Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
In this text, Taberî emphasizes that Allah's attribute of 'malik of the Day of Judgment' being mentioned again is meaningful despite the proximity and connection between the verses; because His wisdom is a wisdom like no other wisdom. This repetition is in the nature of a reconfirmation of the attribute that came before.
مع قرب ما بين الآيتين من المواصلة والمجاورة، إذ كانت حكمته الحكمة التي لا تشبهها حكمة. وكان في إعادة وصفه جل ذكره بأنه مالك يوم الدين إعادة ما قد مضى من وصفه به
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
Ibn Kesîr transmits hadiths showing that when reading the Qur'an, it is recommended to recite with tajweed (slowly, word by word) and to beautify the voice. He conveys the report that a Qur'an reciter will be told on the Day of Resurrection 'recite, ascend, recite with tajweed as you did in the world.' He also transmits from Ibn Mes'ûd the statement that the Qur'an should not be scattered like sand, not recited quickly like poetry, but rather one should pause at its wonders and move the hearts.
يقال لقارئ القرآن اقرأ وارق ورتل كما كنت ترتل في الدنيا فإن منزلتك عند آخر آية تقرؤها
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
Beydâwî addresses the readings of 'malik of the Day of Judgment' and 'melik of the Day of Judgment' and prefers the reading 'melik' because it is the reading of the people of Haram (Mecca and Medina), is supported by the verse 'for whom is the kingdom today,' and for the ta'zeem (glorification) it contains. He explains the difference between malik and melik: malik is one who acts as he wishes in the beings he owns, while melik is one who rules over those under his command through command and prohibition. He interprets the expression 'day of judgment' as the day of punishment and states that this annexation occurs either due to glorifying the day or because Allah's dominion alone prevails on that day.
وقرأ الباقون: ملك. وهو المختار لأنه قراءة أهل الحرمين ولقوله تعالى: لمن الملك اليوم؟. ولما فيه من التعظيم. والمالك هو المتصرف في الأعيان المملوكة كيف يشاء من الملك. والملك هو المتصرف بالأمر والنهي في المأمورين من الملك.
Comparison
Common ground
All three exegetes pay special attention to the position and meaning of the expression 'malik of the Day of Judgment' within the verse; they agree that this expression is not an ordinary repetition or a simple word, and that the depth of meaning it carries (wisdom, glorification, emphasis on the day of reckoning) deserves to be particularly addressed.
Differences
Taberî, by focusing on the contextual wholeness of the verse, attempts to explain the wisdom of the attribute's repetition; this approach reflects the tradition of interpretation based on transmission and context that was common in the early period of tafsir tradition. Ibn Kesîr, by transmitting reports about the etiquette of Qur'an recitation rather than the wording of the verse, transfers the subject to a completely different axis, to a moral/practical plane based on hadith and Sunnah; this is a reflection of his transmission-weighted tafsir methodology. Beydâwî presents a linguistic and rhetorical technical analysis based on reading differences (malik/melik); his preference for the Haramayn reading and his making linguistic distinctions point to his kalam-linguistic school and the systematic tafsir method that developed in the later period.
Historical context
While Taberî (early period) attempts to ensure the internal consistency of the verse through contextual/transmitted reading, Ibn Kesîr (middle period) continues his transmission-weighted approach and directs attention to the practical/moral dimension of the verse (the etiquette of recitation); what is common between these two is the importance given to hadith and transmission. Beydâwî (later period), reflecting the developed state of linguistic, reading, and rhetorical sciences, moves toward a more technical and comparative method. This shows that the tafsir tradition over time expanded from transmission toward linguistic/kalam analysis, but the central importance of the attribute (malik/melik) remained fixed in every period.
Modern connection
These various ways of reading developed over different periods regarding the expression 'malik of the Day of Judgment' remind us how in our scholarly tradition, both transmission and reason, both context and language, proceeded together. This situation presents a cautious example of the value of being open to different perspectives and thinking deeply with patience when trying to understand a subject today. At the same time, this emphasis on the day of reckoning can be thought of as a gentle reminder that a person should fulfill his acts of worship in the world with sincerity and with an awareness of responsibility.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar