Muhkamat and Mutasyabihat

Muhkamat dan Mutasyabihat

Part 8 : Malik

We previously said I would teach you how to become Ulul Albab. In truth, I cannot and I am not qualified. Only you can do that for yourself.

Becoming Ulul Albab is not something inherited or borrowed from others. It is not a title people hand out. It is an inner awareness that emerges when the mind and the heart meet on the path of Allah. I can only point to the direction, not carry you to the destination. You must walk the road yourself.

What I can do is show you the simplest path, especially by using today’s technology. This is no longer the era of copying mushafs by hand. Knowledge is no longer limited to those who sit in a madrasa. Today anyone can trace meanings, follow roots of words, and link Quranic verses with a few clicks.

I want you to know that becoming Ulul Albab today is not impossible. In the past it could take years to memorize, copy, and verify verses. Now much of that can be done in moments. With some patience and a sincere intention and a sound method you can follow the same web of meanings that the great scholars once traversed.

Later, once you grasp the method and the flow, you can proceed on your own with better ways. You can go faster, more systematically, and more deeply than what I show here. Living knowledge should not stop with me. It should grow in you if you are willing to seek further.

Use Al-Fātiḥah 4 as the Study Hub

We will begin from a single verse as our starting point:

مَٰلِكِ يَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ
“Owner of the Day of Recompense.”

From this verse we divide the study into three pillars:

Malik (4a)
Yauma (4b)
Ad-Deen (4c)

This fourth verse is muhkamat. It is firm and functions as a parent reference. From it we will follow other verses that share the same words or meanings to see how the Qur’an explains itself as a resilient network that safeguards its own meanings.

Starting Tadabbur With Digital Tools

We start with مَٰلِكِ (Malik, 4a).

Step 1: remove all vowel marks so only the letters remain. Use a tool to strip tashkeel.
From مَٰلِكِ to مالك.

Step 2: open https://quran.com

Step 3: paste مالك into the search bar and press Enter.
You will see verses that contain the term.

Here are the search links I used:

Below are the results I processed.

Al-Fātiḥah 1:4
Arabic: مَٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ
English: Owner of the Day of Recompense.
Al-Baqarah 2:102
Arabic: وَٱتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُوا ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينُ عَلَىٰ مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَـٰنَ ...
English: They followed what the devils recited during the reign of Solomon. Solomon did not disbelieve but the devils disbelieved teaching people magic …
Al-Baqarah 2:107
Arabic: أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ...
English: Do you not know that to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and that you have not besides Allah any protector or helper.
Āli ‘Imrān 3:26
Arabic: قُلِ ٱللَّهُمَّ مَـٰلِكَ ٱلْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِى ٱلْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَآءُ ...
English: Say O Allah Owner of Sovereignty You give sovereignty to whom You will and You take sovereignty away from whom You will. You honor whom You will and You humble whom You will. In Your hand is all good. Indeed You are over all things competent.
Āli ‘Imrān 3:189
Arabic: وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌ
English: To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and Allah is over all things competent.
Al-Mā’idah 5:17
Arabic: … وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا …
English: To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them. He creates what He wills and Allah is over all things competent.
Al-Mā’idah 5:18
Arabic: … وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَإِلَيْهِ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
English: To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them and to Him is the destination.
Al-Mā’idah 5:40
Arabic: أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ …
English: Do you not know that to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He punishes whom He wills and forgives whom He wills and Allah is over all things competent.
Al-Mā’idah 5:120
Arabic: لِلَّهِ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا فِيهِنَّ …
English: To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is within them and He is over all things competent.
Al-An‘ām 6:8
Arabic: وَقَالُوا لَوْلَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ …
English: They say why has not an angel been sent down to him. If We had sent down an angel the matter would have been decided then they would not be reprieved.
Al-An‘ām 6:50
Arabic: قُل لَّآ أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِندِى خَزَآئِنُ ٱللَّهِ … وَلَآ أَقُولُ لَكُمْ إِنِّى مَلَكٌ …
English: Say I do not tell you that I possess the treasures of Allah and I do not know the unseen and I do not tell you that I am an angel. I only follow what is revealed to me …
Al-A‘rāf 7:158
Arabic: قُلْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنِّى رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ … ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ …
English: Say O mankind indeed I am the Messenger of Allah to you all the One to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no deity except Him. He gives life and causes death …
At-Tawbah 9:116
Arabic: إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ …
English: Indeed to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He gives life and causes death and you have not besides Allah any protector or helper.
Hūd 11:12
Arabic: فَلَعَلَّكَ تَارِكٌۢ بَعْضَ مَا يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ …
English: Perhaps you would omit part of what is revealed to you and your chest is constrained by it because they say why has a treasure not been sent down to him or an angel come with him. You are only a warner and Allah is Disposer of all things.
Hūd 11:31
Arabic: وَلَآ أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِندِى خَزَآئِنُ ٱللَّهِ … وَلَآ أَقُولُ إِنِّى مَلَكٌ …
English: I do not say to you that I possess the treasures of Allah and I do not know the unseen and I do not say I am an angel. Allah knows best what is within their souls. If I were to say otherwise I would be among the wrongdoers.
Yūsuf 12:31
Arabic: … إِنْ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ
English: This is not a human. This is none but a noble angel.
Al-Kahf 18:79
Arabic: … وَكَانَ وَرَآءَهُم مَّلِكٌۭ يَأْخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍۢ غَصْبًۭا
English: Behind them was a king who seized every good ship by force.
An-Nūr 24:42
Arabic: وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
English: To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and to Allah is the final return.
Al-Furqān 25:2
Arabic: ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ …
English: He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth who has not taken a son who has no partner in the dominion and who created all things and determined them with precise determination.
Al-Furqān 25:7
Arabic: … لَوْلَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَلَكٌۭ فَيَكُونَ مَعَهُۥ نَذِيرًۭا
English: Why has an angel not been sent down to him so he would be a warner with him.
As-Sajdah 32:11
Arabic: قُلْ يَتَوَفَّىٰكُم مَّلَكُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ٱلَّذِى وُكِّلَ بِكُمْ …
English: Say the Angel of Death will take you who has been entrusted with you then to your Lord you will be returned.
Al-Ahzāb 33:27
Arabic: وَأَوْرَثَكُمْ أَرْضَهُمْ وَدِيَـٰرَهُمْ وَأَمْوَٰلَهُمْ …
English: He caused you to inherit their land their homes and their properties and a land you had not trodden and Allah is over all things competent.
Sād 38:10
Arabic: أَمْ لَهُم مُّلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ …
English: Or do they possess the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them. Then let them ascend by means.
Az-Zumar 39:44
Arabic: قُل لِّلَّهِ ٱلشَّفَـٰعَةُ جَمِيعًۭا لَّهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ …
English: Say to Allah belongs all intercession. To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth then to Him you will be returned.
Ash-Shūrā 42:49
Arabic: لِّلَّهِ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ …
English: To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills. He grants to whom He wills females and He grants to whom He wills males.
Az-Zukhruf 43:51
Arabic: … أَلَيْسَ لِى مُلْكُ مِصْرَ …
English: O my people does not the kingdom of Egypt belong to me and these rivers flowing beneath me. Do you not see.
Az-Zukhruf 43:85
Arabic: وَتَبَارَكَ ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ …
English: Blessed is He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them. With Him is knowledge of the Hour and to Him you will be returned.
Al-Jāthiyah 45:27
Arabic: وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ …
English: To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and the Day the Hour rises that Day the falsifiers will lose.
Al-Fatḥ 48:14
Arabic: وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ …
English: To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He forgives whom He wills and He punishes whom He wills and Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.
An-Najm 53:26
Arabic: وَكَم مِّن مَّلَكٍۢ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ …
English: How many angels there are in the heavens whose intercession will not avail at all except after Allah permits for whom He wills and approves.
Al-Hadīd 57:2
Arabic: لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ …
English: To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He gives life and causes death and He is over all things competent.
Al-Hadīd 57:5
Arabic: لَّهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ ٱلْأُمُورُ
English: To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and to Allah all matters return.
Al-Burūj 85:9
Arabic: ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ …
English: The One to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and Allah is Witness over all things.
An-Nās 114:2
Arabic: مَلِكِ ٱلنَّاسِ
English: King of mankind.

What This List Is For

If you only read this list you will not become Ulul Albab. Reading a list makes you a collector of information not a seeker of meaning.

If instead you take each verse, open its surah, read the Arabic with a translation, then read a few verses before and a few verses after, you will begin to see the full context. That is how the meaning of Malik unfolds in the Qur’an.

You will find that Malik in the Qur’an never stands alone. It is tied to ownership, authority, justice, and responsibility. In human contexts it refers to limited kingship entrusted and tested. In the realm of angels it points to assigned roles and entrusted duties. With Allah it reaches absolute meaning, ownership without limit, authority that cannot be challenged, and governance that never ends.

When you review all appearances of Malik whether as nouns like مَلِك (king) and مَالِك (owner) or as verbs like يملك (he possesses) and ملكنا (we ruled), you will understand that Al-Fātiḥah 1:4 presents Allah as the Absolute Owner who governs the full reckoning on the Day of Recompense.

This is how Ulul Albab work. Not by assumption but by evidence and context. They weigh meanings across muhkamat and mutashabihat. If someone proposes a meaning for Malik that contradicts the Quranic usage pattern set by Allah, that claim has no validity and deviates from revelation.

Root Map Notes

Below is the manual derivation list I compiled from the root ملك. These forms appear across different contexts. All are tied to ownership, authority, and governance:

ملك = king or kingdom
ملكت = I owned
يملك = he owns or controls
ملكنا = we owned or we ruled
ملوك = kings
ملكوت = the absolute dominion or unseen realm of authority
ملكية = ownership
تمليك = transfer of ownership
استملك = to make something one’s property
مملكة = kingdom or domain
ملكان = two angels
ملائكة = angels
مالك = owner or possessor
مالكان = two owners
مالكون / مالكين = owners
مليك = sovereign or lord
ملاك = essence or also angel in older usage
ملك = dominion or rule
ملكة = faculty or aptitude
املاك = properties
متملك = one who takes possession
مملاك = owned place or royal domain

Conclusion

This list was not produced by automated search. It comes from a systematic tadabbur of the root across verses to see how Allah employs it in different settings.

From this process you will see a clear pattern. Ownership in the Qur’an is never absolute except for Allah. Any creature given power or property is tested and limited. That is why this vocabulary is used with precision because power without justice corrupts and ownership without duty oppresses.

This work demands both intellect and heart. Intelligence without sincerity yields little. Sincerity without method harvests little. To be Ulul Albab you must think, examine, review, and persist, connecting muhkamat with mutashabihat. It is not mere academics. It is worship that ties the mind to the Lord.

Following this path from Al-Fātiḥah to all occurrences of ملك lets you watch the Qur’an balance power with justice, ownership with trust, authority with accountability.

Go deep and you will recognize one of Allah’s Most Beautiful Names, Al-Malik. It is not a badge that says King or Owner. It is a confession that every form of power, property, influence, and realm in the heavens and the earth is only on loan and will return to Him.

From there Ulul Albab see Al-Malik not just as a name but as reality in function. They see Allah’s rule in every system, every law, and every order that holds the heavens and the earth. They learn that no ownership is real except His.

Then you will understand why مَٰلِكِ يَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ in Al-Fātiḥah 1:4 is muhkamat. It is not only a declaration of Allah’s authority in the Hereafter. It warns that all worldly power is only a small shadow of His absolute governance.

This is the road that shapes the heart of Ulul Albab. The heart remembers Allah while the mind reflects. The mind reflects while the heart remembers. Each time Al-Fātiḥah is recited it is not mere repetition. It is witnessing the Lord who owns all creatures, all time, and all recompense.

To be continued

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Please note that this article was originally written in Malay and has been translated into English by AI. If you have any doubts or require clarification, please refer to the original Malay version. Feel free to contact us for any corrections or further assistance.

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