Surah Al-Fâtihah 1:4

مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

1:4 tc "Rahîm ÁÎêYj»A is the third basic attribute of Allâh is that He is al-Rahîm, the Ever Merciful. The distinction between Rahîm and Rahmân is that the Rahmân grants of His own accord without reference to any deed or request, but out of pure grace and beneficence, Rahîm on the other hand means Who causes good results to follow on good deeds, and would not nullify anyone’s work and labour. Allâh is Rahmân in the sense that He grants a pure nature to human beings, without the taint of sin, in the finest make and the best proportions with enormous capabilities for an all-round advancement and for the purpose of seeking God, and He is Rahîm in the sense that when he makes use of his faculties He blesses his efforts with goodly results. "The fourth Divine Attribute Mâlik-i-Yaum al-Dînمَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ (the Master of the Day of Requital) follows His two Attributes of Mercy. Mâlik مالك and Malak ملكare two different words from the same root Malaka ملك. According to the rules of forming derivations in the Arabic language, the larger the number of letters added to the root word, as the alif in Mâlik, the more intensive and more extensive does the meaning become (Bahr al-Muhît). Hence a Mâlik مالك or Master is one who possesses the right of ownership over a thing and has the power to deal with it as he likes. Mâlik is the one whose hold on that which he owns is complete, and who can use it in any way he pleases, who has sole title to it, with no one having any share in it. In this sense, Mâlik is not applicable to anyone other than Allâh.

Mâlik is more than Malak who is a king or ruler (Lane). The use of Mâlik مالك shows that the All-Mighty is not like a king or a judge who is bound to give his judgment strictly in accordance with the prescribed law, but being the Master He can forgive or give more than the due and show mercy wherever and in whatever manner He may like. As Mâlik He has full authority to dispense reward and punishment. It is obvious that no one can truly be called Master unless he has the power to pardon or punish as he may like and determine. He does, as He will. There is no room for anyone to find fault with what He decides and why He decides to do a thing. The attributive word Mâlikمالك serves a twofold purpose. On one hand, it gives courage, hope, and confidence to a person who has, in a moment of weakness, committed some wrong or sin, not to lose hope as the beneficent Allâh being his Master has the power to forgive or even give more. On the other hand, it serves as a warning against taking undue advantage of the graciousness and beneficence of Allâh. Both these are essential for human spiritual progress and advancement.

In the words Yaum al-Dîn يَوْمِ الدِّينِtc "As a Mâlik He has full authority to dispense reward and punishment. It is obvious that no one can be truly called Master unless he has the power to pardon or punish as he may like and determine. He does as He will. There is no room for anyone to find fault with that which He does. The use of the word Mâlik serves a twofold purpose. On one hand it gives courage, hope, and confidence to a person who has in a moment of weakness committed some wrong or sin, not to lose hope as the beneficent Allâh being his Master has the power to forgive or give more. On the other hand it serves as a warning of taking undue advantage of the graciousness and beneficence of Allâh. Both these things are essential for human beings’ spiritual progress and advancement."the word yaum is usually translated as “Day” (5:3; 8:41; 9:25), but it also means time, absolutely short or long, day and night, and eons (Tâj-al-‘Arûs). This word is used in the terminology of the Holy Qur’ân referring to any period of time (3:9; 6:15; 7:14), any moment (5:28; 6:15), one year (22:47), one thousand years (32:5), fifty thousand years (70:4), or eons, a period which we cannot count in our reckoning (32:4). The Divine attribute Mâlik-i-Yaum al-Dîn مالك يَوْمِ الدِّينtc "As a Mâlik He has full authority to dispense reward and punishment. It is obvious that no one can be truly called Master unless he has the power to pardon or punish as he may like and determine. He does as He will. There is no room for anyone to find fault with that which He does. The use of the word Mâlik serves a twofold purpose. On one hand it gives courage, hope, and confidence to a person who has in a moment of weakness committed some wrong or sin, not to lose hope as the beneficent Allâh being his Master has the power to forgive or give more. On the other hand it serves as a warning of taking undue advantage of the graciousness and beneficence of Allâh. Both these things are essential for human beings’ spiritual progress and advancement." is a link between the Attributes Rabb رَبِّ (- the Nourisher to perfection), al-Rahmân(- the Most Gracious), and al-Rahîm (- the Ever Merciful). This attribute shows the development of continued Divine Mercy.

The Grace of Mâlik-i-Yaum al-Dînمَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ (Supreme Master of the Day/Time of Judgment and of Requital), unlike that of Al-Rahîm, does not manifest itself merely in response to efforts and exertions in the present life. It connotes that on that Day every comfort and torment, pleasure and pain that a human being will experience shall proceed directly from Allâh. He will be the sole Master of Dispensation; nearness to Him or distance from Him will determine eternal happiness or long-lasting misfortune. For those who had believed in Him, had held fast to Divine Unity, and had dyed their hearts with His pure love, the light of the Mercy of Mâlik مالك shall cover them and protect them. All comfort and joy from requital and reward will be seen as emanating directly from Him, with no screen or barrier in between, nor will there be any room left for any doubt, that He is the only Lord Who decides according to His discretion. Its recipients will find a perfect state of felicity enveloping their bodies and souls and their exterior and interior, leaving no part of them outside the embrace of this great happiness. Those who did not experience Divine Love, because of their evil deeds, will be denied this joy and comfort.

Allâh has named Himself Mâlik-i-Yaum al-Dîn مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ (the Supreme Master of the Day/Time of Judgment and of Requital).Requital may not always follow Judgment immediately. All our actions in this life are judged, but their requital, deliverance, or punishment may take some time. This can be likened to a judge who passes a judgment of sentence for a crime, but the punishment may be carried out at a later time. tc "The fear of punishment in this world and the Hereafter acts as a deterrent in this respect, but this can hardly be so with belief in the Atonement. If God could not find any other remedy for the cleansing of human sin, then there is no need of any good action on our part. There are very few human beings who pursue virtue for its own sake. It is the requital and reward of virtue, especially seen in its efficacy in counterbalancing the effects of sin that they fulfil the law and lead a good life. But if the same thing is attainable merely by a belief in the Grace of Blood, few would think it worthwhile to bear the hardships and trials of the life of piety and righteousness. Belief in the Atonement obviates the necessity for good deeds. We must not forget that it is only the awe and fear of Divine Majesty that can safeguard against sin and evil. Once one realizes that God is dispenser of punishment as well, and that His punishment is severe (2\:165), that awesome consciousness would become a barrier against sins. The idea of atonement makes a person unbridled and wayward. But compassionate mercy and mastery stimulate both hope and effort. Mâlikîyyat Oθ»B¿ supported by culture and progress has played havoc with the belief in Atonement. The world at large is on the high road to believe in this attribute of God. Belief in this attribute, when rendered into action in our daily life, would bring our culture and civilization to its climax. It is useless to sing hymns at the top of our voices if we are not leading Godly lives. He does not stand in need of any adoration from us. It is neither creditable to Him nor profitable to us. It is very dangerous to believe in things that not only have no bearing on our life but are actually harmful in their effects on the building of our character. In the matter of culture and civilization such beliefs as Atonement have proved an implacable enemy to human progress. Virtue and vice, both in their growth and origin, are in the right proportion with strength or weakness of our belief in law and its forces. Crimes come to the surface in quarters where law and order can be avoided without fear of detection and punishment. And law loses all its force and cannot compel universal attachment unless and until some reward or punishment comes to its fulfiller or breaker. We cannot imagine any greater harm to the very fabric of human society than that which comes to us as a natural growth by reason of our belief in a doctrine of Atonement that either weakens our sense of responsibility or causes us to lose our physical or moral strength and divests us of a motive for action. So to bring creation to perfection, the attribute of Mâlik yaum al-dîn Master of the Day of Requital is needed. Hence in the very opening chapter of the Holy Qur'ân this basic attribute is mentioned. This sequence is in agreement with the book of nature. Perfect composition in a book of revelation demands that the order followed in the book of nature should also be kept in view in a book of revelation. To reverse the natural order in composition is to reverse the law of nature. For a perfect composition it was also necessary that the order of nature, as if it were its photograph, which is natural, and in fact prior, should be prior in description also. "There are ample indications in nature and in our lives that the Divine Law of requital is constantly at work and is being manifested every moment. In fact, punishment for wrongdoing is necessary in the Divine scheme, as is the reward for good deeds. Reward and punishment are different phases of the exercise of the Attribute of Mâlikîyyat. Fear of punishment is a powerful deterrent designed to crush evil. The pressure of legal penalties is a strong discouragement to wrong, and whenever it relaxes its hold, evil begins to crop up.

The Judgment referred to Yaum al-Dîn يَوْمِ الدِّينِ is the perfect and final requital mentioned in the Holy Qur’ân in the words:الْيَوْمَ تُجْزَىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ ۚ لَا ظُلْمَ الْيَوْمَ. “This day every soul shall be requited for deeds it has accomplished. No injustice will be done this day.” (40:17) This is reinforced in verses 40:7-20.This perfect requital, however, demands a perfect manifestation of full Divine Sovereignty, which excludes all instrumentality.

The enduring Grace of Mâlikîyyat is the most exclusive of all Divine Graces, and is the culmination of other Graces. Its recipient ascends to the apex of everlasting felicity, which is the fountainhead of all joys. Whosoever is debarred from this Grace is condemned to Divine punishment. Its manifestation demands that the perfect Might of the Master should shine forth directly in its full splendor without the intermediary of any veil. This ultimate grace should be manifested with the utmost clarity, excluding every possible doubt, so that its deliberate bestowal on the part of the Gracious Bestower is the Reality. This grace is the culmination of the supreme manifestation of the unveiled Beauty of the Beneficent One, a certainty emerging from potential into actualization.

The requital of the Eternal Master should become manifest like the brightness of the day. The recipient of grace should realize with the highest degree of certitude that it is indeed the Sovereign of the universe and his Supreme Master Who has bestowed on him felicity and joys for his good deeds. .

The manifestation of such perfect, superb, and enduring grace shall be clear and bear the Divine attestation. This manifestation of grace shall comprehend the highest and most refined pleasures for the soul. The imperfect, limited world of bodies lacks capacities, and is not suited to serve as a sphere for this grand manifestation, brilliant lights and eternal bounties, nor can it comprehend those full and enduring auroras. An altogether different realm is needed for the manifestation of the grace of Mâlikîyyat, independent and free from the opaqueness of physical spheres, adequate to demonstrate the absolute and pure Light of the Overpowering Unique Lord.

Yet a foretaste of this most special grace is vouchsafed in this very life to those perfect and purified persons who tread on the path of righteousness and God-consciousness, and reach the proximity of their Lord. They discard their worldly desires. Their bodies are in this world, but their hearts are already with their Lord. They wean their minds away from all temporalities and make a break with human ways and values, and their faces are turned towards their Lord full of hope. The Beneficent Lord also treats them in like manner and manifests His Light to them in a way in which it is not manifested to others except after death, and thus they become recipients in this very life of a portion of the Light of this most special Grace.

Mâlikîyyat follows Rahîmîyyat. This sequence is in agreement with the Book of Nature. Perfect composition in a Book of Revelation demands that the order followed in the Book of Nature should also be kept in view in a Book of Revelation. To reverse the natural order in composition is to reverse the law of nature.

These are the four Divine Graces that are mentioned right in the beginning of the Holy Qur’ân. Glancing at the Book of Nature, we first encounter the Rabûbîyyat (universal Providence of Allâh), next His Rahmânîyyat (Graciousness and Beneficence), and then His Rahîmîyyat (Compassionate Mercy), and finally His attribute Mâlik-i-Yaum al-Dîn (the Sole Dispenser of ultimate reward and punishment). Elegance of syntax requires that the order of priorities in the Book of Nature should be reflected in in the same sequence in the Book of Revelation.