Surah Luqman, Ayah 32

Allah tells us that He is the One Who has subjugated the sea so that ships may sail on it by His com"See the full heading"Allah tells us that He is the One Who has subjugated the sea so thatships may sail on it by His command, i.e. , by His grace and power

For if He did not give the water the strength to carry the ships, they would not sail. So he says:

لِيُرِيَكُمْ مِّنْ ءَايَـتِهِ

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

إِنَّ فِى ذلِكَ لآيَـتٍ لِّكُلِّ 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 مَّوْجٌ كَالظُّلَلِ

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

دَعَوُاْ اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ

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

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:

If sea-bound vessels safely transport passengers and goods without any fear of sinking, it is thanks to Almighty God who endowed man with the skills to build seaworthy ships and gave him the knowledge about winds and currents. Undoubtedly, this is a great sign. But only patient and grateful people can learn a lesson from it. A patient person is one who abstains from being influenced by improper feelings and a grateful person is one who is capable of admitting the truth that exists beyond his realm. However, if the ship gets caught in stormy weather and the sea becomes rough, then the ships’ crews and passengers realize their utter helplessness. At that time, they forget the awe of the so-called great and start calling out to God alone. People should derive a lesson from the above experience and remain steadfast on the path of Truth and justice, but there are very few people who actually do so. Many people habitually remember God when in trouble and as the matter improves, they revert to their ways of arrogance and ingratitude.