Allah: The Eternal King of the Heavens and the Earth

The Sovereignty of Allah: King of the Heavens, Earth, and Universe

Glory be to Allah, whose sovereignty has always been established over the Earth and the heavens. He alone possesses the highest attributes and purity. He is free from any faults and is the Owner of all qualities of perfection. Just as He has control over the seven heavens, in the same way, He has dominion over the seven earths. Although on Earth, we see rulers and kings among humans, they are temporary rulers; the true King of the Earth and the heavens is Allah, the Lord of all worlds. He is the Creator of the universe and grants kingship to whom He wills, and removes it from whom He wills. Allah’s command is:

قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَاءُ وَتَنزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَاءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَاءُ ۖ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (آل عمران:26)
Translation: Say, “O Allah, O Owner of the Kingdom! You give the kingdom to whom You will and take the kingdom from whom You will. You honor whom You will and humble whom You will. In Your hand is all good. Surely, You are capable of everything.”

This verse illustrates that the kingdom of men is temporary; Allah grants kingship to some today and gives it to others tomorrow, while He has always been the true King. He has complete control over the heavens and the earth, and He runs the entire universe with His wisdom.

From history and observation, it is clear that since the creation of the world, no human being has remained a king forever. Every ruler eventually loses their kingdom. The great truth is that human life is limited, and by Allah’s command, everyone dies after completing their allotted time. When a king dies, his kingdom and ownership are left behind, and his relationship with this world is severed. How can such a limited being be the true ruler of the world?

One can understand this by considering the example of King Salman of Saudi Arabia. There are two possibilities for him: either his reign will end during his lifetime or it will end with his death. This same situation applies to all earthly rulers, past and future.

In the Qur’an, Allah describes Himself as the Owner and King of the heavens and the earth. Here are some verses from the Qur’an where Allah mentions that He alone is the King of the heavens and the earth:

أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۗ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ (البقرۃ:107)
Translation: Do you not know that the dominion of the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah alone? And you have no protector or helper besides Allah.

وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (آل عمران:189)
Translation: And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and Allah has power over everything.

وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا ۖ وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ (المائدۃ:18)
Translation: And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and everything between them, and to Him is the return.

تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (الملک:1)
Translation: Blessed is He in whose hand is the dominion, and He is capable of everything.

Pharaoh used to say to his people, “اليس لي ملك مصر” – “Isn’t the kingdom of Egypt mine?” Think about it: does Pharaoh’s kingdom still exist today? Allah drowned Pharaoh during the time of Prophet Musa (Moses), ending his rule. Since then, many others have ruled over Egypt. Rulers come and go, but no one’s rule lasts forever. Where are the likes of Nimrod, Shaddad, and Haman? They are all gone. Allah says: إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ (يوسف:40) – “Indeed, judgment is only for Allah.”

Allah does not give the earthly rulers the authority to govern the heavens, but their rule is limited to the earth for a specific period. The kings of the earth cannot stop the wind, rain, thunder, earthquakes, or storms, because Allah alone holds dominion over these elements. Just as He controlled the rain, the sun’s rise and set, day and night, and gave life and death during the time of Prophet Adam (peace be upon him), He continues to do so today. Thus, He alone is the true King of the world.

All the treasures of the heavens and the earth belong to Allah. No human being owns the earth, nor does any silver or gold belong to him; even his own body is not his. Reflect upon this and strengthen your belief in Allah’s kingship. Every part of a human’s body is a gift from Allah, and His sovereignty extends over every action and function of the body. The eyes, ears, nose, breath, hands, feet, heart, and mind—all are under Allah’s control. Without His mercy, the human body would not function. Allah can take away sight, hearing, thinking ability, or even life at any moment.

Allah says: وَلِلَّهِ خَزَائِنُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلَٰكِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ (المنافقون:7)
Translation: And to Allah belong the treasures of the heavens and the earth, but the hypocrites do not understand.

In a Hadith Qudsi, Allah says:
يا عِبَادِي لو أنَّ أَوَّلَكُمْ وَآخِرَكُمْ وإنْسَكُمْ وَجِنَّكُمْ قَامُوا في صَعِيدٍ وَاحِدٍ فَسَأَلُونِي فأعْطَيْتُ كُلَّ إنْسَانٍ مَسْأَلَتَهُ، ما نَقَصَ ذلكَ ممَّا عِندِي إلَّا كما يَنْقُصُ المِخْيَطُ إذَا أُدْخِلَ البَحْرَ (صحيح مسلم:2577)
Translation: O My servants! If the first and last of you, human and jinn, were to stand in a single place and ask of Me, and I gave everyone what they asked, it would not decrease what I have, except as a needle decreases the water when dipped into the sea.

SubhanAllah, Allah owns all the treasures, and He gives as He wills without diminishing His wealth. Yet, the majority of Muslims still seek from others besides Allah. What will happen to such people? If Allah’s wrath does not fall upon them, what will?

Today, Allah is the King, and He has granted humans the opportunity to do good or bad. But on the Day of Judgment, when Allah will be the King, there will be no more chances. The reward for good deeds will be good, and the punishment for bad deeds will be severe. Allah, the Owner of the Day of Judgment, will hold everyone accountable for their deeds:

يَوْمَ هُم بَارِزُونَ ۖ لَا يَخْفَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ شَيْءٌ ۚ لِّمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ ۖ لِلَّهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ (غافر:16)
Translation: The Day they will be exposed; nothing of them will be hidden from Allah. To whom does sovereignty belong today? To Allah, the One, the Irresistible.

Allah says: الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ ۚ وَكَانَ يَوْمًا عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ عَسِيرًا (الفرقان:26)
Translation: The sovereignty that Day will be entirely for the Most Merciful, and it will be a difficult Day for the disbelievers.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
يَطْوِي اللَّهُ عزَّ وجلَّ السَّمَواتِ يَومَ القِيامَةِ، ثُمَّ يَأْخُذُهُنَّ بيَدِهِ اليُمْنَى، ثُمَّ يقولُ: أنا المَلِكُ، أيْنَ الجَبَّارُونَ؟ أيْنَ المُتَكَبِّرُونَ. ثُمَّ يَطْوِي الأرَضِينَ بشِمالِهِ، ثُمَّ يقولُ: أنا المَلِكُ أيْنَ الجَبَّارُونَ؟ أيْنَ المُتَكَبِّرُونَ؟ (صحيح مسلم:2788)
Translation: On the Day of Judgment, Allah will fold the heavens and take them in His right hand, then He will say: “I am the King, where are the tyrants? Where are the arrogant ones?” He will then fold the earth with His left hand and repeat: “I am the King, where are the tyrants? Where are the arrogant ones?”

In light of this Hadith, think about the vastness of Allah’s power and dominion: He will hold the seven heavens and the earth in His hands on that day. What will happen to the arrogant kings of the world then?

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
أشدُّ الناسِ يومَ القيامةِ عذابًا إِمامٌ جائِرٌ (صحيح الجامع:1001)
Translation: The most severely punished person on the Day of Judgment will be a tyrannical ruler.

In conclusion, Allah is the King of the heavens and the earth, and His dominion is eternal. He created the universe, so we must always fear Him and worship Him alone, never associating anyone with Him. Furthermore, the treasures of the heavens and the earth belong solely to Him, and He provides for His creation as He wills. If anyone is granted kingship, power, or wealth, they should never oppress others. Everything in this world is temporary, and power can be taken away at any moment.