Surah Fussilat (41) — Ayah 10

10. And He placed firm mountains upon the earth, and blessed it, and determined its sustenance in four days, equally for all who ask [8].

[8]
The Equal Right to Benefit from the Things of the Earth and the Right of Ownership:

Some scholars have translated ﴿سَوَاءً لِّلسَّايِٕلِيْنَ﴾ as “It is equal for those who ask” (Shah Rafiuddin), “A correct answer for those who ask” (Ahmed Raza Khan). One of the fundamental and important questions in human history has also been: how was this universe created? In these verses, by answering this fundamental question, it is stated that for the satisfaction of those who ask such a question, this much answer is sufficient. And the second translation of this phrase, which has been mentioned above, is also supported by many scholars and commentators. And in this regard, its meaning would be that the right to benefit from the produce of the earth is equal for all those in need, whether these needy are humans, animals, or birds. And to understand the equality of the right to benefit, consider this example: as if there is fuel lying in the forest. Now, whoever picks it up and takes it into his possession, his right over that fuel is established. And as long as it was lying in the forest, everyone had an equal right to pick it up from there. Another example is that of the water of a spring or river. Everyone has an equal right to fetch water from there. But when someone takes water from there and takes it into his possession, then that water belongs to him, and others no longer have a right to it. Similarly, the right to cultivate barren land and to benefit from it is equal for all, but when someone works hard and cultivates it, his right is established and the right of others ceases. This is the Islamic principle of the right of ownership, and for this reason, we have adopted this translation. But since the establishment of the communist system in Russia (which has now also failed), and since it left its agents in other countries to create a favorable atmosphere for establishing this system, and because this system does not recognize individual ownership of land and other things, therefore, these people started searching in the Quran for the non-permissibility of land ownership. Whereas this issue is related to human livelihood and is of fundamental importance. It should have been that if Allah intended to declare personal ownership of land as impermissible or unlawful, then such clear commands would have been revealed in the Quran that would have refuted the previously established right of ownership. But there is no such command in the Quran. Like some other ambiguous verses, these people have also tried to extract their theory from this verse. And we have mentioned the same translation which is preferred by these gentlemen. They state the meaning of this verse as that all humans have an equal and identical right to the produce of the earth. The form of which is that the government takes the land into its possession and then distributes its produce among the people.

The Argument of the Communists Regarding the Right of Ownership and Its Answer:

The first objection to this interpretation of these people is that the needy, the seekers, or the destitute are not only humans, but animals, birds, insects—all are in need of food, and all obtain this food from the earth. So, will all these creatures be equal partners in the earth or its produce? If the land is removed from individual ownership and its produce is distributed equally only among humans, then what is the argument for excluding the rest of the creatures from the category of ﴿سَوَاءً لِّلسَّايِٕلِيْنَ﴾? And the second question that arises is: will the land be distributed equally among all creatures, or its produce? And the third question is: is this even practically possible? If the government removes the land from individual ownership and takes it into its possession, then how is this ﴿سَوَاءً لِّلسَّايِٕلِيْنَ﴾? And if the government gives or distributes the produce of the land to individuals according to its own will, then even practically, it is impossible to fulfill the requirements of ﴿سَوَاءً لِّلسَّايِٕلِيْنَ﴾. Therefore, this interpretation of these gentlemen is not only invalid but also impracticable. And its real meaning is that all of Allah’s creation has an equal right to benefit from the produce of the earth, as has already been clarified with one or two examples. And besides humans, other living creatures are also benefiting from the things of the earth and also have the right to do so.