A Comparative Study of the Reality of Lordship (Tawḥīd al-Rubūbiyyah) from the Perspectives of ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabāʾī and Sulṭān al-ʿUmayrī

This article examines ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabāʾī’s interpretation of the concept of Lordship (Rubūbiyyah) and critically analyzes the views of Sulṭān al-ʿUmayrī concerning Tawḥīd al-Rubūbiyyah (the Oneness of Divine Lordship). ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabāʾī emphasizes the criterion of independence (istiqlāl) in the divine attributes of Lordship, identifying God's exclusive and independent ownership and governance of creation as the defining characteristic of true Lordship. He maintains that attributing any form of independent causal efficacy to beings other than God constitutes shirk al-rubūbiyyah (associating partners with God in His Lordship). Drawing upon Qur'anic verses, he argues that the essence of polytheism lies in the belief that entities besides God possess intrinsic and independent powers, asserting that the polytheists fell into shirk because they regarded their deities as possessing inherent causal influence. Although Sulṭān al-ʿUmayrī appears to acknowledge independence, perfection, absoluteness, and self-sufficiency as characteristics of Lordship, he distinguishes between the fundamental and subsidiary aspects of Lordship. He contends that belief in God's major divine attributes constitutes the essence of Lordship and argues that the polytheists affirmed the fundamental principles of Divine Lordship, deviating only in its secondary manifestations. Nevertheless, this study raises several criticisms of al-ʿUmayrī’s position. First, he fails to recognize independence as the defining criterion of Lordship. Second, his arguments concerning the beliefs of the polytheists are found to be inaccurate. Employing a descriptive-analytical methodology, the study concludes that ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabāʾī’s interpretation is more consistent with the Qur'an, and that the true nature of Divine Lordship is fundamentally grounded in the belief that all causal efficacy belongs intrinsically and independently to God alone.