ﲓ ﲔ ﲕ ﲖ ﲗ ﲘ ﲙ ﲚ ﲛ ﲜ ﲝ ﲞ ﲟ ﲠ ﲡ ﲢ ﲣ ﲤ ﲥ ﲦ ﲧ ﲨ ﲩ
You cause the night to enter the day, and You cause the day to enter the night; and You bring the living out of the dead, and You bring the dead out of the living. And You give provision to whom You will without account."
Tafsir
Verse range: 3:26-27
"Say: O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty..."
The Mim in "Allahumma" (اللهم): It is a substitute for the vocative particle "Ya" (O). Therefore, they do not appear together. This is among the unique characteristics of this Name, just as it is uniquely distinguished by the Ta (ت) in oaths, the entry of the vocative particle upon it, the inclusion of the definite article (Al), the cutting of its hamza in "Ya Allah," and other features.
"Owner of Sovereignty" (مالك الملك): Meaning: You possess the genus of sovereignty, disposing of it as owners dispose of what they own.
"You give sovereignty to whom You will" (تؤتي الملك من تشاء): You grant to whom You will the portion of sovereignty that You have allotted to them and which Your wisdom necessitates.
"And You take sovereignty away from whom You will" (وتنزع الملك ممن تشاء): The portion You had previously granted them. Thus, the first "sovereignty" is general and comprehensive, while the latter two are specific portions of the whole.
Historical Context: It is narrated that when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) conquered Mecca, he promised his nation the kingdoms of Persia and Rome. The hypocrites and Jews said: "Far-fetched! How could Muhammad possess the kingdoms of Persia and Rome? They are too mighty and fortified for that."
It is also narrated that during the Battle of the Trench, when the Prophet (ﷺ) struck a great rock that the picks could not break, he struck it three times. With each strike, a light flashed, and he said: "I have been shown the palaces of Al-Hirah, the red palaces of Rome, and the palaces of Sana'a. Gabriel has informed me that my nation will prevail over them all." The hypocrites mocked this, saying: "Do you not wonder? He promises you falsehoods, claiming he sees the palaces of Chosroes from Yathrib while you are digging a trench out of fear, unable to even emerge!" Then this verse was revealed.
"In Your hand is [all] good" (بيدك الخير): If you ask: "Why is 'good' mentioned without 'evil'?" I reply: Because the discourse concerns the good that He drives toward the believers—the very thing the disbelievers denied. It is as if to say: "In Your hand is the good; You grant it to Your allies despite Your enemies." Furthermore, all of Allah’s actions—whether beneficial or harmful—proceed from wisdom and interest; thus, they are all "good," including the granting and stripping of sovereignty.
The Manifestation of Power: He then mentions His dazzling power by citing the alternation of night and day, and the emergence of the living from the dead and the dead from the living. He follows this with the mention of His provision without account, indicating that He who is capable of these great, mind-boggling acts, and who provides without measure to whom He wills, is surely capable of stripping sovereignty from the non-Arabs and humiliating them, while granting it to the Arabs and honoring them.
In some scriptures, it is written: "I am Allah, King of kings. The hearts of kings and their forelocks are in My hand. If My servants obey Me, I make them a mercy for them; if they disobey Me, I make them a punishment upon them. Do not busy yourselves with cursing kings; rather, repent to Me, and I will turn them toward you with kindness." This is the meaning of the Prophet’s (ﷺ) saying: "As you are, so will you be ruled."
