Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD

The Parable in Quran 39:27–29 – Unity vs. Disunity

Verses (Q39:27–29) – “We have certainly set forth for people every [kind of] parable in this Quran so perhaps they will be mindful. [It is] an Arabic Quran, without any deviance, so that they may be God-fearing. Allah sets forth the parable of a man (slave) owned by disputing partners and another man wholly devoted to one master – are the two equal in comparison? Praise be to Allah! But most of them do not know.” surahquran.com surahquran.com These verses present a vivid simile contrasting two individuals: one is like a servant trying to serve “many masters” who quarrel, and the other serves only one master. By asking “are they equal,” the Quran guides us to see the superiority of singular devotion (unity) over divided allegiance (fragmentation). The passage uses the Quran’s hallmark style of parable (mathal) – a concrete illustration to convey an abstract moral truth surahquran.com. In classical and modern interpretations alike, this parable is understood on multiple levels: the theological (monotheism vs. polytheism), the psychological (inner harmony vs. inner conflict), and the philosophical (unity of truth vs. fragmentation of values). Below, we explore these dimensions with insights from Islamic commentators (classical and modern), psychology theories, and philosophy – along with real-life examples of how a “one-master” life differs from a “many-masters” life in practice.

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