يا صاحِبَيِ السِّجنِ أَأَربابٌ مُتَفَرِّقونَ خَيرٌ أَمِ اللَّهُ الواحِدُ القَهّارُ

O my prison mates! Are different masters better, or Allah, the one, the all-paramount?

EXEGESIS

Arbāb (masters) is the plural of rabb, meaning the one who is responsible for tarbiyah. Tarbiyah is the act of nurturing something through all its various stages until it reaches completion.[1] In its absolute form rabb is used for God, however it can be used in a qualified manner for others,[2] such as the master of a slave.[3]

Khayr (better) comes from the notion of khiyār, to choose between options. Khayr generally means good (2:110, 10:107) and, in comparative statements, it means better (2:54, 2:106, 2:184, 9:41) or as a superlative, best (2:197, 10:109). Its opposite is usually given as sharr (evil) (10:11, 17:11, 21:35, 24:11, 41:49, 70:20-21). And in some verses, khayr implies something specific, such as wealth (2:215, 2:180, 2:274, 24:33, 100:8).

Al-qahhār (the all-paramount) is the emphatic version of al-qāhir which refers to the one who is capable of overcoming with certainty and power, ensuring inevitable dominance. As the intensified form of this attribute, al-qahhār implies that He is the one who is all-powerful, possessing an ability that guarantees dominance over every single being.[4]

EXPOSITION

O my prison mates: Prophet Joseph (a) chose to address them in this way to create an empathetic bond highlighting their shared predicament and how they have all suffered at the hands of their masters.

Are different masters better, or Allah: not only is the existence of one all-powerful divine a fact and a logical necessity and thus better in a theological sense, it is also better from many other perspectives. Firstly, it is far better for the worshipper to obey and submit to one divine, with one set of instructions and teachings. A pantheon of competing deities means that it is impossible to please them all; trying to satisfy the demands of one may mean angering another. While this is sometimes lost to the modern reader, the mythology of ancient religions was filled with stories of gods that competed with one another and through their conflicts caused much harm to mortals who were caught in between or used as playthings in their plots. It is this fact that the parable in Sūrat al-Zumar highlights in a tangible way: Allah draws an example: a man jointly owned by several contending masters, and a man belonging entirely to one man: are the two equal in comparison? All praise belongs to Allah! But most of them do not know (39:29).

This point being made by Prophet Joseph (a) was hence especially hard-hitting, considering that the youths imprisoned alongside Prophet Joseph (a) were apparently involved in some political turmoil and conflicts between factions vying for the Egyptian throne. If what was mentioned in verse 36 is true and indeed there had been a plot to poison the king of Egypt, then certainly the youths were not acting in such plots with their own volition, but were embroiled in such matters at the behest of other powerful masters, as is the case throughout history. In this sense then, Prophet Joseph (a) is making them draw comparison about their own situation with the reality of existence itself. If various important nobles vying for power creates discord and chaos within a human kingdom, imagine the chaos that would ensue if multiple all-powerful gods should exist and similarly vie for control or supremacy over each other; To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth … Had there been gods in them other than Allah, they would surely have fallen apart (21:19-22). Would it not be so much simpler for the youths if they only had one master to please, instead of having to please one only to incur the wrath of the other?

The point also ties in strongly to the surah’s main theme of the divine plan. In order for there to be a grand divine plan for all things, it is impossible to imagine that could be achieved with more than one god. Each god would have their own designs and plans and these would contradict and conflict with one another, once again leading to chaos and disruption.

The one, the all-paramount: the attribute the all-paramount (al-qahhār) appears precisely six times in the Quran, invariably paired with the one (al-wāḥid). This profound pairing carries essential theological significance: true supremacy necessitates absolute oneness. For were there multiple deities, they would inevitably oppose and overpower one another, resulting in discord rather than sovereign authority.[5] A deity worthy of worship must be the one who reigns absolutely supreme – His will unchallenged, His power unrivalled. What meaning would divinity hold if He could not manifest His will without obstruction? Thus, the Quran affirms that only the one God can truly be the all-paramount, exercising complete dominion over all creation.

[1] Raghib, p. 336, r-b-b.
[2] Lisan, 1/399, r-b-b.
[3] Bahrayn, 2/64, r-b-b.
[4] Tibyan, 6/142.
[5] Alusi, 12/210.