مَالِك master in Arabic
مَالِك is how you say “master” in Arabic.
Root م ل ك m-l-k. noun (active participle). mālik.
Arabic
English
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Meaning of master in Arabic
- master, lord of God as the Supreme Master, or of a human
- owner, possessor
- one holding authority or command as in مالك الأمر, possessor of a matter's command
Example sentence
إِنَّمَا الْعجب من مَالك يتحبب إِلَى مَمْلُوكه بصنوف إنعامه،
Indeed, the wonder is of a Master who endears Himself to His servant with various kinds of His favors,
مَالِكٍ a Master
malik means 'an owner, master'; the '-in' ending marks it indefinite — 'a Master'.
The English is machine-translated.

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How it is used
Lane pairs مالك with رَبّ (lord). It sets المالك الكبير, "the Great Master" — God — against المالك الصغير, the ordinary human owner of a slave, showing the word spans both a divine and an everyday sense of ownership.
Words from the same root
- مُلْكٌ dominion, kingship, sovereignty
- مَلِكٌ a king
- مَمْلَكَةٌ a kingdom, realm
- مَمْلُوكٌ a slave, one owned
- مَلَكٌ an angel
More example sentences
وإذا قال ﴿مالك يوم الدين﴾ قال الله مجدني عبدي،
When he says: "Master of the Day of Judgment," God says: "My servant has glorified Me,"
مَالِكِ Master
'Master of', genitive (continuing the verse in apposition), head of an 'of' pairing with 'Day'.
يجب مع الذكر عند مالك وأحمد، فإذا تركه عمداً بطلت صلاته،
It is obligatory with remembrance according to Malik and Ahmad; if he deliberately omits it, his prayer is invalidated.
مَالِكٍ Malik
Genitive owner of 'according to' — 'Malik'; in Malik's view.
فمذهب مالك من ترك من ذلك ثلاثاً عمداً أعاد الصلاة،
According to Malik, anyone who deliberately omits three of these must repeat the prayer.
مَالِكٍ Malik
Genitive owner of 'view' — 'Malik'.
فذلك لأن أصحاب مالك يسمون هذه سنناً،
This is because Malik's followers call these sunnas.
مَالِكٍ Malik
Genitive owner of 'followers' — 'Malik'.
وإذا قال ﴿مالك يوم الدين﴾ قال الله مجدني عبدي،
And when he says: 'Master of the Day of Judgment,' Allah says: 'My servant has glorified Me.'
مَالِكِ master
'Master of', genitive (continuing the verse in apposition), head of an 'of' pairing with 'Day'.
يجب مع الذكر عند مالك وأحمد،
It is required along with remembrance according to Malik and Ahmad,
مَالِكٍ Malik
Genitive owner of 'according to' — 'Malik'; in Malik's view.
فمذهب مالك من ترك من ذلك ثلاثاً عمداً أعاد الصلاة،
According to Malik's school of thought, whoever intentionally omits three of these must repeat the prayer,
مَالِكٍ Malik
Genitive owner of 'view' — 'Malik'.
فذلك لأن أصحاب مالك يسمون هذه سنناً،
This is because the followers of Malik refer to these as recommended practices,
مَالِكٍ Malik
Genitive owner of 'followers' — 'Malik'.
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ
From Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
مَالِكٍ Malik
The father's name, also in the -i form, here closing on '-in' — the light 'n' sound Arabic adds to an ordinary indefinite noun. Together the three words give the full identification: Anas, son of Malik.
وعن مالك بن دينار قال
And from Malik ibn Dinar, he said
مَالِكِ Malik
A personal name functioning as the source of the report. It sits in the genitive ending because the preposition 'an in front of it requires that case of whatever noun it governs. The name then continues into a father's name, which is why its ending links forward as well.
وكذلك ملأ ترجمة جعفر بن سليمان بما يروى عن مالك بن دينار ونظرائه،
Similarly, he filled the biography of Ja'far ibn Suleiman with what is narrated from Malik ibn Dinar and his peers,
مَالِكِ Malik
A man's name, governed by the 'from' before it, and itself head of a 'son of' link with the next name. It names the figure the reports trace to.
والأنعام وهي معجبة للمالك والنظار،
And the cattle, which impress both the owner and the onlookers,
لِلْمَالِكِ for the owner
The 'for' prefix is a preposition forcing the genitive and marking who experiences the impression, the one to whom the cattle are pleasing. It links the quality of impressiveness to its audience, naming the owner as one party who admires them.
وَعَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ سَعْدِ بْنِ مَالِكِ بْنِ سِنَانَ الْخُدْرِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
From Abu Sa'id Sa'd ibn Malik ibn Sinan al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him.
مَالِكِ Malik
This is a father's name in the lineage, owned by the 'son of' before it, so it takes the 'of...' (genitive) ending. It then itself becomes the starting point for the next 'son of' link, so it sits in the middle of the chain as both an owner and the thing about to be owned.
وكذلك التشهد الأول، يجب مع الذكر عند مالك وأحمد،
Similarly, the first Tashahhud is obligatory with remembrance according to Malik and Ahmad.
مَالِكٍ Malik
A proper name governed by the preceding 'according to', and so in the genitive. As a name it is already definite, and it identifies the first authority to whom this view is attributed.
فمذهب مالك من ترك من ذلك ثلاثاً عمداً أعاد الصلاة،
Malik's view is that if three of those actions are left intentionally, the prayer must be repeated.
مَالِكٍ Malik
A proper name serving as the owner in the 'view of Malik' pairing, in the genitive owner slot after the head noun. As a name it is already definite and passes that definiteness back, fixing the phrase as Malik's particular position.
فذلك لأن أصحاب مالك يسمون هذه سنناً، والسنة عندهم قد تكون واجبة إذا تركها أعاد،
This is because Malik's followers call these practices Sunnah, and a Sunnah in their view can be obligatory; if it is left, it must be repeated.
مَالِكٍ Malik
A proper name acting as the owner in the 'of' pairing with 'followers', so the pair means 'the followers of Malik'. Its indefinite-looking ending is just the name's own case-mark; it still makes the phrase definite.
Common questions
- How do you say "master" in Arabic?
- مَالِك (mālik).
- What does مالك الأمر mean?
- Literally "possessor of the command" — one who holds authority or rule over a matter.
Related words
Definitions summarised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).