Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 76

(Ayah76) ➊ {وَ ضَرَبَ اللّٰهُ مَثَلًا رَّجُلَيْنِ … : ’’ اَبْكَمُ ‘‘} Mute, along with this, his being deaf is also necessary, because a person learns to speak only by hearing. This example is even clearer than the previous one. There are two men, one has four flaws: (1) He is {’’ اَبْكَمُ ‘‘}, that is, he neither hears nor speaks. (2) {’’ لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلٰى شَيْءٍ ‘‘}, meaning he cannot do anything at all; well, if he cannot speak, at least he could possess some skill, so that by moving his hands and feet or by carrying a load on his head he could earn something, but no, he cannot do anything at all. (3) He is not free but a slave, and such a useless slave that the master himself has to bear all his burden. (4) Wherever the master sends him, he gains no benefit, because the poor fellow cannot even find the way, nor can he ask. In comparison, the other person, instead of four flaws, has two virtues: (1) He commands people to justice. It is clear that he hears, speaks, and understands; he is neither {’’ اَبْكَمُ ‘‘} nor {’’ لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلٰى شَيْءٍ ‘‘}. (2) {’’ وَ هُوَ عَلٰى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيْمٍ ‘‘}, meaning he is established on the most correct path, which is the shortest and leads to the destination, that is, he is neither a burden on anyone nor completely unaware of the way. So can these two be equal? Never! In the same way, people's self-made deities, whether idols or graves or anything else, neither hear, nor speak, nor can do anything, because they cannot even move from their place. They are a burden on their master, that is, instead of benefiting their worshippers in any way, their worshippers themselves bear hardship by bringing stones, bricks, cement, and masons to build them. Then they protect and repair them, guard them, and clean them. How can these two be equal? When those two men are not equal, even though in being created and in being human they are equal, then how can the idols and shrines made by the polytheists, which are lifeless and dependent on them, be equal to Allah Almighty, and how can they become His partners?

➋ Some scholars have considered the two men mentioned in both verses as examples of the believer and the disbeliever. The slave with bad qualities refers to the disbeliever, and the one with good qualities refers to the free believer, but the above-mentioned interpretation is more Sahih.

76. 1 This is another example which is even clearer than before.
76. 2 And He is capable of every action because He speaks and understands everything and is also upon the straight path, that is, upon the religion and righteous conduct. That is, free from any deficiency or excess. Just as these two are not equal, likewise Allah and those things which people associate as partners with Allah cannot be equal.

And Allah sets forth another parable: two men, one of them is dumb (and deaf), unable to do anything, and he is a burden on his master; wherever he sends him, he brings no good. Can he be equal to the one who commands justice and is on a straight path?

[77]
The Second Example of the Polytheists:

In the first example, the comparison was between having authority or not. In this example, a comparison of attributes is presented. On one side, there is a person or a thing that is mute, deaf, and also crippled, unable to walk or do any work. Even if its owner asks it to do something, it can never do the task properly; rather, it will spoil it, and wherever it goes, the owner only hears complaints about it, and in every way, it is a burden on its owner. On the other side, there is a healthy and sound-minded person who is himself on the right path and also commands others to walk the path of justice and moderation. Can their conditions ever be the same? Some scholars have applied this example to idols in comparison to Allah Almighty, and some have applied it to the polytheists in comparison to the believers or to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself.