Tafsir of Ghafir 40:79

Surah Ghafir (40): Verse 79

[Allah is He who made for you of the cattle some for riding and some for food.]

Know that when the Almighty concluded the detailed warnings (of punishment), He returned to mentioning what indicates the existence of the Wise, Merciful God, and what serves as a bounty He bestows upon His servants.

Regarding the cattle: Al-Zajjaj said it refers specifically to camels. Al-Qadi said it refers to the eight pairs (of species).

There are two questions concerning this verse:

Why was the lām of purpose (لـ) prefixed to ${\text{then that you may reach}} but not to the other clauses (eating, etc.)?

Answer: The author of Al-Kashshāf stated: Riding (for Hajj or Jihad) is either obligatory or recommended. These two categories are religious objectives, hence the letter of causation (لـ) is prefixed. As for eating and obtaining benefits, these are matters of mere permissibility (mubāḥāt), so the letter of causation is not prefixed. This is analogous to His saying: {\text{And horses, mules, and donkeys, that you may ride them and as an adornment}} (An-Nahl: 8). The causation is prefixed only to riding, not to adornment.

The Almighty says: {\text{And upon them and upon the ships you are carried}}. This means you are carried on land and sea. Why did He not say "and in the ships" (وفي الفلك) as He said in the story of Noah: {\text{We said, "Carry within it of every [creature] two mates}} (Hud: 40)?

Answer: The word على ('alā - upon) implies elevation/being placed on top. That which is placed in a ship can also correctly be described as being placed upon it (i.e., carried by it). Since both descriptions are valid, the word على was chosen to encompass the full meaning in {\text{And upon them and upon the ships you are carried}}.

When God mentioned these numerous signs, He said: {\text{And He shows you His signs, and who among the signs of Allah}} (The verse continues in the next part). This means all the signs enumerated previously are clear and manifest. The phrase {\text{and who among the signs of Allah}} serves as a reminder that none of the previously mentioned proofs can be denied.

Al-Kashshāf stated that the phrasing {\text{fa-ayyu āyāti Allāh}} (who among the signs of Allah) follows the common dialect. The phrasing {\text{fa-ayatu āyāti Allāh}}$ is rare because distinguishing gender in nouns (like ḥimār and ḥimārah) is unusual, and this distinction is even stranger in the interrogative pronoun ay (which is inherently ambiguous). And Allah knows best.

{80. Have they not traveled through the earth and observed how was the end of those who were before them? They were greater than them in number and greater in might and in the traces they left in the earth. But what they used to earn availed them not.}

{81. Then when their messengers came to them with clear proofs, they rejoiced in what they had of knowledge, and that which they used to ridicule encompassed them.}

{82. So when they saw Our might, they said, "We believe in Allah, [the One], and we disbelieve in what we used to associate with Him."}

{83. But their belief was not beneficial to them when they saw Our might—[this was] the established way of Allah which had passed among His servants, and there the disbelievers were ruined.}

Summary of Meaning:

The passage commands them to travel the earth and observe the fate of previous nations. These nations were superior in population, strength, and monumental achievements, yet their accumulated wealth and efforts offered them no protection when the punishment arrived.

When their messengers brought clear evidence, they were arrogant, delighted in their own worldly knowledge, and were subsequently overwhelmed by the very punishment they mocked.

When they witnessed God's might, they finally confessed faith in the Oneness of God and rejected their idols. However, this faith was useless because it came only upon witnessing the punishment. This is the established precedent of God concerning His servants, and in that moment, the disbelievers suffered utter loss.