سُوْرَةُ النَّحْلِ
Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 75
۞ ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا عَبْدًا مَّمْلُوكًا لَّا يَقْدِرُ عَلَىٰ شَىْءٍ وَمَن رَّزَقْنَـٰهُ مِنَّا رِزْقًا حَسَنًا فَهُوَ يُنفِقُ مِنْهُ سِرًّا وَجَهْرًا ۖ هَلْ يَسْتَوُۥنَ ۚ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿75﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Allâh puts forward the example of (two men - a believer and a disbeliever); a slave (disbeliever) under the possession of another, he has no power of any sort, and (the other), a man (believer) on whom We have bestowed a good provision from Us, and he spends thereof secretly and openly. Can they be equal? (By no means). All the praises and thanks are to Allâh. Nay! (But) most of them know not.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
۞ ضَرَبَ
ḍaraba
Allah sets forth
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah sets forth
مَثَلًا
mathalan
the example
عَبْدًۭا
ʿabdan
(of) a slave
مَّمْلُوكًۭا
mamlūkan
(who is) owned
لَّا
lā
not
يَقْدِرُ
yaqdiru
he has power
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
on
شَىْءٍۢ
shayin
anything
وَمَن
waman
and (one) whom
رَّزَقْنَـٰهُ
razaqnāhu
We provided him
مِنَّا
minnā
from Us
رِزْقًا
riz'qan
a provision
حَسَنًۭا
ḥasanan
good
فَهُوَ
fahuwa
so he
يُنفِقُ
yunfiqu
spends
مِنْهُ
min'hu
from it
سِرًّۭا
sirran
secretly
وَجَهْرًا ۖ
wajahran
and publicly
هَلْ
hal
Can
يَسْتَوُۥنَ ۚ
yastawūna
they be equal
ٱلْحَمْدُ
l-ḥamdu
All praise
لِلَّهِ ۚ
lillahi
(is) for Allah
بَلْ
bal
Nay
أَكْثَرُهُمْ
aktharuhum
but most of them
لَا
lā
(do) not
يَعْلَمُونَ
yaʿlamūna
know
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
75. 1. Some say that this is an example of a slave and a free man: the first person is a slave and the second is free. These two cannot be equal. Some say that this is an example of a believer and a disbeliever: the first is a disbeliever and the second is a believer. They are not equal. Some say that this is an example of Allah and idols (false deities): the first refers to the idol and the second to Allah. These two cannot be equal. The intended meaning is that even though a slave and a free man—despite both being human, both being creations of Allah, and having many things in common—you do not consider them equal in rank, honor, virtue, and status, then how can Allah and a stone idol ever be equal?
