الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿3﴾مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ ﴿4﴾
﴾3﴿Ar-Rahmaanir-Raheem
﴾4﴿Maaliki Yawmid-Deen
﴾3﴿ The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
﴾4﴿ Master of the Day of Judgment
[3] (الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحيمِ) (Ar-Rahmaanir-Raheem) “The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful” – These are also among the attributes of Allah the Exalted and serve as evidence for the central claim of this surah. Both attributes stem from rahmah (mercy). When attributed to Allah, rahmah refers to acts of kindness, grace, and bestowal of blessings; when attributed to a servant, it refers to softness of the heart.
These attributes were previously mentioned in “Bismillah” as a reason for seeking help. Here, they are mentioned as a reason for dedicating praise solely to Allah and as divine attributes.
[4] (مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ) “Master of the Day of Judgment” – This is also an attribute of Allah the Exalted and serves as evidence. Mālik (Master) comes from milk (with a kasrah under the mīm), meaning owner and one with authority and control. In this sense, it is an exclusive attribute of Allah.
Yawm al-Dīn (Day of Judgment) is one of the names of the Day of Resurrection. Although the word dīn has many meanings, here it means recompense or judgment.
Allah is the true Owner of everything in both this world and the Hereafter. However, this verse specifically emphasizes the Day of Judgment because in the world, there appear to be other visible owners, whereas on that Day, no one but Allah will possess any ownership.
The order of these evidences and attributes is as follows:
First, in “Rabb al-‘Ālamīn”, it was made clear that Allah is the originator of all blessings and the true Owner of them.
Then the question may arise: Who distributes and grants these blessings? Is there any distinction in the distribution? This is answered by “Ar-Raḥmān Ar-Raḥīm”.
Now the next question is: Who holds the authority to permit or forbid the use of these blessings? The answer is: the Owner, and specifically the “Master of the Day of Judgment”, is Allah — implying that though you use these blessings, you should be mindful that you will be held accountable and rewarded or punished accordingly.