Surah Ibrahim (14) — Ayah 32

(Ayah32) ➊ { اَللّٰهُ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضَ …:} That is, it is Allah whose ingratitude you are determined upon, whose obedience and servitude you are turning away from, and with whom you are associating partners without any proof—He is that Being... After this, in these three verses, ten blessings of Allah Almighty have been enumerated, and in the end, it is stated that you do not have the power to count all the blessings of Allah Almighty.

➋ {الْفُلْكَ :} The singular and plural are the same; large ships, sea vessels.

➌ { وَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الْاَنْهٰرَ : ’’ الْاَنْهٰرَ ‘‘ ’’نَهْرٌ‘‘} is the plural of 'نَهْرٌ' (nahr); streams, brooks, and rivers. You irrigate your fields with them, sail ships and boats in them, catch fish, generate electricity, make pathways in the mountains along their banks—in short, you derive countless benefits from them.

32. 1. Among the favors Allah has bestowed upon the creation, some are mentioned here. He said that He made the sky a canopy and the earth a carpet. He sent down rain from the sky and caused various kinds of trees and crops to grow, among which are fruits and produce for taste and strength, and various types of grains whose colors and shapes differ from one another, and whose tastes, fragrances, and benefits are also different. He subjected ships and vessels to service so that they sail upon the turbulent waves, transporting people from one country to another and transferring goods of trade from one place to another. He caused springs and rivers to flow from the lands and mountains so that you may drink and also irrigate your fields.

32. Allah is the One Who created the heavens and the earth and sent down water from the sky, then brought forth with it fruits for your sustenance. And He has subjected the ships for you, so that they may sail upon the sea by His command, and He has subjected the rivers for you [37].

[37]
Ingratitude for Allah’s Blessings:

In this verse and the following two verses, Allah Almighty has mentioned His favors upon His servants, without which their lives would not have been possible. For example, He created the earth and the heavens. The earth is the dwelling place for mankind in this universe. Then, He established the system of winds and clouds in the earth and the heavens so that rain would fall upon this earth, providing food for humans and other animals so that they could remain alive. If the cycle of rain were to cease, humans would have nothing to drink or eat. Then, He created cattle for milk and riding, and ships for sea travel. If the construction of ships did not benefit from certain specific physical laws, humans would never have been able to travel by sea. Water, too, is bound by physical laws, due to which humans draw large canals and then smaller channels from rivers to irrigate their fields. Then, humans needed light for work and heat for the ripening of crops, so He created the sun for this purpose. At night, the moon provides light, and when the moon is full, the sap in fruits increases rapidly. Then, day and night are produced by the sun. The day is made for work and the night for rest. And all these things have been put to the service of mankind in such a way that there is not the slightest delay, deficiency, or shortcoming in their function. In short, whatever necessities and desired things were required for human life, Allah Almighty provided them. Then, by granting intellect and understanding, He made man superior and nobler than all other creatures. And if one looks at the details of these blessings, man is incapable of counting them. Then, how did man respond to these blessings of Allah? Some people denied His very existence, and among those who accepted Him, the majority were such that they continued to use Allah’s blessings but, for the fulfillment of needs and the removal of difficulties, kept calling upon others. Can there be any greater injustice and ingratitude than this?