Tafseer of Ornaments of gold · Az-Zukhruf · 43:13
That you may settle yourselves upon their backs and then remember the favor of your Lord when you have settled upon them and say. "Exalted is He who has subjected this to us, and we could not have [otherwise] subdued it.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Explanation of the statement of the Exalted: that you may settle yourselves upon their backs, and then remember the favor of your Lord when you have settled yourselves upon them, and say: "Glory be to Him Who has subjected this to us, while we were not capable of it" (43:13)
The Exalted, Whose mention is exalted, says: that you may settle yourselves upon the backs of what you ride.
The scholars of the Arabic language differ concerning the reason for the singular form and the masculine form of the hāʾ in His statement: upon its backs. Some of the grammarians of Basra said: its masculine form refers back to "what you ride," and "what (mā)" is masculine, just as one says: "I have among the women one (masculine) who agrees with you and pleases you"; and the term "livestock (anʿām)" is sometimes used as masculine and sometimes as feminine. And He has said in another place: of what is in its (masculine) bellies, and in yet another place: their (feminine) bellies. And some of the grammarians of Kūfa said: the backs were annexed to the singular, because that singular has the meaning of a plural, in the rank of "the army corps (al-jund)" and "the army (al-jaysh)." He said: if it is asked: why then did you not say "that you may settle yourselves upon its back (singular)," making the back singular when you annex it to a singular? — then I say: the singular here has the meaning of a plural, so the backs were referred back to the meaning, and He did not say "its back," whereby it would be like a singular whose meaning and wording are both singular. Thus you say: "the women of the army corps have become numerous," and you say: "the army corps raised their (plural) eyes," and you do not say "its eye." He said: and likewise, everything you annex to it of described nouns, you bring it in the plural form; but when you annex to it a noun that has the meaning of a verb, both the plural and the singular are permissible, as in your statement: "the army raised its voice (singular)," while "their voices (plural)" is better. And this is permissible because the verb has no form for the dual except the form for the singular.
And another of them said: it was said "that you may settle yourselves upon its back," because it is a description of "the ships (al-fulk)"; but He made the hāʾ singular, because "the ships" is, by explanation, a plural, so He made the backs plural and the hāʾ singular, because the verbs of everything whose explanation is plural are made both singular and plural, as in: "the army corps was defeated (singular)" and "they were defeated (plural)." But when the nouns come, it proceeds exclusively according to the nouns, so you say: "the army corps are men." That is why He made the backs plural and the hāʾ singular. And were it like "the voice" and what resembles it, then it would be permissible: "the army corps raising its voice (singular)" and "its voices (plural)."
His statement: and then remember the favor of your Lord — the Exalted, Whose mention is exalted, says: and then you would remember the favor of your Lord which He has bestowed upon you by subjecting that to you as mounts on land and sea, when you have settled yourselves upon them, and then you would glorify Him and magnify Him, and say, in glorification of Allah Who has subjected this to us — namely these ships and this livestock which we have mounted — above that with which the polytheists describe Him and what they set up as partners alongside Him in worship, of idols and false deities, while we were not capable of it.
And similar to what we have said concerning this, the exegetes said.
* Mention of who said that:
Abū Kurayb and ʿUbayd ibn Ismāʿīl al-Hibārī related to us, both of them saying: al-Muḥāribī related to us, on the authority of ʿĀṣim al-Aḥwal, on the authority of Abū Hāshim, on the authority of Abū Mijlaz, he said: I mounted a riding-beast and said: Glory be to Him Who has subjected this to us, while we were not capable of it, whereupon a man from the People of the House (ahl al-bayt) heard me — Abū Kurayb and al-Hibārī said: al-Muḥāribī said: I heard Sufyān say: it was al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī, may the good pleasure of Allah, the Exalted, be upon them both — and he said: is it thus that you were commanded? I said: how then should I say [it]? He said: you say: "Praise be to Allah Who has guided us to Islam; praise be to Allah Who has favored us with Muḥammad, peace and blessings be upon him; praise be to Allah Who has made us the best community brought forth for mankind." Then, when you have remembered great favors, you say after that: Glory be to Him Who has subjected this to us, while we were not capable of it * and indeed, to our Lord we shall return.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Abū Hāshim, on the authority of Abū Mijlaz, that al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī, may Allah be pleased with him, saw a man who had mounted a riding-beast, whereupon he said: "Praise be to Allah Who has subjected this to us," and he then mentioned something similar.
Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: that you may settle yourselves upon their backs, and then remember the favor of your Lord when you have settled yourselves upon them — He teaches you what you should say when you go aboard the ships; you say: In the name of Allah is its sailing and its anchoring; indeed, my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful. And when you mount the camels, you say: Glory be to Him Who has subjected this to us, while we were not capable of it * and indeed, to our Lord we shall return. And He teaches you what you should say when you disembark from the ships and from the livestock together; you say: "O Allah, cause us to alight at a blessed alighting-place, and You are the best of those who cause to alight."
Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Ibn Ṭāwūs, on the authority of his father, that whenever he mounted a riding-beast, he would say: "O Allah, this is from Your bounty and Your kindness," and then he would say: Glory be to Him Who has subjected this to us, while we were not capable of it * and indeed, to our Lord we shall return.
And His statement: while we were not capable of it — and we were not able to do it, nor could we master it; derived from their saying: "I was capable of this (aqrantu li-hādhā)" when you were equal to it and able for it; and "so-and-so is a match (muqrin) for so-and-so," that is to say: he masters him and is equal to him.
And similar to what we have said concerning this, the exegetes said.
* Mention of who said that:
ʿAlī related to me, he said: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, he said: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: while we were not capable of it — he says: able for it.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us, both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the statement of Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He: muqrinīn — he said: the camels, the horses, the mules, and the donkeys.
Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: while we were not capable of it — that is to say: able for it; no, by Allah, neither with the hands nor in strength.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, his statement: while we were not capable of it — he said: in strength.
Muḥammad related to us, he said: Aḥmad related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: while we were not capable of it — he said: able for it.
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning the statement of Allah, exalted is His praise: Glory be to Him Who has subjected this to us, while we were not capable of it — he said: we are not able for it; he said: we would not be capable of it except through You; were it not for You, we would have no strength for it and could not master it.
