Tafsir of Ash-Shura 42:32

{And of His signs are the al-jawār (ships)...}

• {Al-jawār}: The ships. It is also recited as al-jawārī.
• {Like landmarks}: Like mountains. Al-Khansa’ said:
  • As if it were a landmark, upon its peak is a fire.
• {They remain still}: It is recited as fayazlalan (with a fatḥah on the lām) and fayazlilan (with a kasrah), derived from ẓalla and yaẓallu, similar to ḍalla and yaḍillu.
• {Still}: Stationary, not moving.
• {On its back}: On the back of the sea.
• {For every patient}: Patient regarding the trials of Allah.
• {Grateful}: Grateful for His blessings. These two are the attributes of the sincere believer, used here as a metonym for him. He is the one who directs his focus toward contemplating the signs of Allah, extracting lessons from them.
• {He destroys them}: He causes them to perish.

The meaning: If He wills, He tests those traveling at sea with one of two trials: either He stills the wind, causing the ships to remain motionless on the surface of the sea, preventing them from sailing; or He sends a violent wind, destroying them by drowning due to the sins they have earned.

{And He pardons much}: Of those sins.

• Question: To what is yūbiqhunna (He destroys them) conjoined?
• Answer: It is conjoined to yuskin (He stills), because the meaning is: "If He wills, He stills the wind, so they remain still; or He causes it to storm, so they drown due to the storm."
• Question: What is the meaning of including "pardon" within the ruling of "destruction" when it is joined to it?
• Answer: It means: Or if He wills, He destroys some people and saves others by way of pardoning them.
• Question: What about the one who recites it as wa-ya‘fū (He pardons)?
• Answer: He has initiated a new sentence.

{And those who dispute concerning Our signs may know that there is for them no place of escape.}