Say: ‘O Allah, Lord of all dominion! You give dominion to whom You will, and take away dominion from whom You will, and You exalt whom You will, and abase whom You will. In Your Hand is all good. Surely You are All-Powerful.’
(The Qur’ān – 3:26)
Those who disbelieved were seen to be prosperous, whereas the believers, with their devotion to God, suffered all the deprivation, persecution and torment to which the Prophet ﷺand his followers were subjected around the year 3A.H. The contrasting states of the two groups of men were the reverse of what would naturally be expected. This raised disturbing questions in people’s minds. The āyahconveys God’s answer.
Since there is only a single deity, He is then the only Master, Who has no partners. He gives whatever portion He wishes of His dominion to whomever He wants of His servants.
He is also the One Who exalts whom He wills and abases whom He wills. He needs no one to ratify His judgement. No one grants protection against the will of God, and no one has the power to prevent His will taking its full course. His power is absolute and His control is total.
The authority of God ensures the realisation of all goodness. He exercises it with justice. When He gives dominion to anyone or takes it away from him, He does so with justice. Similarly, it is with justice that He exalts or abases any of His servants. This ensures real goodness, in all situations.