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In Surah Naas, Allah says:

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The key phrases I want to focus on are "rabbi an-naas" and "maliki an-naas." I will explain shortly.

First, in 'aqeedah, we study two topics: tawheed of Allah's rububiyyah (his Lordship) -- that he is the Creator, the Sustainer, and Provider of the human race.

Second is the topic of Allah's uloohiyyah -- that He is the only one worthy of worship (laa ilaaha illa Allah) -- we pray to Him, make du'a to Him, sacrifice for His sake, and all this to Him alone.

Ayah #3 establishes Allah's uloohiyyah and links the concepts of rububiyyah and uloohiyyah. Sure. But my question is, what are the benefits to mentioning two qualities of Allah's rububiyyah in this surah?

If the goal was to illustrate and link rububiyyah to uloohiyyah, one of the two qualities would suffice -- rabb an-naas, or maalik an-naas. However, both together seems to hint at something deeper.

But what?

Also, please clarify the meaning of "malik" in the Qur'an, as it refers to Allah.

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2 Answers 2

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In Quran, it's not always linking two different qualities, it's common to read "Samee' + Baseer"; where both refer to Allah's Olouheya.

In Al-nas surah, the main point is "Este'atha"; people turn to Allah to protect them. So Allah did not only mention that he created them and sustained the universe (Rab), but he added he's the king and ruler as well (Malik). People usually go to kings when they seek protection, don't they?

Lastly, Allah mentioned that he is the only one worthy of worship. Afterwards, Allah mentioned some of the enemy's properties we seek protection from.

Reference: Alkash-af, by Al-Zomokhshory (ar):

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    Welcome to Isam.SE, we suggest you visit the FAQ. We require answers to be supported by citations from Quran, sunnah/hadith, or any other reliable islamic reference. Please add some citations to your answer, your answer is currently low quality and unreferenced.
    – مجاهد
    Sep 27, 2012 at 16:42
  • Can references be in arabic? Sep 27, 2012 at 16:50
  • @TarekEldeeb absolutely. They must be translated into English though. (If it's the names of books, that should be simple enough.)
    – ashes999
    Sep 27, 2012 at 16:55
  • @Tarek Eldeeb yes, only if you provide an english translation, if you are linking to an all rabic site, than just summarize the answer in english and give the link.
    – مجاهد
    Sep 27, 2012 at 16:57
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    @Tarek Eldeeb it looks good, i edited it bit, hope you don't mind.
    – مجاهد
    Sep 27, 2012 at 17:14
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As humans we are limited and created by Absolute God. we do not have the ability to Know entity of God. i.e. we can not understand what is God itself. but we only can understand names (attributes of God). God has thousands of attributes. and each attribute of God represents properties of God to us. in Quran we see different names of God and each is to we know God more and more and using this knowledge become more and more near to God to finally can meet him. knowing God at a high level is needed to meet God.

Malik means King/Lord

Here is some part of commentary of this verse from Tafsir al-Mizan

It is human nature that when one is faced with (some kind of evil), which he fears and feels vulnerable, he seeks help from the one whom he sees as very capable of protecting and defending him from the evil (reaching him). The one who is suitable to be a protector and preserver is one of the three:

First, a Lord who guards, administers and rears him and to whom he may turn for all affairs and what is needed for survival and protection from evil that may threaten him. This is an independent reason in itself.

Second, a King who is strong in authority, extreme in ability and influential in ruling who protects him from evil with his authority. This as well is an independent reason (for seeking help) in itself.

Third, a worshipped God who is One having no partner, especially if this worshipping is associated with sincerity from the worshipper who will not glorify and beseech (help) for his needs, except Him. So he does not desire except what God dictates for him and does not act except what God wills (for him).

The rest of this tafsir here.

Reference and more study:

The Ninety Nine Attributes of Allah

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