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Az-Zumar (The Troops)

Verse 29of 75

ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًۭا رَّجُلًۭا فِيهِ شُرَكَآءُ مُتَشَٰكِسُونَ وَرَجُلًۭا سَلَمًۭا لِّرَجُلٍ هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلًا ۚ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ﴿٢٩

Translation (Sahih International)

Allah presents an example: a slave owned by quarreling partners and another belonging exclusively to one man - are they equal in comparison? Praise be to Allah! But most of them do not know.

Word-by-word meaning

ضَرَبَḍarabaAllah sets forth
ٱللَّهُl-lahuAllah sets forth
مَثَلًۭاmathalanan example
رَّجُلًۭاrajulana man
فِيهِfīhiabout him
شُرَكَآءُshurakāupartners
مُتَشَـٰكِسُونَmutashākisūnaquarreling
وَرَجُلًۭاwarajulanand a man
سَلَمًۭاsalaman(belonging) exclusively
لِّرَجُلٍlirajulinto one man
هَلْhalare
يَسْتَوِيَانِyastawiyānithey both equal
مَثَلًا ۚmathalan(in) comparison
ٱلْحَمْدُl-ḥamduAll praise
لِلَّهِ ۚlillahi(be) to Allah
بَلْbalNay
أَكْثَرُهُمْaktharuhummost of them
لَا(do) not
يَعْلَمُونَyaʿlamūnaknow

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

The Parable of Shirkوَلَقَدْ ضَرَبْنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِى هَـذَا الْقُرْءَانِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍ(And indeed We have put forth for men, in this Qur'an every kind of parable) means, `We have explained things to mankind in it the Qur'an by setting forth examples and parables.'لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ(in order that they may remember.) Because parables bring the meaning closer to people's minds. As Allah says:ضَرَبَ لَكُمْ مَّثَلاً مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ(He sets forth for you a parable from yourselves) (30:28).

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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