The Third Name of Allah, Al-Malik.

AL-MALIK MEANING:  The Sovereign Lord, The One with the complete Dominion, the One Whose Dominion is clear from imperfection.

Prologue.

Allah is Al-Malik (in arabic: ٱلْمَلِكُ), the literal meaning in Arabic is "The King." He is the one who reigns dominion over the heavens and the earth and everything that resides within them. There is nothing above Him, and He is alone.

From the root mim-lam-kaf (م ل ك), which has the following classical Arabic connotations: to possess, to own exclusively, to exercise authority to command to have power over, command, reign to have dominion over, to have ruling power to have kingship.

Who is Al-Malik?

This name of Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ tells us He is the absolute ruler, without any objection or partnership. Ibn Arabi says Al-Malik is the one "for whom nothing He wants to do in His Sovereign kingdom is difficult." All things in existence come from Him, and He presides as a sovereign ruler over them.

Difference between Al-Malik and Al-Maalik.

There is a difference in ٱلْمَـٰلِكُ (Al-Malik) and ٱلْمَـالِكُ (Al-Mālik), phonetically the difference is the second is said with a stress on the letter "a". Al-Malik is a king, a ruler over his subject whereas Al-Mālik is the master and owner. Al-Malik is the king, whose limits are not confined to a boundary, He is ever-lasting in time and space. He can never be abdicated from His throne and doesn't need the support of His subjects. Our perception of a king is that he leads the people, but he requires buy-in from his subjects. Without the support of the people, he has no power, no dominion.

Hadith Qudsi.

Abu Dharr reported God’s messenger as stating that God most high says, “My servants, all of you are astray except him whom I have guided, but if you ask me for guidance I will guide you; all of you are poor except him whom I have enriched, but if you ask of me I will give you provision; all of you are sinners except him whom I have preserved [from sin], but if any of you knows that I have power to pardon and ask my pardon I will pardon him, and I do not care; if the first and the last of you, the living and the dead among you, those of you who are fresh and those of you who are withered, 3 had all hearts as pious as the heart of the most pious of my servants, that would not add as much as a gnat’s wing to my dominion; if the first and last of you, the living and the dead among you, those of you who are fresh and those of you who are withered, had all hearts as wretched as the heart of the most wretched of my servants, that would not diminish as much as a gnat’s wing from my dominion; if the first and last of you, the living and the dead among you, those of you who are fresh and those of you who are withered, were gathered in one plain, each one of you asking all he could hope for, and I were to grant the request of each of you who asked, that would cause no more diminution in my dominion than if one of you passed by the sea and, after dipping a needle in it, took it out, that being because I am generous and glorious, doing what I wish. My giving is speech and my punishment is speech. My command to a thing when I want it is just to say to it ‘Be’ and it comes into being.”

Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Reference: Mishkat al-Masabih 2350.

Ayats.

"So high [above all] is Allah, the Sovereign, the Truth. And, [O Muhammad], do not hasten with [recitation of] the Qur’an before its revelation is completed to you, and say, "My Lord, increase me in knowledge." — (Qur'an 20:114)

"Say (O Muhammad SAW): “O Allah! Possessor of the kingdom, You give the kingdom to whom You will, and You take the kingdom from whom You will, and You endue with honour whom You will, and You humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is the good. Verily, You are Able to do all things." — (Qur'an 3:26)

"So exalted is Allah, the Sovereign, the Truth; there is no deity except Him, Lord of the Noble Throne." — (Qur'an 23:116)

"He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the Sovereign, the Pure, the Perfection, the Bestower of Faith, the Overseer, the Exalted in Might, the Compeller, the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate with Him." — (Qur'an 59:23)

Epilogue.

Our belief and understanding that Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ is Al-Malik (The King) enables us to realize all matters we seek belong with Him. We see how this name encompasses an aura of grandness and majesty. He has complete knowledge, power, and rule over all His creation. So if we seek refuge, we should confide in Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ because only He can help provide relief. If we seek the bounty, we should ask from the King of kings because He is the only true provider with no limits.

This belief also frees us from the shackles of dependence on wealthy leaders that may cause us to compromise our morals and integrity so that we may be in their favor. People will continually try to use fame, money, and power to control and influence our behavior for their benefit. But for the person who knows Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ as Al-Malik, they can break hold from the power others may hold over us. They see the illusion and don't fall for their tricks. 

A person who has Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ only needs Allah; they are free from worldly desires and can find happiness within. They can then focus on how to fulfill their duties and obligations as Muslims so that they may live like a King in the akhirah.

Source: My Islam