الْمَلِكُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Malik
The King
The Sovereign Lord, whose dominion is complete and free of any imperfection: that is Al-Malik, with 59:23 as its verse. Exalted is Allah, the True King, says 20:114, and al-Sa'di explains that every creature is His property and subject to His decrees.
Key verse
﴿فَتَعَـٰلَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۗ وَلَا تَعْجَلْ بِٱلْقُرْءَانِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يُقْضَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ وَحْيُهُۥ ۖ وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِى عِلْمًا﴾Exalted is Allah, the True King! Do not rush to recite ˹a revelation of˺ the Quran ˹O Prophet˺ before it is ˹properly˺ conveyed to you, and pray, “My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.”
The scholar's text
The Sovereign Lord, The One with the complete Dominion, the One Whose Dominion is clear from imperfection
(هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْمَلِكُ الْقُدُّوسُ السَّلَامُ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْمُهَيْمِنُ الْعَزِيزُ الْجَبَّارُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ) الحشر 59: 23
(He is Allah than Whom there is La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He) the King, the Holy, the One Free from all defects, the Giver of security, the Watcher over His creatures, the All-Mighty, the Compeller, the Supreme. Glory be to Allah! (High is He) above all that they associate as partners with Him.) Al-Hashr 59: 23
It is mentioned 5 times in the Holy Quran
السيد المالك، صاحب الملك التام، الذي تنزه ملكه عن النقص.
(هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُ ٱلْمُهَيْمِنُ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْجَبَّارُ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ) الحشر 59: 23
ورد في القرآن الكريم 5 مرات.
Exalted Is Allah, the True King
Exalted is Allah, the True King: the words come in 20:114 and again in 23:116. On the first, al-Sa'di explains the Name. Kingship is His attribute, all creatures are owned by Him, and His decrees, both what He ordains in creation and what He lays down as law, run through them. The same verse tells the Prophet ﷺ to pray, my Lord, increase me in knowledge. His haste to take in the revelation showed his love of knowledge, al-Sa'di says, so he was told to ask for more, and the way to it is effort, longing for knowledge, asking Allah and needing Him at every moment. On 23:116 he adds that being the true King of all creation rules out His having created people for nothing.
Arabic: فتعالى الله الملك الحق
تأتي ﴿فَتَعَـٰلَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْحَقُّ﴾ في طه وفي المؤمنون. قال السعدي في الأولى: «الذي الملك وصفه، والخلق كلهم مماليك له، وأحكام الملك القدرية والشرعية، نافذة فيهم»، وفي الآية نفسها: ﴿وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِى عِلْمًا﴾، قال: «ولما كانت عجلته صلى الله عليه وسلم، على تلقف الوحي ومبادرته إليه، تدل على محبته التامة للعلم وحرصه عليه، أمره الله تعالى أن يسأله زيادة العلم، فإن العلم خير، وكثرة الخير مطلوبة، وهي من الله، والطريق إليها الاجتهاد، والشوق للعلم، وسؤال الله، والاستعانة به، والافتقار إليه في كل وقت». وقال في آية المؤمنون: «فكونه ملكا للخلق كلهم حقا، في صدقه، ووعده، ووعيده، مألوها معبودا، لما له من الكمال رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الكريم فما دونه من باب أولى، يمنع أن يخلقكم عبثا».
Lord Over All Authorities
﴿قُلِ ٱللَّهُمَّ مَـٰلِكَ ٱلْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِى ٱلْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتَنزِعُ ٱلْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَآءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَآءُ ۖ بِيَدِكَ ٱلْخَيْرُ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ﴾Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “O Allah! Lord over all authorities! You give authority to whoever You please and remove it from who You please; You honour whoever You please and disgrace who You please: all good is in Your Hands. Surely You ˹alone˺ are Most Capable of everything.
3:26 teaches a prayer: say, O Allah, Lord over all authorities, You give authority to whoever You please and remove it from whoever You please. You are the King who owns every kingdom, al-Sa'di explains, high and low, and every turn of events is Yours to manage. He does not set aside the means Allah attached to rule. Among them he names faith and good deeds, Muslims standing together and agreeing, preparing what they can, patience, and not quarrelling.
Arabic: قل اللهم مالك الملك
تعلم آية آل عمران دعاء: ﴿قُلِ ٱللَّهُمَّ مَـٰلِكَ ٱلْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِى ٱلْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتَنزِعُ ٱلْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَآءُ﴾، قال السعدي: «أي: أنت الملك المالك لجميع الممالك، فصفة الملك المطلق لك، والمملكة كلها علويها وسفليها لك والتصريف والتدبير كله لك»، وقال: «ولا ينافي ذلك ما أجرى الله به سنته من الأسباب الكونية والدينية التي هي سبب بقاء الملك وحصوله وسبب زواله»، و«ومن الأسباب التي جعلها الله سببا لحصول الملك الإيمان والعمل الصالح، التي منها اجتماع المسلمين واتفاقهم، وإعدادهم الآلات التي يقدروا عليها والصبر وعدم التنازع».
The Master of Humankind
﴿مَلِكِ ٱلنَّاسِ﴾the Master of humankind,
The last surah has the servant seek refuge in the Lord of humankind, the Master of humankind (114:2), the God of humankind, from the whisperer. Al-Sa'di says the refuge rests on this: all creatures fall under His lordship and His kingship, and He holds every living thing by its forelock. 67:1 says the same of everything: blessed is the One in whose hands rests all authority. Part of His greatness, al-Sa'di writes, is that the kingdom of the upper and lower worlds is in His hand, and He governs it by what He decrees and what He commands, following His wisdom.
Arabic: ملك الناس
في آخر سورة يستعيذ العبد برب الناس، ﴿مَلِكِ ٱلنَّاسِ﴾، إله الناس، من الوسواس، قال السعدي: «وأن الخلق كلهم، داخلون تحت الربوبية والملك، فكل دابة هو آخذ بناصيتها». وتقول آية الملك: ﴿تَبَـٰرَكَ ٱلَّذِى بِيَدِهِ ٱلْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ﴾، قال السعدي: «من عظمته أن بيده ملك العالم العلوي والسفلي، فهو الذي خلقه، ويتصرف فيه بما شاء، من الأحكام القدرية، والأحكام الدينية، التابعة لحكمته».
I Am the King: Who Will Call on Me?
The King speaks to His servants every night. “Allah descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the first part of the night is over and says: I am the Lord; I am the Lord: who is there to supplicate Me so that I answer him? Who is there to beg of Me so that I grant him? Who is there to beg forgiveness from Me so that I forgive him? He continues like this till the day breaks” (Sahih Muslim 758). In the Arabic of this narration the words are ana al-Malik, ana al-Malik: I am the King, I am the King, where the English gives the Lord.
Arabic: أنا الملك من ذا الذي يدعوني
والملك ينادي عباده كل ليلة: «يَنْزِلُ اللَّهُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ حِينَ يَمْضِي ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ الأَوَّلُ فَيَقُولُ أَنَا الْمَلِكُ أَنَا الْمَلِكُ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَدْعُونِي فَأَسْتَجِيبَ لَهُ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَسْأَلُنِي فَأُعْطِيَهُ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَسْتَغْفِرُنِي فَأَغْفِرَ لَهُ فَلاَ يَزَالُ كَذَلِكَ حَتَّى يُضِيءَ الْفَجْرُ» (صحيح مسلم 758). ولفظ العربية في هذه الرواية: أنا الملك، أنا الملك، وجاءت في الترجمة الإنجليزية بلفظ الرب.
King of Kings
Because the kingship is His, the Prophet ﷺ warned against a title that claims it: “The most awful name in Allah's sight on the Day of Resurrection, will be (that of) a man calling himself Malik Al-Amlak (the king of kings)” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6205). In one narration in Sahih Muslim the words follow: there is no king but Allah, the Exalted and Glorious (Sahih Muslim 2143), and its narrator Sufyan gave the Persian shahanshah as the same kind of name.
Arabic: ملك الأملاك
ولأن الملك لله وحده نهى النبي ﷺ عن لقب يدعيه: «أَخْنَى الأَسْمَاءِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ رَجُلٌ تَسَمَّى مَلِكَ الأَمْلاَكِ» (صحيح البخاري 6205). وفي رواية عند مسلم: «لاَ مَالِكَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ» (صحيح مسلم 2143)، وقال سفيان: «مِثْلُ شَاهَانْ شَاهْ».
From the Sunnah
The most awful name in Allah's sight on the Day of Resurrection, will be (that of) a man calling himself Malik Al-Amlak (the king of kings)
أَخْنَى الأَسْمَاءِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ رَجُلٌ تَسَمَّى مَلِكَ الأَمْلاَكِ
A du'a with this Name
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ الْمَلِكُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ . أَنْتَ رَبِّي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي وَاعْتَرَفْتُ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي ذُنُوبِي جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ
O Allah, Thou art the King, there is no god but Thee, Thou art my Lord, and I am Thy bondman. I wronged myself and make a confession of my Sin. Forgive all my sins, for no one forgives the sins but Thee
Sahih Muslim 771: from what the Prophet ﷺ said when he stood for prayer, as Ali ibn Abi Talib reported
Related Names
Questions about Al-Malik
What does Al-Malik mean?
Al-Malik is the King: the Sovereign Lord, with complete dominion, a dominion free of imperfection.
How many times is Al-Malik in the Quran?
Al-Malik is mentioned 5 times in the Quran; its verse is 59:23.
Can a person be called King of Kings?
No. The Prophet ﷺ called it the most awful name in Allah's sight on the Day of Resurrection (Sahih al-Bukhari 6205).
Is Al-Malik used in hadith?
Yes. In Sahih Muslim 758 Allah descends every night to the lowest heaven and says, in the Arabic, ana al-Malik, I am the King, then asks who will call on Him.