Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 14

(Ayah14) { وَ هُوَ الَّذِيْ سَخَّرَ الْبَحْرَ …:} And it is Allah alone who has restrained the sea, such a mighty creation that if it were to rage, it could sweep over the land and disrupt every form of life, but He has bound it to remain within its limits and allowed mankind to benefit from His blessings. In this verse, Allah has mentioned four blessings obtained from the sea. The blessings that occurred in the form of giving a path to the Children of Israel through the sea or bringing the ark of Musa (peace be upon him) to the shore are in addition to these. These four blessings are as follows:
(1) The root of {لِتَاْكُلُوْا مِنْهُ لَحْمًا طَرِيًّا: ’’ طَرِيًّا ‘‘} is {’’طَرَاوَةٌ‘‘}, its verb comes on the pattern of {’’قَرُبَ‘‘} and {’’شَرُفَ‘‘}, it is the opposite of {’’يَابِسٌ‘‘}, meaning fresh. It refers to fish and every aquatic animal that cannot live without water. Even the dead of the sea is lawful, and a person in the state of ihram is also permitted to hunt sea creatures. Some people have declared only fish among all sea animals to be lawful, provided it is alive when caught, but this is not correct. For details, see Surah Al-Ma'idah (96). There is an indication here that sea creatures are delicious and beneficial only when fresh; if stale, they become harmful. Allama Qasimi said: By { ’’ لَحْمًا طَرِيًّا ‘‘}, the beauty of the fish’s structure, flexibility, softness, and moisture is meant, otherwise its meat is also preserved by drying. I say, in the Battle of Saif al-Bahr, the Companions ate a huge fish left by the sea for a month and even took some to Madinah. How could this be possible without the process of salting and drying? Similarly, now fish is preserved for a long time in ice or freezers. This too is a marvel of Allah’s power that He created delicious meat in extremely salty, bitter water. Tell me, what share does any saint or helper have in this, and how much?
(2) Instead of {وَ تَسْتَخْرِجُوْا مِنْهُ حِلْيَةً : ’’ تُخْرِجُوْا ‘‘}, the use of {’’ تَسْتَخْرِجُوْا ‘‘} indicates abundance in extraction. {’’حِلْيَةً ‘‘ } from which adornment and beauty are obtained, so that you may extract jewelry, mother-of-pearl, coral, gold, and countless treasures and minerals hidden within it in abundance. In this is also Allah’s blessing that He made the sea such that humans can dive into it. For Muslims, this is also an encouragement to master diving, both personally and with machines, and to benefit as much as possible from the treasures of the sea. Do not leave it open for the disbelievers to keep benefiting from its treasures, oil, gas, and other minerals and blessings, while Muslims remain content with dependence on them.
(3) {وَ تَرَى الْفُلْكَ مَوَاخِرَ فِيْهِ: ’’ مَوَاخِرَ ‘‘ ’’ مَاخِرَةٌ ‘‘} is the plural, meaning those that split the water with their chests. That is why the front part of all ships is made pointed. This too is a marvel of Allah’s power that water, in which everything sinks—even a needle—He made it such that when something with a specific ratio of weight and volume is placed in it, it lifts it up. Even ships carrying hundreds of thousands of tons move through the water, splitting it, yet the water, by Allah’s command, lifts them, gives them passage, and provides food as well.
(4) { وَ لِتَبْتَغُوْا مِنْ فَضْلِهٖ وَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُوْنَ :} Distant, low-cost, and easy journeys, sightseeing of the world, acquisition of knowledge, Hajj and Umrah, trade, jihad, spoils of war—in short, the benefits and favors are too numerous to count, all of this has been made by Allah alone. No saint or deity has any share in it, and He made it so that you may value these blessings and express gratitude both verbally and practically by acting upon His commands.

14. 1. Along with the mention of the turbulent waves of the sea being subjected to mankind, three of its benefits are also mentioned. First, you eat fresh meat from it in the form of fish (even if the fish is dead, it is still halal). In addition, it is also permissible to hunt it while in the state of ihram. Second, from it you extract mother-of-pearl, shells, and gems, from which you make jewelry. Third, in it you sail boats and ships, through which you travel from one country to another, bringing and taking commercial goods, by which you obtain the bounty of Allah, for which you should be grateful to Allah.

14. He is the One who has made the sea subservient to you so that you may eat from it fresh meat and extract from it ornaments which you wear. And you see the ships plowing through it, so that you may seek His bounty and so that you may give thanks.

[14]
The Benefits of the Seas:

Then He subjected the surging sea and its tumultuous waves to specific laws, so much so that man became capable of utilizing the water of the sea both within and above it. Otherwise, in comparison to such a vast and formidable sea, what significance did helpless man have? Now, he hunts sea creatures to fulfill his dietary needs. It is astonishing that while the water of the sea is extremely salty and bitter, the flesh of its creatures, especially fish, is exceedingly delicious. There is not the slightest trace of saltiness in it. Then, from it, he extracts shells, mother-of-pearl, coral, and many other things to make his ornaments and decorative items. Then, by means of boats and ships, he rides upon the surface of the sea, traveling from one shore to another and from one country to another, and in this way, by transporting the goods of one country to another, he gains commercial benefits. If water were not bound by its specific natural laws, or were it not to remain so, man could never have derived such benefits from it. This is a special favor of Allah that He has established specific laws for all things, which they are bound to follow. In this way, man becomes capable of benefiting from them.