The greatness of the power of Allah in oceans and the...

The greatness of the power of Allah in oceans and the smallness of man compared with it is so much so that, in the past when people used only the power of the wind for the movement of a ship, if all the people of the world gathered to make a ship run in the midst of the sea against the direction of a strong wind, they would not be able to afford it.

And now that the power of great engines has substituted the wind, again the strength of some storms is so hard and heavy that can shake even the greatest ships, and sometime it may break them.

And that at the end of the verse the emphasis has been laid on being patient and grateful, it is either for the sake that living in this world consists of a collection of afflictions and favours, that both of them are means of trial, perseverance and patience against severe events, and thanksgiving for bounties, all form a combination of duties for human beings.

A lot of Islamic commentators have recorded a tradition from the holy Prophet of Islam (S) who said: “The Faith has two halves: half of it is patience (and perseverance), and the other half is thanksgiving.” Or there is an indication in this that for understanding the great Divine verses in the expanse of creation man needs to have a motive, like being grateful to the benefactor accompanied with patience, in order to be more careful and more curious.

“And when a wave covers them like the canopy (of clouds), they call upon Allah in sincere devotion unto Him, but when He has delivered them to the land, some of them follow the middle course, and none denies Our signs, except every perfidious, ungrateful one.” Man naturally is godly, but some material means may cover the nature like a curtain, and the occurrence of some events and dangers may disclose this curtain.

After stating the movement of ships in the seas which have been the greatest and the most useful means for many men to transport and carry their loads both in the past and today, through this verse the Qur’an refers to one of other features of the same subject, where it points to the time when people embark a ship and in the midst of the sea they may encounter a storm.