rububiyya

Rububiyya, from the Arabic term rububiyya meaning lordship or sovereignty, refers to the belief in Islamic theology that God (Allah) is the sole creator, sustainer, and ruler of the universe. It denotes divine governance over all matters and the dependence of all beings on God. In many traditional accounts of tawhid, rububiyya is distinguished from uluhiyya (the worship due to God alone) and from discussions about God’s names and attributes.

As a doctrinal category, rububiyya asserts that God possesses exclusive authority over creation, provision, life and death, and knowledge. This concept emphasizes the unity and control of God over the cosmos and is frequently used in discussions about the proper scope of worship and submission. In polemics against polytheism, rububiyya is cited to illustrate that genuine lordship belongs to God and cannot be affirmed for any partner or created being.

In classical Sunni theology, rububiyya is commonly accepted as a component of tawhid alongside uluhiyya and the recognition of God’s names and attributes. While most scholars agree that true worship is directed to God alone, rububiyya is often presented as the foundational basis for recognizing God’s unique creative and executive authority in the world. Some theological schools emphasize a more explicit division of tawhid into these categories, though the tripartite framework is not universally asserted across all Islamic thought.

In contemporary usage, rububiyya is discussed in both doctrinal and philosophical contexts as a concise formulation of God’s sovereignty and providence. It remains a core element of how Muslims articulate the concept of God’s comprehensive governance of existence.