ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلْفُلْكَ لِتَجْرِىَ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ بِأَمْرِهِۦ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرَ 32
Translations
It is Allāh who created the heavens and the earth and sent down rain from the sky and produced thereby some fruits as provision for you and subjected for you the ships to sail through the sea by His command and subjected for you the rivers.
Transliteration
Allahu alladhi khalaqa as-samawati wa-al-arda wa anzala mina as-sama'i ma'an fa akhreja bihi mina ath-thrimarati rizqan lakum wa sakhkhara lakumu al-fulka litajri fi al-bahri bi-amrihi wa sakhkhara lakumu al-anhara
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents Allah's divine attributes and benevolence by highlighting His creation of the heavens and earth, His provision of rain that produces fruits as sustenance, and His subjugation of ships to sail the seas and rivers for human benefit. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the verse emphasizes Allah's complete sovereignty and the intricate system of provisions He has arranged for mankind, demonstrating that all blessings flow from His divine wisdom and power. The mention of water, fruits, ships, and rivers illustrates the comprehensive nature of Allah's provision across different domains of human need.
Revelation Context
Surah Ibrahim is a Meccan chapter revealed during a period when the pagans of Mecca were rejecting the message of monotheism. This ayah appears in a section where Prophet Abraham's prayer and the responses to his supplication are being discussed, serving as evidence of Allah's oneness and His care for creation as a response to those who deny divine provision and favor.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The best charity is water' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Muslim regarding the seven whom Allah will shade on the Day of Judgment includes 'a man who gives charity and conceals it,' reflecting the gratitude owed for Allah's provisions mentioned in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us to recognize that every blessing—from the rain that falls to the crops that grow to the vessels that carry us—is a manifestation of Allah's mercy and care, obligating us to be grateful to Him and to use these provisions responsibly as trustees rather than owners. It invites reflection on the complex interconnectedness of creation and our dependence on Allah for survival, which should inspire humility, gratitude, and conscious stewardship of natural resources.
Related Ayahs
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَىٰ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَآ أَنْ أَخْرِجْ قَوْمَكَ مِنَ ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِ وَذَكِّرْهُم بِأَيَّىٰمِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ
And We certainly sent Moses with Our signs, [saying], "Bring out your people from darknesses into the light and remind them of the days of Allāh." Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and grateful.
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ ٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَةَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ أَنجَىٰكُم مِّنْ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوٓءَ ٱلْعَذَابِ وَيُذَبِّحُونَ أَبْنَآءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَآءَكُمْ ۚ وَفِى ذَٰلِكُم بَلَآءٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ
And [recall, O Children of Israel], when Moses said to his people, "Remember the favor of Allāh upon you when He saved you from the people of Pharaoh, who were afflicting you with the worst torment and were slaughtering your [newborn] sons and keeping your females alive. And in that was a great trial from your Lord.
مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِرَبِّهِمْ ۖ أَعْمَـٰلُهُمْ كَرَمَادٍ ٱشْتَدَّتْ بِهِ ٱلرِّيحُ فِى يَوْمٍ عَاصِفٍ ۖ لَّا يَقْدِرُونَ مِمَّا كَسَبُوا۟ عَلَىٰ شَىْءٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلضَّلَـٰلُ ٱلْبَعِيدُ
The example of those who disbelieve in their Lord is [that] their deeds are like ashes which the wind blows forcefully on a stormy day; they are unable [to keep] from what they earned a [single] thing. That is what is extreme error.
يُثَبِّتُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱلْقَوْلِ ٱلثَّابِتِ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۖ وَيُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ ۚ وَيَفْعَلُ ٱللَّهُ مَا يَشَآءُ
Allāh keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word, in worldly life and in the Hereafter. And Allāh sends astray the wrongdoers. And Allāh does what He wills.