Ala-Maududi
(59:23) He is Allah: there is no god but He: the King,[36] the Holy,[37]the All-Peace,[39] the Giver of security,[38] the Overseer,[40]the Most Mighty,[41] the Overpowering,[42] the All-Great.[43]Exalted be He from whatever they associate with Him.
36. The word used in the original is al-Malik, which means that He alone is the real Sovereign.Moreover, the word al- Malik in its general sense also gives the meaning that He is King of theentire universe and not of a particular region or of a specific country. His Sovereignty andrule comprehends the entire universe.
He is Master of everything. Everything submits itself to His command and power and authority, andthere is nothing to delimit His Sovereignty. At different places in the Quran all aspects ofAllah’s Sovereignty have been presented and explained fully.
And whoever exists in the heavens and the earth, belongs to Him. All are obedient to Him. (Surah Ar-Room, Ayat 26).
He administers the affairs of the world from the heavens to the earth. (Surah As-Sajdah, Ayat 5).
To Him belongs the dominion of the earth and the heavens, and all matters are referred to Him fordecision. (Surah Al- Hadid, Ayat 5).
He has no partner in His sovereignty. (Surah Al-Furqan, Ayat 2).
In His hand is the absolute control of everything. (Surah Ya Seen, Ayat 83).
Doer of whatever He wills. (Surah Al-Burooj, Ayat 16).
He is accountable to none for what He does, but all others are accountable (to Him). (Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayat 23).
Allah rules and there is none to reverse His decrees. (Surah Ar-Raad, Ayat 41).
The Being Who gives protection while none can give protection against Him. (Surah Al-Momin, Ayat 88).
Say: O Allah, Sovereign of the Kingdom, You bestow kingdom on whomever You will, and You take itaway from whomever You will. You exalt whomever You will and You abase whomever You will. Allthat is good is in Your power; indeed You have full power over all things. (Surah Al-Imran, Ayat 26).
These explanations make it abundantly clear that Allah is not King in some limited or metaphoricsense but He is real King in the most perfect and complete sense of sovereignty. As a matter offact, if sovereignty in its true sense is at all found somewhere, it is found only in Allah’sKingship. Apart from this, wherever it is claimed to be, whether in the person of a king ordictator, or in a class or group or family, or in some nation, he or it possesses no sovereigntyat all, for sovereignty is not a gift, which may at one time be granted and at another timewithdrawn, which may be in danger of being usurped, the establishment and existence of which maybe temporary and temporal, and the sphere of power and authority of which may be circumscribedand restricted by many other conflicting powers.
37. Al-Quddus is a superlative. It means that Allah is far exalted that He should have a fault ordefect or demerit. He is the purest Being. No evil can be imagined about Him. Here, one shouldclearly understand that the attribute of holiness is a foremost accompaniment of sovereignty.Man’s intellect and nature refuse to believe that a being who is the bearer of sovereignty maybe mischievous, ill behaved, ill-natured, who may be characterized with these base qualitiesfrom whose power and authority his subjects might be in danger of suffering evil instead ofbeing blessed with good. That is why wherever man thinks sovereignty is centered, he assumesholiness also to be there, even if it is not there, for absolute sovereignty is inconceivablewithout holiness. But, obviously, there is no real Sovereign, nor can there be, except Allah,Who is the Holy. Whether it is monarchy, or sovereignty of the people, or dictatorship of thesocialist system, or some other form of human rule, in any case holiness for it isinconceivable.
38. The word As-Salam as used in the original means peace and Secure, Allah’s being calledAs-Salam means that He is peace and safety personified. He is far exalted that some calamity orweakness or defect should befall Him, or His Perfection should suffer a decline or blemish.
39. The word Al-Mumin is derived from amun, which means to secure from fear, and Mumin is one whoprovides security to others. Allah has been called Al-Mumin in the sense that He providessecurity to His creatures. His creatures are secure from the fear that He would ever wrong them,or deprive them of their rights, or allow their rewards to go to waste, or would violate thepromises He has made with them. Then, since no object has been mentioned with this subject, butthe epithet of Al-Mumin has been used absolutely, it automatically gives the meaning that Hissecurity comprehends the entire universe and all that it contains.
40. The word Al-Muhaimin has three meanings:
(1) The Guardian and Protector.
(2) The Observer who sees what everyone does.
(3) The Being Who has taken up the responsibility to fulfill the needs and requirements of thepeople.
Here also, since the word Al-Muhaimin has been used absolutely, and no object has been mentionedof this subject, therefore, it by itself gives the implied meaning that He is guarding andprotecting all creatures, is watching the acts and deeds of everyone, and has taken up theresponsibility of sustaining and providing for every creature in the universe with its needs andrequirements.
41. Al-Aziz: such an Almighty Being against Whom no one may dare raise his head, no one may havethe power to resist His decrees, before Whom everyone may be helpless and powerless.
42. The word al-Jabbar as used in the original is derived from jabr which means setting somethingright by use of power, reforming something by force. Allah has been called Al-Jabbar in thesense that He sets the system of His universe right by the use of power and enforces His will,which is entirely based on wisdom. Moreover, the word Jabber also contains the meaning ofgreatness and glory. Thus, a palm-tree which is too tall for the people to pluck its fruit iscalled jabber in Arabic. Likewise, an act which is grand and glorious is called amal jabbar.
43. The word Al-Mutakabbir has two meanings.
(1) The one who is not actually great but poses as great.
(2) The one who is actually great and sets himself up as such.
Whether it is man or Satan, or some other creature, since greatness does not, in fact, belong toit, its posing itself as great and claiming superiority over others is, a false claim and avice. Contrary to this, Allah Almighty is truly Great and greatness actually belongs to Him, andeverything in the universe is low and insignificant as against Him. Therefore, His being Greatand setting Himself up as Great is no false claim but reality; it is not an evil quality but avirtue and excellence, which no one else has but Allah.