Surah An-Nahl — Verse 71

Word Meanings:

• Faddala – Gave preference, distinguished, elevated some over others.
• Al-Rizq – Provision, sustenance, wealth, and worldly gifts.
• Ma Malakat Aymanuhum – Those whom your right hands possess (slaves and servants).
• Yajhadun – They deny, reject, or show ingratitude.

Tafsir (Explanation):

Allah, in His infinite wisdom and justice, has distributed worldly provisions unequally among people. He has made some rich and others poor, some masters and others servants, some employers and others employees. This diversity is not a sign of favoritism or injustice—rather, it is a divine test and a means of social organization. Yet observe the striking contradiction in human behavior: those who have been given wealth and authority do not willingly share their possessions equally with their servants or slaves, nor do they accept that their subordinates become their full partners in their riches. They naturally resist such an arrangement and insist on their own superiority and control over their wealth.

Now, if people—despite their imperfections—refuse to accept equals among their own servants, how can they then turn around and ascribe to Allah partners from among His creation? They attribute to Allah what they would never accept for themselves! They are content to set up idols, deities, and false objects of worship as equals to the Almighty, while they would never tolerate a mere servant becoming their equal in a single dirham of their wealth.

This is the height of ingratitude and the deepest level of injustice. The same people who would never accept a partner in their small possessions are willing to assign partners to Allah—the Owner of the heavens and the earth, the Provider of all sustenance, the One who has no need of any partner whatsoever.

O beloved reader, reflect on this powerful argument! If you would never accept a partner in your own home or wealth, then how can you accept a partner for Allah in His dominion? The very logic you apply to your own affairs should guide you to the purest form of monotheism (Tawheed). Allah is the sole Provider, the only Sustainer, and He alone deserves your worship, your love, and your devotion. Let this verse awaken your heart to the beauty of pure faith—a faith that frees you from the chains of shirk and brings you into the light of sincere submission to the One True God.