What Does Yawm Ad-Deen Mean in Surah Al-Fatiha?
Following are excerpts from his remarks at the session:
In the previous sessions we talked about several points on Surah Al-Fatiha, including Bismillah (in the name of God). As we said, there are many discussions, both Quranic and jurisprudential, about Bismillah.
The subject we will discuss in this session in Malik Yawm ad-Deen (Owner or Master of the Day of Judgment).
The only place where law governs everything and there is not the least deviation from law is on the Resurrection Day. There, God is the one who assesses and it is a day of law. So Yawm ad-Deen can also be referred to as the day of law and religion.
So we can define Malik in a comprehensive way. The one who is the owner of the Day of Judgment is God. On that day everything is in His power and nothing is out of it. So on that day, God has both Itibari (secondary) ownership and guardianship.
It should also be noted that in this verse, Malik can also be pronounced in a way as to mean Sultan or sovereign, which is preferable.
A question that may come to mind here is whether God is only the owner of the Day of Judgment. God is the owner of all days not just the Resurrection Day. It is said that proving a thing does not disprove the things that are not described.
We think there are many more delicate points here which we will discuss in the next session.
