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ḍaraba llāhu mathalan ʿabdan mamlūkan lā yaqdiru ʿalā shayʾin wa-man razaqnāhu minnā rizqan ḥasanan fa-huwa yunfiqu minhu sirran wa-jahran hal yastawūna l-ḥamdu li-llāhi bal ʾaktharuhum lā yaʿlamūna
Allah draws a parable: a slave owned [by his master] who has no power over anything, and another one [a free man] whom We have provided a goodly provision and who spends out of it secretly and openly. Are they equal? All praise belongs to Allah. But most of them do not know.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah An-Nahl – Verse 75
75. “Allah sets forth a parable of a bonded slave, having no power over anything, and one whom We have provided with good means of sustenance from Us, then he spends from it secretly and openly. Are they equal? Praise belongs to Allah! But most of them do not know.”
Allah has discussed the fact as to how the pagans are being misled, saying:
“Allah sets forth a parable of a bonded slave, having no power over anything…”
Allah here sets forth a parable to clarify His intention by it and thereby approaches the concept to the audience. The parable is: ‘the slave who is a bonded one and has authority over nothing;’ that is, he has got no options. And a free man whom Allah has provided with means of sustenance, possesses property and blessings, gives away out of his belongings openly and in secret and without any fear. The verse says:
“…and one whom We have provided with good means of sustenance from Us, then he spends from it secretly and openly…”
As for the sentence: /hal yastawūn/ signifies:
some commentators claim that this allegory relates to the believers and the disbelievers, since a disbeliever has not got involved in anything ‘good ‘, while a believer acquires the ‘good’. Thus Allah has explained the difference between the believer and the disbeliever, hence, He has persuaded people to choose the path of the believers and dissuade them from taking the path of the disbelievers. The holy phrase:
signifies that one must thank Allah for His blessings. This meaning refers to all of Allah’s blessings. That is, say that the act of worship only deserves Him Who leads us towards monotheism, theology (the sciences of Divinities), and gratitude, and shows us the road to Paradise. However, most people, that is the pagans, do not know that it is He Who deserves being worshipped, and all blessings belong to Him. The verse says:
“…Are they equal? Praise belongs to Allah! But most of them do not know.”