Surah Ash-Shura: (32) And among His Signs are the Ships...

Issues in the Verse:

• Nafi' and Abu 'Amr recited it as الجوارِي (with a ya') both when connecting (in recitation) and when stopping.
• The ya' is established in the original form, and its omission (in other readings) is for the sake of lightness (takhfif).

• الجواري means "the sailing ships" (السفن الجواري).
• The explicit mention of the noun (السفن) is omitted because there is no ambiguity (الالتباس).

Allah mentions these great ships that sail upon the sea when the winds blow. The purpose of mentioning them is twofold:

1. To use them as evidence for the existence of the Capable, Wise God.
2. To make known the great blessings (النعم) contained within them for His servants.

Regarding the First Point (Evidence for God):

• It is agreed that the term الأعلام (landmarks/mountains) mentioned later refers to mountains. Khansa' mentioned this in her elegy for her brother:

  "And surely, on a peak, a guide is sought, As if it were a mountain with a fire on its head!"

• It is narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) asked for this poem to be recited. When the narrator reached this verse, he said: "May God strike her! She was not content with likening him to a mountain until she placed a fire upon its head!"
• These great ships, which are like mountains, move swiftly upon the sea when the winds blow. When the winds cease, they stop. We have already proven in Surah An-Nahl that the Mover and Stiller of the winds is Allah, as no human being has the power to move or still them. This indicates the existence of the Capable God.
• Furthermore, the ship is extremely heavy, yet it remains floating on the water, which is another sign.

Regarding the Second Point (Blessings):

• Allah has assigned a specific type of commodity to each region of the earth. When these commodities are transported from one region to another via ships, and vice versa, great benefits in trade are achieved. For these reasons, Allah mentioned the state of these ships.

Then Allah says: {Like the landmarks. If He wills, He stills the wind, and they remain motionless upon its surface.}

• Abu 'Amr and the majority recited إن يشأ (If He wills) with a hamza (for the jussive mood, indicating the consequence).
• Warsh, from Nafi', recited it without the hamza.
• Nafi' alone recited الرياح (plural winds), while the rest recited الريح (singular wind).
• The author of Al-Kashshaf mentioned that فيظللن (they remain) was read with both a fathah (yaẓlalna) and a kasrah (yaẓillna) on the laam, derived from the verb ظلَّ (to be/remain).
• The meaning of فيظللن رواكد is that they become stationary (رواتب), meaning they do not move upon its surface, i.e., the surface of the sea.
• {Indeed in that are signs for every patient, grateful one.}
  • صبار (patient) for affliction from Allah.
  • شكور (grateful) for His favors.
• The purpose is to alert the believer that he must never be heedless of the signs of knowing Allah, because he will inevitably be in one of two states: either in affliction (requiring patience) or in blessings (requiring gratitude). In either case, he should not be heedless.

Then Allah says: {Or He may cause them to perish because of what they have earned.}

• This means He may destroy them. It is said أوبقه (he destroyed him), and it is said of the criminal: "His sins destroyed him" (أوبقته ذنوبه).
• The meaning is that Allah may test those traveling at sea with one of two calamities: either He stills the wind, causing the ships to become stationary on the sea's surface, or He sends a violent wind, causing them to perish by drowning.
• In this context, أو يوبقهن (Or He may cause them to perish) is coordinated with يسكن (He stills), as the structure implies: If He wills, He stills the wind so they remain stationary, or He makes the wind violent so they perish by its violence.
• {And He pardons much.} This means: If He wills, He destroys some people and saves others through His pardon.
• If one asks: Why is pardon included in the ruling of destruction (الإيباق), as it is made jussive like it?
• The answer is that it means: If He wills, He destroys some people and saves others through His pardon.
• As for the one who reads ويعفو (And He pardons) with the indicative mood, it is a new, independent clause.

Then He says: {And He knows those who argue concerning Our signs. For them there is no refuge.}

• Nafi' and Ibn 'Amir read يعلم (He knows) with the indicative mood (raising the verb), as a new sentence.
• The rest read it with the accusative mood (nasb), coordinating it with an implied preceding cause, meaning: "So that He may take vengeance upon them, and He knows those who argue concerning Our signs." Coordination with an implied cause is not uncommon in the Qur'an (e.g., Surah Maryam 21, Surah Al-Jathiyah 22).
• The author of Al-Kashshaf noted that whoever reads ويعلم in the jussive mood combines three matters: the destruction of some, the salvation of others, and the warning of others.
• If this is understood, the meaning of the verse is: {And He knows those who argue}—meaning dispute with the intent of denial—{that for them there is no refuge} when the ships stop or when the winds become violent. This will lead them to acknowledge that the only one who benefits and harms is Allah.

Know that after mentioning the proofs of Monotheism, Allah follows it up with a description of the world and a belittling of its status. This is because what prevents acceptance of the proof is usually the desire for worldly matters, such as seeking leadership and prestige. If the world becomes small in a person's eyes, he will not pay attention to it, and thus he will benefit from the mention of the proofs.

Allah says: {So whatever you have been given is but enjoyment of the worldly life.}

• He called it متاع (enjoyment/provision) to indicate its smallness and insignificance, and because sensory experience confirms that everything related to the world is quickly extinguished and perishable.

Then Allah says: {But what is with Allah is better and more enduring.}

• The meaning is that the demands of the world are base and perishable. He indicated their baseness by calling them متاع (provision), and He indicated their perishability by attributing them to the world.
• As for the Hereafter, it is better and more enduring. Sound intellect dictates preferring the enduring good over the base, fleeting thing.

Then He explained that this goodness is only attained by those possessing certain characteristics:

The First Characteristic: Being among the believers, as indicated by the statement {Those who disbelieve} (mentioned as the opposite).

The Second Characteristic: Being those who rely upon the bounty of Allah, as indicated by {And upon their Lord they rely.}

• Whoever claims that obedience necessitates reward is relying on his own deeds, not on Allah, and thus does not fall under this verse.

The Third Characteristic: Avoiding major sins (كبائر الإثم) and indecencies (الفواحش).

• Ibn Abbas said that the major sin is Shirk (polytheism). The author of Al-Kashshaf narrated this, but I find it distant, because the condition of faith is already mentioned, which covers the absence of Shirk.
• It is said that major sins refer to innovations (البدع) and the fabrication of doubts, and indecencies refer to matters related to the appetitive faculty (القوة الشهوانية).
• And regarding {And when they are angry, they forgive}, this relates to the irascible faculty (القوة الغضبية). Anger was singled out with the word "forgiveness" (الغفران) because anger is like fire in nature; its dominance is severe, and resisting it is difficult. Therefore, it was singled out with this term. (And Allah knows best.)

The Fourth Characteristic: {And those who respond to their Lord}.

• This means complete submission (تمام الانقياد). If someone asks: Since faith is mentioned as a condition, doesn't responding to Allah fall under faith?
• I find it more appropriate to interpret this as contentment with Allah's decree from the depth of the heart, without any internal dispute regarding any matter.
• After mentioning this condition, He says: {And those who hold fast} (to their covenant/duty). This refers to establishing the obligatory prayers (الصلوات الواجبة), as this is the condition for receiving the reward.

As for {And their affairs are by consultation among themselves}:

• It is said that when an event occurred among them, they would gather and consult. Allah praised them for this, meaning they do not act based on a single opinion; they do not proceed until they have reached a consensus.
• Al-Hasan said: No people consulted except that they were guided to the most sound course of action.
• الشورى is a masdar (verbal noun) like الفتيا (issuing a religious ruling), meaning consultation. The meaning of وأمرهم شورى بينهم is that their affairs are characterized by consultation.

The Fifth Characteristic: {And those who, when aggression befalls them, they defend themselves.}

• This means they limit their defense to what Allah permits them, and they do not transgress that limit.
• Al-Nakha'i, when reciting this verse, used to say: They disliked humbling themselves so that the foolish would dare to offend them.
• If one asks: This verse is problematic for two reasons:
  1. It follows {And when they are angry, they forgive}, so how is it appropriate to mention something that seems contrary to it, namely {And those who, when aggression befalls them, they defend themselves}?
  2. All previous verses indicate that pardon is better (citing verses encouraging pardon and forbearance).
• The Answer: Pardon is of two types:
  1. Pardon that leads to the cessation of strife and the wrongdoer's return from his transgression.
  2. Pardon that leads to the wrongdoer's increased audacity, and the strengthening of his rage and anger.
• The verses encouraging pardon are understood in the first sense, and this verse is understood in the second sense. Thus, the contradiction is removed.
• Do you not see that pardoning someone who persists in wrongdoing is like encouraging him and others? If a man finds his slave committing adultery with his maidservant while persisting, and he pardons him, he would be blameworthy.
• It is narrated that Zaynab approached 'A'ishah and insulted her. The Prophet (PBUH) forbade her, but she did not stop. The Prophet (PBUH) then said to 'A'ishah: "Go ahead and take your revenge!"
• Furthermore, Allah did not encourage retaliation itself; He only indicated that it is legislated. Then, He clarified that its legislation is conditional upon observing equality (in retaliation). Then, He clarified that pardon is superior by saying: {But whoever pardons and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah.} Thus, the question is resolved. (And Allah knows best.)

{And the recompense of a bad deed is a bad deed like it. But whoever pardons and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah. Indeed, He does not like the wrongdoers. And whoever defends himself after he has been wronged—then for such there is no cause [for blame]. The cause [for blame] is only upon those who wrong the people and transgress upon the earth without right. For them will be a painful punishment. And whoever is patient and forgives—indeed, that is from the matters [of firm resolution]. And whoever Allah leaves astray—for him there is no protector thereafter. And you will see the wrongdoers when they see the punishment, saying, "Is there [any way] back?" And you will see them presented before it, humbled by [the sense of] humiliation, looking on with a hidden glance. And those who believed will say, "Indeed, the losers are those who lost themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection." Indeed, the wrongdoers are in an enduring punishment. And there will not be for them any allies to aid them other than Allah. And whoever Allah leaves astray—for him there is no way.}