AL-MALIK
He is the Owner of the universe, of the whole creation - the absolute Ruler. Allah is the only Ruler of the entire universe, visible and invisible, and of all creation, from before the beginning and after the end. There is none like Him because He is the Creator of His kingdom, which He created from nothing. Only He knows the size of His kingdom, the number of its population, and the strength of His armies. Only His will, His rule and His justice exist. What happens is what He wills; what He does not will will never happen. He does not need His kingdom, His kingdom needs Him. He rules by Himself; He does not need any means of help to rule. He has created the universe as a place of work for His creation, and has created the Day of Last Judgment as a great court of justice. In the world, one's deeds are planted. On the Day of Last Judgment the rewards are reaped. Everyone will receive the result of his doings. There is none other than Him in whom to take refuge.
Servants of Allah who come to know their Master, finding the meaning of that divine name in themselves, will become sober from the drunkenness of counting their fortunes, their high positions and their fame as their own. Those who have served worldly kings as gods will wish for the Master of their masters. All will know that they are not left on their own in this divine kingdom, but that there is an absolute Ruler who sees a black ant crawling on a black rock on the darkest of nights, as well as the most secret thoughts and feelings passing through minds and hearts. Everything that one is and everything that one does is watched and recorded; all will be accounted for on the Day of Last Judgment.
One who knows al-Malik, even if he is a king, will know that at best he is a shepherd charged for a short time to care for a flock that is not his. To the extent of his conscientiousness, hard work and devotion, he may expect to be rewarded by his master. If he is a bad shepherd, killing and roasting the lambs, drinking all their milk, letting the wolves ravage the flock, he certainly will be punished. When his duty as a shepherd ends, he will have to give an accounting. It is better to put one's accounts in order before the day that they must be submitted.
'Abd al-Malik is the servant who has been given the power and control over his own life and actions, as well as the life of others, to the extent of the orders and will of Allah. The manifestation of the name ya Malik, the absolute King of the universe, upon a servant of Allah is the hardest to bear and the most powerful of the attributes manifested in man.1
AL-MALIK - The King
Al-Malik is the one whose essence and attributes are independent of all existing things, but everything in existence is dependent upon (in need of) Him. To be sure, nothing can exist without Him, whether it be in respect of its essence, its attributes, its existence or its continued existence (baqa'). Each and every thing derives its existence from Him or from that which is derived from Him. Everything other than He Himself is subject to Him in respect of both its attributes and essence. But He has no need for anything.This, indeed, is the absolute al-Malik.
An Admonition: It is inconceivable that man could be an absolute king since he is not independent of everything. To the contrary, he is always a pauper before God Most High, and this would be the case even if he were independent of everyone except God. By the same token it is also unthinkable that everything in the universe should have need of him. Rather he should know that the majority of things in existence have no need of him. Man begins to understand the limited degree to which he can accept the title of king only when he knows that whereas he might be independent of some things, he shall always be totally dependent upon others. The true king among men is the one who realizes that in reality only God is the absolute king. For this reason he is always and only totally dependent upon God (though he might be independent of certain human relationships).
Nevertheless, he governs his own kingdom in such a manner that his troops and his subjects obey him. That kingdom which is his in a very specific way is his heart and his physical body. His troups are his appetite, anger and passion. His subjects are his tongue, eyes, hands and the remainder of his organs. He achieves the rank of a king in the world when he controls them and they do not control him; when they obey him and he does not obey them.
If in addition to this he can become independent of all men, whereas mankind as such remains in dire need of him in respect of this life and that which is to come, then, surely he becomes the king as far as this terrestrial world is concerned. This is the rank of the prophets - may the blessings of God and peace be upon them - for they could dispense with guidance in respect of the next life from everyone except God Himself, while everyone remains in need of their direction.
Next in order concerning this kingship are the scholars, the heirs of the prophets. Their supreme authority lies in the extent to which they have the ability of supplying spiritual guidance for men and at the same time remaining independent of seeking guidance from them. In this manner man is able to approach the angels and their characteristics and thereby draw near to God Most High.
This kingship is a gift to man from the true king whose own kingship is shared with no one. The perceptive person was absolutely correct when one of the emirs said to him, "Ask of me that which you need," and he replied, "Do you ask this of me when I have two servants who are your masters?" The chief asked, "Who are they?" He answered "Greed and vain desire. I have conquered them, but they have conquered you; though I hold sway over them, they hold (rule) over you."
One of (the mystics) said to a senior, "Give me some advice." He replied, "Be a king in this world and in that life which is to come." The other asked, "How is this possible?" The senior answered, "The meaning is this. If you put an end to your greed and appetite for this world, you will be a king in both this world and the next. For certainly kingship consists of freedom and independence."2