The readers have differed regarding His saying, the Most High: "Master of the Day of Judgment." 'Asim and al-Kisai read it as: "Malik of the Day of Judgment." Al-Farisi said: Likewise, Qatadah and al-Amash read it this way. Al-Makki said: Al-Zuhri narrated that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, read it this way with the 'alif. Likewise, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, Ibn Mas'ud, Ubayy ibn Kab, Mu'adh ibn Jabal, Talhah, and al-Zubair, may Allah be pleased with them, read it.

And the remaining seven reciters read: "Malik of the Day of Judgment," and Abu Amr among them makes the 'lam' silent, so he reads: "Malki of the Day of Judgment." This is the narration of Abd al-Warith from him. It was narrated from Nafi' that he emphasizes the kasrah of the 'kaf' in "Maliki," so he reads: "Malakiy." This is a language of the Arabs mentioned by al-Mahdawi. Abu Haywah read "Malik" with the opening of the 'kaf' and the kasrah of the 'lam.' Ibn al-Samif'ah, Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, al-Amash, Abu Salih al-Samman, and Abu Abd al-Malik al-Shami read "Maliki" with the opening of the 'kaf.' These two are for the call to make that a preparation for His saying: "You alone." Al-Tabari responded to this and said: The meaning of the surah is to say: "All praise is due to Allah," and upon that comes "You alone" and "Guide us." He also mentioned that among the eloquent speech of the Arabs is the transition from the third person to the address, and vice versa, like the saying of Abu Kabir al-Hudhali:

O woe to my soul, the grandmother of Khalid, and the whiteness of your face to the brown dust.

And as Labid said:

The soul stood complaining to me, weeping, and I have carried you seven after seventy.

And as Allah, the Most High, said: "Until when you are in the ship and it sails with them" [Yunus: 22]. And Yahya ibn Ya'mur, al-Hasan ibn Abi al-Hasan, and Ali ibn Abi Talib read: "Malak on the Day of Judgment" as a past tense verb. Abu Hurairah read "Malik" with a 'ya' and the kasrah of the 'kaf.' Abu Ali said: "None of the readers tilted the 'alif' of 'Malik,' and that is permissible, but it should not be read in a way that is permissible unless there comes an authentic report about it."

And "the kingdom and the dominion" with the 'mim' being pronounced and broken, and all its derivatives refer back to "Malaka" meaning to tighten and control. Then each derivation of the word is specific to a type of meaning. The original meaning in "Malaka" is indicated by the poet's saying:

She controlled it with her hand, so I poured it out.

This describes a stab, and he meant "I tightened." From that is the saying of Aws ibn Hujr:

So he controlled it with the leather that is under its skin, like the cracking of an egg, as if it were the heat from the sun.

He meant "tightened," and this describes a bow maker who left from its skin what preserves the heart of the bow. And "that which" is the object, and not an attribute of the leather. From that is their saying: "The ownership of a woman and the ownership of so-and-so"; it is merely the binding of the marriage, as they say: "The knot of marriage," for marriage is a place of tightening and binding. Thus, the owner of a thing is one who tightens it, controls it, and likewise the king.

And those who read "Malik" argue that the term "Malik" is more general than the term "Malik". This is because every king is a master, but not every master is a king. The king is the one who manages the master in his ownership so that he does not act except by the management of the king. The interpreters continued to present this argument, which I find unnecessary. This is because they took the two terms in an absolute sense, not in relation to what is owned and in which there is a king. However, if the relationship of the king is the same as that of the master, then the master is more expressive. An example of this is that we imagine a large populated city, then we imagine a man who owns it entirely, or a man who is only its king. He only manages and rules it. There is no doubt that the master has more authority and is greater, as it is to him that the laws of Sharia are applied in it, just as it is for everyone in their ownership. Then, with him, there is an increase in ownership. And the ownership of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, on the Day of Judgment is to this extent. He is its master and its king, and both readings are good.

And Abu Ali narrated in the argument of those who read: "Malik Yawm al-Din" that the first one to read "Malik Yawm al-Din" was Marwan ibn al-Hakam. It is said that what enters into kingship may not enter into ownership, and it is said: the master of the dinars, dirhams, birds, and animals, but it is not said: he owned them. And "Malik" in the description of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, encompasses the king of the essences of things and the king of judgment in them. And Allah, glorified and exalted is He, said: "Say, O Allah, Master of the Kingdom" [Al-Imran: 26].

Abu Bakr said: The reports that have come invalidate that the first one to read: "Malik Yawm al-Din" was Marwan ibn al-Hakam. Rather, the reading of that is broader, and perhaps the one who said that meant that he was the first to read in that era or in that city and so on.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: In Al-Tirmidhi, it is mentioned that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, read: "Malik Yawm al-Din" without an alif. And it is also mentioned that they read "Malik Yawm al-Din" with an alif.

Abu Bakr said: And the choice for me is "Malik Yawm al-Din", because "mulk" and "malik" share one meaning, which is binding and tying, as they say: I kneaded the dough, meaning: I bound it, among other examples. And kingship is more magnificent and more included in praise, and the verse was revealed in praise and commendation of Allah, glorified is He. The meaning is that He is the King of kings on that day; there is no kingship for others. He said: And the justification for those who read "Malik" is to say that the meaning is that Allah, glorified and exalted is He, owns that day to bring it forth, just as He owns all other days. However, He specified it by mention due to its greatness in its gathering and its events. Abu al-Hasan al-Akhfash said: "It is said: Mulk is clear kingship with a dammed meem, and Malik is between kingship and ownership with a opened meem and a broken one." They claimed that damming the meem is a dialect in this meaning. And some of the Baghdadis narrated: "For me in this valley is a kingship, a kingship, and an ownership," meaning one thing.

Abu Ali said: Abu Bakr ibn al-Sarraj narrated from some of those who preferred the reading with 'Malik' that Allah, glorified and exalted is He, described Himself as the Owner of all things by His saying: ﴿Lord of the worlds﴾, so there is no benefit in the reading of one who recited 'Malik' because it is a repetition. Abu Ali said: And there is no proof in this, because in the revelation there are things of this nature, where the general precedes and then the specific is mentioned, as in His saying, glorified and exalted is He: ﴿He is Allah, the Creator, the Initiator, the Fashioner﴾ [Al-Hashr: 24]. The Creator is general, and He mentioned the Fashioner for the purpose of indicating the craftsmanship and the aspects of wisdom. And as He said, glorified and exalted is He: ﴿And in the Hereafter they are certain﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 4] after His saying: ﴿Those who believe in the unseen﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 3], and 'the unseen' is general, including the Hereafter and other than it, but He mentioned it for its greatness and to indicate the necessity of believing in it, and as a rebuttal to the disbelievers who deny it. And as He said, glorified and exalted is He: ﴿The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful﴾, the mention of the Most Gracious is general, and the mention of the Most Merciful after it is to specify the believers in Him in His saying, glorified and exalted is He: ﴿And He was merciful to the believers﴾ [Al-Ahzab: 43].

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Also, the Lord acts in the speech of the Arabs with the meaning of the King, as in His saying: 'And before that, He raised me, so I became a lord.' And other than that from the evidences, so the proof is reversed against one who recited ﴿Malik on the Day of Judgment﴾.

The case for 'Malik' or 'Malik' in both readings is based on the description for the noun that is genitive before it, and the attributes apply to their described if they are not cut off from them for blame or praise. The addition to (p-79) (the Day of Judgment) in both readings is like the saying 'O thief of the night, owner of the house,' it expanded in the circumstance and was constructed as the object, then the addition occurred to it on this limit, and this is not like the addition of His saying, glorified and exalted is He: ﴿And with Him is knowledge of the Hour﴾ [Az-Zukhruf: 85], because the Hour is an object in reality, meaning that He knows the Hour and its reality, so its matter is not as the disbelievers are upon in denying it.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: As for the meaning that Ibn al-Sarraj mentioned, that the meaning of ﴿Malik on the Day of Judgment﴾ is that He owns its coming and occurrence, then the addition to the day is like the addition of the source to the hour, because the day is, according to his saying, an object in reality, and not a circumstance that has expanded in it.

Abu Ali said: And whoever recited ﴿Malik on the Day of Judgment﴾, and added the name of the doer to the circumstance that has expanded in it, then he has omitted the object from the speech, indicating its estimation: the Owner of the Day of Judgment is the rulings. And similar to this verse in omitting the object with the circumstance is His saying, glorified and exalted is He: ﴿So whoever witnesses from you the month, let him fast it﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 185], so the month was constructed as it is a circumstance, and the estimation is: So whoever witnesses from you the city in the month, and if the month were an object, fasting would be obligatory for the traveler, because his witnessing of the month is like the witnessing of the resident, and 'to witness' transgresses to an object, as indicated by the saying of the poet:

And a day we witnessed it, sound and prosperous. 'The religion' is a term that comes in the speech of the Arabs in various ways: among them is 'the creed.' Allah, the Most High, said: ﴿Indeed, the religion with Allah is Islam﴾ [Al-Imran: 19] and there are many evidences for this meaning. The share of a man from it in his sayings, actions, and beliefs is called 'religion.' It is said: 'So-and-so has good religion.' And from this is the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, in his vision of the shirt of Umar, which he saw dragging. It was said: 'What did I interpret it as, O Messenger of Allah?' He said: 'The religion.' Ali ibn Abi Talib said: 'The love of scholars is a religion by which one is judged.' And from the meanings of the word religion is 'the custom.'

From this is the saying of the Arabs regarding the wind: 'Heif returned to its religions.'

And from this is the saying of Imru' al-Qais:

'Like your religion from the mother of Al-Huwairith before her.'

And from this is the saying of the poet:

'Is this his religion forever and mine?'

To other than that from the evidences, it is said: 'Religion' and 'religion' mean 'custom.'

And from the meanings of the word religion is 'the conduct of the king and his queen.' And from this is the saying of Zuhair:

'If you settle in a place among Banu Asad, In the religion of Amr, and Fadak intervenes between us.'

He meant in the place of obedience to Amr and his conduct. And these three meanings do not explain his saying: (King of the Day of Religion).

And from the meanings of the word religion is 'the recompense.' From this is the saying of the temporal poet:

'And there remains no one but the adversary, We recompensed them as they recompensed us.'

That is, we rewarded them.

And from this is the saying of Ka'b ibn Ju'ail:

'When we throw, we throw them, And we recompensed them like what they lend us.'

And from this is the saying of another:

'And know with certainty that your kingdom is transient, And know that as you deal, you will be dealt with.'

And this meaning is what is suitable for interpreting His saying, the Most High: (King of the Day of Religion), that is, the Day of recompense for deeds and accounting for them. Likewise, Ibn Abbas, Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn Jurayj, Qatadah, and others said. Abu Ali said: And this is indicated by His saying, the Most High: ﴿Today every soul will be recompensed for what it earned﴾ [Ghafir: 17], and ﴿Today you will be recompensed for what you used to do﴾ [Al-Jathiya: 28].

And the people of language have narrated: 'I dealt with him for his action a debt' with the opening of the dal, and 'a religion' with its kasra: 'I recompensed him.' And it is said: 'The religion' is the source, and 'the religion' with the kasra of the name. Mujahid said: 'King of the Day of Religion' means: the Day of accounting, we are judged and held accountable, and this, in my view, refers back to the meaning of recompense.

And from the meanings of the word 'religion' is 'humiliation,' and 'the debtor' is 'the servant,' and 'the city' is 'the nation.' And from this is the saying of Al-Akhtal:

'It grew and was nurtured in her lap, the son of the city, You see him on his patches, he is thriving.'

That is, the son of a servant, and it is said: Rather, he meant the son of a city from the cities, the meem is original, and he attributed him to it, as it is said: the son of water and others. And this verse is in the description of generosity, so he meant that the people of the cities are more knowledgeable about the cultivation of generosity than the people of the Bedouin Arabs.

And from the meanings of the word, religion is 'the politics,' and 'the ruler' is 'the governor.' And from this is the saying of Dhul-Asbah.

O son of your uncle, you have not preferred me in lineage, not even once, nor are you my judge so that you may shame me.

And among the meanings of the word religion is: "the state," as Al-Nadr ibn Shumail said:

I asked a Bedouin about something, and he said to me: "If you had met me on a religion other than this, I would have informed you." And among the meanings of the word, religion is: "the ailment," as narrated by Al-Lihyani, and he recited:

O the religion of your heart from Salma, and we have been afflicted.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

As for this evidence, it can be interpreted in a different way, and there remains only the saying of Al-Lihyani.