Surah 16 An-Nahl — Ayah 75
۞ ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا عَبْدًۭا مَّمْلُوكًۭا لَّا يَقْدِرُ عَلَىٰ شَىْءٍۢ وَمَن رَّزَقْنَٰهُ مِنَّا رِزْقًا حَسَنًۭا فَهُوَ يُنفِقُ مِنْهُ سِرًّۭا وَجَهْرًا ۖ هَلْ يَسْتَوُۥنَ ۚ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
アッラーは一つの比（臨？）をあげられた。（1人は）ある者が所有する奴隷で，かれは何の力も持っていない。（外は）われが与えた良い報酬を，かれは陰に陽にそれから施している。この両者は同じであろうか。アッラーに讃えあれ。しかし人びとの多くは知らないのである。
ḍaraba l-lahu mathalan ʿabdan mamlūkan lā yaqdiru ʿalā shayin waman razaqnāhu minnā riz'qan ḥasanan fahuwa yunfiqu min'hu sirran wajahran hal yastawūna l-ḥamdu lillahi bal aktharuhum lā yaʿlamūna
Word by word
- ۞ ضَرَبَ ḍaraba Allah sets forth
- ٱللَّهُ l-lahu Allah sets forth
- مَثَلًا mathalan the example
- عَبْدًۭا ʿabdan (of) a slave
- مَّمْلُوكًۭا mamlūkan (who is) owned
- لَّا lā not
- يَقْدِرُ yaqdiru he has power
- عَلَىٰ ʿalā on
- شَىْءٍۢ shayin anything
- وَمَن waman and (one) whom
- رَّزَقْنَـٰهُ razaqnāhu We provided him
- مِنَّا minnā from Us
- رِزْقًا riz'qan a provision
- حَسَنًۭا ḥasanan good
- فَهُوَ fahuwa so he
- يُنفِقُ yunfiqu spends
- مِنْهُ min'hu from it
- سِرًّۭا sirran secretly
- وَجَهْرًا ۖ wajahran and publicly
- هَلْ hal Can
- يَسْتَوُۥنَ ۚ yastawūna they be equal
- ٱلْحَمْدُ l-ḥamdu All praise
- لِلَّهِ ۚ lillahi (is) for Allah
- بَلْ bal Nay
- أَكْثَرُهُمْ aktharuhum but most of them
- لَا lā (do) not
- يَعْلَمُونَ yaʿlamūna know
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
The Example of the Believer and the Disbeliever, or the Idol and the True God
Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said: "This is the example which Allah gives of the disbeliever and the believer." This was also the view of Qatadah and Ibn Jarir. The servant who has no power over anything is like the disbeliever, and the one who is given good provisions and spends of them secretly and openly is like the believer. Ibn Abi Najih reported that Mujahid said: "This is an example given of the idol and the True God - can they be the same" Once the difference between them is so clear and so obvious, no one can be unaware of it except the one who is foolish. Allah says:
(All the praises and thanks are to Allah. Nay! (But) most of them know not.)