Quran Universe
31:31

أَلَمۡ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱلۡفُلۡكَ تَجۡرِي فِي ٱلۡبَحۡرِ بِنِعۡمَتِ ٱللَّهِ لِيُرِيَكُم مِّنۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦٓۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَٰتٖ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٖ شَكُورٖ

Alam tara anna alfulka tajree fee albahri biniAAmati Allahi liyuriyakum min ayatihi inna fee thalika laayatin likulli sabbarin shakoorin

Do you not see that ships sail through the sea by the favor of Allah that He may show you of His signs? Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and grateful.

Word by word
  1. أَلَمۡDo not
  2. تَرَyou see
  3. أَنَّthat
  4. ٱلۡفُلۡكَthe ships
  5. تَجۡرِيsail
  6. فِيthrough
  7. ٱلۡبَحۡرِthe sea
  8. بِنِعۡمَتِby (the) Grace
  9. ٱللَّهِ(of) Allah
  10. لِيُرِيَكُمthat He may show you
  11. مِّنۡof
  12. ءَايَٰتِهِۦٓۚHis Signs
  13. إِنَّIndeed
  14. فِيin
  15. ذَٰلِكَthat
  16. لَأٓيَٰتٖsurely (are) Signs
  17. لِّكُلِّfor everyone
  18. صَبَّارٖ(who is) patient
  19. شَكُورٖgrateful
Luqman · 31:31Makkah

Ships float by His favour, a sign for the patient and grateful.

Patience in hardship, thanks in ease

Why ships sail
shipsheavy, loaded
carried by
the seagiven strength by Allah
a sign for
patient and gratefulwho notice
Who sees the sign
patientwhen it is hard
and
gratefulwhen it is easy

Ibn Kathir says that if Allah did not give the water the strength to carry ships, they would not sail. The signs are for one who bears hardship with patience and gives thanks in ease.

The ferry, the cargo ship that brought your shoes, the flight over the ocean. You take it as engineering. It is also a favour. The patient and grateful are the ones who notice.

Things work because of science, not because of a favour.

The laws that make things work are His favour too.

Try this

Next time you travel, say a dua of thanks as you set off.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

See you not that the ships sail through the sea by Allah's grace that He may show you of His signs? Verily, in this are signs for every patient, grateful (person)(31)And when waves cover them like shades, they invoke Allah, making their invocations for Him only. But when He brings them safe to land, there are among them those that stop in between. And Our Ayat are not denied except by every Khattār Kafūr (32)

Allah tells us that He is the One Who has subjugated the sea so that ships may sail on it by His command,i.e, His power.For if He did not give the water the strength to carry the ships, they would not sail. So He says:

 لِيُرِيَكُمْ مِنْ آيَاتِهِ

(that He may show you of His signs) meaning, by His power.

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ

(Verily, in this are signs for every patient, grateful.) means, every person who bears difficulty with patience and who gives thanks at times of ease. Then Allah says:

وَإِذَا غَشِيَهُمْ مَوْجٌ كَالظُّلَلِ

(And when waves cover them like shades,) meaning, like mountains or clouds,

دَعَوُا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ 

(they invoke Allah, making their invocations for Him only.) This is like the Ayah,

وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فِي الْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَنْ تَدْعُونَ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ ۖ 

(And when harm touches you upon the sea, those that you call upon vanish from you except Him)(17:67).

فَإِذَا رَكِبُوا فِي الْفُلْكِ

(And when they embark on a ship...)(29:65) Then Allah says:

فَلَمَّا نَجَّاهُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ فَمِنْهُمْ مُقْتَصِدٌ

(But when He brings them safe to land, there are among them those that stop in between.) Mujahid said, "This refers to the disbelievers – as if he interpreted the word Muqtasid to mean denier as in the Ayah,

فَلَمَّا نَجَّاهُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ إِذَا هُمْ يُشْرِكُونَ

(but when He brings them safely to land, behold, they give a share of their worship to others)(29:65).

وَمَا يَجْحَدُ بِآيَاتِنَا إِلَّا كُلُّ خَتَّارٍ كَفُورٍ

(And Our Ayat are not denied except by every Khattār Kafūr.) Khattar means one who betrays or stabs in the back. This was the view of Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and Malik, narrating from Zayd bin Aslam. This word describes a person who, whenever he makes a promise, breaks his promise, and it refers to the worst form of treachery.

كَفُورٍ

(Kafur) means, one who denies blessings and does not give thanks for them, rather he forgets them and does not remember them.