سُوْرَةُ يُوْنُسَ
Surah Yunus (10) — Ayah 22
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُسَيِّرُكُمْ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا كُنتُمْ فِى ٱلْفُلْكِ وَجَرَيْنَ بِهِم بِرِيحٍ طَيِّبَةٍ وَفَرِحُوا۟ بِهَا جَآءَتْهَا رِيحٌ عَاصِفٌ وَجَآءَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْجُ مِن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ وَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَنَّهُمْ أُحِيطَ بِهِمْ ۙ دَعَوُا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ لَئِنْ أَنجَيْتَنَا مِنْ هَـٰذِهِۦ لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ ﴿22﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
He it is Who enables you to travel through land and sea, till when you are in the ships, and they sail with them with a favourable wind, and they are glad therein, then comes a stormy wind and the waves come to them from all sides, and they think that they are encircled therein. Then they invoke Allâh, making their Faith pure for Him Alone, (saying): "If You (Allâh) deliver us from this, we shall truly be of the grateful."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
هُوَ
huwa
He
ٱلَّذِى
alladhī
(is) the One Who
يُسَيِّرُكُمْ
yusayyirukum
enables you to travel
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْبَرِّ
l-bari
the land
وَٱلْبَحْرِ ۖ
wal-baḥri
and the sea
حَتَّىٰٓ
ḥattā
until
إِذَا
idhā
when
كُنتُمْ
kuntum
you are
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْفُلْكِ
l-ful'ki
the ships
وَجَرَيْنَ
wajarayna
and they sail
بِهِم
bihim
with them
بِرِيحٍۢ
birīḥin
with a wind
طَيِّبَةٍۢ
ṭayyibatin
good
وَفَرِحُوا۟
wafariḥū
and they rejoice
بِهَا
bihā
therein
جَآءَتْهَا
jāathā
comes to it
رِيحٌ
rīḥun
a wind
عَاصِفٌۭ
ʿāṣifun
stormy
وَجَآءَهُمُ
wajāahumu
and comes to them
ٱلْمَوْجُ
l-mawju
the waves
مِن
min
from
كُلِّ
kulli
every
مَكَانٍۢ
makānin
place
وَظَنُّوٓا۟
waẓannū
and they assume
أَنَّهُمْ
annahum
that they
أُحِيطَ
uḥīṭa
are surrounded
بِهِمْ ۙ
bihim
with them
دَعَوُا۟
daʿawū
They call
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
مُخْلِصِينَ
mukh'liṣīna
sincerely
لَهُ
lahu
to Him
ٱلدِّينَ
l-dīna
(in) the religion
لَئِنْ
la-in
(saying), "If
أَنجَيْتَنَا
anjaytanā
You save us
مِنْ
min
from
هَـٰذِهِۦ
hādhihi
this
لَنَكُونَنَّ
lanakūnanna
surely we will be
مِنَ
mina
among
ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ
l-shākirīna
the thankful
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
22. 1. He enables you to travel or grants you the ability to move about and journey 'on land'—that is, He has given you feet with which you walk, and provided you with mounts upon which you travel long distances—'and at sea'—meaning Allah has given you the intellect and understanding to build boats and ships, you made them, and through them you travel across the sea.
22. 2. Just as an enemy surrounds or besieges a nation or city and they are at the mercy of the enemy, in the same way, when they are surrounded by fierce winds and tumultuous waves, and death appears before them.
22. 3. That is, then they do not mix others with Allah in their supplication as they do in normal circumstances. In normal circumstances, they say that these saints are also servants of Allah, Allah has also granted them powers, and through them we seek nearness to Allah. But when they are surrounded by such hardships, they forget all these satanic philosophies and only Allah remains in their minds, and then they call upon only Him. From this, one thing is understood: that the inclination to turn to Allah alone has been placed in human nature. Man, being influenced by his environment, suppresses this inclination or nature, but in times of distress, this inclination emerges and this nature returns. From this, it is understood that monotheism is the voice and essence of human nature, from which man should not deviate. Because deviation from this is deviation from nature, which is utter misguidance. The second thing understood is that the polytheists, when surrounded by such calamities, would call upon only Allah instead of their self-made deities. Thus, regarding ‘Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl ؓ, it is mentioned that when Makkah was conquered, he fled from there. To go somewhere else, he boarded a ship, and the ship was caught in stormy winds. At this, the sailor said to the people on board, "Today, pray only to Allah alone; there is no one besides Him who can save you from this storm." ‘Ikrimah ؓ says, "I thought, if the only one who can save in the sea is Allah, then surely the only one who can save on land is also He. And this is what Muhammad says." So he decided that if he survived and got out of there alive, he would return to Makkah and accept Islam. Thus, he presented himself to the Prophet ﷺ and became Muslim. But alas! The common people of the Ummah of Muhammad are so entangled in shirk that even in hardships and calamities, instead of turning to Allah, they consider deceased saints as the removers of difficulties and call upon them for help.
22. 2. Just as an enemy surrounds or besieges a nation or city and they are at the mercy of the enemy, in the same way, when they are surrounded by fierce winds and tumultuous waves, and death appears before them.
22. 3. That is, then they do not mix others with Allah in their supplication as they do in normal circumstances. In normal circumstances, they say that these saints are also servants of Allah, Allah has also granted them powers, and through them we seek nearness to Allah. But when they are surrounded by such hardships, they forget all these satanic philosophies and only Allah remains in their minds, and then they call upon only Him. From this, one thing is understood: that the inclination to turn to Allah alone has been placed in human nature. Man, being influenced by his environment, suppresses this inclination or nature, but in times of distress, this inclination emerges and this nature returns. From this, it is understood that monotheism is the voice and essence of human nature, from which man should not deviate. Because deviation from this is deviation from nature, which is utter misguidance. The second thing understood is that the polytheists, when surrounded by such calamities, would call upon only Allah instead of their self-made deities. Thus, regarding ‘Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl ؓ, it is mentioned that when Makkah was conquered, he fled from there. To go somewhere else, he boarded a ship, and the ship was caught in stormy winds. At this, the sailor said to the people on board, "Today, pray only to Allah alone; there is no one besides Him who can save you from this storm." ‘Ikrimah ؓ says, "I thought, if the only one who can save in the sea is Allah, then surely the only one who can save on land is also He. And this is what Muhammad says." So he decided that if he survived and got out of there alive, he would return to Makkah and accept Islam. Thus, he presented himself to the Prophet ﷺ and became Muslim. But alas! The common people of the Ummah of Muhammad are so entangled in shirk that even in hardships and calamities, instead of turning to Allah, they consider deceased saints as the removers of difficulties and call upon them for help.
