Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
It is permissible to call upon Allah تعالى by saying “O my Master,” because the term “As-Sayyid” is authentically established in the Sunnah as being applied to Allah تعالى, and a number of scholars have counted it among His Beautiful Names. Nevertheless, some scholars, such as Imam Malik رحمه الله, considered supplicating with this expression disliked and preferred that a Muslim supplicate using expressions found in the Qur’an and the supplications of the Prophets, such as “My Lord” and “O Allah.” Therefore, the matter of saying “O my Master” is broad, although it is preferable and more cautious to follow the expressions reported in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
The use of “As-Sayyid” for Allah تعالى is established in the Sunnah.
It was narrated from Abdullah ibn ash-Shikhkhir رضي الله عنه that he said: I went with a delegation from Banu Amir to the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, and we said: “You are our master.” The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
“The Master is Allah.”
It was narrated by Ahmad and Abu Dawud, and by al-Bukhari in Al-Adab al-Mufrad. A number of scholars considered its chain authentic.
A number of scholars have mentioned “As-Sayyid” among the Names of Allah تعالى, including Ibn Mandah, al-Halimi, al-Bayhaqi, Ibn Hazm, al-Asbahani, Ibn al-Arabi, al-Qurtubi, Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn Uthaymin, and others.
The meaning of “As-Sayyid” with respect to Allah تعالى is: the Owner, the Lord, the Master and Protector, the One who possesses absolute sovereignty over His creation, to Whom creation turns for their needs and the management of their affairs.
Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله stated that Allah تعالى is truly the Master, because all creation belongs to Him and is dependent upon Him, having no independence from Him even for the blink of an eye.
Since “As-Sayyid” has been authentically established as an appellation for Allah تعالى, it is permissible to call upon Him with it, because Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:
“And to Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names, so call upon Him by them.” [Al-A'raf 7:180]
As-Sa'di رحمه الله explained that the verse includes both worshipful supplication and supplication of request, and that a servant may call upon Allah by the Name that corresponds to what he is asking for, such as saying: “O Forgiving One, forgive me,” “O Accepter of repentance, accept my repentance,” and “O Provider, provide for me.”
Accordingly, there is no harm in a Muslim saying in his supplication: “O my Master, forgive me” or “O my Master, have mercy upon me,” as long as he intends Allah تعالى alone.
Although it is permissible, it was reported that Imam Malik رحمه الله considered it disliked for a person making supplication to say: “O my Master.” He considered it preferable to use the expressions found in the Qur’an and the supplications of the Prophets.
Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله said:
“Malik, Ibn Abi Imran among the companions of Abu Hanifah, and others considered it disliked for the supplicant to say: ‘O my Master, O my Master.’ They said: Say as the Prophets said: ‘My Lord, my Lord.’”
Ibn Rushd also transmitted from Imam Malik that he considered other expressions preferable to “O my Master,” and that it was better for a Muslim to supplicate using what is found in the Qur’an and what the Prophets supplicated with.
Ibn Rushd explained that the reason for Malik’s dislike was the disagreement among scholars regarding whether this expression is established as a Name of Allah تعالى, since it does not occur in the Qur’an and, according to him, had not been established with sufficient certainty to warrant relying upon it in supplication.
Therefore, the dislike expressed by some scholars does not mean that supplicating to Allah with this expression is shirk or inherently forbidden. Rather, it is based on caution regarding the Names of Allah and giving precedence to expressions established in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
It is preferable for a Muslim to follow the guidance of the Qur’an and Sunnah by supplicating to Allah تعالى with the reported expressions, such as:
These expressions are established and clear, and they follow the guidance of the Prophets and the righteous.
It is permissible to call upon Allah تعالى by saying “O my Master,” because “As-Sayyid” is established in the Sunnah as an appellation for Allah تعالى, and a number of scholars have counted it among His Beautiful Names.
Imam Malik and others considered supplicating with this expression disliked, not because it is shirk or forbidden in itself, but because of their disagreement regarding whether “As-Sayyid” is established as a Name of Allah, and because they considered it preferable to supplicate using expressions found in the Qur’an and on the tongues of the Prophets, such as “My Lord” and “O Allah.”
Accordingly: Whoever says “O my Master” in supplication is not at fault, although it is preferable to use the established expressions found in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
And Allah knows best.