Surah Al-Jaathiya

Chapter 45 · Verse 12 · Revealed in Makkah

۞ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى سَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلْبَحْرَ لِتَجْرِىَ ٱلْفُلْكُ فِيهِ بِأَمْرِهِۦ وَلِتَبْتَغُوا۟ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

It is Allah who subjected to you the sea so that ships may sail upon it by His command and that you may seek of His bounty; and perhaps you will be grateful.

Translation: Saheeh International

Listen to recitation

Mishary Rashid Alafasy

Reflection — Ibn Kathir

The Subjugation of the Sea, etc., is among Allah's Signs

Allah the Exalted mentions some of the favors He gave to His servants, such as subjecting the sea for their service,

لِتَجْرِىَ الْفُلْكُ فِيهِ بِأَمْرِهِ

Reflection — Maarif ul Quran

Commentary

اللَّـهُ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ‌ لَكُمُ الْبَحْرَ‌ لِتَجْرِ‌يَ الْفُلْكُ فِيهِ بِأَمْرِ‌هِ وَلِتَبْتَغُوا مِن فَضْلِهِ ("Allah is the One who has subjugated for you the sea, so that you may seek His grace, ... 45:12) ". Generally, when Qur'an uses the expression ` to seek His grace' it refers to exerting oneself in seeking one's livelihood. Another meaning of the phrase could be that man has been given the skill to move the boats or pilot the ships on the surface of the waters so that he may carry out his commercial activities across the globe. It is possible that ` seeking grace' does not have anything to do with the sailing of the boats or the ships. Therefore, a third meaning is possible. ` Subjugating the sea' has a special meaning, that is, Allah has created many useful things in the sea and subjugated the sea for the benefit of mankind so that they may exploit the minerals and other wealth. Contemporary science confirms that the oceans and seas have much more minerals and much more wealth hidden in them than in the dry land.

What does this verse bring up for you today?

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