april - attribute of the month

a reminder, lesson and reflection

salam everybody!

i feel like so much has happened in march that it’s gone so slowly, but at the same time, i can’t believe we’re already in april. time is fleeting for real. 

yet, I spun the wheel yesterday after asking Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ to let it land on a specific attribute to match april and what it will be about for both me and you! it landed on ‘Al Maalik ul Mulk — The Owner/the Master of the Kingdom’.

Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ Himself uses this name of His in the following verse:

“Say, ‘O Allah, Lord of sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whomsoever You please; and You take away sovereignty from whomsoever You please. You exalt whomsoever You please and You abase whomsoever You please. In Your hand is all good. You surely have power to do all things. You make the night pass into the day and make the day pass into the night. And You bring forth the living from the dead and bring forth the dead from the living. And You give to whomsoever You please without measure.’” (3:27-28). 

this attribute, then, links to His power to do all that He wills, as He owns the creation and is the Lord of the creation. for this reason, I thought this attribute was a swift transition from march’s attribute — Al-Khabeer, The All-Aware. first, we recognised that not even a leaf falls from a tree without Him being aware of it, which taught us to trust Him and His Plan—as surely One who knows the seen and the unseen will never fail you. now, we move on to ‘Al Maalik ul Mulk,’ and begin to understand that not only is He aware of everything, but He also has the power and the right to command anything that He wants. 

when I was reading about this attribute to understand it better, I began to feel afraid because the articles were telling me about how Allah has such power and control that if He wanted to bring destruction, He could. then, I went onto YouTube right after and ended up landing on a lecture that was talking about how Allah tests us with death, and it was about this boy who lost his dad. I put two and two together and thought this was a sign that in april i’m going to lose someone, and I immediately called my mum crying, saying, ‘i don’t want you to die!’ she was on the other end listening to me confused like, ‘…can you… go and study?’ 

later on, I felt that—though it’s true, of course He can bring destruction anytime He wills, and if someone passes away, it’s His will, and there’s a surrendering that accompanies that—I decided to flip it on the positive side that He also has the power to bring about such blessings, happiness and answered prayers in such a beautiful way. it reminds me of the story of Musa (as) and Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ splitting the sea for him. no matter how many times I hear that story, I will always be so fascinated and in awe. because Musa (as) didn’t know how Allah was going to save him; he just knew that He would. if you were to escape and run away, would you have thought, ‘the sea is going to split in half?’ who would have thought of that? no one. not even Musa (as) knew that would have been the way Allah saved him. he just had that certainty that he would be saved. we see this when the Qur’an talks about how firaun and his people were catching up to Musa (as) and his companions while they reached the sea, and were about to be caught:

“the companions of Moses said, ‘We are surely overtaken’

‘No, speak not this!’ said Moses, ‘My Lord is with me. He will direct me aright.’

Then We revealed to Moses, saying, ‘Strike the sea with thy rod.’ Thereupon it parted, and every part looked like a huge mountain” (26:62-64)

he had firm trust, conviction and belief that Allah was on his side. and his prayers were answered beautifully in a way that he could never have possibly thought of himself. in my moments of sadness, patience, tears and fear, that story always reminds me and gives me hope that Allah, as the Master of the Kingdom, is going to—and has the power to— help me in my struggles, be there for me and bless me in ways that I cannot think of myself.

it also gives me the hope and belief that He will save the people of Palestine. sometimes I sit here helplessly, wondering how the genocide will finally end. I look around—at various institutions, at celebrities, at the rulers of this west that I live in—and wonder how long this will go on for, how long they will continue to be on the side of the oppressor, how long they will say ‘kill them all’ and mean it with their entire soul. how many more years will they continue to misuse their power? but Allah is Al Maalik ul Mulk. it is Allah who has the true power. He is the Ruler of this kingdom we live in. and He says Himself in the Holy Qur’an:

“And already have We written in the Psalms, after the exhortation, that My righteous servants shall inherit the land. Herein, surely, is a message for people who worship God.” (21:106-107).

and what is written in the Psalms?

“For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord will inherit the land” (Psalms 37:9)

“The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever” (Psalms 37:29)

various scholars for both the Qur’an and the Bible have commented that this is in reference to Palestine. this is a prophecy.

‘those who wait on the Lord’. aren’t the Palestinians displaying such vigorous, beautiful patience in the midst of this horror? isn’t their faith so strong through this hell on earth? people are converting to Islam because of their sabr. people are converting to Islam because of their tawakkul. people are converting to Islam because of their taqwa. their righteousness. 

can the oppressors who are creating and partaking in such cruelty, in such evil, in the destroying and killing of innocent people ever be associated with righteousness?

the promise of Allah is true. just like Musa (as) didn’t know how he would be saved, I don’t know how Allah will free Palestine. I don’t know how this genocide will finally end. but, just like Musa (as) knew with complete certainty, in the midst of his intense tribulation, that Allah would save him regardless, I know that Palestine will be free. eventually, this will end, and the believers will gain victory. Al Maalik ul Mulk has the complete command, power and authority to do what He wills, and He will make a way out for them in a way that absolutely none of us can think of— just like the parting of the sea. we have to trust in His power. trust in the One who owns and rules every single thing that we see around us. and please continue to pray hard that He shows His Mercy to the people of Palestine. 

when reflecting on this attribute and the theme of power, I think a big reminder can be taken about how much power we think we have as human beings, and how it can be forgotten Who it actually comes from. firaun let his huge power lead him to believe that he was a god and that nothing could ever stop him. just like how these huge western powers and nations—the firaun of our age— believe that nothing can come in the way of them creating and participating in this genocide. but they have forgotten that this is all temporary. they have forgotten that there is a greater power. they have forgotten who truly is unstoppable. they have forgotten who truly rules this world. in this is a lesson to remember where your success comes from. where your power comes from. in this name of Al Maalik ul Mulk is a reminder to eradicate the ego and never be a slave to it. in this name is a lesson to always adopt humility and to be grateful to the One who has given you all that you have. it’s a reminder never to let your blessings, goodness, power, success and wealth consume you to the point where you believe that you are the one who has so much power and goodness, where you believe that you can do what you will without consequence. alhamdulillah for all that we have, have been given, and will be given in the future, as well as everything that we don’t have and has been taken away from us.

everything comes from Him, and everything that you have is because He has commanded it to be so, as the Master of this Kingdom, the One who has the authority to rule, command and decide for the worlds and everything within them.

I personally remind myself about this fact in relation to this very newsletter that I created in january. it’s so lovely writing here, and it’s even more encouraging when I receive responses from you guys telling me that you resonate with my words and like what I write. but, I remind myself that it’s Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ who has bestowed upon me a love for writing, it’s Allah who made me start this newsletter, and it’s Allah who has given me subscribers to begin with. alhamdulillah.

now it’s time for you to reflect, so here are some prompts to get you thinking! do take some time to reflect on His name and try and remember throughout this month that april’s theme is about His Power and Rule over everything this world contains, including you.

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Prompts/Reflections:

• what power, success or goodness do you have in your life? what have you been given in life? how can you use this to please Allah? take a moment to say alhamdulilah for every single thing your brain lists when you reflect on your life

• think about the prayers you’ve made in your life that have been answered. how many of them were answered in a way you couldn’t imagine? does this give you any hope for the prayers you’re currently making or the position you’re in now? 

• what’s your favourite thing in this world that Allah has created? nature? a specific person? food? take some time to reflect on the creation—that, in itself, is an act of worship.

“when they came to the Valley of Al-Naml, one woman of the tribe of the Naml said, ‘O ye Naml, enter your habitations, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you, while they know not.’ Thereupon Solomon smiled, laughing at her words, and said, ‘My Lord, grant me the will and power to be grateful for Thy favour which Thou hast bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to do such good works as would please Thee, and admit me, by Thy mercy, among Thy righteous servants.’” (27:19-20).

jazakallah for reading! may Allah fulfil all of your heart’s desires in beautiful ways, Ameen. sending love,

— SabrGirl ♡