Explanation of the author's statement: And the saying of Allah the Exalted: "Say: Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds"

The Shaykh : He said: "And the saying of Allah the Exalted:

⁽¹⁶²⁾ Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. ⁽¹⁶³⁾ No partner has He. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims."

قل إن صلاتي ونسكي ومحياي ومماتي لله رب العالمين ، لا شريك له وبذلك أمرت وأنا أول المسلمين

[Al-An'am 6:162-163]

". "Say" is an address to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and this verse is in a Meccan surah, because it is in Surat al-An'am, which is Meccan. That is to say, "Say" to these polytheists, declaring to them your standing for pure tawhid (the oneness of Allah). Prayer in the linguistic sense is supplication, and sacrifice in the linguistic sense is worship. Prayer in the Shari'ah is: "a form of worship consisting of known words and actions, beginning with the takbir and ending with the taslim", and sacrifice in the Shari'ah is: "the slaughter of the sacrificial animal". So do we take this verse in its linguistic meaning or in its Shari'ah meaning? Yes, it has been established for us that what comes in the language of the Shari'ah is taken in its Shari'ah sense, just as what comes in the language of custom is taken in its customary sense. Yes, when I say to a person, "You have a sheep," what is understood? The female of the sheep. This is the custom. But in the Arabic language, "a sheep" is either the male or female of the goat or the sheep. For example, do you take this in the linguistic meaning or the Shari'ah meaning? The linguistic meaning is broader. If it is said that prayer is supplication and sacrifice is worship, it is as if he is saying, "I do not supplicate to anyone but Allah, and I do not worship anyone but Allah." This is general for supplication and worship. If we say that prayer is the known words and actions, and sacrifice is the slaughter of the sacrificial animal, it becomes specific, specific to a type of worship, namely prayer and sacrifice. And this would be an example. Prayer is the highest of the physical acts of worship, and slaughter is the highest of the financial acts of worship, what? The highest of the financial acts of worship, because it does not occur except as a nearness to Allah by way of exaltation. It does not occur except as a nearness. This is how Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) established it in this issue. It requires discussion regarding the issue that the sacrificial animal is the highest type of financial worship, because zakah (the obligatory alms) is undoubtedly higher than it, and it is a financial act of worship. In any case, there is a third opinion that says: Prayer is the known prayer, and sacrifice is worship in general. And the mention of prayer specifically, while it is included in worship, is from the perspective of what? It is from the perspective of attaching the general to the specific. Yes.
The student: ... Supplication of worship and supplication of request.

The Shaykh : No, if we take it as supplication of request and sacrifice as worship, that is the general linguistic reality, broader than the Shari'ah reality. And in any case, even if it is said to be in the Shari'ah reality and specific to prayer and slaughter, the rest is like it. This is from the perspective of giving an example. And His saying: "my living" means my life, and "my dying" means my death. The meaning is that the management of me, living and dead, and the administration of my affairs, living and dead, is for whom? For Allah. So in this is the affirmation of tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship) and the affirmation of tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship), or not? Say yes or no. No.
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : Worship in
The student: My prayer

The Shaykh : and lordship . So there is no doubt that the living and dying of a person is for whom? For Allah. No one manages it, not his father or his mother. Even his father is not the one who created him. His father is not the one who created him, and his mother is not the one who created him. And his father is not the one who brought him provision either. The one who created the provision for him is Allah, even if the provision is in his hand.
He said: This is a noun of "in" (the particle of existence). And "Allah," as we have passed through many times, is a proper name for the divine essence. Its origin is "al-Ilah," so the hamzah was deleted for the sake of lightness due to frequent usage. "Ilah" can mean "the one who is worshipped," so it is a fi'il (active participle) meaning maf'ul (passive participle). Yes, just as it is said: "Giras" meaning "planted," and "Bina'" meaning "built," and "Firash" meaning "spread out," and "Gita'"—but I didn't get that right—meaning "covered." Yes. So "Allah" means "the one who is worshipped," and it is a proper name for the essence of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : No, and His saying: .
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : No, it is general. What we said is broader in the management of my affairs, living and dead, what?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : By way of example...
And His saying: "Lord of the worlds." The intended meaning of "the worlds" here is everything other than Allah. It is used in this sense, and it is used for the worlds at a specific time, such as "for the Children of Israel" . But here, "Lord of the worlds," the intended meaning of "the worlds" is everyone other than Allah. Everything other than Allah is a "world" (al-'alam), and they were named so because they are a sign of their Creator (Glorified and Exalted is He), a sign, as the poet said:
"And in everything He has a sign *** indicating that He is One"
Yes, and in every thing there is a sign of Him
The beginning of the poem:
"By your life, how is the Divine being disbelieved? *** Or how does the disbeliever deny Him?
And in every thing there is a sign *** indicating that He is One"
Every thing has in it a sign indicating that He is One. So, "Lord of the worlds," we say, "the worlds" are whom? Everyone other than Allah. And they were named "al-'alam" (the world) because they are a sign of their Creator. And "al-Rabb" (Lord) here is the Owner and the Manager. And this lordship is absolute, so every... is restricted...