Lordship in This World and the Hereafter The scope of...

Lordship in This World and the Hereafter The scope of Lordship ( rubūbiyyah ) is not limited to this world as it also extends to the Hereafter, and the issues such as forgiveness and expiation of sins, permission to intercede ( shafā‘ah ) and granting it and others related to the Hereafter are also among the myriad manifestations of Lordship.

Hence, Lordship or Management ( tadbīr ) has numerous manifestations and expressions, some of which are related to this world while others pertain to the next world. Some concern the cosmic realm while others are relevant to the legislative domain, and the concomitance of the principle of the Divine Unity in Lordship is that all these manifestations and expressions [of Lordship] emanate from Him and Him alone.

Of course, this exclusivity is related to the Independent and Essential Lordship and not to lordship per se , for the Holy Qur’an has also acknowledged indirect lordships emanating from God and and affirmed the causes and intermediaries in the management of the universe.

It has even sworn by the managers of the affairs of the universe: ﴿ فَالْمُدَبِّرٰتِ أَمْرًا ﴾ “By those who direct the affairs [of creatures]!” [^3] The Proofs of the Divine Unity in Lordship The concomitance between management ( tadbīr ) and creation ( khalqiyyah ) In terms of meaning and implication, management and creation are two different things, just as in terms of applicability regarding the human artifacts they can also be distinguished from each other.

That is, it is possible for a person to cause something to exist and for another person to manage it, but this state of affairs is impossible with respect to the creation and management of the universe, for management of all phenomena in the universe cannot persist and be sustained except through creation. For instance, managing the plant is done in such a way that it is constantly provided with air, heat and other elements of subsistence and the process of life’s growth continues.

In reality, they are manifestations of the Divine creation which is reflected in the law of nature. As such, the Holy Qur’an has mentioned creation and management together. We shall mention here some examples of such verses: ﴿ أَلا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالأمْرُ تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴾ “Look! All creation and command belong to Him.

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