Luqman (Luqman)

31. “Have you not seen that the ships ran on in the sea by Allah’s favour that He may show you of His signs? Verily in this are signs for every (steadfast) patient, grateful (one).”

In previous verses, the sky, the sun and the moon were pointed out while in this verse the earth, the seas, and ships are referred to. It implies that the movement of a ship on the sea is the consequence of a collection of Allah’s bounties such as: the blow of the wind, specific gravity, and the rules of the pressure of water which causes things to float on it.

So the verse says:

“Have you not seen that the ships ran on in the sea by Allah’s favour…”

The aim of these affairs is that He wants to show you a part of His greatness.

The verse continues saying:

“…that He may show you of His signs?…”

Yes, there are some signs in these things for those who are very patient and are grateful, too.

The verse says:

“…Verily in this are signs for every (steadfast) patient, grateful (one).”

No doubt the movement of the ships on the surface of oceans is the fruit of a series of laws of creation: the regular blow of the winds, from one side; the specific gravity of wood or other materials by which a ship is built, from the other side; the level of the density of water, from the third side; and the pressure emerged from the side of water to the body of the things which cause them to float on it, from the fourth side, are among them.

And if there appears any confusion in one of these things, either the ship sinks into the bottom of the sea, or it turns down, or it remains wandered in the midst of the sea.

But the Lord Who has intended to set the expansion of the seas the best way for the men’s voyage, and carrying the useful goods often from one point to another point, has also provided these conditions, each of which is a bounty out of His bounties.

The greatness of the power of Allah in oceans and the smallness of man compared with it is so much so that, in the past when people used only the power of the wind for the movement of a ship, if all the people of the world gathered to make a ship run in the midst of the sea against the direction of a strong wind, they would not be able to afford it.

And now that the power of great engines has substituted the wind, again the strength of some storms is so hard and heavy that can shake even the greatest ships, and sometime it may break them.

And that at the end of the verse the emphasis has been laid on being patient and grateful, it is either for the sake that living in this world consists of a collection of afflictions and favours, that both of them are means of trial, perseverance and patience against severe events, and thanksgiving for bounties, all form a combination of duties for human beings.

A lot of Islamic commentators have recorded a tradition from the holy Prophet of Islam (S) who said:

“The Faith has two halves: half of it is patience (and perseverance), and the other half is thanksgiving.”

Or there is an indication in this that for understanding the great Divine verses in the expanse of creation man needs to have a motive, like being grateful to the benefactor accompanied with patience, in order to be more careful and more curious.