The winds are the south, north, and east winds. They are the winds of mercy. As for the west wind, it is the wind of punishment.

From this is his saying, blessings and peace be upon him, "O Allah, make them winds and do not make them a wind." [It was narrated by al-Shafi'i: He informed me from someone who is not known to them about al-'Ala' ibn Rashid from Ikrimah from Ibn Abbas, raised to him similarly, and from his path. It was mentioned in al-Ma'rifah and in al-Du'aat. This ambiguous one is Ibrahim ibn Abi Yahya, who is weak. There is another narration from Abu Ya'la, al-Tabarani, and Ibn 'Adi from the narration of Hussein ibn Qais from Ikrimah with it, and Hussein is also weak.]

He mentioned the purposes in sending them, that He sent them as good tidings of rain and to taste mercy, which is the descent of rain and the obtaining of fertility that follows it, and the spirit that comes with the blowing of the wind and the freshness of the earth. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said, "When the overturned cities increase, the earth becomes fresh." [I did not find it.]

And the removal of foulness from the air, and the scattering of seeds, and other than that, and for the ships to sail in the sea when they blow. He added by His command because the wind may blow and not be favorable. [The saying "and not be favorable" in the authentic texts means: I approached him on that matter favorably. The common people say: And I approached him.]

So it is necessary to anchor the ships and devise ways to hold them, and perhaps it may rage and sink them. And for you to seek of His bounty, meaning trade at sea, and to be grateful for Allah's blessing in it. If you say: What does "and to taste you" relate to? I say: There are two aspects: that it is connected to "good tidings" in meaning, as if it were said: to give you good tidings and to taste you. And it relates to an omitted phrase, its meaning being: "and to taste you, and to be such and such: We sent them."