many [disagreed].
As in Al-Baqarah.
and the bees and the believers
and the Companies (of the Qur'an)
This is a summary of concepts.
The People of the Sunnah