سُوْرَةُ الْجَاثِيَةِ
Surah Al-Jaathiya (45) — Ayah 12
۞ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى سَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلْبَحْرَ لِتَجْرِىَ ٱلْفُلْكُ فِيهِ بِأَمْرِهِۦ وَلِتَبْتَغُوا۟ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿12﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Allâh, it is He Who has subjected to you the sea, that ships may sail through it by His Command, and that you may seek of His Bounty, and that you may be thankful.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
۞ ٱللَّهُ
al-lahu
Allah
ٱلَّذِى
alladhī
(is) the One Who
سَخَّرَ
sakhara
subjected
لَكُمُ
lakumu
to you
ٱلْبَحْرَ
l-baḥra
the sea
لِتَجْرِىَ
litajriya
that may sail
ٱلْفُلْكُ
l-ful'ku
the ships
فِيهِ
fīhi
therein
بِأَمْرِهِۦ
bi-amrihi
by His Command
وَلِتَبْتَغُوا۟
walitabtaghū
and that you may seek
مِن
min
of
فَضْلِهِۦ
faḍlihi
His Bounty
وَلَعَلَّكُمْ
walaʿallakum
and that you may
تَشْكُرُونَ
tashkurūna
give thanks
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
It is Allah Who has subjected the sea [15] to you so that ships may sail upon it by His command, and so that you may seek His bounty [16] and be grateful to Him.
[15]
Subjugation of the Sea:
Allah has made this law for water that it pushes everything upwards towards its surface. Therefore, things that are lighter than an equal volume of water float to the surface and begin to float, such as wood, paper, straw, cardboard, etc., and those that are heavier sink in water, such as stones and metals. However, due to the buoyant force in water, their weight becomes less, and it is reduced by the amount equal to the weight of the displaced water of the same volume. Then, if the shape of something is made like a boat, bowl, or glass, then even heavy things, such as iron, etc., can float on water and carry a lot of weight while floating. This is the very law by which mankind, taking advantage, has become capable of traveling in rivers and seas through boats and gigantic iron ships, and this is what Allah has mentioned in these words: We have made the sea subservient to mankind.
[16] Humans derive many kinds of benefits from the seas. They extract pearls and gems from them. They hunt aquatic animals and obtain meat. They earn their livelihood by commercial travel and move from one part of the land to another and settle there. And all this has become possible because Allah has made even such a terrifying thing as the seas subservient to mankind.
[15]
Subjugation of the Sea:
Allah has made this law for water that it pushes everything upwards towards its surface. Therefore, things that are lighter than an equal volume of water float to the surface and begin to float, such as wood, paper, straw, cardboard, etc., and those that are heavier sink in water, such as stones and metals. However, due to the buoyant force in water, their weight becomes less, and it is reduced by the amount equal to the weight of the displaced water of the same volume. Then, if the shape of something is made like a boat, bowl, or glass, then even heavy things, such as iron, etc., can float on water and carry a lot of weight while floating. This is the very law by which mankind, taking advantage, has become capable of traveling in rivers and seas through boats and gigantic iron ships, and this is what Allah has mentioned in these words: We have made the sea subservient to mankind.
[16] Humans derive many kinds of benefits from the seas. They extract pearls and gems from them. They hunt aquatic animals and obtain meat. They earn their livelihood by commercial travel and move from one part of the land to another and settle there. And all this has become possible because Allah has made even such a terrifying thing as the seas subservient to mankind.
