3. Al-Malik, The King

Here we have a name that God is called that people can also be called.  The King, the ruler, the lord.

American democrats sometimes have troubles with the idea of anyone being a King.  And modern seminaries sometimes have troubles with calling God a name with such "patriarchal" overtones.  The fact remains that traditionally within Christianity and Islam, we have known God as King.

A central prayer in Christianity, the Lord's prayer, which Jesus taught to his followers starts out with "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.  Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

When we call God King, we emphasize the fact that he is the one who has the right to make the rules.  He is the one to whom we give our allegiance, who has the supreme right to tell us what to do, to boss us around, both personally, the way a King sends his vassals on errands, and in general, the way a King makes laws for his kingdom.

One of the spots where the Qur'an talks about Allah and gives him the title Al-Malik is in Surat Taha, (20:114).  In this passage, though not in this specific verse, God tells the angels to prostrate themselves before Adam, and Iblis (Satan) refused.  And, as we all know, Adam didn't do such a good job of obeying God's command to him.  God is King.  He has the right to tell us what to do, even when the command may not make a lot of sense to us (as when Adam was told not to eat one specific fruit, even though it was "good to eat" and "a delight to the eyes" (Genesis 3:6)).  He has the right to tell us to give honor to someone, as in the command of the ten commandments to honor father and mother, and as Iblis refused to do to Adam and Eve.

The New Testament talks about being transferred out of the Kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:12-14).  We don't actually have a choice about whether or not we are going to live in a spiritual kingdom--someone will be king over us, whether we choose that or not.  We do have a choice about which King we will have.

For myself, I want to be a member of the kingdom of light, and have God for my King, Al-Malik.

Playing with calligraphy.  I am trying to make a crown from the Arabic words.  I don't know whether this will be obvious to all viewers.

Having said that individualistic Americans sometimes have difficulties with the idea of a King (or anyone) telling them what to do, I should probably also be honest, and say that I find the notion of a King to be very romantic.  I identify quite a bit with the legend of St. Christopher, a warrior who wanted to serve the greatest King.  He works his way up through various kings, then winds up serving Satan because a very great king is scared of the devil.  This of course brings him around to serving God, though the story is more complex than that.

There is a sense in which this is part of the story of how I came to become a Christian.

Aggressively Christian bit follows, read at your own discretion.  

I was looking for a Lord worth serving, and I found one in Jesus, a King who came to his people in humility, and whose humility will someday lead to every knee being bowed, and every tongue confessing that he is Lord.

I will admit that as I think this through I am more and more struck that while in Christian literature both Father and Son are addressed as King, and it is the Father who gives Jesus his throne and kingdom, it is clear that the cry of Christians has been from the beginning that "Jesus is Lord" (and in being the Lord, also our King.)