Lord of the East and the West

(Lord of the East and the West) is in the nominative case (marfu') as a form of praise (madh). It is also said to be an initiating noun (mubtada') whose predicate is “There is no god but He.” Zayd ibn Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) recited it as Rabbi (in the accusative case, mansub) as an expression of specification (ikhtisas) and praise, which supports the first view. The brothers [Hamzah and Al-Kisa'i], Ibn 'Amir, Abu Bakr, and Ya'qub recited it as Rabbi (in the genitive case, majrur) as an appositive (badal) to Rabbika. Others say it is due to an implied oath particle, with the response to the oath being “There is no god but He.” This interpretation involves the omission of the oath particle without a substitute, while retaining its grammatical effect, which is very weak, as explained in Arabic linguistics. This has been narrated from Ibn 'Abbas, but Abu Hayyan critiqued it by saying: "Perhaps it is not authentically attributed to him, for it involves the omission of the preposition in an oath, which is not permissible according to the Basran school except with the majestic name of Allah, such as 'Allahi, I shall surely do such and such,' and it cannot be extended by analogy. Furthermore, a negated sentence in the response to an oath, when negated by ma (not), is not negated by la (no) except in sentences beginning with a present tense verb frequently, and with nominal sentences rarely." This is the end of his statement. However, the apparent view of Ibn Malik in Al-Tashil is the unrestricted occurrence of a negated sentence as a response to an oath. He stated in the commentary of Al-Kafiyah that a nominal sentence can serve as a response to an oath when initiated with the negative la, but it must be repeated if its predicate precedes it or if the subject is definite, such as: "By Allah, there is no man in the house, nor woman" and "By Allah, there is neither Zayd in the house, nor 'Amr." From this, it is known that the matter is a point of contention between these two masters.

Ibn 'Abbas, 'Abdullah [ibn Mas'ud], and his companions recited it as Lord of the Easts and the Wests, in the plural form. The discussion regarding the reasoning for the singular and plural forms has already preceded.

The fa (so) in His saying, “So take Him as a Guardian,” is for the ordering of the command and its consequence based upon the exclusivity of divinity and lordship to Him, the Almighty and Majestic. Wakil (Guardian) is in the form of a passive participle (fa'il in the sense of maf'ul), meaning "One to whom affairs are entrusted." The intention behind taking Him, the Glorified, as a Guardian is to rely upon Him and delegate every affair to Him, the Almighty and Majestic. It is mentioned that the station of Tawakkul (reliance) is higher than the station of Tabattul (devotion/renunciation), for it entails the surrendering of one's own choice, and in it is an indication of the utmost love for Him, the Exalted. They recited:

My passion for Him is an obligation, whether He shows affection or turns away, And from Him, it is sweet, whether it is turbulent or serene. I have entrusted my entire affair to the Beloved; If He wills, He gives me life, and if He wills, He destroys me.

From the sayings of some of the masters: "Whoever is pleased with Allah, the Exalted, as a Guardian, will find a path to every goodness."