الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿3﴾مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ ﴿4﴾

﴾3﴿ Ar-Rahmaanir-Raheem
﴾4﴿ Maaliki Yawmid-Deen

﴾3﴿ Who is merciful to all and especially compassionate to the chosen ones.
﴾4﴿ The Sovereign and Disposer on the Day of Judgment.

[3] “The Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful” — these are also among the attributes of Allah and serve as evidence for the central claim of this surah.
Both of these attributes are derived from mercy, and mercy in relation to Allah means showing kindness, grace, and bestowing blessings, while for a servant it means having a soft heart.
These attributes were mentioned in “Bismillah” as a reason for seeking help, and here they are mentioned as the reason for making praise exclusive to Allah and as His attributes.
[4] “Master of the Day of Judgment” — this is also an attribute of Allah, serving as evidence.
“Master” is derived from “milk” (with a kasrah under the meem), meaning the owner and one with full authority, and in this sense, it is exclusive to Allah.
“The Day of Judgment” is one of the many names for the Day of Resurrection, and “ad-dīn” has many meanings, but here it means recompense.
Allah is the Owner of everything in this world and the Hereafter, but here the Day of Judgment is specified because in this world there are apparent owners, while in the Hereafter, no one except Allah will have ownership.
The sequence of these proofs and attributes is as follows: “Lord of the worlds” shows that Allah is the giver of all blessings and their true Owner.
Now, the question arises as to who gives and distributes these blessings and whether there is any distinction in them.
This is answered by “the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.”
Now, the question arises as to who has the authority to permit or forbid the use of these blessings.
The answer is given that it is with the Master, and reference is made to the Day of Judgment, indicating that while you use these blessings, you should also be prepared for accountability and recompense.