Quran Universe
16:75

۞ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا عَبۡدٗا مَّمۡلُوكٗا لَّا يَقۡدِرُ عَلَىٰ شَيۡءٖ وَمَن رَّزَقۡنَٰهُ مِنَّا رِزۡقًا حَسَنٗا فَهُوَ يُنفِقُ مِنۡهُ سِرّٗا وَجَهۡرًاۖ هَلۡ يَسۡتَوُۥنَۚ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِۚ بَلۡ أَكۡثَرُهُمۡ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ

Daraba Allahu mathalan AAabdan mamlookan la yaqdiru AAala shayin waman razaqnahu minna rizqan hasanan fahuwa yunfiqu minhu sirran wajahran hal yastawoona alhamdu lillahi bal aktharuhum la yaAAlamoona

Allah presents an example: a slave [who is] owned and unable to do a thing and he to whom We have provided from Us good provision, so he spends from it secretly and publicly. Can they be equal? Praise to Allah! But most of them do not know.

Word by word
  1. ۞ضَرَبَAllah sets forth
  2. ٱللَّهُAllah sets forth
  3. مَثَلًاthe example
  4. عَبۡدٗا(of) a slave
  5. مَّمۡلُوكٗا(who is) owned
  6. لَّاnot
  7. يَقۡدِرُhe has power
  8. عَلَىٰon
  9. شَيۡءٖanything
  10. وَمَنand (one) whom
  11. رَّزَقۡنَٰهُWe provided him
  12. مِنَّاfrom Us
  13. رِزۡقًاa provision
  14. حَسَنٗاgood
  15. فَهُوَso he
  16. يُنفِقُspends
  17. مِنۡهُfrom it
  18. سِرّٗاsecretly
  19. وَجَهۡرًاۖand publicly
  20. هَلۡCan
  21. يَسۡتَوُۥنَۚthey be equal
  22. ٱلۡحَمۡدُAll praise
  23. لِلَّهِۚ(is) for Allah
  24. بَلۡNay
  25. أَكۡثَرُهُمۡbut most of them
  26. لَا(do) not
  27. يَعۡلَمُونَknow
An-Nahl · 16:75Makkah

One can do nothing. One gives freely, seen and unseen.

A parable of two servants

Two men
an owned slavehas power over nothing
versus
the provided onespends secretly and openly
Can they be equal?
all the samebelief makes no difference
clearly notpraise be to Allah

Ibn Abbas said this compares the disbeliever and the believer. Mujahid said it compares an idol with the True God. Either way, one has power over nothing and the other gives from good provision, in secret and in public. The difference is so plain only a fool would miss it.

Two people in the same office earn the same salary. One spends it all on himself and feels stuck. The other quietly pays a colleague's bus fare and gives openly at the mosque drive. Same money, very different person.

What I do with my money in private does not really matter.

Giving in secret and in public is what makes a provided person different.

Try this

Give something small today that nobody will ever know about.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Allah gives the example of a servant under the possession of another, he has no power of any sort, and a man on whom We have bestowed good provisions from Us, and he spends from that secretly and openly. Can they be equal? (By no means). All the praises and thanks are to Allah. Nay! (But) most of them know not (75)

The Example of the Believer and the Disbeliever, or the Idol and the True God

Al-'Awfi reported that Ibn 'Abbas said: "This is the example which Allah gives of the disbeliever and the believer." This was also the view of Qatadah and Ibn Jarir. The servant who has no power over anything is like the disbeliever, and the one who is given good provisions and spends of them secretly and openly is like the believer. Ibn Abi Najih reported that Mujahid said: "This is an example given of the idol and the True God - can they be the same?" Once the difference between them is so clear and so obvious, no one can be unaware of it except the one who is foolish. Allah says:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

(All the praises and thanks are to Allah. Nay! (But) most of them know not.)