Tafsir for verse: 43:13
لِتَسۡتَوُۥاْ عَلَىٰ ظُهُورِهِۦ ثُمَّ تَذۡكُرُواْ نِعۡمَةَ رَبِّكُمۡ إِذَا ٱسۡتَوَيۡتُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ وَتَقُولُواْ سُبۡحَٰنَ ٱلَّذِي سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُۥ مُقۡرِنِينَ ١٣ ﴿13
13so that you may mount upon their back, then recall the favour of your Lord after having mounted upon it and say, “Pure is the One who has subjugated this for us, and We were not able to have control over it,
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Commentary

And when he mentioned the blessing that arises from the absolute creation, he mentioned the blessing of comfort in it, saying as a reason: "So that you may be equal," meaning that you may be with balance, stability, strength, and comfort "on its backs," meaning the backs of each of that which is made. The pronoun refers back to what gathers the back, considering the meaning to increase the blessing. He singled out the pronoun in response to the wording, indicating the completeness of power by the greatness of the arrangement, whether on land or sea, or as a reminder of the strength of the mount, for the male is stronger than the female.

And when he completed the blessing by creating all that need calls for, and made it in a way that indicates what it has of attributes, he mentioned what should be from its ultimate purpose according to what is customary among them from the gratitude of the benefactor. He said, indicating the great value of the blessing and the highness of its purpose and the highness of the matter of remembrance with the word of delay: "Then you may remember," meaning with your hearts. He directed the saying to the description of upbringing, urging to remember His kindness to turn away from denying it and to turn towards thanking Him. He said: "The blessing of your Lord," who has done good to you with the blessing of making it subservient to you and what you recognize of it from others.

And when balance upon it is an extraordinary matter by evidence of what cannot be ridden from the animals on land and the inanimate in the sea, even if the abundance of familiarity has removed the wonder in it, he reminded it by saying: "When you are settled upon it." And when remembering the blessing brings forth the hearts, tongues, and limbs to thank the one who bestowed it, he said: "And you may say," meaning with your tongues, combining between the heart and the tongue. And when the settling upon that necessitates remembering the deficiency by the need for it in reaching what you have ridden for its sake and in remaining upon it and fearing the loss from it, he remembered that whoever continues to do good to the people of incapacity, who are in His grasp from beginning to end without anything they hope for from them, can only be far from the attributes of baseness. And that His settling upon His Throne is not like this settling that is compared to these deficiencies, and that there is nothing like Him. The position is for glorification, so he said: "Glorified is He who has made subservient," meaning with His complete knowledge and perfect power, "this for us," meaning that which we have ridden, whether it is a ship or a mount, "and we were not," meaning while we were not. And when each of the riders in reality is stronger than the mounts, he made their inability to it and their power over it as if it were specific to Him. He said, presenting for the neighbor as an indication of that: "To Him are we bound," meaning that it was not in our nature to have the ability to be a partner to Him alone for the emergence of His power from among what we deal with and endure from our capacity in every regard and not equal in strength, overcoming and controlling, able from what has been bound: He was able to do it and was strong over it, so he became in a position where he can bind it as he wishes.

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