The Quran

Preface

۞ ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا عَبدًا مَملوكًا لا يَقدِرُ عَلىٰ شَيءٍ وَمَن رَزَقناهُ مِنّا رِزقًا حَسَنًا فَهُوَ يُنفِقُ مِنهُ سِرًّا وَجَهرًا ۖ هَل يَستَوونَ ۚ الحَمدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَل أَكثَرُهُم لا يَعلَمونَ

Yusuf Ali

God sets forth the Parable (of two men: one) a slave under the dominion of another;¹ He has no power of any sort; and (the other) a man on whom We have bestowed goodly favours from Ourselves, and he spends thereof (freely), privately and publicly: are the two equal? (By no means;) praise be to God. But most of them understand not.

The first parable is of two men, one of whom is a slave completely under the dominion of another, with no powers of any sort, and another a free man, who is gifted in every way, and is most generous in bestowing out of his opulent wealth (material as well as intangible), privately and publicly, without let or hindrance; for he is his own master and owes no account to anyone. The first is like the imaginary gods which men set up?whether powers of nature, which have no independent existence but are manifestations of God, or deified heroes or men, who can do nothing of their own authority but are subject to the Will and Power of God; the second describes in a faint way the position of God, the Self- Subsistent, to Whom belongs the dominion of all that is in heaven and earth, and Who bestows freely of His gifts on all His creatures.