Tafsir of Ar-Rahman 55:24

Al-Rahman (The Most Merciful): (24) And for Him are the moving ships [Al-Jawar]...

There are several issues concerning this verse:

We say: This statement is directed towards the common people. Allah mentions what no one with the slightest intellect, let alone the intelligent scholar, can overlook.

1. The Reality of Ownership: No one truly owns the ships (vessels) on the sea. No one has absolute control over them. Everyone awaits the mercy of Allah, acknowledging that their wealth and souls are in the grip of Allah's power.
2. Confession in Distress: When they are at sea, they say to Allah: "To You belongs the ship and the kingdom," attributing the sea and the vessel to Him.
3. Forgetfulness on Land: However, when they return and look at their houses built of stone and lime, and the means of destruction are hidden from them, they invoke the owner of the ship (the vessel) and attribute to him what they attributed to the sea and the vessel previously. This is alluded to in the verse: "And when they ride upon the sea..." (Surah Al-'Ankabut: 65).

(Al-Jawārī) is the plural of (Jāriyah). Is it a noun or an adjective?

1. If it is a Noun: If it is a noun (meaning 'female servant' or 'ship'), then it implies generality, but the default state is specificity (unless otherwise indicated).
2. If it is an Adjective: If it is an adjective, the adjective should follow the noun it describes. Since the noun is not mentioned here, we conclude that it is likely an adjective for that which moves/runs (tajrī).
3. Linguistic Usage: It is narrated from Al-Maydānī that (Jāriyah) is the ship that moves because it is inherently designed for movement. A female slave is called (Jāriyah) because a free woman is intended for dwelling and marriage, while the slave is intended to "run" errands (tajrī in needs). However, the term became predominantly used for the ship because, in most of its states, it is moving.
4. Dominance of the Term: Reason dictates that the ship is what moves. However, due to derivation (ishtiqāq), the term (Jāriyah) became dominant for the moving ship. Eventually, it was applied even to stationary ships tied to the shore, because they are meant for movement. Similarly, a sitting female slave is called (Jāriyah) due to this linguistic dominance.
5. Adjective Replacing the Noun: The noun was omitted, and the adjective took its place. Thus, His saying, "And for Him are the (Jawārī)," means the moving ships (Al-Sufun Al-Jāriyāt).
6. Relationship with (Sufīnah): (Sufīnah) itself is derived from (Sufun), which implies carving/hollowing. Ibn Durayd suggests (Sufīnah) is an active participle (Fā'ilah) meaning "it cuts through the water," while others suggest it is a passive participle (Maf'ūlah) meaning "hollowed out." Thus, (Jāriyah) and (Sufīnah) both relate to the vessel (Al-Fulk).
7. Subtle Linguistic Progression: When Allah commanded Noah (peace be upon him) to build the vessel, He said: "And construct the vessel (Al-Fulk) under Our observation" (Surah Hud: 37). At the beginning of the command, it was called (Al-Fulk) because it had not yet sailed. After it was built, Allah called it (Al-Sufīnah), as in: "So We saved him and the companions of the vessel (Al-Sufīnah)" (Surah Al-'Ankabut: 15). Then, He called it (Al-Jāriyah), as in: "Indeed, when the water overflowed, We carried you in the moving vessel (Al-Jāriyah)" (Surah Al-Haqqah: 11). The vessel progressed through these names: first (Al-Fulk), then (Al-Sufīnah), and finally (Al-Jāriyah).

There are two views on the meaning of (Al-Munsha'āt):

1. The Raised Ones: It means those that are raised up, derived from (Nashā'at Al-Sahābah), meaning the cloud rose up, and Allah (Ansha'a) when He raised something. In this context, it means either the ships themselves were raised upon the sea, or it refers to the raised sails (Al-Shirā') (like a flag).
2. The Newly Created Ones: It means the created, brought-into-existence things, derived from (Ansha'a Allahu Al-Makhluq), meaning He created it.

Addressing the Objection: If we take the second meaning (created), it seems inconsistent with the following phrase: "in the sea like landmarks (Al-A'lām)." It would imply: "He owns the ships created in the sea like landmarks," which is not perfectly fitting.

However, if we take the first meaning (raised), it implies: "The ships that were raised in the sea like landmarks," which is excellent.

Evidence for the First View: We can use an analogy: Saying "The brave man in war is like a lion" is correct. But saying "The knowledgeable man in war is like a lion" is incorrect.

If we consider that (Al-Jāriyah) is an adjective standing in place of the noun (ship), then the meaning of creation (Al-Khalq) does not contradict the phrase "in the sea like landmarks." The implied structure would be: "He owns the moving ships in the sea like landmarks." This further clarifies His power: He owns the ships that move in the sea as if they were mountains (Al-A'lām). Mountains do not move except by Allah's power.

• If (Al-A'lām) means mountains, the wonder lies in the mountain moving on water.
• If (Al-A'lām) means the raised sails (like a known flag), there is no great wonder in that.

The wonder lies in the movement of the mountain on water. Therefore, (Al-Munsha'āt) should be understood in a way that relates to the power demonstrated, meaning the ships are like mountains, and mountains only move by Allah's power.

Furthermore, if we say, "The handsome man sitting is like the moon," the comparison (like the moon) relates to the quality of handsomeness, not the state of sitting. Similarly, here, (Al-Munsha'āt) is the source of the comparison to power, as the ships are like mountains, and mountains only move by Allah's power.

The reading with a Kasra (Al-Munshi'āt) is also transmitted. In this case, the phrase "in the sea like landmarks" (fi al-baḥri kal-a'lām) might function as a complete clause (Jumla).

1. Grammatical Constraint: Definite nouns (Al-Ma'ārif) cannot be described by a clause (Jumla). We cannot say: "The man like the lion came to me," nor "The man, he is a lion, came to me." We can only say: "A man like the lion came to me," or "A man, he is a lion, came to me" (where the clause acts as a predicate or state).
2. Interpretation of Fath (Al-Munsha'āt): The reading with Fath (Al-Munsha'āt) must be interpreted as a circumstantial adverb (Hāl). This occurs in two ways:
   • The letter Kāf (like) is treated as a noun, implying: "The moving ships, being like landmarks."
   • A circumstantial adverb is implied: "The moving ships, being in the state of being like landmarks." This is supported by the verse: "in waves like mountains" (Surah Hud: 42).

There is a great wisdom in using the plural for ships (Al-Jawārī) and landmarks (Al-A'lām), while using the singular for the sea (Al-Baḥr).

If Allah had said "in the seas" (fi al-biḥār), it would imply that each ship was in a separate sea, making the sea smaller than the sea containing the mountain-like ships.

However, by stating that the mountain-like ships are in one Sea (Al-Baḥr), it indicates that this is a vast sea with a distant shore, emphasizing that the salvation (Al-Injā') occurred through complete power.

{Every soul upon it will perish.} (Ar-Rahman: 26)