Ar-Rum: 46

Ayah

Word by Word

وَمِنۡ

And among

ءَايَٰتِهِۦٓ

His Signs

أَن

(is) that

يُرۡسِلَ

He sends

ٱلرِّيَاحَ

the winds

مُبَشِّرَٰتٖ

(as) bearers of glad tidings

وَلِيُذِيقَكُم

and to let you taste

مِّن

رَّحۡمَتِهِۦ

His Mercy

وَلِتَجۡرِيَ

and that may sail

ٱلۡفُلۡكُ

the ships

بِأَمۡرِهِۦ

at His Command

وَلِتَبۡتَغُواْ

and that you may seek

مِن

فَضۡلِهِۦ

His Bounty

وَلَعَلَّكُمۡ

and that you may

تَشۡكُرُونَ

be grateful

Translation

Among His Signs is this, that He sends the Winds, as heralds of Glad Tidings, giving you a taste of His (Grace and) Mercy,- that the ships may sail (majestically) by His Command and that ye may seek of His Bounty: in order that ye may be grateful.

Tafsir

The Effects of Sin in this World

Allah says:

ظَهَرَ الۡفَسَادُ فِي الۡبَرِّ وَالۡبَحۡرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتۡ أَيۡدِي النَّاسِ

Evil has appeared in Al-Barr and Al-Bahr because of what the hands of men have earned, that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return.

Ibn Abbas, Ikrimah, Ad-Dahhak, As-Suddi and others said:

What is meant by Al-Barr here is the empty land or wilderness, and by Al-Bahr is towns and cities.

According to a report narrated from Ibn Abbas and Ikrimah,

Al-Bahrrefers to towns and cities which are on the banks of rivers.

Others said that what was meant was the usual meaning of the words, i.e., land and sea.

Zayd bin Rafi` said:

ظَهَرَ الۡفَسَادُ

(Evil has appeared),

The rain is withheld from the land and this is followed by famine, and it is withheld from the sea, adversely affecting the animals which live in it.

This was recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim, who said:Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Yazid Al-Muqri' told us, from Sufyan from Humayd bin Qays Al-A`raj from Mujahid:

ظَهَرَ الۡفَسَادُ فِي الۡبَرِّ وَالۡبَحۡرِ

(Evil has appeared on land and sea),

Evil on land means the killing of the son of Adam, and evil on the sea means piracy.

According to the first opinion, the phrase,

ظَهَرَ الۡفَسَادُ فِي الۡبَرِّ وَالۡبَحۡرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتۡ أَيۡدِي النَّاسِ

(Evil has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned),

means the shortfall in the crops and fruits is because of sins.

Abu Al-Aliyah said:

Whoever disobeys Allah in the earth has corrupted it, because the good condition of the earth and the heavens depends on obedience to Allah.

Hence it says in the Hadith which was recorded by Abu Dawud:

لَحَدٌّ يُقَامُ فِي الاَۡرۡضِ أَحَبُّ إِلَى أَهۡلِهَا مِنۡ أَنۡ يُمۡطَرُوا أَرۡبَعِينَ صَبَاحًا

Any prescribed punishment which is carried out in the land is better for its people than if it were to rain for forty days.

The reason for that is that if the prescribed punishments are carried out, this will deter the people -- most or many of them -- from violating the prohibitions of Allah. If they give up sin, this will be a cause of blessings in the skies and on the earth. So, when `Isa bin Maryam, peace be upon him, comes down at the end of time, he will judge according to this Shariah at that time, and will kill the pigs and break the cross and abolish the Jizyah. He will accept nothing except Islam or the sword. When Allah destroys the Dajjal and his followers, and Ya'juj and Ma'juj during his time, it will be said to the earth, bring forth your blessing. Then groups of people will eat from one pomegranate, and will seek shade beneath its skin, and the milk of one pregnant camel will be sufficient for a group of people. This will only be because of the blessings that will result from application of the Shariah of Muhammad. The more justice is established, the more the blessings and good things will increase. It was reported in the Sahih:

إِنَّ الۡفَاجِرَ إِذَا مَاتَ تَسۡتَرِيحُ مِنۡهُ الۡعِبَادُ وَالۡبِلَدُ وَالشَّجَرُ وَالدَّوَاب

When the evildoer dies, it is a relief for the people, the land, the trees and the animals.

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal recorded that Abu Qahdham said:

At the time of Ziyad or Ibn Ziyad, a man found a cloth in which were wrapped grains of wheat which were as big as date stones; on it was written:`This grew at a time when justice prevailed.'

لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعۡضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا

that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done,

means, He tries them with the loss of wealth, souls and fruits as a test and as a punishment for what they have done.

لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَرۡجِعُونَ

in order that they may return.

means, from disobedience.

This is like the Ayah,

وَبَلَوۡنَـهُمۡ بِالۡحَسَنَـتِ وَالسَّيِّيَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَرۡجِعُونَ

And We tried them with good and evil in order that they might turn. (7:168)

Then Allah says

قُلۡ سِيرُوا فِي الاَۡرۡضِ فَانظُرُوا كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلُ

Say:Travel in the land and see what was the end of those before (you)!

meaning, those who came before you.

كَانَ أَكۡثَرُهُم مُّشۡرِكِينَ

Most of them were idolators.

means, so see what happened to them when they rejected the Messengers and were ungrateful for the blessings

The Command to follow the Straight Path before the Day of Resurrection

Here Allah commands His servants to hasten to obedience to Him and to hasten to do good deeds.

فَأَقِمۡ وَجۡهَكَ لِلدِّينِ الۡقَيِّمِ مِن قَبۡلِ أَن يَأۡتِيَ يَوۡمٌ لاَّ مَرَدَّ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ

So, set you your face to the straight and right religion, before there comes from Allah a Day which none can avert.

The Day of Resurrection, for when Allah wants it to happen, no one will be able to avert it.

يَوۡمَيِذٍ يَصَّدَّعُونَ

On that Day men shall be divided.

means, they will be separated, with one group in Paradise and another in Hell.

Allah says:

مَن كَفَرَ فَعَلَيۡهِ كُفۡرُهُ وَمَنۡ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلَِنفُسِهِمۡ يَمۡهَدُونَ

لِيَجۡزِيَ الَّذِينَ امَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِن فَضۡلِهِ

Whosoever disbelieves will suffer from his disbelief, and whosoever does righteous good deeds, then such will prepare a good place for themselves. That He may reward those who believe. and do righteous good deeds, out of His bounty.

meaning that He may reward them from His bounty, in return for one good deed, he will get the reward for ten, up to seven hundred like it, as much as Allah wills.

إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الۡكَافِرِينَ

Verily, He likes not the disbelievers.

yet He is still just with them and does not oppress them

Among the Signs of Allah are the Winds

Allah says:

وَمِنۡ ايَاتِهِ أَن يُرۡسِلَ الرِّيَاحَ مُبَشِّرَاتٍ

And among His signs is this that He sends the winds as glad tidings,

Here Allah mentions the favor He does for His creatures by sending winds to them, as harbingers of His mercy, meaning that they will be followed by rain.

Allah says:

وَلِيُذِيقَكُم مِّن رَّحۡمَتِهِ

giving you a taste of His mercy,

that is, the rain which will come down and revive people and the land.

وَلِتَجۡرِيَ الۡفُلۡكُ بِأَمۡرِهِ

and that the ships may sail at His command,

means, on the sea, for they are driven by the wind.

وَلِتَبۡتَغُوا مِن فَضۡلِهِ

and that you may seek of His bounty,

means, by trading, earning a living and traveling from one country to another, one region to another.

وَلَعَلَّكُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ

in order that you may be thankful.

means, that you may give thanks to Allah for the innumerable favors He has done for you, both visible and hidden.

Then Allah says

وَلَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ رُسُلً إِلَى قَوۡمِهِمۡ فَجَاوُوهُم بِالۡبَيِّنَاتِ فَانتَقَمۡنَا مِنَ الَّذِينَ أَجۡرَمُوا

And indeed We did send Messengers before you to their own peoples. They came to them with clear proofs, then, We took vengeance on those who committed crimes;

These are words of consolation from Allah to His servant and Messenger Muhammad. They tell him that if many of his people and of mankind disbelieve in him, the previous Messengers were also rejected, despite the clear signs that they brought, but Allah punished those who rejected and opposed them, and saved those who believed in them.

وَكَانَ حَقًّا عَلَيۡنَا نَصۡرُ الۡمُوۡمِنِينَ

and it was incumbent upon Us to help the believers.

This is a duty which Allah took upon Himself as a blessing and a favor to them.

This is like the Ayah,

كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمۡ عَلَى نَفۡسِهِ الرَّحۡمَةَ

your Lord has prescribed mercy for Himself. (6:54)

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Abu Ad-Darda', may Allah be pleased with him, said:

I heard Allah's Messenger saying:

مَا مِنِ امۡرِىءٍ مُسۡلِمٍ يَرُدُّ عَنۡ عِرۡضِ أَخِيهِ إِلاَّ كَانَ حَقًّا عَلَى اللهِ أَنۡ يَرُدَّ عَنۡهُ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ يَوۡمَ الۡقِيَامَة

No Muslim man defends the honor of his brother except that there would be a right upon Allah to defend him from the fire of Hell on the Day of Resurrection.

Then he recited this Ayah:

وَكَانَ حَقًّا عَلَيۡنَا نَصۡرُ الۡمُوۡمِنِينَ

and it was incumbent upon Us to help the believers.