At five different instances in the Qur’an, Allah ﷻ refers to Himself as Al-Malik. The Arabic word Malik derives its meaning from the root ma-la-ka; Al-Malik is the one who possesses the attribute of ma-la-ka. Though for convenience it is commonly translated as sovereignty, the concept of ma-la-ka cannot completely be encompassed by any single word in the English language. Ma-la-ka is an attribute that contains the attributes of ownership, power and authority/control. Meaning Al-Malik, the One who possesses all these attributes, is the absolute King. The King that has absolute ownership of his kingdom, has complete authority over everything in His kingdom and has the absolute power to carry out His will. It is important to note the different between Al-Malik and Malik: Al-Malik refers to the King, while malik could refer to any king. In the Qur’an, the attribute of ma-la-ka has been used referring to humans, but only in the non-absolute sense. Sure, a king may have some sovereignty over a region for some time, but their sovereignty can never be absolute. It is flawed and temporary. The only true and absolute king, the only Al-Malik, is Allah ﷻ and all sovereignty is his. As said by a righteous man from among the Pharaoh’s people:
يَا قَوْمِ لَكُمُ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ ظَاهِرِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَمَن يَنصُرُنَا مِن بَأْسِ اللَّهِ إِنْ جَاءنَا قَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ مَا أُرِيكُمْ إِلَّا مَا أَرَى وَمَا أَهْدِيكُمْ إِلَّا سَبِيلَ الرَّشَادِ
“O my people! Authority belongs to you today, reigning supreme in the land. But who would help us against the torment of Allah if it were to befall us?” [40:29]
It goes without saying that no human in history can rightfully claim the title of Al-Malik and it is considered despicable to use the name Al-Malik for a human. Narrated by Abu-Huraira, the Prophet (ﷺ) said,
"Allah will take the whole earth (in His Hand) and will roll up the Heaven in His right Hand, and then He will say, "I am King! Where are the kings of the earth? "
[Sahih al-Bukhari 6519]
So, what does this mean for us? All of us are part of the kingdom of Al-Malik. Firstly, this attribute of Allah ﷻ should serve as a stark reminder. We and everything we have been blessed with are always within the dominion of our King; our land, belongings, wealth and even our physical bodies do not actually belong to us. Additionally, our punishment and reward are also completely in the hands of our King. We should constantly remind ourselves of this and live our lives in line with the commandments of Allah ﷻ.
Secondly, it should also serve as a source of comfort and reassurance. Everything belongs to our King and He has power and control over everything. No request is too great for Him to fulfill and no situation is too dire for Him to alleviate. All harm that befalls us is from His wisdom and yet all alleviation is also from Him. Whenever a calamity befalls us, we should reassure ourselves that it is all within the kingdom of our King, Allah ﷻ. We should ask Him for whatever we want, keeping in mind that everything is His to give.
Lastly, we should praise Allah ﷻ with respect to His title of Al-Malik. Narrated by Abu-Huraira, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said,
"Whoever says: "La ilaha illal-lah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahu-l-mulk wa lahul- hamd wa huwa 'ala kulli shai'in qadir,"
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ، وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
None has the right to be worshipped except Allah, alone, without partner, to Him belongs all sovereignty and praise, and He is over all things omnipotent
one hundred times will get the same reward as given for manumitting ten slaves; and one hundred good deeds will be written in his accounts, and one hundred sins will be deducted from his accounts, and it (his saying) will be a shield for him from Satan on that day till night, and nobody will be able to do a better deed except the one who does more than he." [Sahih al-Bukhari 6403]