Tafsir of Az-Zumar 39:29

"Allah sets forth a parable..."

Set forth a parable for your people and say to them: What do you say regarding a slave owned by partners who are in disagreement and dispute with one another? Each one of them claims he is his slave. They pull him in different directions and take turns using him for various tasks and hardships. If he has a need, they push him away. He is bewildered in his affair, aimless, his heart torn by anxieties, and his thoughts scattered. He does not know whom to please with his service, nor upon whom to rely for his needs.

Compare this to another: a slave who belongs to one single master, exclusively. He is devoted to the service required of him and relies upon him for his well-being. His focus is singular, and his heart is unified. Which of these two slaves is in a better state and a more beautiful condition?

The intent is to represent the state of one who affirms multiple gods, and the consequence of his doctrine: that each of them claims his servitude, they quarrel over him, and they seek to overcome one another—as the Almighty said: "And some of them would have sought to overcome others" (Al-Mu'minun: 91). He remains bewildered and lost, not knowing whom to worship, upon whose lordship to rely, from whom to seek his provision, or from whom to request kindness. His focus is scattered, and his heart is divided.

Contrast this with the state of one who affirms only one God. He fulfills what he is tasked with, knows what pleases and displeases Him, receives His grace in his immediate life, and hopes for reward in the hereafter.

• "In it" (فيه): Connected to "partners" (شركاء), as one says: "They shared in it" (اشتركوا فيه).
• "Disputing" (تشاكس): Meaning disagreement. You say: "His affairs have become discordant" (تشاكست أحواله).
• "Belonging to one man" (سلماً لرجل): Meaning exclusively for one man, free from partnership. It is derived from the saying: "The estate was secured for him" (سلمت له الضيعة). It is also read as salman (with different vocalizations), all being verbal nouns for "peace/security." It is also read in the nominative case (salmun) as an initial subject, meaning: "And there is a man who is secure for one man."
• "A man" (رجلاً): He specified "a man" so that the lesson regarding his misery or happiness would be more apparent, as a woman or a child might be less attentive to such matters.
• "Are they equal in parable?" (هل يستويان مثلاً): "Parable" is a specification (tamyeez). The meaning is: Are their descriptions and states equal? He limited the specification to the singular to denote the genus. It is also read as mathalayn (dual), similar to the verse: "And more in wealth and children" (At-Tawbah: 69). For those who read it as mathalayn, the pronoun in "are they equal" refers to the two parables, as the estimation is: "the parable of a man and the parable of a man."
• "Praise be to Allah": The One who has no partner, unlike every other worshipped being. This means that praise and worship must be directed to Him alone, for it has been established that there is no god but Him.
• "But most of them do not know": So they associate others with Him.

"Indeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die."