Surat An-Nahl (75-76)

{ضَرَبَ اللّهُ مَثَلاً عَبْداً مَّمْلُوكاً لاَّ يَقْدِرُ عَلَى شَيْءٍ وَمَن رَّزَقْنَاهُ مِنَّا رِزْقاً حَسَناً فَهُوَ يُنفِقُ مِنْهُ سِرّاً وَجَهْراً هَلْ يَسْتَوُونَ الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ} (النحل : 75 )

75- Allah has given you an example to compare and comprehend: A slave who is unable to do any action and does not offer anything useful to his master and another who earns a good lawful money and spends on the needy secretly and publically. Are the one who is unable and the active slave equal who benefits his family and society? They are not equal but more ignorant polytheists do not know the reality and do not apply it. They equate between the Lord of people who creates and provides them and His Creation which do not bring about benefit? To Allah is the supreme example.

{وَضَرَبَ اللّهُ مَثَلاً رَّجُلَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَا أَبْكَمُ لاَ يَقْدِرُ عَلَىَ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ كَلٌّ عَلَى مَوْلاهُ أَيْنَمَا يُوَجِّههُّ لاَ يَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي هُوَ وَمَن يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَهُوَ عَلَى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ} (النحل : 76 )

76- There is another example which He set to you: Two men: One of them is dumb, deaf, and cannot speak, hear, understand, or do anything useful to himself or others and he is an overburden to his father or the one who supports him. Is he equal to a person who commands people with goodness and justice, and follows a sound straight methodology and does righteously?

No doubt, they are not equal, but polytheists equate between dumb idols and Allah (Glory be to Him) in worship.

Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Ayah was revealed concerning `Uthman ibn `Affan who used to spend on his freed slave and provide him food, whereas the freed slave used to hate Islam and forbid him to give in charity. However, the main purport is general.