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An-Nahl (The Bee)

Verse 75of 128

۞ 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﴿٧٥

Translation (Sahih International)

Allah presents an example: a slave [who is] owned and unable to do a thing and he to whom We have provided from Us good provision, so he spends from it secretly and publicly. Can they be equal? Praise to Allah! But most of them do not know.

Word-by-word meaning

۞ ضَرَبَḍarabaAllah sets forth
ٱللَّهُl-lahuAllah sets forth
مَثَلًاmathalanthe example
عَبْدًۭاʿabdan(of) a slave
مَّمْلُوكًۭاmamlūkan(who is) owned
لَّاnot
يَقْدِرُyaqdiruhe has power
عَلَىٰʿalāon
شَىْءٍۢshayinanything
وَمَنwamanand (one) whom
رَّزَقْنَـٰهُrazaqnāhuWe provided him
مِنَّاminnāfrom Us
رِزْقًاriz'qana provision
حَسَنًۭاḥasanangood
فَهُوَfahuwaso he
يُنفِقُyunfiquspends
مِنْهُmin'hufrom it
سِرًّۭاsirransecretly
وَجَهْرًا ۖwajahranand publicly
هَلْhalCan
يَسْتَوُۥنَ ۚyastawūnathey be equal
ٱلْحَمْدُl-ḥamduAll praise
لِلَّهِ ۚlillahi(is) for Allah
بَلْbalNay
أَكْثَرُهُمْaktharuhumbut most of them
لَا(do) not
يَعْلَمُونَyaʿlamūnaknow

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

The Example of the Believer and the Disbeliever, or the Idol and the True GodAl-`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.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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