فَسُبحانَ الَّذي بِيَدِهِ مَلَكوتُ كُلِّ شَيءٍ وَإِلَيهِ تُرجَعونَ

So immaculate is He in whose hand is the dominion of all things and to whom you shall be brought back.

EXEGESIS

Subḥān alladhī (immaculate is he) is a sentence with an implicit verb, either in the imperative or indicative mood. In Arabic grammar, subḥāna is called the qualifying object (mafʿūl muṭlaq). Thus, subḥān allāh is a complete sentence with an implicit verb which would be either sabbiḥ subḥān allāh (glorify Allah the way He deserves to be glorified) or usabbiḥu subḥān allāh (I glorify Allah the way He deserves to be glorified).

Malakūt (dominion) is the hyperbolic form for mulk, similar to raḥamūt, which means intensive mercy, or rahabūt, which means intensive awe and humility.^{‎[1]Mizan, 17/116.} The Quran introduces two different orders of the kingdom for God’s power and dominion. One is mulk and the other is malakūt. English translations usually translate mulk as kingdom or sovereignty and malakūt as sovereignty or dominion. However, they imply different meanings. Although both these terms refer to the kingdom of God, they signify different levels of sovereignty as it appears to us.

The mulk is what we see in this world; everything runs by His measurement and design, the chain of causes and effects works by His blessing, and nothing escapes His power and knowledge. All of this makes this kingdom great; however, God’s sovereignty is greater and deeper than that. At the level of malakūt, everything is seen to be directly dependent on Him, the chain of causes and effects seems to be just an illusion, and everything individually and directly is seen to be held by God. If people could see that dominion, all doubts would evaporate, and nothing but the truth would be witnessed. This dominion is what Allah showed to Prophet Abraham (a) and shows to His friends, Thus did We show Abraham the dominions (malakūt) of the heavens and the earth, that he might be of those who possess certitude (6:75). Every atom, cell, object, and living soul has a mulkī aspect and a malakūtī aspect. The mulkī aspect shows wise design and fascinating creation as signs of God. The malakūtī aspect shows their inseparable dependence and reliance and sustenance by Allah. As such, this verse is an excellent closing for the surah and all its remarks.

Turjaʿūn (brought back) is a passive imperfect verb in which the subject is not mentioned, perhaps because it is obvious that the only one who can do such is God, or to emphasise the importance of the return no matter who does it. However, a more reasonable possibility is that the subject of the verb is the process of man’s creation which inevitably drives him back to God. So, there is no subject for this driving except the very nature of man’s creation.

EXPOSITION

Immaculate is He implies purifying God by negating any defect, shortcoming, inability, or any imperfection from Him. Depending on the context, this may be a specific imperfection or inability. In this verse, since the context is about giving life back to the dead, it implies that He is above the inability to bring them back since the dominion of all things is in His hand. In this verse, He in whose hand is the dominion of all things has replaced ‘Allah’, signifying the reason for His immaculateness.

And to whom you shall be brought back means that we are being taken on a journey, the destination of which is meeting the Lord. O man! You are labouring toward your Lord laboriously, and you will encounter Him (84:6). It means we are gathering spiritual clout stage after stage, until we are capable of the great encounter.

Everything before that encounter, before the hereafter, is a journey that we are taken through. We began as dust, became water, then an embryo, then we came into the world, and then we shall leave it; we will thereafter travel along until we reach the hereafter, where we will rest for eternity, the hereafter (ākhirah) is the home of permanent settlement (40:39). Thus real life and meaningful existence is only possible when we reach our destination, when we return to God. We must be grateful to be taken through this journey and brought back to Him.

What we experience in this world is a pale shadow and a fleeting fragrance of life compared to what is to come. Compared to that, the life of this world is no more than play and sport, which prepares us for the real life that is to follow; And the life of this world is nothing more than diversion and play! And the abode of the hereafter is indeed life, if only they knew (29:64). The hereafter is the culmination of the hierarchy of existence; a world which has developed from primitive beginnings and developed to an unimaginable level of perfection, just as a tiny oak develops into a strong oak tree. As Prophet Jesus (a) is reported to have said in the Gospel of Matthew: ‘Things in the realm of dominion of God (malakūt) are like a mustard seed planted in a field. The mustard seed is the tiniest of seeds, yet it matures into a bush that is bigger than others. It becomes as big as a tree and birds nest in its branches.’

One of the compelling arguments for the continuation of life after death is our naturally embedded desire to live and struggle for life without giving up. That desire by itself indicates that man has been programmed to live. If the final stage was nothing but death, we would not have been programmed with the desire to live forever; we would have died happily.^{‎[2]Amthal, 14/259.} This embedded desire indicates that the desired things exist and can be reached; for example, if someone desires marriage, they know it is an attainable desire to fulfil. A man usually does not desire what he is not programmed for. So, our desire to live eternally is installed in us and can be fulfilled in the hereafter.

Historical burial practices and beliefs indicate that most nations believed that life continues after death, and they desired to live a pleasant spiritual experience after their body’s death, such as can be seen amongst the ancient Egyptians, the Hindus, Buddhists, and others. The hereafter is not a difficult concept to understand after observing human obsession to live longer and the miniature model of the cycle of the cells of the body between death and reproduction inside the human body.^{‎[3]Amthal, 14/260.}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. Imam Ali (a) said: ‘Glory be to You! How great is Your status! Glory be to You! How great is whatever we see in Your creation and how small is every greatness compared to Your power! How dazzling is whatever we see in Your dominion (malakūt), and how little we consider Your realm that is hidden from us! How widely spread are Your bounties in this world, and how small are they when compared to the bounties of the hereafter!’^{‎[4]Nahj, sermon 109.}
2. Imam Ali (a) said: ‘Praise be to God whose attributes cannot reach His actual recognition and His greatness has retracted the intellects. Therefore, it cannot find a way to reach the limits of His dominion (malakūt). He is God, the manifest truth, more truth and more manifest than whatever the eyes could sight. The intellects can never capture Him using the limitations; otherwise, He would be illustrated in shape. Nor can the imagination perceive Him by using measurements; otherwise, He would be a resemblance of a thing. He created the creation without any representation, guidance from an adviser, or any assistance from a helper. The creation was completed by His command, and He made them under His obedience, so they accepted and never defied, and they submitted but never argued.’^{‎[5]Nahj, sermon 155.}
3. Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) recited the verse, Thus did We show Abraham the dominions (malakūt) of the heavens and the earth, that he might be of those who possess certitude (6:75), and said: ‘He unveiled for him the earth and whoever is on it, the heavens and whoever is in it, the angel who maintains it, and the Throne and those on it.’
4. Imam al-Sajjād (a) explained the verse, Then he drew nearer and nearer until he was within two bows’ length or even nearer (53:8-9), saying: ‘That means the Messenger of God (s) came closer to the veils of illumination and saw the dominion of the heavens. So when he (s) dangled, he saw the dominion of the earth under it until he thought he was close to it as the length of two bows or lesser.’^{‎[6]Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 4/2945.}
5. The Messenger of God said: ‘Were it not for the devils looming over the hearts of the children of Adam (a), they would have seen the dominion of heaven.’^{‎[7]Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 4/2945.}

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

The Quran uses words to indicate literal linguistic meanings; however, the linguistic application related to God is different from the applications on other than God. When the word dominion is used to indicate that everything in the universe belongs to God, then it is in the literal sense. However, the application is different when compared with the human dominion over things or a king’s domain over his community. The application of a king’s dominion, for example, is postulated for a type of leadership and control to someone who possesses the affairs of the people and controls them, meaning an authority over them in their socio-political affairs in his domain, which is a social necessity for the communities of humans.

The same is applied to God, however, on a broader aspect, for example, the dominion of the king over his people is not eternal, and it could be terminated for various reasons. On the other hand, the dominion of God is eternal and everlasting, He could annihilate His people, but His dominion will remain. Furthermore, whatever belongs to a typical king or the belongings of any human are transferable, unlike the non-transferable dominion of God.^{‎[8]Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 4/2942.} Even if a person owns the control over his body parts, which are non-transferable belongings (except for the body part transplants where the ownership of particular body parts might cease), there are limitations and restrictions. Once that person dies, his ownership and authority over his body cease. Therefore, the dominion of God has a broader literal meaning than the human, for He is not just the owner, but the Creator, originator, organiser, annihilator, and so on. Hence, His ownership over His dominion is endless. O Allah, Master of all sovereignty! You give sovereignty to whomever You wish, and strip of sovereignty whomever You wish; You make mighty whomever You wish, and You abase whomever You wish; all good is in Your hand. Indeed, You have power over all things. You make the night pass into the day, and You make the day pass into the night. You bring forth the living from the dead, and You bring forth the dead from the living, and You provide for whomever You wish without any reckoning (3:26-27).^{‎[9]Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 4/2943.}

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. Then David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly: “O LORD, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the Glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O LORD, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honour come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion, people are made great and given strength. O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name!”^{‎[10]1 Chronicles 29:10-13, 15.}
2. The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths … Who is the King of Glory? The LORD, strong and mighty; the LORD, invincible in battle.^{‎[11]Psalms 24:1-2, 8.}
3. I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever. I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of Praise! No one can measure his greatness … I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendour and your wonderful miracles. Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness. Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy about your righteousness. The LORD is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. The LORD is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creations. All of your works will thank you, LORD, and your faithful followers will praise you. They will speak of the Glory of your kingdom; they will give examples of your power. They will tell about your mighty deeds and about the majesty and Glory of your reign. For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations … I will praise the LORD and may everyone on earth bless his holy name forever and ever.^{‎[12]Psalms 145:1-3, 5-13, 21.}

[1] Mizan, 17/116.
[2] Amthal, 14/259.
[3] Amthal, 14/260.
[4] Nahj, sermon 109.
[5] Nahj, sermon 155.
[6] Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 4/2945.
[7] Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 4/2945.
[8] Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 4/2942.
[9] Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 4/2943.
[10] 1 Chronicles 29:10-13, 15.
[11] Psalms 24:1-2, 8.
[12] Psalms 145:1-3, 5-13, 21.