Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:71

"And Allah has favored some of you over others in provision": Meaning, He has made you unequal in it, granting you a share better than what He granted those you possess.

"So those who have been favored": In provision over others, and they are the masters.

"are not [willing to] pass on": Meaning, they do not bestow their provision, which He has provided them, "to those whom their right hands possess": meaning their slaves, who are their partners in creation and in being provided for.

"so that they would be": That is, the masters who were favored and the slaves.

"equal therein": In provision, with no disparity between them. The nominal sentence [in the Arabic text] occupies the place of a verbal sentence in the response to the negation; meaning, they do not restore it [their wealth] to them so that they might be equal and partners in it. It is also permissible for it to be interpreted as a verbal sentence [in the nominative] coordinated with the Almighty's saying: "are not [willing to] pass on"; meaning, they do not pass it on to them, and thus they are not equal.

The intent behind this is to rebuke those who associate with Him, Glory be to Him, some of His creatures, and to chide them, alerting them to the imperfection of their action. It is as if it were said: "You are not content that your slaves should be your partners in something that is not exclusive to you, but rather shared by you and them from the provision—a provision in which you are equal in merit, and they are your peers in humanity and in being created by Allah, Almighty is His sovereignty. So why do you associate with Him, Glorified and Exalted is He, in that which is not befitting except for Him, the Majestic and Exalted—the Divinity and the Worship that is specific to His Essence—some of His creatures who are far removed from any degree of consideration?"

This is, as stated by a group, along the lines of the Almighty's saying: "He presents to you an example from yourselves. Do you have among those whom your right hands possess any partners in what We have provided for you so that you are equal therein?" They mean by this that it is a parable struck for the utter ugliness of what they have done.

Regarding the Almighty's saying: "Do they then deny the favor of Allah?"

The Hamza is for denunciation, and the Fa is for coordination with an omitted [preceding] element; it is, in reality, connected to the verb—that is, "they deny." Because "denial" (juhud) contains the meaning of disbelief (kufr), the preposition Ba was added to its object, which is placed before it for emphasis, to suggest exclusivity by way of hyperbole, or to observe the rhythm of the verse endings.

It is said that "favor" refers to provision, and it is said—and this is perhaps more appropriate—that it encompasses this and other favors that He, the Exalted, has bestowed upon them. That is, they associate others with Him, the Exalted, and thus deny His favor, for such action necessitates that they attribute the blessings showered upon them by Allah to their partners [idols] and deny that they are from Him, the Majestic and Exalted.

It is also permissible that the "favor of Allah" refers to what He, the Exalted, has bestowed through establishing proofs, clarifying paths, and sending Messengers, peace be upon them—and there is no favor greater than that. Thus, the meaning of their denial is rejecting it and paying it no heed. The third-person form is used in consideration of "those who." Abu Bakr from ‘Asim, Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman, and al-A‘raj—with a variant narration from him—read "do you deny" (tajhadun) with the Ta for address, in consideration of "some of you."

It is also permitted that the meaning of the verse is that Allah, the Exalted, has favored some over others in provision, and that those favored do not give back any of their provision to those below them, but rather I am their Provider. Thus, the master and the slave are equal in the essence of provision, even if they differ in quantity and quality. The intent is to forbid self-admiration and vanity, which are the precursors to disbelief.

The coordination is also to an omitted element, meaning: "Do they admire themselves and act vaingloriously, and thus deny the favor of Allah upon them?" It is said: the estimation is "Do they not understand, and thus deny?"

Al-Kashshaf chose the interpretation that He, the Exalted, made you unequal in provision, so He provided you with better than what He provided your slaves, while they are humans like you and your brothers. It would have been appropriate for you to return the surplus of what you were provided to them so that you would be equal in clothing and food, as is narrated from Abu Dharr, may Allah the Exalted be pleased with him, that he heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say: "They are your brothers, so clothe them with what you wear and feed them with what you eat." His servant was never seen after that except that his cloak and wrapper were the same as his, without any disparity.

The sum of this is that Allah, the Exalted, has favored you over your peers, so it was upon you to return part of that surplus to them in gratitude for His, the Exalted's, favor, so that you might be equal in that surplus, and the virtue of benevolence and generosity would remain for you. Thus, the verse is an incitement toward good stewardship, and it incorporates that they and their slaves are all under the care of His favor, even while they fluctuate within it, so as to be a preamble to their denial of His, the Exalted's, overflowing favors, to the point that they set up for Him, the Almighty, rivals that possess no harm or benefit for themselves, and they worshiped them as they worshiped Him, the Exalted, or even more intensely and firmly. In that, there is the remoteness that there is. The coordination here is also to an omitted element, as in "Do they not acknowledge that, and thus they deny?"