Fajr Thoughts: Nearness to Him Part 3
Al-Malik al-Mulk
In the name of Allah, the entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful
قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مٰلِكَ المُلكِ تُؤتِى المُلكَ مَن تَشاءُ وَتَنزِعُ المُلكَ مِمَّن تَشاءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشاءُ ۖ بِيَدِكَ الخَيرُ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلىٰ كُلِّ شَىءٍ قَديرٌ
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. [Qur’an 3:26]
The weight of these words is a world-shifting truth. Every crown, every throne, every ounce of influence in this world, none of it in the truest sense, belongs to those who hold it. Nothing actually belongs to us. Not the wealth in our hands or bank account, not the titles before our names, not even the people we hold dear.
It is all His.
This is a reminder that echoes through every moment of our lives. Power and control, honor and disgrace, wealth and poverty, stability and loss, none of it belongs to us.
None. of. it.
We live in a world obsessed with power. We attach our worth to what we have, to where we stand, to how people see us, and who we know or who knows us. We build castles of control in our minds, only to watch them crumble with the smallest of tests.
Enters me, the control “freak”
But this ayah, it shakes us.
Nothing belongs to us. Everything belongs to Him.
A leader may rise, a scholar may be recognized, an individual may hold influence and lately it comes with big endorsements, but it is only because Allah allows it.
It is then humbling to remember that just as He gives, He can take.
True honour is not in the hands of people. No title, no wealth, no recognition truly makes one honoured.
Real honor is granted by Allah, and real disgrace is a soul disconnected from Him, no matter how much the world applauds.
And then comes the heart of it all..
Even when something is taken from us, goodness is still in His hands.
Even when we lose, we have not lost, because Our Merciful Lord never withholds without purpose.
Isn't that thought freeing?
It shifts our focus…
From chasing validation to chasing the One who grants it.
From fearing loss to knowing that nothing is lost when we have Him.
From clinging desperately, to control to surrendering to the One in full control.
So today, if we find ourselves seeking status, seeking validation, seeking control, pause.
Because true sovereignty, true honor, true security is found not in what we hold, but in His “Hands” [ليس كمثله شيء]
It is easy to believe that success is ours to control.
That the harder we work, the more we get.
That if we push enough, plan enough, strive enough, we will reach there.
But life reminds us otherwise.
And in that uncertainty, there is freedom in surrendering to al-Mālik al-Mulk.
If honor is in His hands, I do not need to chase validation.
If provision is in His hands, I do not need to lower myself so people can give me freely.
If power is in His hands, I do not need to manipulate anyone to gain control.
Because I was never meant to hold all that power.
I mean, I even make du'a asking Allah ﷻ to not leave me to myself for the blink of an eye…
Everything we fear losing is already in the hands of the One and nothing is ever lost with Him.
Everything we long for is with the One who knows exactly when to give and when to withhold.
So today, whatever we are chasing, whatever we are holding onto too tightly… surrender it.
Because true sovereignty, true security, true peace is not found in what we own, but in Who owns us.
Ya Malik al-Mulk help me want you more than I want anything else. And help me trust your plan for me.
If you would like to reflect on least one ayah daily this blessed month, then go ahead and get your copy of Fajr Thoughts. It contains a summary of each juz, an ayah or passage from each juz, some notes from tafasir and then some questions to get you started on your reflections.