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What is the relationship between Lordship (Rubūbiyyah) and Divinity (Ulūhiyyah), and why do polytheists affirm Lordship but deny Divinity? And how does Divinity encompass Lordship, while Lordship might include Divinity if generalized? And what is the meaning of the statement that if Divinity and Lordship are mentioned together, they are distinct, but if mentioned separately, they are inclusive of each other?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The polytheists acknowledged the Oneness of Lordship, and this has been mentioned in many Quranic verses. The Oneness of Lordship necessitates the Oneness of Divinity. Their affirmation of a Creator, Provider, and Disposer of the world necessitates their affirmation that He is the God worshipped. Thus, affirming the necessitating factor while denying the necessitated factor is a contradiction. Divinity encompasses Lordship. When the two terms Lordship and Divinity are mentioned together, Lordship specifically refers to Allah being the Creator, Provider, and Disposer, while Divinity specifically refers to Him being the One worshipped and obeyed. However, when they are mentioned separately, each term encompasses the other.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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