Favours of the Gracious God — Page 82
82 That word is ج ر� [ Rabb ], which has been taken from the vocabulary of the Holy Qur’an. This word appears in the very first chapter and very first verse of the Holy Qur’an, as Allah—the Lord of Glory—says: ِِّٰ ہّٰلل ُ اَلْحَمْد َ ض الْعٰلَم�ِی�ْ ِّ ب رَ [All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds]. It is stated in Lis a n Al-‘Arab and T a j Al-‘Ur u s , which are authentic lexicons, that in the Arabic language the word ج ر� [ Rabb ] consists of seven meanings which are: 1. M a lik [Master] 2. Sayyid [Chief] 3. Mudabbir [The One who Plans] 4. Murabb i [Nourisher]. Qayyim [Sustainer] 6. Mun‘im [Bestower of Rewards] 7. Mutammim [The One who Completes]. Thus, out of these seven mean - ings, three meanings convey the grandeur of God’s Being: included among them is M a lik. In the Arabic lexicon, the word مالک [ M a lik ] is used for someone who has complete control over his kingdom, such that he can make use of it in any way he so pleases, and he possesses a sole right over it to the exclusion of everyone else. This word, in its true sense—meaning in terms of its definition—cannot be applied to anyone except God Almighty, for complete control, complete power to make use of something and complete rights over it is not befitting for anyone ex -