How does the Lordship (Rububiyyah) of God imply the existence of an afterlife? Before we get down to the details, let’s define what Lordship (Rububiyyah) is.

What does Lordship (Rububiyyah) mean?

Rububiyyah means the state or condition of being a rab just as Lordship means the state or condition of being a lord. The word rab does not have a direct translation in the English language and is usually translated as lord. So what does Rab mean? Rab encompasses the following meanings

• Owner

Examples: A slave master is a rab of their slave or a pet owner is a rab of their pet. For instance, when Abraha came to destroy the Kaba, he seized camels 🐫 belonging to Abdulmuttalib. When Abdulmuttalib came to ask for his camels, Abraha was surprised that he seemed more concerned about his camels than the destruction of the Kaba. Abdulmuttalib said, “I am the rab of the camels and the Kaba has a Rab Who will protect it”.

• Ruler

Examples: A ruler or king 👑 is a rab of his subjects. There is also an example of this usage in the Qur’an. We see in Surat Yusuf verse 42 that “Joseph said to the one he knew would be saved, ‘Mention me to your master,’ but Satan made him forget to do this, and so Joseph remained in prison for a number of years” . The word translated as “master” is actually the word rab.

• One who raises and nurtures

Examples: A parent is a rab of their kids. A teacher is a rab of their students and so on.

How does the Lordship (Rububiyyah) of God imply the existence of an afterlife?

Even the smallest entity in human life involving rububiyyah has a system of reward and punishment. A parent, for instance, uses reward and punishment to discipline the kids. A king 👑 uses reward and punishment to maintain order and security in the country. Similarly, a pet owner uses this system to train their pets 🐦,and so on.

When this is the case for even the simplist entities involving rububiyyah, it becomes apparent that it must be the case for the greatest entity which is God and His creation involving the greatest form of Rububiyyah. God created us out of nothing and is our Ultimate Owner. He is the Ruler of the heavens and the earth and nurtures and nourishes each and every one of us every second of our lives. Is it possible to assume that there is no system of reward and punishment? Is it reasonable to think we will not be held accountable of our actions in this life? Most definitely not!

RELEVANT PASSAGE FROM THE TENTH WORD

The Tenth Word, First Truth