Accepting Allah as Rabb- Fatiha Part 2

We already talked about in detail of the meaning of Alhamdulillah from the first ayah of Surah Fatiha in a previous post. The ayah continues  رب العالمين, Rabbil 'Alameen, which is often translated as "Lord of the Worlds".

Some of the names of Allah point to a relationship- somebody at the other end- and some don't. For example, خالق (Khaaliq), which means Creator, points to a creation at the other end. To better understand our Creator, we look at the creation around us. There is a phrase in arabic which means, "We know things by their opposites."

The meaning of the word رب Rabb, roughly translated as Master, can be better understood when we study its opposite: عبد ('Abd). An 'abd has two meanings included: 'aabid is one who is engaged in worship; in other words a worshipper. An 'abeed is somebody who is enslaved.

Slavery is something you are entrenched in; it is a state of being. On the other hand, a worshipper is identified by an act; somebody may be a worshipper at 3:00 but may not be a worshipper by 4:00. A slave is going to do what the master wants whenever the master wants it- he has given up his free will. Sadly, it is possible for a muslim to be a devout worshipper, but still not see themselves as slaves of Allah and realize that they have to completely submit their free will to Him. Many of us have accepted Allah as the Master but we still have not given up our free will to Him and given ourselves away as slaves. 'Abd is someone who is a worshipper and a slave.

Characteristics of Slavery (as thought of generally, not as it related to slavery to Allah):

1. Coerced
2. Humiliating
3. Slave dreams of freedom
4. Hates the Master
5. Master is oppressive
6. Master is unfair
7. Master is not worthy of genuine praise and thanks

When you compare slavery to the characteristics of Slavery to Allah, you see that it is far superior to be the slave of Allah than anything else:

1. Slavery is coerced. When you become the slave of something in the dunya, you are forced to do it even though you do not want to. Slavery Allah has given us the choice to obey or disobey Him. We live this life as we wish and will face the consequences in the next life. When a slave sees all of the favors Allah has given Him, he wants to enslave himself to Allah to continue benefitting from His Mercy. 
2. In slavery to Allah, the believer finds honor. Allah will raise your rank on the Day of Judgement and with Jannah. In slavery to anyone else, one finds humiliation. For example, people find themselves becoming slaves of certain brand names. If one cannot even afford expensive brands, he MUST buy it because if not, he will not find the approval of others. He is humiliated by being the slave of consumerism. 
3. Slavery to Allah leads to real freedom- paradise. Be enslaving yourself to Allah, you free yourself from others' shackles Slavery to fashion, one's body, one's own entertainment, or consumer society is not really freedom at all. A slave in this world will dream of freedom- when he no longer has to be a slave. A true slave of Allah dreams of a day he will become a better slave. 
4. A master is oppressive. A master will immediately punish his slave for mistakes. Allah allows us to talk, walk, and roam the earth even though we are sinning constantly. Allah can wipe us away in a moment. However He continues to shower us with blessings.
5. A master is unfair. Not only does Allah us allow is to live and enjoy this life, but if we lie, you don't see a bolt of lighting come down from the sky and cut your tongue off. In fact, He tells us that if we ask for forgiveness, He will convert our bad deeds into good deeds.
6. A master is not worthy of genuine praise and thanks. But all of the above qualities is what makes Allah a Master worthy of all genuine praise and thanks. 

Definition of Rabb: الرب هو المالك و السيد و المربي والمنعم و القيم

Al-Maalik, As-Sayyid, Al-Murabbi, Al-Mun'im, Al-Qayyim

• مالك Maalik- He is the Owner (more to come in a following post)
• السيد As-Sayyid- He is in charge. He does what He wants, whenever he wants. One may own a car, but he or she may not be able to drive it they way they want, or tint it the way they want. If one owns a house, it doesn't mean they can add on to it or remove whatever they want; they have to get special permits and permission. You cannot even do your yard the way you want. But Allah's ownership is different, you cannot ask Him why He did something a certain way because who are we to ask?
• المربي Al-Murabbi- He ensures our growth. Our growth and development is in His hands. Unlike us, we may own our houses but we may not even take care of our backyards. 
• المنعم Al-Mun'im- He gives us gifts. Allah doesn't pay us for everything we do because we are His slaves, we have  to do it. Everything Allah gives us are gifts, and they are priceless. For what price are you willing to give up your eyes, arm, or legs? We do not deserve these gifts. Some of us may think we are entitled to everything we have, and if we do not get something that we want, or one of us is born with a birth defect, we must realize that it was never ours to begin with. Those who understand what Rabb means and accept Allah as the Rabb will not complain.
• القيوم Al-Qayyim- He takes care of our survival. We are where we are today because of Him.

If you want to sum up the message of the entire Qur'an, it is this: Accept Allah as the Master; We are His slaves.