Question:

Some Muslims hold the opinion that the Arabic term “Rabb” (رب) means only ” God” and should never be used for humans, does this correspond to the linguistic usage of the Qurʾān?

Answer:

In the 51st verse of the 3rd chapter “Āl ʿImrān” it says:

إن الله ربي وربكم فاعبدوه هذا صراط مستقيم

“God is My Lord (Rabb) and your Lord (Rabb), so worship Him. This is the straight path.”

The 50th verse of chapter 12, “Yūsuf” says:

وقال الملك ائتوني به فلما جاءه الرسول قال ارجع إلى ربك فاسأله ما بال النسوة اللاتي قطعن أيديهن إن ربي بكيدهن عليم

“The king said: “Bring him to me.” When the messenger came to him, he said: “Go back to your Lord (Rabb) and ask him how the women who cut their hands are doing. My Lord (Rabb) is well informed of their cunning.”

Aṭ-Ṭabarī writes on page 199 in volume 13 of his Tafsīr:

فلما جاءه رسول الملك يدعوه إلى الملك قال ارجع إلى ربك يقول قال يوسف للرسول ارجع إلى سيدك

“When the messenger of the king came to him to summon him to the king, he said: “Return to your Lord (Rabb).” Joseph said to the messenger: “Return to your Lord (Sayyid).”


Aṭ-Ṭūsī writes on page 152 in the 6th volume of At-Tibyān:

فلما جاءه الرسول يعني رسول الملك، قال له يوسف ارجع الى سيدك

“When the messenger came to him, meaning the messenger of the king, Joseph (a.) said to him: “Return to your Lord (Sayyid).”

Comment:

The point is not how the term “Rabbʾ” (رب) is to be understood, but that it is not used for God alone in the language usage of the Qurʾān.