EXPLANATION OF AR-RABB- THE LORD
The Meaning of Ar-Rabb, the Lord
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Ar-Rabb is the owner who has full authority over his property. Ar-Rabb, linguistically means, the master or the one who has the authority to lead. All of these meanings are correct for Allah. When it is alone, the word Rabb is used only for Allah. As for other than Allah, it can be used to say Rabb Ad-Dar, the master of such and such object. Further, it was reported that Ar-Rabb is Allah’s Greatest Name.
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|Source : Tafseer Ibn Kathir, Surah Fathiha|
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Ar-Rabb (The Lord): This name has been repeatedly mentioned in many verses.
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Ar-Rabb is the One Who nurtures and sustains all of His servants through regulating the affairs and granting all types of favours and blessings. More specifically He is the One Who nurtures and sustains his sincere friends by correcting and purifying their hearts, souls and manners. This is why their supplications are frequently made with this Noble Name because they seek this specific nurturing.
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|Source : Explaining the detailed meanings of the Names of Allaah from Tayseer Kareemur-Rahmaan of Imaam as-Sa’dee. [Taken from Tayseer al-Kareem ar-Rahmaan, Abdur-Rahmaan Naasir as-Sa`dee’s Tafseer|
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The meaning of ar-Rabb
With regards to the meaning of ar-Rabb, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al ‘Uthaymeen rahimahullaah states:
Rabb – meaning khaaliq (Creator) and Sovereign Owner and the One who controls; so He is the One who created the heavens and the Earth; and He is the One who owns the heavens and the Earth; and He is the One who controls the heavens and the Earth.
He, the Most High, said:
أَلاَ لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالأَمْرُ
Certainly creation and command are His alone.
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|Soorah al A’raaf 7- 54|
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And this is His being unique with regards to His creating and His controlling.
And He, the Most High, said:
وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرضِ
And to Allaah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the Earth.
.
|Surah al Jaathiyah 45-27|
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And this is His being unique in terms of sovereignty.
(And His saying) :
رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
Rabb il ‘aalameen (Lord of all creation)
.
|Surah as Saaffaat 37-182|
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Meaning: their Creator and their Sovereign Owner and the One who controls their affairs.
And an ‘aalam is: everything other than Allaah. And they are called ‘aalam because they are a sign for their Creator. So in everything from the created things of Allaah, there is a sign proving His Oneness and His Perfection.
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And rabb here has the meaning of ‘one who possesses’ something and its meaning is not ‘creator’.
_
And it occurs in the Qur’aan with the meaning of Creator and Sovereign Owner and One who controls – except in this place; so the intent here is ‘one who possesses’ only.
_
And it is not possible that it be with the meaning of ‘creator’ here since al ‘izzah (power and might) is one of the Attributes of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic; and the Attributes of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic are not created.
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So it is a must that the intent behind ‘rabb’ in His saying “rabb il ‘izzah” is the One who possesses power and strength, and not Creator (of ‘izzah) since the Attributes of the Rabb are not created.
.
|Tafseer Soorah as Saaffaat of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al ‘Uthaymeen rahimahullaah , quoted in Mu’jam at Ta’reefaat p200. Translated by Nasser ibn Najam|
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And Ar-Rabb (the Lord) is the One Who is worshipped,
and the proof is His saying, He the Most High:
"O mankind, single out your Lord with all worship, He Who created you and those who came before you so that you may be dutiful to Him, seeking to avoid His anger and His punishment. He Who made the earth a resting place for you and the sky a canopy, and He sent down from the clouds rain, and He brought out with it crops and fruits from the earth as provision for you, so do not set up rivals for Allaah whilst you know that you have no Lord besides Him."
.
|2:21-22|
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His saying, “And Ar-Rabb (the Lord) is the One Who is worshipped”:
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Meaning, He is the One Who deserves to be worshipped, as for other than Him, then it does not deserve worship, because it is not a Lord.
_
This is the intent of the speech of the Shaikh rahimahullaah in his saying, “Ar-Rabb (the Lord) is the One Who is worshipped”:
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Meaning He is the One Who deserves worship.
_
Then also it is not sufficient that a person just affirms Ar-Ruboobiyyah (Lordship), rather he must affirm Al-‘Uboodiyyah (Allaah’s deserving all worship), He the Perfect and Most High, and he must carry it out making it purely and sincerely for Him, the Perfect and Most High.
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So since he has affirmed that He is Ar-Rabb (the Lord) then it is binding upon him to affirm that he is Al-Ma‘bood (the One Who therefore deserves to be worshipped), and that others besides Him do not deserve anything from worship.
.
|Source : Sharh Usool-ith-Thalaathah – Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles|
_
How Can You Live By This Name?
1. Feel it when you say “Rabb-il-‘Alameen.”
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In your five prayers, you recite surah Al-Fatiha seventeen times a day, and which ayah do you recite as part of this opening surah? Alhamdulillahi Rabb-il-‘Alameen– All praise and thanks are to the Lord of the Worlds.
_
Next time you say this, feel the greatness of your Rabb and imagine He is not only the Rabb of the world of humans, but also the Rabb of the angels, jinns, and all the galaxies, and He takes care of everything in existence 24/7. Let this increase your love, fear and hope in Him each time you say “Rabb-il-‘Alameen!”
_
Did you also notice that in each prayer, in each rukoo’, you say ‘subhana rabbiyal-‘adheem’ and in each sujood ‘subhana rabbiyal-‘alaa’? Each time you say these beautiful phrases of remembrance, truly remember that Allah is your Rabb. Each prayer is filled with this beautiful name!
.
2. Live by tawheed ar-ruboobiyyah.
_
Realize what tawheed ur-ruboobiyyah means in your daily life and really live by the fact only Allah is your Lord, Provider, and Sustainer.
_
How many times do we turn to other people instead of Allah for our needs, when we have to make certain decisions? So when you or others are in ill health or afraid to sacrifice in the path of Allah, know that only Ar-Rabb can give life and death. When you are worried and distressed, know that only Ar-Rabb can bring benefit and ward off harm, and when you need something, know that only He answers prayers.
.
3. Trust in your Lord.
_
Know that Ar-Rabb takes care of you in all situations and trust in all His actions because they are good for you. Take inspiration from this beautiful ayah: [Moses] said, “No! Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me. |Quran, 26:62|
_
Ar-Rabb is the owner who has full authority over his property. Ar-Rabb, linguistically means, the master or the one who has the authority to lead. All of these meanings are correct for Allah. When it is alone, the word Rabb is used only for Allah. As for other than Allah, it can be used to say Rabb Ad-Dar, the master of such and such object. Further, it was reported that Ar-Rabb is Allah’s Greatest Name.
.
|Source : Tafseer Ibn Kathir, Surah Fathiha|
–
Ar-Rabb (The Lord): This name has been repeatedly mentioned in many verses.
_
Ar-Rabb is the One Who nurtures and sustains all of His servants through regulating the affairs and granting all types of favours and blessings. More specifically He is the One Who nurtures and sustains his sincere friends by correcting and purifying their hearts, souls and manners. This is why their supplications are frequently made with this Noble Name because they seek this specific nurturing.
.
|Source : Explaining the detailed meanings of the Names of Allaah from Tayseer Kareemur-Rahmaan of Imaam as-Sa’dee. [Taken from Tayseer al-Kareem ar-Rahmaan, Abdur-Rahmaan Naasir as-Sa`dee’s Tafseer|
–
The meaning of ar-Rabb
With regards to the meaning of ar-Rabb, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al ‘Uthaymeen rahimahullaah states:
Rabb – meaning khaaliq (Creator) and Sovereign Owner and the One who controls; so He is the One who created the heavens and the Earth; and He is the One who owns the heavens and the Earth; and He is the One who controls the heavens and the Earth.
He, the Most High, said:
أَلاَ لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالأَمْرُ
Certainly creation and command are His alone.
.
|Soorah al A’raaf 7- 54|
_
And this is His being unique with regards to His creating and His controlling.
And He, the Most High, said:
وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرضِ
And to Allaah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the Earth.
.
|Surah al Jaathiyah 45-27|
_
And this is His being unique in terms of sovereignty.
(And His saying) :
رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
Rabb il ‘aalameen (Lord of all creation)
.
|Surah as Saaffaat 37-182|
.
Meaning: their Creator and their Sovereign Owner and the One who controls their affairs.
And an ‘aalam is: everything other than Allaah. And they are called ‘aalam because they are a sign for their Creator. So in everything from the created things of Allaah, there is a sign proving His Oneness and His Perfection.
_
And rabb here has the meaning of ‘one who possesses’ something and its meaning is not ‘creator’.
_
And it occurs in the Qur’aan with the meaning of Creator and Sovereign Owner and One who controls – except in this place; so the intent here is ‘one who possesses’ only.
_
And it is not possible that it be with the meaning of ‘creator’ here since al ‘izzah (power and might) is one of the Attributes of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic; and the Attributes of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic are not created.
_
So it is a must that the intent behind ‘rabb’ in His saying “rabb il ‘izzah” is the One who possesses power and strength, and not Creator (of ‘izzah) since the Attributes of the Rabb are not created.
.
|Tafseer Soorah as Saaffaat of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al ‘Uthaymeen rahimahullaah , quoted in Mu’jam at Ta’reefaat p200. Translated by Nasser ibn Najam|
_
And Ar-Rabb (the Lord) is the One Who is worshipped,
and the proof is His saying, He the Most High:
"O mankind, single out your Lord with all worship, He Who created you and those who came before you so that you may be dutiful to Him, seeking to avoid His anger and His punishment. He Who made the earth a resting place for you and the sky a canopy, and He sent down from the clouds rain, and He brought out with it crops and fruits from the earth as provision for you, so do not set up rivals for Allaah whilst you know that you have no Lord besides Him."
.
|2:21-22|
_
His saying, “And Ar-Rabb (the Lord) is the One Who is worshipped”:
.
Meaning, He is the One Who deserves to be worshipped, as for other than Him, then it does not deserve worship, because it is not a Lord.
_
This is the intent of the speech of the Shaikh rahimahullaah in his saying, “Ar-Rabb (the Lord) is the One Who is worshipped”:
_
Meaning He is the One Who deserves worship.
_
Then also it is not sufficient that a person just affirms Ar-Ruboobiyyah (Lordship), rather he must affirm Al-‘Uboodiyyah (Allaah’s deserving all worship), He the Perfect and Most High, and he must carry it out making it purely and sincerely for Him, the Perfect and Most High.
_
So since he has affirmed that He is Ar-Rabb (the Lord) then it is binding upon him to affirm that he is Al-Ma‘bood (the One Who therefore deserves to be worshipped), and that others besides Him do not deserve anything from worship.
.
|Source : Sharh Usool-ith-Thalaathah – Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles|
_
How Can You Live By This Name?
1. Feel it when you say “Rabb-il-‘Alameen.”
_
In your five prayers, you recite surah Al-Fatiha seventeen times a day, and which ayah do you recite as part of this opening surah? Alhamdulillahi Rabb-il-‘Alameen– All praise and thanks are to the Lord of the Worlds.
_
Next time you say this, feel the greatness of your Rabb and imagine He is not only the Rabb of the world of humans, but also the Rabb of the angels, jinns, and all the galaxies, and He takes care of everything in existence 24/7. Let this increase your love, fear and hope in Him each time you say “Rabb-il-‘Alameen!”
_
Did you also notice that in each prayer, in each rukoo’, you say ‘subhana rabbiyal-‘adheem’ and in each sujood ‘subhana rabbiyal-‘alaa’? Each time you say these beautiful phrases of remembrance, truly remember that Allah is your Rabb. Each prayer is filled with this beautiful name!
.
2. Live by tawheed ar-ruboobiyyah.
_
Realize what tawheed ur-ruboobiyyah means in your daily life and really live by the fact only Allah is your Lord, Provider, and Sustainer.
_
How many times do we turn to other people instead of Allah for our needs, when we have to make certain decisions? So when you or others are in ill health or afraid to sacrifice in the path of Allah, know that only Ar-Rabb can give life and death. When you are worried and distressed, know that only Ar-Rabb can bring benefit and ward off harm, and when you need something, know that only He answers prayers.
.
3. Trust in your Lord.
_
Know that Ar-Rabb takes care of you in all situations and trust in all His actions because they are good for you. Take inspiration from this beautiful ayah: [Moses] said, “No! Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me. |Quran, 26:62|
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