An-Nahl 75: Allah gives the example of the slave who does not have the power to do anything, who became the possession of another person and the (free) one whom We gave a beautiful provision from Our side and who spends from it secretly and openly. Can these be equal? Verily, praise belongs to Allah but most of them do not know.

We have come to Surah An-Nahl, verse 75. Allah gives as an example a slave owned by another, who has power over nothing, and a free person who spends secretly and openly from the good provision We have given him from Us, it says now. How beautifully Allah Almighty here tries to explain His essence to people with an example. What does it say? Look, Allah, with a slave owned by another who has power over nothing, in his hands someone else's property, he no longer has power over anything, with a slave, and one who spends secretly and openly from the good provision We have given him from Us, gives an example, it says. Can these ever be equal?

Truly, praise belongs to Allah. But most of them do not know this. So man, you see, here giving the example of a slave and a free person: just as, in that helplessness, that slave shows his need to his master, Allah Almighty is the Owner of the worlds, and we, like a helpless slave, being in need only of Allah, could that slave ever get up and feel himself as free as his owner? Is this possible? So can we, before Allah Almighty, regard ourselves as a creator, or as giving ourselves our provision, or put ourselves in a position equal to Allah? Is this possible, I mean? Yes, as the continuation of the verse above, in this verse Allah Almighty makes a comparison. If we pay attention to this comparison, the comparison is between two people. One of them is a slave, the other is free.

The free one feeds the slave he bought with his own earnings. All the slave's freedom is in the hands of his owner. This is how it is between Allah and man. Since Allah created man close to His essence, people are a part of their Lord. For Allah has given man a spirit from His essence. And spirit exists only in man. Therefore man is the one addressed by Allah. As a part of his Lord, man is His likeness. But since Allah is the universal attribute and man the partial attribute, man, between his birth and death, may change a few attributes without his control. But since Allah is aware of Himself through His knowledge, He continually changes attributes.

This is where the real knowledge is to be unravelled, that is, that our Lord, endowed with the attributes of His essence, does not remain in a single attribute; the things we have continually told people since the first volume about these manifestations, how beautifully we explain them here. And that Allah Almighty is the Owner of the worlds and all He has created are under His power, that in this way all created beings show their need of Allah, how beautifully Allah Almighty gives this with these examples.

Therefore He has no likeness, and we cannot restrict Allah to a particular form. For this reason Allah is the Creator. Man, however, is in need of his Creator, like a slave, every need of his met by Allah, a being in need of Allah. Therefore, in the example given, although both are human, one is a slave and the other the one who feeds him. Can these ever be equal? Likewise, although man is Allah's likeness, not having the power to create, being a creature fed by his Creator, is it possible to hold him as a being equal to Allah? Can man or created beings be held equal to Allah? Besides this, if we also associate what we make with our hands as partners with Allah, or the prophets whom Allah Almighty sent as messengers, "they are the sons of Allah", if we (?) so, would we not have associated partners with Allah?

We humans, because we were created close to Allah, if, like those who previously, that is at Qalu Bala, did not believe in Allah and denied Him there, we also in this world continue denying, make likenesses of Allah and invent gods that our minds have (?) and worship them, would we not have proven our betrayal of Allah in this world too in that case? So the verse about your thinking you will die without proving what kind of person you are, how beautifully it (?) here. Truly, praise belongs to Allah. But most of them do not know this. So praise and glorification belong only to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

There is no being besides Him worthy of worship and praise. But people, out of stubbornness, out of rancor and arrogance, cannot accept that Allah is worthy of praise and glorification, that there is no other god besides Him. Yes. Thank you.