Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Section 9: Guidance from the Bounties of Allah for Man

Surah An-Nahl - Verse 66

وإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الاَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً نُسْقِيكُم مِمَّا فِي بُطُونِهِ مِن بَيْنِ فَرْثٍ وَدَمٍ لَّبَناً خَالِصاً سَآئِغاً لِلشَّارِبِينَ

66. “And verily there is a lesson laid out for you in the cattle; We give you to drink of what is in their bellies from between the digested food and the blood, pure milk, palatable for the drinkers.”

The Almighty does not only let down water from the clouds which is the source of life, but He also extracts milk which is the source of life out of the insides of the animals as well. The Arabic term /far/ means digested food within the stomach, and the term /‘ibrat/ refers to that which enables one to pass through the stage of ignorance towards cognition.

Although the Arabic term /’An‘am/ is plural, yet the pronoun in the word /butūnihi/ is singular. For, the purpose is every single one of the four-footed animals and not all of them.

Milk is a complete food serving which functions both as water and food while having all nutritional values, thus meeting all bodily needs.

In quotations, we read that milk enhances one’s wisdom, purifies one’s mind, enlightens one’s eyes, reinforces one’s heart, strengthens one’s back and diminishes one’s oblivion.

The four-footed animals are not only the sources of provision for our needs, but also they can serve us as a means for our spiritual development and the growth in our faith.

Can the Lord not bring out and reassemble man out of the earth in the resurrection day, He Who extracts milk out of grass? The Almighty, Who provides us with pure milk from between the digested food and blood of animals, will He not be able to differentiate good deeds from evil ones?

The conversion of grass into milk requires a purification system, disinfecting process, the elimination of detrimental substances, some sweetening processing unites, heating systems, lubricating materials, coloration techniques, and installing of piping systems within the bodies of animals.

How then is it feasible that an oil engineer is required for the refining of oil while refining of milk does not require a creator?

The verse says:

“And verily there is a lesson laid out for you in the cattle…”

Refined and purified human beings are the ones who go through different ups and downs of the stages of life, political issues and ideologies as well as various friends and yet are not affected by them or by their motives.

The verse continues saying:

“…We give you to drink of what is in their bellies from between the digested food and the blood…”

The prime condition for a drink to be agreeable to the taste, is its purification. It is certainly the case with drinkable waters.

The verse says:

“…pure milk, palatable for the drinkers.”

Being agreeable to the taste must be confirmed by all consumers, and not only human beings. Therefore, we note that the verse has not mentioned ‘palatable for you’, but it has remarked:

“palatable for the drinkers.”

In our civilized contemporary world, it is said and heard that some civilized countries dispatch all those materials, the expiry date of which has been passed, to be consumed by displaced people i.e. the refugees etc.

Consumption of milk by man reveals the fact that He Who has created the animal and has provided milk within its bodily built-up, is the One Who has created us and Who has been aware of our needs.

Hadrat-i-Ali (as), addressing the collector of the religious dues, ‘Zakat’, in the 25th letter of Nahj-ul-Balaqah, declares:

When you are being sent for the collection of ‘Zakat’, you must observe certain principles, among which is leaving part of the milk of the animal in its breast so as its offspring might not be left without a proper amount of nourishment.

Do not separate the animal from its offspring; let the tired animals relax for a while along side the way, and finally, do not stop them from grazing and drinking water on the whole.

Beating animals, milking cattle with long nails, exploitation and requiring over-working by animals, and every other kind of oppression towards animals is forbidden.

We understand from the Qur’an that Hadrat-i-Sulayman was compassionate towards animals in spite of all his glory and despite the fact that he had dominated all mankind and the ‘Jinns’ (fairies), he used to touch their neck and feet with his blessed hands.

It says:

“…so he began to slash their legs and necks.”1

Surah An-Nahl - Verse 67

وَمِن ثَمَرَاتِ النَّخِيلِ وَالاَعْنَابِ تَتَّخِذُونَ مِنْهُ سَكَراً وَرِزْقاً حَسَناً إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لاَيَةً لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

67. “And of the fruits of the palm and the vines, you get out therefrom (drinks of) intoxication and (also) goodly sustenance. Verily there is a sign in that for a people who understand.”

The Arabic term /sukr/ signifies ‘losing one’s mind’ and the word /sakar/ refers to its origin.

In the past two verses, the issues in question were water and milk both of which are natural and direct drinks. This verse deals with those drinks which are obtained by extraction.

Once Allah Himself is in action, there is always grace and blessings involved, namely, rainwater and pure milk. But, once man is involved, one finds that at times, provisions are good and at times the issue involved is intoxicating drinks which are the source of devastation and corruption.

Therefore, following the discussion of the animals and their milk, this noble verse refers to a part of the merits of plants, implying that Allah provided you with a kind of blessed nutrition for you out of the fruits of palm-trees and vines which you sometimes turn into detrimental forms and use it in the form of intoxicating substances and liquids, and sometimes use it in their tidy and clean forms. There is an evident clue in it for those who ponder.

The verse says:

“And of the fruits of the palm and the vines, you get out therefrom (drinks of) intoxication and (also) goodly sustenance. Verily there is a sign in that for a people who understand.”

Surah An-Nahl - Verse 68

وَأَوْحَي رَبُّكَ إِلَي النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتاً وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ

68. “And your Lord revealed to the Bee (an instinctive revelation) to build cells in the mountains and in the trees and in what they (men) build.”

The Arabic term /wahy/ signifies allusion and rapid and secret transfer that besides the Divine revelation to the prophets, includes both instincts, like this verse, and the divine inspiration, like Surah Al-Qasas, No. 28, verse 7 which says:

“And We revealed to Moses’ mother…”

It also includes satanical temptations, as in the verse which says:

“…and verily the Satans inspire unto their friends…”2

The Qur’anic tune alters amazingly in this verse. While continuing previous discussions regarding the various Divine blessings and the statement of the secrets of creation, the Qur’an switches the discussion to ‘bees’ and later to the issue of ‘honey’ in the final analysis. However, it is named as /wahy/ (revelation) which implies a form of Divine mission and a form of ‘mysterious revelation’.

At first, it says:

“And your Lord revealed to the Bee (an instinctive revelation) to build cells in the mountains and in the trees and in what they (men) build.”

The Qur’anic term /wahy/ here denotes that same instinctive command and motives and that unconscious revelation which Allah has created in different animals and living objects.

The first mission of the bees, in this verse, is concerned with building hives. The reason for this is probably the fact that having a proper residence is the first condition for living, following which other activities are being made possible.

Incidentally, according to Tafsir-i-’Atyab-ul-Bayan, there are explicit allusions in the Qur’an as to the fact that all beings, including the inanimate objects, plants and animals have got a certain understanding of His Divinity, the prophetic mission of the Prophet (S) and the mastership ‘Wilayat’ of the immaculate and infallible Imams such as:

“The seven heavens and the earth and every being therein celebrate His glory…”3

and like the verse which says:

“…O mountains sing praises with him, and the birds…”4

and so on and so forth. We have it in certain Islamic narrations that ‘Wilayat’ of the Imams has been offered to the mountains, waters, trees, and animals.

There is sequential news as to the fact that numerous animals have petitioned their grievances with them. Therefore, it is not astounding that the ‘bees’ receive revelations and be commissioned for completing certain missions.

Moreover, it is astonishing that the houses of the bees, that is: ‘beehives’, are built in hexagonal form on top of each other without having any angels, which case has astonished all architectural engineers despite being set upon lofty mountainous regions and high-altitude trees, high places and roofs.

Certainly, this struggle by bees and the movement of animals for the selection of the houses, especially of bees, is based on their instinct embedded in their nature by Allah.

Incidentally, the best kind of honey is the one that is made by bees in the mountains that they feed on flowers therein and not those which are fed by artificial sugary substances.

Surah An-Nahl - Verse 69

ثُمَّ كُلِي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ فَاسْلُكِي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلًا يَخرجُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ لِّلنَّاسِ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

69. “Then eat out of all the fruits, and pave the ways of your Lord sincerely. There comes forth out of their bellies a drink of varying colours, wherein is healing for men. Verily in that is a sign for a people who reflect.”

There are two allusions made by Allah in this verse and in the previous verses to the two sources of vital drinks which are provided by animals: one is milk and the other one is honey. We have seen in the last two holy verses that man makes intoxicating substances or liquids out of fruits, while bees make honey from plants which is healing substance.

In the targeted significant and philosophical Divine system, negligence and idleness is a shunned extremely.

Therefore, wherever in the Qur’an, there is reference made to eating, there is also stated a responsibility alongside that, among which are the following:

“…eat of the good things and do righteousness.”5

“…eat of them and feed the distressed one, the needy.”6

“…eat of the good things We have provided you with, and be grateful to Allah…”7

“…eat of its fruit … and do not act extravagantly…”8

In this verse, Allah commands the bees to eat, but that kind of eating which is coupled with a goal and a responsibility. Men of Allah are like bees. They shun low lands and select lofty high lands. They follow the Divine path in a humble manner by the help of Divine knowledge. Such people utter what is based on wisdom and spiritual flavors.

The verse says:

“Then eat out of all the fruits, and pave the ways of your Lord sincerely. There comes forth out of their bellies a drink of varying colours, wherein is healing for men. Verily in that is a sign for a people who reflect.”

Explanations

Animal behavior is all predetermined according to the Divine command, which is instinctively performed by them.

Honey consists of the juice of all fruits.

“Then eat out of all fruits…”

Not only the selection of residence and the food of animals are guided by the Divine Will, but also all their acts are something pre-determined by Him.

“…and pave the ways of your Lord…”

The movement of animals and their direction is done alongside the path which Allah has set for them and it is a humble one.

The miracle of creation: There is a honey-producing factory within the belly of such a small animal, the bee.

“…there comes forth out of their bellies, a drink of varying colours…”

Natural honey is in different colours. (The colours white, yellow, red. Perhaps such differences in colours are based on the differences of colours in flowers.)

There are various healing effects in honey by which many diseases may be cured.

“…wherein is healing for men…”

It goes without saying that honey is not a cure for all diseases. However, it has been mentioned in the form of indeterminate noun, /šifa’un/.

House-building, mummification, and honey-producing alongside toxic-producing functions are being all done by such a small animal, like the bee. This reveals the sign of Allah’s Might and Power.

All instructive lessons are only aimed and targeted for those who meditate,

“…Verily in that is a sign for a people who reflect.”

Otherwise, there are the bulk of individuals who utilize honey throughout their lifetime but are not predisposed to allocate even several minutes to thinking about it.

Surah An-Nahl - Verse 70

وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَفَّاكُمْ وَمِنكُم مَن يُرَدُّ إِلَي أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ لِكَي لاَ يَعْلَمَ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ شَيْئاً إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ قَدِيرٌ

70. “And Allah has created you, then He will cause you to die, and some of you will be kept back unto lowest state of the age, so that after knowing somewhat, they may know nothing. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.”

The Arabic term /’arŏal/ is derived from the word /raŏl/ which means, ‘mean’ and without any value. The meanest part of one’s life is often that period during which weakness and forgetfulness will reach its peak.

The oblivion of the period of senility belongs to the ordinary people, otherwise, men of Allah, such as Hadrat-i-Noah (as) and Hadrat-i-Mahdi (as), who live long for carrying out their missions, will never be entangled with problems of weakness or negligence.

Therefore, by all means, the verse follows the line for proving the existence of the sole Allah, which is done by introducing changes in blessings, matters which are beyond the limits of man’s power, and which exhibit the fact that they are determined from another origin.

At first, it says:

“And Allah has created you, then He will cause you to die…”

Both issues are determined by Him: Life and death, so that you may know that it is not you who determine your own life and death. Nor is your life span decided by you. Some die while they are still young, while others die when reaching old age. However, some of you reach the worst and the utmost years of your life which is the extreme senility period.

The end-result of such a long-lasting life is that, after acquiring the full command of all learning, they would know nothing and all their knowledge would be last in oblivion.

The verse says:

“…and some of you will be kept back unto lowest state of the age, so that after knowing somewhat, they may know nothing…”

It is just like the beginning of the life and the onset of childhood during which they knew nothing and they were unaware and oblivious. Certainly, Allah is aware and has all potentialities.

The verse continues saying:

“…Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.”

All power is His and He will bestow that power whenever He feels appropriate and He will take back whenever He feels fit.

Notes

1. Surah Sad, No. 38, verse 33

2. Surah Al-’An‘ am, No. 6, verse 12

3. Surah ‘Isra’, No. 17, verse 44

4. Surah Saba, No. 34, verse 10

5. Surah Al-Mu’mineen, No. 23, verse 51

6. Surah Al-Hajj, No. 22, verse 28

7. Surah Al-Baqarah, No. 2, verse 172

8. Surah Al-’An‘am, No. 6, verse 141

Section 10: The Faithful and the Unfaithful Ones Compared

Surah An-Nahl - Verse 71

وَاللَّهُ فَضَّلَ بَعْضَكُمْ عَلَي بَعْضٍ فِي الرّ‌ِزْقِ فَمَا الَّذِينَ فُضّـِلُوا بِرَادّ‌ِي رِزْقِهِمْ عَلَي مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَهُمْ فِيهِ سَوَآءٌ أَفَبِنِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ يَجْحَدُونَ

71. “And Allah has made some of you excel others in the (means of) sustenance. So those who have been made to excel do not give their (means of) sustenance to those whom their right hands possess, so that they may be equal therein. Do they then deny Allah’s bounty?”

And Allah has made some of you excel in means of sustenance over others. This blessing is allocated to man by Allah and through one’s own effort, either because of his purity of soul, or for testing of others by him being made an example such as the cases of knowledge, health, and security.

However, those who have been made to excel, (owing to their own narrow-sightedness and narrow vision) are not predisposed to part with a portion of their share for the sake of their subjects so as to enable them to be on equal footing with them.

The verse says:

“And Allah has made some of you excel others in the (means of) sustenance. So those who have been made to excel do not give their (means of) sustenance to those whom their right hands possess, so that they may be equal therein…”

One may conclude that Muslims must not feel privileged or at an advantage when facing those who are in an inferior position with respect to them in their families.

Such differences in the amount of incomes have their origin in the abilities and talents of individuals which in turn are also from Allah’s gifts. In certain cases, they may be acquired in some aspects, though in other cases they are definitely not acquired.

Therefore, even in a healthy sound environment from the economics point of view, one finds widespread gaps in incomes, which is undeniable. At any rate and despite all this, what lays the main foundations of one’s successes is one’s own struggle.

People’s differences in their means of sustenance is one of the Divine wise programs, for if all people were to enjoy equal benefits, their spiritual peaks of perfection would not be demonstrated. For instance, generosity, perseverance, self-sacrifice, protection, compassion, modesty and the like usually exhibit their significance whenever there are some differences among men.

Certainly, justice does not prevail only when Allah sets up all on an equal footing from the point of view of their abilities and conditions, for if all were to enjoy an equal amount of blessings, the issues of employment and cooperation, which are required for social life, would lose sense.

Nevertheless, individual differences in talents, abilities and incomes should not result in misuse of the potentialities with regard to the social strata.

It is for this reason that He proclaims at the end of the verse that:

“…Do they then deny Allah’s bounty?”

Here, He makes an allusion to the fact that such differences in their original natural forms (and not in their artificial and oppressive sense) are also among Allah’s blessings which have been brought forth to protect the human society and for the development of their different potentialities.

Surah An-Nahl - Verse 72

وَاللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُم مّـِنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجاً وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مّـِنْ أَزْوَاجِكُم بَنِينَ وَحَفَدَةً وَرَزَقَكُم مّـِنَ الطَّيّـِبَاتِ أَفَبِالْبَاطِلِ يُؤْمِنُونَ وَبِنِعْمَتِ اللَّهِ هُمْ يَكْفُرُونَ

72. “And Allah has designated wives for you from among your own selves and has designated children and grandchildren for you from your wives and sustained you of clean means. Do they (still) believe in the falsehood and they disbelieve in the bounty of Allah?”

We read in Tafsir-i-Tabari that the Arabic term /hafadah/ refers to the son-in-law, child, grandchild and even the companions and servants, as well as the children who are born to the wife from a different husband. In Tafsir-i-Al-Mizan, it is cited that /hafadah/ is the plural form of /h afid/ and means ‘rapidity in action’ and as those near-of-kin are quicker in assisting the parents, they are called /hafadah/.

Anyway, this verse, which like the above two verses, begins with the term ‘Allah’ and discusses Allah’s blessings, makes allusions to the graces from the humanitarian point of view, the aids, as well as to the social workers and clean means of sustenance. This verse complements the three-fold circle of blessings which are mentioned in these three verses.

That is, it begins with the life and death system, then it explains the ‘variety in life style’ by referring to the differences in means of sustenance and their abilities. The verse in question, which superintends the reproductive system of mankind, ends with clean means of sustenance.

It says:

“And Allah has designated wives for you from among your own selves…”

He has designated for you such wives who are the sources of both comfort for your soul and body, and the survival of generations.

Therefore, He hastens to add:

“…and has designated children and grandchildren for you from your wives…”

Then the Qur’an says:

“…and sustained you of clean means…”

And at the end of the discussion, the Qur’an declares this as a general conclusion: Do they still call on the idols despite all the splendor and power which they observe and despite all these graces which have been made available to them by Allah? Do they embrace the wrong and believe in it, and neglect the blessings of Allah?

The verse says:

“…Do they (still) believe in the falsehood and they disbelieve in the bounty of Allah?”

What a judgment is it? And what a wrong and an untrue schedule this consists of that man has forgotten about the source of all blessings and has taken to those beings which lack even the least of all effects and which serve as an example of all the ‘untruth’ in all its dimensions.

Explanations

One’s spouse and children are all among the Divine blessings. One’s spouse is the source of comfort and one’s children are the sources of hope.

Matching between husband and wife is one of the favors of Allah and of the Divine wisdom, and marriage is a deliberate Divine program for man.

“And Allah has designated wives for you from your own selves…”

Allah makes provisions for both one’s spiritual needs and one’s material needs.

Separation of oneself from matrimonial links, preventing oneself from having children and abstaining oneself from what is allowed by Allah are all the examples of adhering to wrong principles and are signs of ingratitude for Allah’s blessings.

To fornicate or to commit adultery despite having wives and having allowed means of sustenance, present cases of disregarding Allah’s favours.

Tafsir-i-Safi and Jawami‘-ul-Jami‘ indicate that the objective of ‘Allah’s favours’, mentioned in the verse, is the blissful Prophet (S), the Qur’an, and Islam which the unbelievers used to reject.

Surah An-Nahl - Verse 73

وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لاَ يَمْلِكُ لَهُمْ رِزْقاً مِنَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالاَرْضِ شَيْئاً وَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ

73. “And they worship other than Allah that has no power to provide them, of sustenance, anything from the heavens and the earth and can do nothing.”

Following the previous discussions on monotheism, this verse deals with the issue of paganism and, taking a stern and blaming tone, declares that they worship idols other than Allah which do not have at their disposal any means of sustenance in the skies and on the earth.

They are not only the proprietors of anything in this regard, but they also have no capabilities to create and have access to the means of sustenance.

The verses says:

“And they worship other than Allah that has no power to provide them, of sustenance, anything from the heavens and the earth and can do nothing.”

This style of meaning makes allusion to the matter that the pagans believed in and worshipped idols for they considered them as an impact in their destiny, their profits and their losses, while the worshipped one must be both provider of means of sustenance and mighty.

However, the partners whom they designate for Allah are neither able to make provisions now nor in the future.

Their imaginary objects of worship are neither able to pour rains from the sky nor are they able to grow plants on the earth.

Surah An-Nahl - Verse 74

فَلاَ تَضْرِبُوا لِلَّهِ الاَمْثَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ

74. “Therefore do not coin any similitudes for Allah. Verily, Allah knows and you do not know.”

The pagans regarded Allah as a king and considered idols as His ministers. This holy verse declares that an end must be put to such similes, and you should not designate equals for Him when worshipping Allah for He has not got any equals or counterparts who may deserve being worshipped.

The verse says:

“Therefore do not coin any similitudes for Allah. Verily, Allah knows and you do not know.”

Some commentators have claimed that the first sentence of the verse which says:

“Therefore do not coin any similitudes for Allah…”

refers to the logic of the pagans during the ‘Age of Ignorance’, (the exact replica of which can also be found among some of contemporary pagans).

They used to claim that the reason why they would call on the idols was that they were not worthy for worshipping Allah, so they had to take idols because these were the near-stationed ones to the Lord. Allah is like a great king who grants audience only to ministers and his exclusive entourage.

However, the masses of the people who cannot have access to Him, will call on those who are exclusively received by Him.

Such groundless and unjustified kinds of logic which are sometimes depicted in the form of a deviating parable, are the most dangerous of all kinds of logic.

To answer such a claim, the Qur’an asserts that you should not use allegories in case of Allah; that is, allegories which suit limited scopes of thought and fit in the category of those whose existence is probable and which is full of defects and flaws.

If you were aware of the All-Encompassing attribute of Allah with regard to all beings and you knew about His grace and favour which is unlimited, and His proximity towards yourself, in which case makes Him approach you closer than your own ‘self’, you would never turn to other means for securing Allah’s attention.

That Lord Who has invited you to be in direct touch with Him in prayers, and has left the doors of His house wide-open to you day and night, He must not be likened to an oppressive king who has slipped into his palace and does not let anyone in there, except a few.

In our discussion of concerning Allah’s attributes, we have particularly pointed out the fact that one of the sliding slopes which exists in the way of understanding the attributes of Allah is that of the land-slide of using similes.

That is, comparing Allah’s attributes with those of man and considering them as similarities, because Allah is an infinite and boundless being in every respect and other beings are the ones which are finite and within limits and any comparison made in here causes one to remain aloof from knowing Him.

Even in cases where we are bound to do so, and to compare His Holy Essence to light and the like, we must note that such similes and metaphorical applications have got shortcomings and fail to achieve our purpose, and they might be only acceptable in part and not as a whole.

While most people are heedless of this fact, they are often thrown down the bottom of the slopes of the valley seemingly of simile and syllogism, when making their comparisons. They are then distanced from the truth of monotheism.

Thus, the Qur’an warns us repeatedly and attracts our attention to this fact; sometimes with the sentence:

“And there is none like unto Him.”1

and sometimes it also uses the sentence:

“Nothing is similar to Him.”2

At other times, the Qur’an calls our attention by using the first sentence of the abovementioned verse.

And, perhaps, the last sentence of the verse, by saying:

“Verily, Allah knows and you do not know”

explains this same subject that usually people are unaware of the secrets of the attributes of Allah.

Surah An-Nahl - Verse 75

ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلاً عَبْداً مَّمْلُوكاً لاَ يَقْدِرُ عَلَي شَيْءٍ وَمَن رَّزَقْنَاهُ مِنَّا رِزْقاً حَسَناً فَهُوَ يُنفِقُ مِنْهُ سِرّاً وَجَهْراً هَلْ يَسْتَوُونَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ

75. “Allah sets forth a parable of a bonded slave, having no power over anything, and one whom We have provided with good means of sustenance from Us, then he spends from it secretly and openly. Are they equal? Praise belongs to Allah! But most of them do not know.”

Allah has discussed the fact as to how the pagans are being misled, saying:

“Allah sets forth a parable of a bonded slave, having no power over anything…”

Allah here sets forth a parable to clarify His intention by it and thereby approaches the concept to the audience. The parable is: ‘the slave who is a bonded one and has authority over nothing;’ that is, he has got no options.

And a free man whom Allah has provided with means of sustenance, possesses property and blessings, gives away out of his belongings openly and in secret and without any fear.

The verse says:

“…and one whom We have provided with good means of sustenance from Us, then he spends from it secretly and openly…”

As for the sentence: /hal yastawūn/ signifies:

“Are they equal?”,

some commentators claim that this allegory relates to the believers and the disbelievers, since a disbeliever has not got involved in anything ‘good ‘, while a believer acquires the ‘good’.

Thus Allah has explained the difference between the believer and the disbeliever, hence, He has persuaded people to choose the path of the believers and dissuade them from taking the path of the disbelievers.

The holy phrase:

“Praise belongs to Allah!”

signifies that one must thank Allah for His blessings. This meaning refers to all of Allah’s blessings. That is, say that the act of worship only deserves Him Who leads us towards monotheism, theology (the sciences of Divinities), and gratitude, and shows us the road to Paradise.

However, most people, that is the pagans, do not know that it is He Who deserves being worshipped, and all blessings belong to Him.

The verse says:

“…Are they equal? Praise belongs to Allah! But most of them do not know.”

Surah An-Nahl - Verse 76

وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلاً رَجُلَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَآ أَبْكَمُ لاَ يَقْدِرُ عَلَي شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ كَلٌّ عَلَي مَوْلاَهُ أَيْنَمَا يُوَجّـِهْهُ لاَ يَأْتِ بِخَيرٍ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي هُوَ وَمَن يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَهُوَ عَلَي صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

76. “And Allah sets forth a parable of two men, one of whom is dumb having authority over nothing, and he is a burden upon his master, wherever he sends him he brings no good. Is he then equal to him who enjoins justice and he (himself) is on the straight path?”

You who do not consider the master and the slave as equals, how can you equalize the creator with the creature?

Thus, we find Him using another parable for the slaves of the idols and the true believers, likening them to a deaf-mute born person who is at the same time a disabled slave, and a free man who is always engaged in calling the people to be just and fair and who is on the right path.

The Qur’an says:

“And Allah sets forth a parable of two men, one of whom is dumb having authority over nothing, and he is a burden upon his master…”

That is why he usually does not perform well whatever he is sent to. In this manner, this man has got four negative attributes: being a dumb by birth, absolute disability, being a burden to his lord, and, finally, procuring no useful outcome for whatever is referred to him.

Is such a man equal to the one who is eloquent in his speech, always calling people to be just, and following the right path? Of course, it is not so.

The verse says:

“…wherever he sends him he brings no good. Is he then equal to him who enjoins justice and he (himself) is on the straight path?”

Allah has set two allegories in this holy verse and in the previous verse inciting the people to condescend to the fact that all know that neither of these two groups are equal.

That is, as the two sides of either of these two parables can not be considered as equal, Allah can not be considered equal to the inanimate idols (which are incapable of doing any harm or benefit) despite all His favours and graces as well as all the religious blessings of this world and of the next which He has accorded to mankind.

Some have claimed that this allegory has been used by Allah to differentiate the believer from the unbeliever. The goal in using a dumb man is the pagan while the aim in mind in the case of mentioning he who resorts to preaching justice, is a believer who are not equal.

Notes

1. Surah Tauhid, No. 112, verse 4

2. Surah Shura, No. 42, verse 11