أَوْ يُوبِقْهُنَّ بِمَا كَسَبُوا۟ وَيَعْفُ عَن كَثِيرٍ 34
Translations
Or He could destroy them for what they earned; but He pardons much.
Transliteration
Aw yuubiqhunna bimaa kasaboo wa ya'fu 'an katheer
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to Allah's power to destroy ships and those aboard them either through storms or as punishment for their deeds, while simultaneously demonstrating His mercy by forgiving many sins. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir interpret this as illustrating the balance between divine justice (punishing wrongdoing) and divine mercy (pardoning much), emphasizing that Allah does not punish people for every transgression they commit. The ayah is part of a broader passage (42:32-34) discussing Allah's signs in the creation of ships and His control over the seas.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Ash-Shuraa, a Meccan surah that addresses fundamental Islamic concepts including divine oneness, revelation, and Allah's signs in creation. The passage containing this ayah (verses 32-34) specifically discusses ships as signs of Allah's power and wisdom, serving as metaphors for human vulnerability before divine will and the need for trust in Allah.
Related Hadiths
Related to the theme of divine mercy: The Prophet ﷺ said, 'My mercy precedes My wrath' (Sahih Muslim 2751). Also relevant is the hadith in Sahih Bukhari (7405) where the Prophet ﷺ stated that Allah has one hundred parts of mercy, and He sent down one part to be distributed among creation while keeping ninety-nine parts for the Day of Judgment.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to recognize that while Allah holds us accountable for our actions and can punish transgressions, His mercy vastly exceeds His punishment, encouraging both accountability and optimism in seeking forgiveness. It reminds us that Allah's administration of the universe reflects perfect justice tempered with compassion, and we should strive to embody similar balance in our dealings with others.
Related Ayahs
سَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا۟ لَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَآ أَشْرَكْنَا وَلَآ ءَابَآؤُنَا وَلَا حَرَّمْنَا مِن شَىْءٍ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ ذَاقُوا۟ بَأْسَنَا ۗ قُلْ هَلْ عِندَكُم مِّنْ عِلْمٍ فَتُخْرِجُوهُ لَنَآ ۖ إِن تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَإِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا تَخْرُصُونَ
Those who associated [others] with Allāh will say, "If Allāh had willed, we would not have associated [anything] and neither would our fathers, nor would we have prohibited anything." Likewise did those before deny until they tasted Our punishment. Say, "Do you have any knowledge that you can produce for us? You follow not except assumption, and you are not but misjudging."
وَلَا طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِنْ غِسْلِينٍ
Nor any food except from the discharge of wounds;
مِّن وَرَآئِهِمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَلَا يُغْنِى عَنْهُم مَّا كَسَبُوا۟ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا مَا ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْلِيَآءَ ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
Before them is Hell, and what they had earned will not avail them at all nor what they had taken besides Allāh as allies. And they will have a great punishment.
كَدَأْبِ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ ۙ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَوِىٌّ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ
[Theirs is] like the custom of the people of Pharaoh and of those before them. They disbelieved in the signs of Allāh, so Allāh seized them for their sins. Indeed, Allāh is Powerful and severe in penalty.