Surah 16. An-Nahl, Ayah 76
| وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا رَجُلَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَا أَبْكَمُ لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَىٰ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ كَلٌّ عَلَىٰ مَوْلَاهُ أَيْنَمَا يُوَجِّهْهُ لَا يَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ ۖ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي هُوَ وَمَنْ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ ۙ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ |
| Transliteration | : | wa- d.araba 'allaah mathal(an) rajulain 'ah.ad -humaa abkam laa yaqdir calaa shay' wa- huwa kall calaa mawlaa -hu 'ayna-maa yuwajjih -hu laa ya'ti bi- khayr hal yastawe huwa wa- man ya'mur bi- al- cadl wa- huwa calaa s.iraat. mustaqem |
| Pickthall | : | And Allah coineth a similitude. Two men, one of them dumb, having control of nothing, and he is a burden on his owner; whithersoever he directeth him to go, he bringeth no good. Is he equal with one who enjoineth justice and followeth a straight path (of conduct)? |
| Asad | : | And God propounds [to you] the parable of two [other] men - one of them dumb,86 unable to do anything of his own accord, and a sheer burden on his master: to whichever task the latter directs him,87 he accomplishes no good. Can such a one be considered the equal of [a wise man] who enjoins the doing of what is right and himself follows a straight way?88 |
| Malik | : | Well! Allah gives you another example of two men: one of them is dumb and has no ability do anything - a burden on his master - whenever he sends him on an errand, he does nothing useful. Can he be equal to the one who executes orders properly and follows the directions in a Right Way? |
| Yusuf Ali | : | Allah sets forth (another) Parable of two men: one of them dumb with no power of any sort; a wearisome burden is he to his master; whichever way he directs him he brings no good: is such a man equal with one who commands justice and is on a straight way? 2108 2109 |
Note - 86The term abkam signifies "dumb" both in the literal,
physiological sense and (as in colloquial English) in the
sense of being "unable to speak properly" on account of
intellectual weakness: i.e., "dull-witted" or "stupid".
Both these meanings are contained in the above Qur'anic
description.
|
Note - 87Or: "wherever he sends him".
|
Note - 88I.e., who is not only wise and righteous but also has the
strength and authority to enjoin a righteous way of
living upon others. Thus, while in the first parable the
main issue is the contrast between freedom and bondage or
- more generally - between dependence and independence,
in the second parable we are given the antithesis of
dumbness and incompetence, on the one hand, and wisdom,
justice and competence, on the other; and in both
parables the implication is the same (see note [85]
above).
|
Note - 2108In the second Parable, one man is dumb; he can explain
nothing, and he can certainly do nothing; he is only a
wearisome burden to his master, no matter what his master
asks him to do; or perhaps he is really harmful instead
of bringing any good; such are idols (literal and
metaphorical) when taken as false gods. The other man is
in a position to command, and he commands what is just
and righteous; not only his commands but his doings also
are on the path of righteousness. Such are the qualities
of Allah.
|
Note - 2109The gist of the argument is that those who deviate from
the worship of Allah commit twofold treason. (1) They do
not recognise the immense difference between the Creator
and created things, although, in their own little selfish
lives, they are tenacious of any little differences there
may be between themselves and other fellow-creatures not
so gifted. (2) They are guilty of gross ingratitude in
forgetting that the source of goodness and power is
Allah, to Whom alone they owe all the gifts they enjoy in
life.
|
Share your thoughts about this with others by posting a comment. Visit our FAQ for some ideas.
Filter Comments 
 |
The term abkam signifies "dumb" both in the literal, physiological sense and (as in colloquial English) in the sense of being "unable to speak properly" on account of intellectual weakness: i.e., "dull-witted" or "stupid". Both these meanings are contained in the above Qur'anic description. |
| |
I.e., who is not only wise and righteous but also has the strength and authority to enjoin a righteous way of living upon others. Thus, while in the first parable the main issue is the contrast between freedom and bondage or - more generally - between dependence and independence, in the second parable we are given the antithesis of dumbness and incompetence, on the one hand, and wisdom, justice and competence, on the other; and in both parables the implication is the same (see note [85] above). |
| |
In the second Parable, one man is dumb; he can explain nothing, and he can certainly do nothing; he is only a wearisome burden to his master, no matter what his master asks him to do; or perhaps he is really harmful instead of bringing any good; such are idols (literal and metaphorical) when taken as false gods. The other man is in a position to command, and he commands what is just and righteous; not only his commands but his doings also are on the path of righteousness. Such are the qualities of Allah. |
| |
The gist of the argument is that those who deviate from the worship of Allah commit twofold treason. (1) They do not recognise the immense difference between the Creator and created things, although, in their own little selfish lives, they are tenacious of any little differences there may be between themselves and other fellow-creatures not so gifted. (2) They are guilty of gross ingratitude in forgetting that the source of goodness and power is Allah, to Whom alone they owe all the gifts they enjoy in life. |
