Likewise, the description of people as ʿibād of Allah occurs in the Quran in two forms:
• A general sense, as in: “There is none in the heavens and the earth but will come to the All-Merciful as a servant” (Maryam 93)—that is, every creature is subjugated and owned by Allah.
• The second is the special servitude, meaning a worshipper who consciously dedicates himself to his Lord and fulfills the demands of servitude, as in: “the servants of the All-Merciful” (al-Furqān 63); “Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His servant” (al-Furqān 1); and “Is not Allah sufficient for His servant?” (az-Zumar 36). In proportion to a person’s realization of this servitude, he receives Allah’s protection and sufficiency.

A comparable case is qunūt (devout obedience), which appears in the Quran in two categories:
• A general qunūt, as in: “To Him belongs whoever is in the heavens and the earth; all are devoutly obedient to Him” (ar-Rūm 26)—meaning that all are His servants, humbled under His lordship and management.
• The second—and more frequent—usage is the specific qunūt, the steady obedience to Allah marked by humility, as in: “Is he who is devoutly obedient during the hours of the night, prostrating and standing…?” (az-Zumar 9); “Stand before Allah in devout obedience” (al-Baqarah 238); “O Mary, be devoutly obedient to your Lord and prostrate” (Āl ʿImrān 43); “and the devoutly obedient men and women” (al-Aḥzāb 35), and the like.

Point of benefit: The tyranny of authority and the tyranny of wealth lead their possessor to arrogance, ingratitude, and transgression against both truth and people. Allah says: “Have you not seen the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord because Allah had granted him kingship?” (al-Baqarah 258); and: “Indeed, man transgresses because he sees himself self-sufficient” (al-ʿAlaq 6–7). Thus the audacity and tyranny are explained by the possession of dominion and the person’s perception of self-sufficiency.