29 Preface ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا رَجُلًا فيهِ شُرَكاءُ مُتَشاكِسونَ وَرَجُلًا سَلَمًا لِرَجُلٍ هَل يَستَوِيانِ مَثَلًا ۚ الحَمدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَل أَكثَرُهُم لا يَعلَمونَAli Quli QaraiAllah draws an example: a man jointly owned by several contending masters, and a man belonging entirely to one man: are the two equal in comparison?1 All praise belongs to Allah! But most of them do not know. The parable compares the polytheist with the monotheist. The worshipper of multiple deities is likened to a slave trying to please several masters.