The fact is that the Holy Qur’an speaks of Rabbul Mashriqain at some places and Rabbul Mashriqi wal Maghribi at another place. By that the Holy Qur’an means to predict the things which were to happen and the divisions which were to take place in the future. Now I have mentioned the second verse particularly to prove the point. The fact is that even at that time it could be conceived that the world is generally divided into Mashriq and Maghrib. So perhaps the Holy Qur’an is using the ordinary idiom of the people and does not mean anything in particular by way of prophecy.
But in another place it says Rabbul Mashriqain wa Rabbul Maghribain. We know positively from historical evidence that there was absolutely no concept of two Easts and two Wests at the time of our Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. Near East and Far East or Middle East or West, for the West to be divided into two regions, European West and American West, which is the Far West. This division has been mentioned in the Holy Qur’an to indicate the future events. And it also speaks of the final outcome of these struggles. When Allah tells us that He is the Lord of both West and the East or He is the Lord of both the Easts and both the Wests, it gives a guarantee to the Muslims that He being the Lord, it will not be their will, the will of the East or the West, which is going to become victorious in the end.
It is going to be the will of Allah, the Lord of these two divisions, which is going to prevail in the end. So however impossible the circumstances may appear and however disappointing the cause of the Muslim world be, this is a way of reassuring them that when you see these things happen, when you see the world divided into two regions, largely speaking, the East and the West, and when you see further divisions in East and further divisions in West, and there you are sort of sandwiched between the two divisions, as Middle East, that is the home of Islam in fact, apparently no hope will be left for you, but Allah assures you that He is the Lord of all these divisions, so His will be done, and ultimately Islam would definitely emerge as victorious.
That’s the way of guaranteeing the future of Islam. So many other things can be said about this in the context of this verse, or these verses wherever they are placed, but for the present I think that should suffice, that would answer your question, I hope.
