Tafsir of Az-Zukhruf 43:32

{Is it they who distribute the mercy of your Lord?}

This interrogative particle (hamza) is for independent denial, intended to portray them as ignorant and to express astonishment at their objection and arrogance. It questions how they could presume to be the managers of Prophethood, choosing who is fit for it and who should uphold it, and how they could take charge of distributing the mercy of Allah—a task that none but He manages, by His overwhelming power and profound wisdom.

Then, He set forth a parable for them, making it known that they are incapable of managing even their own trivial affairs or what benefits them in their worldly life. It is Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, who distributed their livelihood among them, ordained it, and managed their conditions with the management of One who knows them. He did not make them equal, but rather varied their means of living and differentiated their stations. He made some strong and others weak, some rich and others needy, some masters and others servants, so that they might employ one another for their needs, utilize one another in their trades, and be subservient to one another in their tasks. This is so that they may coexist, support one another, reach their benefits, and obtain their necessities. Had He left them to themselves and entrusted them with the management of their own affairs, they would have been lost and perished.

If they are in this state regarding the management of lowly worldly life, what do you think of them regarding the management of religious affairs, which is the greatest mercy of Allah and His supreme compassion? It is the path to attaining the rewards of the Hereafter and the ladder to dwelling in the Abode of Peace.

Then He said: {And the mercy of your Lord}—meaning: This mercy, which is the religion of Allah and the success in the final return that follows it, is better than all the worldly debris they accumulate.

If you ask: "Their livelihood is what they live by in terms of benefits, and among them are those who live by the lawful and those who live by the unlawful; therefore, has Allah distributed the unlawful just as He distributed the lawful?"

I say: Allah, the Exalted, has distributed to every servant their livelihood—their food, drink, and the benefits that sustain them—and has permitted them to partake of it. However, He stipulated and charged them to follow the path He legislated in obtaining it. If they follow that path, they have taken their portion of livelihood lawfully, and it is called the "provision of Allah." If they do not follow it, they take it unlawfully, and they have no right to call it the "provision of Allah." Thus, Allah is the Distributor of livelihoods and benefits, but it is the servants who give them the quality of unlawfulness through their poor conduct—that is, by turning away from what Allah legislated to what He did not legislate.

{And were it not that mankind would have become one community, We would have made for those who disbelieve in the Most Merciful—for their houses—ceilings of silver and stairways upon which they mount. And for their houses, doors and couches upon which they recline. And gold. But all that is not but the enjoyment of worldly life. And the Hereafter with your Lord is for the righteous.}