The Quran

ضَرَبَ لَكُم مَثَلًا مِن أَنفُسِكُم ۖ هَل لَكُم مِن ما مَلَكَت أَيمانُكُم مِن شُرَكاءَ في ما رَزَقناكُم فَأَنتُم فيهِ سَواءٌ تَخافونَهُم كَخيفَتِكُم أَنفُسَكُم ۚ كَذٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الآياتِ لِقَومٍ يَعقِلونَ

Ali Unal

He strikes a parable from your selves: do you recognize for those, over whom you hold possession and authority (slaves or animals), a share in what We have provided for you, so that you and they have equal shares in it, and do you hold them in fearful respect as you hold each other in fearful respect?¹ Thus, We set out in detail the signs (of Our Oneness) for people who will reason and understand.

This comparison is highly significant. Basically, whatever we possess belongs to God, and our share in its acquisition is minimal. For example, in order to produce a single apple, there must be an apple seed, which the whole humankind would not be able to make even if we were to come together, and almost the whole universe (including the sun, air, water, and earth) must cooperate in a perfectly measured way. None of these are in our power to create or control. Our share in an apple is only our labor that we use to harvest it, and it is God Who has endowed us with the necessary power, ability, and with our body. Our share in any machine we make is no greater than this. The basic material we use in making it, and its utility in production or manufacturing, as well as the physical and/or chemical “laws” that are involved in its production, belong solely to God. Moreover, it is He Who has endowed us with the ability to learn and to make things. Despite this clear fact, we never accept that others have some share in our right to the possession and use of such machines or instruments. But God is the sole Creator and Owner of everything in the universe, including us, without anyone else having any partnership in their creation or ownership. However, by accepting many other powers, such as angels, or some important persons, or “nature,” or “natural powers and laws,” or even their own selves, many people associate partners with Him in Divinity or authority regarding the rule of the universe and the ordering of human life. This is the greatest of wrongdoings and injustices, and expressions of ignorance.