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Allah (SWT) answers this question by giving the example of two types of people. Although the example may be related to the times of slavery, it can also relate to our day and age in which we have the tradition of employment. That being said, what is the comparison of such a person who has multiple employers versus a person who has one employer? The person with multiple employers will be exhausted trying to please every employer which, in many cases, maybe near impossible due to the fact that the employers’ wishes may conflict with each other. This is why Allah (SWT) says:

There is no household, no institution, no country that can function smoothly with more than one master. This is because every being has a different personality. So if one master wishes something which contradicts the wishes of the other master, then this will cause dispute or even render one to be lower than the one whose wish was fulfilled.

Therefore, this conflict in commands will lead the employee to be in a constant state of confusion, not knowing what to do or what to not do to please them all simultaneously. Like so is the similitudes of such a person who worships multiple gods. How may he fulfill all of their conflicting wishes? This lifestyle will put him/her under a tremendous amount of stress and lack of contentment…. Contrary to the person who worships one God, who has one set of wishes to fulfill, one set of morals, one set of priorities, one direction to follow.

However, this should not be confused with the analogy of the employer and employee, whereas the employer is in need of the employee. For the one entity who we worship is independent and in no need of us to worship him rather we are in need of him… This is the submission that will lead us to have true peace of mind and heart. This is the submission we know as Islam.

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