Az-Zumar · Makki · ayah 29 of 75

Az-Zumar 39:29

ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا رَّجُلًا فِيهِ شُرَكَآءُ مُتَشَـٰكِسُونَ وَرَجُلًا سَلَمًا لِّرَجُلٍ هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلًا ۚ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

“Allāh presents an example: a man [i.e., slave] owned by quarreling partners and another belonging exclusively to one man - are they equal in comparison? Praise be to Allāh! But most of them do not know.”

Saheeh International

Essence

One servant torn between bad-tempered owners and another belonging to one master alone are not equal, yet most people do not know it.

A reflection

Praise that has one address

The parable ends with a short cry: al-ḥamdu lillāh, praise belongs to Allah. Why here?

One commentary explains. The parable has shown that there is one God, without partner. So praise, like worship, must be directed to Him alone, not shared among rivals. Another commentary adds: since the case for partners and rivals has collapsed, it is established that praise is His and no one else's. A third reading says it is praise for the clear proofs He has given, even though most people never notice them.

The root of ḥamd begins with contentment. The Arabs said aḥmadtu al-mawḍiʿ: I found the place praiseworthy, when someone was content with its shelter or pasture. Ḥamd starts from goodness met and gladly acknowledged.

That cuts deep into the ego. The servant torn between many owners is also a servant hungry for praise from many directions. He wants approval from this master and that one, and gets it from none. The ego lives like that: scattering its need for recognition across a dozen audiences.

Picture a pianist after a concert, scrolling through reviews in five newspapers and a dozen blogs. One is glowing, one lukewarm, one cruel. The cruel one keeps him awake. He has handed his peace to every critic in the city.

When all praise belongs to Allah, the self stops chasing it elsewhere. Is that divine vanity? He loses nothing if we praise others. It is we who lose our peace. Al-ḥamdu lillāh is the believer's release from the court of a thousand judges.

The full entry has 6 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.