Surah 42:32
Show Full Scripture Context (42:32-35) — 4 Verses
وَمِنۡ ءَايَٰتِهِ ٱلۡجَوَارِ فِي ٱلۡبَحۡرِ كَٱلۡأَعۡلَٰمِ
Among His signs are the (ships) running on the sea, like landmarks.
إِن يَشَأۡ يُسۡكِنِ ٱلرِّيحَ فَيَظۡلَلۡنَ رَوَاكِدَ عَلَىٰ ظَهۡرِهِۦٓۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَٰتٖ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٖ شَكُورٍ
If He pleases, He stills the wind and they remain motionless on its surface. Surely in that are signs indeed for every patient (and) thankful one.
أَوۡ يُوبِقۡهُنَّ بِمَا كَسَبُواْ وَيَعۡفُ عَن كَثِيرٖ
Or He wrecks them for what they have earned – yet He pardons much –
وَيَعۡلَمَ ٱلَّذِينَ يُجَٰدِلُونَ فِيٓ ءَايَٰتِنَا مَا لَهُم مِّن مَّحِيصٖ
and (it is so that) He may know those who dispute about Our signs. For them (there is) no place of escape.
Allah tells us that another sign of His great power and dominion is the fact that He has subjugated the sea so that ships may sail in it by His command, so they sail in the sea like mountains. This was the view of Mujahid, Al-Hasan, As-Suddi and Ad-Dahhak. In other words, these ships on the sea are like mountains on land.
{If He wills, He causes the wind to cease,} means, the winds that cause the ships to travel on the sea. If He willed, He could cause the winds to cease, then the ships would not move and would remain still, neither coming nor going, staying where they are on the surface of the water.
means, who is patient in the face of adversity
{and grateful.} means, in the fact that Allah has subjugated the sea and He sends as much wind as they need in order to travel, there are signs of His blessings to His creation for everyone who is patient, i.e., at times of difficulty, and grateful, i.e., at times of ease.
means, if He wills, He may destroy the ships and drown them, because of the sins of the people on board.
{And He pardons much.} means, of their sins; if He were to punish them for all of their sins, He would destroy everyone who sails on the sea. Some of the scholars interpreted the Ayah
as meaning, if He willed, He could send the wind to blow fiercely so that it would take the ships and divert them from their courses, driving them to the right or the left, so that they
— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Vol. 8, Page 594-595)