لَهُ مَعْنَى الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ وَلَا مَرْبُوبَ
Allah possessed the meaning of Lordship even when there was no subject under His nurturing and governance.
Reading the terms: Rubūbiyyah means lordship; marbūb is a being subject to nurture and governance. The text differentiates the eternal attribute from the temporal subject.
Boundary of meaning: The former absence of a created subject does not imply an absence of divine lordship. The attribute does not originate with the creature.
Takeaway: Lordship is not dependent on the prior existence of a subject.