Tafsir of Az-Zukhruf 43:13

"That you may settle upon their backs..."

Wherein the term "settling" (istiwa) is used to express remaining firmly upon them all. This is specific to riding animals, and the pronoun refers to what you ride. It is singular to respect the word’s form [in the preceding context], while the backs (zuhur) are pluralized and added to [the pronoun] to respect their meaning.

It is apparent that the lam in "that you may settle" (li-tastawu) is the lam of purpose (lam al-kay). Al-Hufi stated that whoever affirms a lam for the end-result (lam al-sayrurah) may apply it here. Ibn Atiyyah said: It is the lam of command (lam al-amr), though there is distance in this view, given that the addressee is commanded using the prefix ta of address. There has been disagreement regarding this type of command; it has been said that it is a rare, inferior linguistic style that is hardly preserved except in anomalous readings, such as "so in that let them rejoice (fal-tafrahul)," or in poetry, such as: “Let you stand, O son of the best of Quraysh.” What the scholars of Hadith mentioned—the Prophet's saying: "Let you take your sifted grain"—is likely a report of the meaning rather than a literal quotation. Az-Zajjaj argued it is an excellent linguistic style, while Abu Hayyan holds the first opinion and attributes it to the majority of grammarians.

"Then remember the favor of your Lord when you have settled upon them..."

That is: Remember it with your hearts, acknowledging it and esteeming it, then praise Him for it with your tongues. This is the meaning of "remembering the favor of Allah," contrary to what Az-Zamakhshari said, which is that remembrance implies the consciousness of the heart while the intended action is by the tongue. Thus, it is interpreted in its most perfect state: that it be a remembrance by the tongue while accompanied by the consciousness of the heart. As for acknowledging and esteeming, these are [consequences] of the favor of your Lord, as they necessitate the presence of that [favor] in the heart, and this is the essence of praise, which is thanksgiving in this context, not that [the remembrance] necessitates it—though that argument is also sound. From this, his choice of "then praise" upon settling becomes clear. Whoever permits the use of a polysemous word in both its meanings permits here that "remembrance" refers to both heart-remembrance and tongue-remembrance; it is as you see.

"And say, 'Exalted is He who has subjected this to us'..."

That is: Say, "Exalted is He who has subdued this and made it compliant for us," while being amazed by that. This pointing is not for belittlement, but for illustrating the state; it contains an increase in the meaning of astonishment. Even if the speech is an informative statement, as you heard earlier, it implies a request.

Abd ibn Humayd, Ibn Jarir, and Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from Abu Mijlaz that al-Husayn ibn Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) saw a man riding a beast and heard him say, "Exalted is He who has subjected this to us." He said: "Is that what you were commanded to do?" The man asked: "Then how should I say it?" He replied: "Say: Praise be to Allah who guided us to Islam; Praise be to Allah who bestowed favor upon us with Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace); Praise be to Allah who placed me in the best nation brought forth for mankind. Then say: 'Exalted is He who has subjected this to us' up to 'the returning'." This indicates that the intent of the favor is not merely the favor of subjection [to the animal]. Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from Shahr ibn Hawshab that he interpreted it as the favor of Islam.

Ahmad, Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi (who graded it authentic), An-Nasa'i, and a group recorded from Ali (may Allah honor his countenance) that when a beast was brought to him and he placed his foot in the stirrup, he said: "In the name of Allah." When he settled on its back, he said: "Praise be to Allah" (three times), "Allah is the Greatest" (three times), "Exalted is He who has subjected this to us" up to "the returning. Exalted are You; there is no deity except You. I have wronged myself, so forgive my sins; indeed, none forgives sins except You." Then he laughed. It was asked: "Why do you laugh, O Commander of the Faithful?" He said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) do as I did, then he laughed. I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, why do you laugh?' He said: 'The Lord is amazed by His servant when he says: "My Lord, forgive me," and He says: "My servant knows that none forgives sins except Me."'"

In a hadith recorded by Muslim, At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, and Ad-Darimi from Ibn Umar: When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) settled on his camel to go on a journey, he would praise Allah, exalt Him, and proclaim His greatness three times, then say: "Exalted is He who has subjected this to us" up to "the returning." In a hadith recorded by Ahmad and others, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "There is no camel but that there is a devil on its hump, so mention the name of Allah when you ride it, as He has commanded you."

The apparent meaning of the glorious text is that the remembrance of the favor and the mentioned statement are not specific to riding livestock, but also encompass ships and the like. Some have mentioned that when boarding a ship, one should say: "In the name of Allah, its course and its anchorage" (up to "the Merciful"), and when disembarking, one should say: "O Allah, land us in a blessed place, and You are the best of those who land."

"And we were not [able] to subjugate it..."

That is: "We were not capable of it." Qutrub cited the verse of Amr ibn Ma'dikarib: “The tribes have known that the lineage of Aqil is not for us, in calamities, capable of subduing.” It is from the verb aqrana—when one is capable of something. Ibn Harmah said: “I made capable what you carried for me...” Rare is the release of the "controlling" probability; the truth of aqra'nuhu is that he found it a match and what could be paired with it, for the difficult [beast] cannot be a match for the weak. Do you not see their saying regarding the weak, "The difficult [beast] is not coupled with him"? The qarn (the rope) is the cord with which one is coupled. The poet said: “And the young camel when it is tightened in a rope, cannot resist the onslaught of the stallions.”

The gist of the meaning is: We do not possess the strength to control the beast or the ship, but it is Allah, the Exalted, who subjected it and controlled it for us.

Abd ibn Humayd and Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from Sulayman ibn Yasar that a group of people were on a journey, and whenever they rode, they would say: "Exalted is He who has subjected this to us, and we were not able to subjugate it." Among them was a man who had an unruly camel, and he said: "As for me, I am capable of controlling this one." It bucked with him and threw him, and his neck was broken. It has been read as muqarrinina with a shadda on the ra, with both a fatha and a kasra, both of which carry the same meaning as the un-emphasized form.