“From them emerge pearls and coral. (22) So which of your Lord’s favors will you both deny? (23) His are the ships, raised high in the sea like mountains. (24) So which of your Lord’s favors will you both deny? (25) All that is upon it will perish, (26) yet the Face of your Lord will remain, full of Majesty and Honor. (27) So which of your Lord’s favors will you both deny? (28)”

“From them emerge”: the people of Medina and Basra recited it as “are brought forth,” with the initial letter vowelled with dammah and the letter ra vowelled with fathah, while the others recited it as “emerge,” with the initial letter vowelled with fathah and the letter ra vowelled with dammah. “Pearls and coral”: although these emerge only from the saltwater, not the freshwater. This is permissible in Arabic usage: two things may be mentioned, then one of them may be singled out for a particular action. Thus Allah, Exalted is He, says: “O company of jinn and mankind, did there not come to you messengers from among yourselves?” (al-An‘am 6:130). Yet the messengers were from mankind, not from the jinn.

Some said that they emerge from the water of the sky and the water of the sea. Ibn Jurayj said: “When the sky rains, the oyster shells open their mouths, and wherever a drop falls, it becomes a pearl.” A pearl is a large gem, while coral consists of the smaller ones. Muqatil and Mujahid held the opposite view. It was also said that “coral” means red beads. ‘Ata al-Khurasani said: “It is al-yusr.” (1) “So which of your Lord’s favors will you both deny?”

“His are the ships”: that is, the large vessels. “Raised high”: Hamzah and Abu Bakr recited it as “those that set sail,” with the letter shin vowelled with kasrah; that is, those which begin and initiate their sailing. (2) The others recited it with the shin vowelled with fathah, meaning those whose timbers are raised one above another. It was also said that they are ships whose sails have been raised; as for those whose sails have not been raised, they are not among the raised ships. And it was said: those that are created and subjected to service. “In the sea like mountains”: like mountains—the plural of ‘alam, meaning a lofty mountain. He likened ships upon the sea to mountains upon land. “So which of your Lord’s favors will you both deny?”

“All that is upon it”: that is, every living creature upon the earth shall perish—“perishing.”

“Yet the Face of your Lord will remain, full of Majesty”: that is, possessing greatness and magnificence, “and Honor”: meaning, He honors His prophets and His righteous servants through His graciousness, despite His majesty and greatness. “So which of your Lord’s favors will you both deny?”

“Everyone in the heavens and the earth asks Him; every day He is bringing about a matter. (29)”

“Everyone in the heavens and the earth asks Him”: whether angel, human, or jinn. Qatadah said: “The inhabitants of the heavens and the earth cannot do without Him.” Ibn ‘Abbas said: “The inhabitants of the heavens ask Him for forgiveness, and the inhabitants of the earth ask Him for mercy, provision, repentance, and forgiveness.” (3) Muqatil said: “The inhabitants of the earth ask Him for provision”