Verse 16:75 in Context

Translator Abdel Haleem

71 وَٱللَّهُ فَضَّلَ بَعۡضَكُمۡ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضࣲ فِی ٱلرِّزۡقِۚ فَمَا ٱلَّذِینَ فُضِّلُوا۟ بِرَاۤدِّی رِزۡقِهِمۡ عَلَىٰ مَا مَلَكَتۡ أَیۡمَـٰنُهُمۡ فَهُمۡ فِیهِ سَوَاۤءٌۚ أَفَبِنِعۡمَةِ ٱللَّهِ یَجۡحَدُونَ ۝٧١ wal-lahu faḍḍala baʿḍakum ʿalā baʿḍin fī l-riz'qi famā alladhīna fuḍḍilū birāddī riz'qihim ʿalā mā malakat aymānuhum fahum fīhi sawāon afabiniʿ'mati l-lahi yajḥadūn God has given some of you more provision than others. Those who have been given more are unwilling to pass their provision on to the slaves they possess so that they become their equals. How can they refuse to acknowledge God’s blessings 72 وَٱللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنۡ أَنفُسِكُمۡ أَزۡوَ ٰجࣰا وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنۡ أَزۡوَ ٰجِكُم بَنِینَ وَحَفَدَةࣰ وَرَزَقَكُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّیِّبَـٰتِۚ أَفَبِٱلۡبَـٰطِلِ یُؤۡمِنُونَ وَبِنِعۡمَتِ ٱللَّهِ هُمۡ یَكۡفُرُونَ ۝٧٢ wal-lahu jaʿala lakum min anfusikum azwājan wajaʿala lakum min azwājikum banīna waḥafadatan warazaqakum mina l-ṭayibāti afabil-bāṭili yu'minūna wabiniʿ'mati l-lahi hum yakfurūn And it is God who has given you spouses from amongst yourselves and through them He has given you children and grandchildren and provided you with good things. How can they believe in falsehood and deny God’s blessings 73 وَیَعۡبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا یَمۡلِكُ لَهُمۡ رِزۡقࣰا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ ٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ شَیۡءࣰا وَلَا یَسۡتَطِیعُونَ ۝٧٣ wayaʿbudūna min dūni l-lahi mā lā yamliku lahum riz'qan mina l-samāwāti wal-arḍi shayan walā yastaṭīʿūn Those they worship beside God have no power to provide anything for them from the heavens or the earth: they can do nothing 74 فَلَا تَضۡرِبُوا۟ لِلَّهِ ٱلۡأَمۡثَالَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ یَعۡلَمُ وَأَنتُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ ۝٧٤ falā taḍribū lillahi l-amthāla inna l-laha yaʿlamu wa-antum lā taʿlamūn So do not make up images about God: God knows and you do not

75 ۞ ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا عَبۡدࣰا مَّمۡلُوكࣰا لَّا یَقۡدِرُ عَلَىٰ شَیۡءࣲ وَمَن رَّزَقۡنَـٰهُ مِنَّا رِزۡقًا حَسَنࣰا فَهُوَ یُنفِقُ مِنۡهُ سِرࣰّا وَجَهۡرًاۖ هَلۡ یَسۡتَوُۥنَۚ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِۚ بَلۡ أَكۡثَرُهُمۡ لَا یَعۡلَمُونَ ۝٧٥ ḍaraba l-lahu mathalan ʿabdan mamlūkan lā yaqdiru ʿalā shayin waman razaqnāhu minnā riz'qan ḥasanan fahuwa yunfiqu min'hu sirran wajahran hal yastawūna l-ḥamdu lillahi bal aktharuhum lā yaʿlamūn God presents this illustration: a slave controlled by his master, with no power over anything, and another man We have supplied with good provision, from which he gives alms privately and openly. Can they be considered equal? All praise belongs to God, but most of them do not recognize this

76 وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلࣰا رَّجُلَیۡنِ أَحَدُهُمَاۤ أَبۡكَمُ لَا یَقۡدِرُ عَلَىٰ شَیۡءࣲ وَهُوَ كَلٌّ عَلَىٰ مَوۡلَىٰهُ أَیۡنَمَا یُوَجِّههُّ لَا یَأۡتِ بِخَیۡرٍ هَلۡ یَسۡتَوِی هُوَ وَمَن یَأۡمُرُ بِٱلۡعَدۡلِ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ صِرَ ٰطࣲ مُّسۡتَقِیمࣲ ۝٧٦ waḍaraba l-lahu mathalan rajulayni aḥaduhumā abkamu lā yaqdiru ʿalā shayin wahuwa kallun ʿalā mawlāhu aynamā yuwajjihhu lā yati bikhayrin hal yastawī huwa waman yamuru bil-ʿadli wahuwa ʿalā ṣirāṭin mus'taqīmi God presents another illustration: two men, one of them dumb, unable to do anything, a burden to his carer- whatever task he directs him to, he achieves nothing good- can he be considered equal to one who commands justice and is on the straight path 77 وَلِلَّهِ غَیۡبُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ ٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ وَمَاۤ أَمۡرُ ٱلسَّاعَةِ إِلَّا كَلَمۡحِ ٱلۡبَصَرِ أَوۡ هُوَ أَقۡرَبُۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَیۡءࣲ قَدِیرࣱ ۝٧٧ walillahi ghaybu l-samāwāti wal-arḍi wamā amru l-sāʿati illā kalamḥi l-baṣari aw huwa aqrabu inna l-laha ʿalā kulli shayin qadīru All that is hidden from view in the heavens and earth belongs to God. The coming of the Hour of Judgement is like the blink of an eye, or even quicker: God has power over everything 78 وَٱللَّهُ أَخۡرَجَكُم مِّنۢ بُطُونِ أُمَّهَـٰتِكُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ شَیۡءࣰا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلسَّمۡعَ وَٱلۡأَبۡصَـٰرَ وَٱلۡأَفۡءِدَةَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ ۝٧٨ wal-lahu akhrajakum min buṭūni ummahātikum lā taʿlamūna shayan wajaʿala lakumu l-samʿa wal-abṣāra wal-afidata laʿallakum tashkurūn It is God who brought you out of your mothers’ wombs knowing nothing, and gave you hearing and sight and minds, so that you might be thankful 79 أَلَمۡ یَرَوۡا۟ إِلَى ٱلطَّیۡرِ مُسَخَّرَ ٰتࣲ فِی جَوِّ ٱلسَّمَاۤءِ مَا یُمۡسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُۚ إِنَّ فِی ذَ ٰلِكَ لَءَایَـٰتࣲ لِّقَوۡمࣲ یُؤۡمِنُونَ ۝٧٩ alam yaraw ilā l-ṭayri musakharātin fī jawwi l-samāi mā yum'sikuhunna illā l-lahu inna fī dhālika laāyātin liqawmin yu'minūn Do they not see the birds made to fly through the air in the sky? Nothing holds them up except God. There truly are signs in this for those who believe