Transliteration:( Wa Huwal lazee sakhkharal bahra litaakuloo minhu lahman tariyyanw wa tastakhrijoo minhu hilyatan talbasoonahaa wa taral fulka mawaakhira feehi wa litabtaghoo min fadlihee wa la'allakum tashkuroon )
"And it is He who has made the sea subservient [26] to you so that you may eat fresh meat [27] from it and extract from it ornaments which you wear [28]. And you see the ships plowing through it [29], and that you may seek of His bounty and perhaps you may be grateful [30]."
Allah Almighty has made the sea subservient to mankind by enabling us to travel across it safely through boats and ships. Through this, humans can reach into the depths of the oceans to gather fish for food and pearls or coral for adornment. Despite its vastness and power, the sea serves human needs and does not consume them—this is a clear sign of Allah’s mercy and control.
In Arabic, the term "lahm" (meat) includes the meat of fish, even though technically fish is a separate category in Islamic jurisprudence. However, since linguistically it is called meat, those who restrict themselves to eating only certain types of meat may also eat fish. This highlights the flexibility and accommodation found in divine speech, where the commonly accepted meaning prevails over technical classifications.
This refers to the pearls and corals extracted from the ocean. Women wear them as jewelry, while others use them for practical items like buttons or decorative embellishments. These valuable and beautiful items, emerging from the depths of the sea, are further evidence of Allah’s generosity in making the earth and sea a storehouse of provisions.
According to the Sufi sages, Tariqah (the spiritual path) is like an ocean, and Shari‘ah (Islamic law) is the ship needed to traverse it. Others say the Qur'an and Hadith are like the ocean, and Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) is the ship. Without the guidance of Fiqh and an Imam (qualified guide), diving into religious texts can lead to misguidance or spiritual destruction. One must cross the sea of divine knowledge safely through the correct interpretive framework.
This includes all economic and spiritual opportunities that come from the sea. People flourish in trade, perform Hajj, fish, and extract pearls, all by means of boats and ships. These provisions are included in the command to "seek His bounty", and the verse concludes by reminding us that gratitude to Allah for these blessings is incumbent.
14. And He it is Who subjected the sea (to you), that you may eat from the fresh tender meat, and that you bring forth out of it ornaments to wear. And you see the ships plowing through it, that you may seek from His bounty and that you may perhaps be grateful. 15. And He has driven firm standing mountains into the earth, lest it should shake with you; and rivers and roads, that you may guide yourselves. 16. And (by the) landmarks; and by the stars, they guide themselves. 17. Is then He Who creates the same as one who creates, not Will you not then reflect 18. And if you would try to count the favors of Allah, you would never be able to count them. Truly, Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Allah tells us how He has subjected the seas, with their waves lapping the shores, and how He blesses His servants by subjecting the seas for them so that they may travel on them, and by putting fish and whales in them, by making their flesh permissible to eat – whether they are caught alive or dead – at all times, including when people are in a state of Ihram. He has created pearls and precious jewels in the oceans, and made it easy for His servants to recover ornaments that they can wear from the ocean floor. He made the sea such that it carries the ships which plow through it. He is the One Who taught mankind to make ships, which is the inheritance of their forefather Nuh. He was the first one to travel by ship, he was taught how to make them, then people took this knowledge from him and passed it down from generation to generation through the centuries, so that they could travel from country to country and from place to place, bringing goods from here to there and from there to here. Thus Allah says:
(that you may seek from His bounty and that you may perhaps be grateful.) – for His bounty and blessings. Then Allah mentions the earth and how He placed in it mountains standing firm, which make it stable and keep it from shaking in such a manner that the creatures dwelling on it would not be able to live. Hence Allah says,
(And the mountains He has fixed firmly.) (79: 32).
(and rivers and roads) meaning He has made rivers which flow from one place to another, bringing provision for His servants. The rivers arise in one place, and bring provision to people living in another place. They flow through lands and fields and wildernesses, through mountains and hills, until they reach the land whose people they are meant to benefit. They meander across the land, left and right, north and south, east and west – rivers great and small – flowing sometimes and ceasing sometimes, flowing from their sources to the places where the water gathers, flowing rapidly or moving slowly, as decreed by Allah. There is no god besides Him and no Lord except Him. He also made roads or routes along which people travel from one land or city to another, and He even made gaps in the mountains so that there would be routes between them, as He says:
(And We placed broad highways for them to pass through.) ﴿21:31﴾
(And landmarks) meaning, signs like great mountains and small hills, and so on, things that land and sea travelers use to find their way if they get lost.
(and by the stars (during the night), they (mankind) guide themselves.) meaning, in the darkness of the night. This was the opinion of Ibn `Abbas.
Then Allah tells us of His greatness, and that worship should be directed to Him alone, not to any of the idols which do not create but are rather themselves created. Thus He says
(Is then He, Who creates, the same as one who does not create Will you not then reflect)(16:17). Then He shows His servants some of the many blessings He granted for them, and the many kinds of things that He has done for them. He says;
(And if you would try to count the favors of Allah, you would never be able to count them. Truly, Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful.) (16:18) meaning that He pardons and forgives them. If He were to ask you to thank Him for all of His blessings, you would not be able to do so, and if He were to command you to do so, you would be incapable of it. If He punishes you, He is never unjust in His punishment, but He is Forgiving and Most Merciful, He forgives much and rewards for little. Ibn Jarir said: “It means that Allah is Forgiving when you fail to thank Him properly, if you repent and turn to Him in obedience, and strive to do that which pleases Him. He is Merciful to you and does not punish you if you turn to Him and repent.”
(16:14) And He it is Who has subjected the sea that you may eat fresh fish from it and bring forth ornaments from it that you can wear. And you see ships ploughing their course through it so that you may go forth seeking His Bounty[11] and be grateful to Him.
11. That is, try to get your sustenance in lawful ways.
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