The Quran states that the owner of everything is Allah.[1] What is given to man is like a trust. How a person treats this trust is a test.[2]
A person thinks that he owns certain things throughout his life. However, the Quran clearly states that the real owner of the universe is Allah and that what is given to man is entrusted to him: ” Blessed is the One in Whose Hands rests all authority. And He is Most Capable of everything.”[3] “He is the One Who has placed you as successors on earth and elevated some of you in rank over others, so He may test you with what He has given you. Surely your Lord is swift in punishment, but He is certainly All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”[4]
Owning something means having the opportunity to save (use) that thing as one wishes. For example, the owner of a paper is the person who pays the price of the paper. Because he paid a price for what he wanted to have, he has the right to dispose of this paper as he wishes. He can tear it, burn it, or write on it. As long as it doesn’t prevent another’s right, no one can hold himself accountable on how he uses it. Because the owner of the paper paid a price for it.
On the other hand, a person did not pay a price for the blessings he had. Human has not paid a price for the blessings, such as being able to breathe, see, and smell. Human has no dominion over these blessings. When a person wants to walk, all he can do is give the command to take a step. However, man does not have willpower over every single movement of the muscles. However, for a person to own something, he must be able to dominate it without question.
Allah has given the human these and countless other blessings. And in return for these blessings, he asked people for certain things. What Allah wants from human is realizing how beautifully these things have been created, giving thanks after this realization, and acting with the awareness of Allah’s existence: ” That is Allah—your Lord! There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him. ˹He is˺ the Creator of all things, so worship Him ˹alone˺. And He is the Maintainer of everything..”[5]
The fact that Allah is the owner of everything does not mean that he treats or will treat His creatures unjustly. Because Allah is the owner of the universe; He set rules in accordance with his greatness, justice, and mercy. It is unthinkable for him to act contrary to the rules set by himself: “˹This is˺ Allah’s way, already long established ˹in the past˺. And you will find no change in Allah’s way!”[6] One of the rules Allah has set in the universe is this: ” Whoever comes with a good deed will be rewarded tenfold. But whoever comes with a bad deed will be punished for only one. None will be wronged.”[7] As seen in the verse, Allah will repay good deeds many times over, and record a single bad deed.
Allah is truthful. One of the names of Allah is Al- Quddus which means that all His attributes, free from all deficiencies and perfect (attributes of being perfect) are gathered on Him. Allah says in the Quran, ” So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it. And whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.[8] Allah states in this verse that He will not punish anyone He wishes, but the one who deserves it.
It should be added that the belief that Allah is the owner of everything makes people feel safe. Because with this belief, people will know that beings are not uncontrolled and that the events that happen to them happen for a reason.[9]
[1] Al-Mulk,1
[2] Al-Mulk,2
[3] Al-Mulk,1
[4] Al-An’am,165
[5] Al-An’am,102
[6] Al-Fath,23
[7] Al-An’am,160
[8] Az-Zalzalah, 7-8
[9] Al-Hadid, 22