31:32 Luqman (Luqman)

وإذا ركب المشركون السفن وعَلَتْهم الأمواج مِن حولهم كالسحب والجبال، أصابهم الخوف والذعر من الغرق ففزعوا إلى الله، وأخلصوا دعاءهم له، فلما نجاهم إلى البر فمنهم متوسط لم يقم بشكر الله على وجه الكمال، ومنهم كافر بنعمة الله جاحد لها، وما يكفر بآياتنا وحججنا الدالة على كمال قدرتنا ووحدانيتنا إلا كل غدَّار ناقض للعهد، جحود لنعم الله عليه.

ذكر تعالى حال الناس، عند ركوبهم البحر، وغشيان الأمواج كالظل فوقهم، أنهم يخلصون الدعاء [للّه] والعبادة: { فَلَمَّا نَجَّاهُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ } انقسموا فريقين:فرقة مقتصدة، أي: لم تقم بشكر اللّه على وجه الكمال، بل هم مذنبون ظالمون لأنفسهم.وفرقة كافرة بنعمة اللّه، جاحدة لها، ولهذا قال: { وَمَا يَجْحَدُ بِآيَاتِنَا إِلَّا كُلُّ خَتَّارٍ } أي غدار، ومن غدره، أنه عاهد ربه، لئن أنجيتنا من البحر وشدته، لنكونن من الشاكرين، فغدر ولم يف بذلك، { كَفُور } بنعم اللّه. فهل يليق بمن نجاهم اللّه من هذه الشدة، إلا القيام التام بشكر نعم اللّه؟

ثم قال تعالى "وإذا غشيهم موج كالظلل" أي كالجبال والغمام "دعوا الله مخلصين له الدين" كما قال تعالى "وإذا مسكم الضر في البحر ضل من تدعون إلا إياه" وقال تعالى "فإذا ركبوا في الفلك" الآية قال تعالى "فلما نجاهم إلى البر فمنم مقتصد" قال مجاهد أي كافر كأنه فسر المقتصد ههنا بالجاحد كما قال تعالى "فلما نجاهم إلى البر إذا هم يشركون" وقال ابن زيد هو المتوسط في العمل وهذا الذي قاله ابن زيد هو المراد فى قوله تعالى "فمنهم ظالم لنفسه ومنهم مقتصد" الآية فالمقتصد ههنا هو المتوسط في العمل ويحتمل أن يكون مرادا هنا أيضا ويكون من باب الإنكار على من شاهد تلك الأهوال والأمور العظام والآيات الباهرات في البحر ثم بعد ما أنعم عليه بالخلاص كان ينبغي أن يقابل ذلك بالعمل التام والدءوب في العبادة والمبادرة إلى الخيرات فمن اقتصد بعد ذلك كان مقتصرا والحالة هذه والله أعلم. وقوله تعالى "وما يجحد بآياتنا إلا كل ختار كفور" فالختار هو الغدار قاله مجاهد والحسن وقتادة ومالك عن زيد بن أسلم وهو الذي كلما عاهد نقض عهده والختر أتم الغدر وأبلغه. قال عمر بن معد يكرب: وإنك لو رأيت أبا عمير ملأت يديك من غدر وختر وقوله "كفور" أي جحود للنعم لا يشكرها بل يتناساها ولا يذكرها.

And if waves cover them that is if these rise above the disbelievers like awnings like mountains that act as awnings over those below them they call on God sincere before Him in their faith that is in their supplication that He may deliver them in other words they do not call on any other god with Him; but when He delivers them to land some of them compromise middling between belief and disbelief while others persist in their disbelief. And none denies Our signs an example of which is Our delivering them from such treacherous waves except every perfidious ingrate ungrateful for God’s graces exalted be He.

This has been stated in the verse: وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ مِن شَجَرَ‌ةٍ أَقْلَامٌ (27) through a similitude. Says the similitude: 'If all trees that are on the earth were to be pens (or pens were to be made of all branches on them) and the ocean (converted into ink) is supported by seven seas following it, the words of Allah would (still) not come to an end.' The expression: کلمات اللہ (kalimatul-lah, i.e. the words of Allah) means His knowledge and wisdom (Ruh ul-Maani and Mazhari) which includes the manifestations of Divine power and Divine blessings. Then, the 'seven seas', referred to here, do not mean that there are seven seas present elsewhere. Instead of that, this is a manner of saying: Suppose if this ocean were to be replenished with seven more oceans, still then, all these words of Allah could not be committed to writing. Even the number of 'seven' appears here as a part of the example. No restriction is intended. Another verse of the Qur'an proves it. There it was said:

قُل لَّوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ‌ مِدَادًا لِّكَلِمَاتِ رَ‌بِّي لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ‌ قَبْلَ أَن تَنفَدَ كَلِمَاتُ رَ‌بِّي وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِ مَدَدًا

Say, 'If the ocean were to be ink for the Words of my Lord, the ocean would have been consumed before the Words of my Lord are exhausted, even though we were to bring another one, like it, in addition' - Al-Kahf, 18:109.

In this verse, by saying: بِمِثْلِهِ (bimithlihi: like it), a clear hint has been given that, no matter how many oceans are supposed, their collective writing fluid cannot circumscribe the Words of Allah. Rationally, the reason is obvious. The oceans may be added one after the other and be they seven or seven thousand, they shall still remain limited while the Words of Allah (knowledge) are unlimited. How, then, can something limited make an all-encompassing coverage of what is unlimited?

As it appears in some narratives, this verse was revealed in response to a question posed by Jewish priests. The reason which prompted them to ask this question was the verse of the Qur'an where it has been said: وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا (and you are not given but a little from the knowledge - A1-'Isra', 17:85). When the Holy Prophet ﷺ came to the blessed city of Madinah, some Jewish priests visited him and it was about this verse that they confronted him by saying, "You say that you have been given a little from the knowledge. Is this what you are saying about your people, or have you included us too therein?" The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "I mean all," that is, 'our people and the Jews and Christians as well.' Thereupon, increasing the tempo of their opposition, they said, "To us, Allah Ta’ ala has given the Torah which stands out as: تِبْيَانًا لِّكُلِّ شَيْءٍ (an explanation of everything)." He said, "That too is but a little as compared to Divine Knowledge. Then, even the total knowledge contained in the Torah is not known to you either - what you go by is no more than a certain measure of what you need. Therefore, as compared to the Divine Knowledge, the collective knowledge of all Scriptures and Prophets is also nothing but a little." It was to support this statement that the verse: وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ مِن شَجَرَ‌ةٍ أَقْلَامٌ (And if all trees that are on the earth were to be pens... - 27) was revealed. (Ibn Kathir)