Surah Ya-Sin 36:42

Among the Signs of Allah is that He carried Them in the laden Ship

Allah tells us: another sign for them of His might and power is that He has subjugated the sea to carry ships, including -- most significantly -- the ship of Nuh , peace be upon him, in which Allah saved him and the believers, apart from whom none of the descendants of Adam were left on the face of the earth. Allah says:

(And an Ayah for them is that We bore their offspring) means, their forefathers,

(in the laden ship.) means, in the ship which was filled with luggage and animals, in which Allah commanded him to put two of every kind. Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Laden means filled." This was also the view of Sa`id bin Jubayr, Ash-Sha`bi, Qatadah and As-Suddi. Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah and Ibn Zayd said, "This was the ship of Nuh peace be upon him."

(And We have created for them of the like thereunto, on which they ride.) Al-`Awfi said, narrating from Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, "This means the camel, for it is the ship of the land on which they carry goods and on which they ride. " Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Do you know what the Ayah:

(And We have created for them of the like thereunto, on which they ride.) refers to" We said, "No." He said, "This refers to the ships which were made after the ship of Nuh, peace be upon him, which was similar to it." This was also the view of Abu Malik, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah, Abu Salih and As-Suddi, that the Ayah

(And We have created for them of the like thereunto, on which they ride.) refers to ships.

(And if We will, We shall drown them,) means, those who are on board the ships.

(and there will be no shout for them) means, there will be no one to save them from their predicament.

(nor will they be saved. ) means, from what has befallen them.

(Unless it be a mercy from Us,) means, `but by Our mercy We make it easy for you to travel on land and sea, and We keep you safe until an appointed time.' Allah says:

(and as an enjoyment for a while.) meaning, until a time that is known to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.

Pada ayat ini, Allah mengingatkan manusia kepada bukti kekuasaan-Nya yang lain. Allah memberikan kepada manusia bermacam-macam kendaraan selain perahu, bahtera dan kapal, yaitu hewan-hewan yang dapat dijadikan kendaraan atau alat angkutan misalnya: kuda, keledai, unta, gajah dan sebagainya. Ini merupakan alat angkutan darat bagi manusia.

Pada ayat yang lain Allah berfirman:

Dan (Dia telah menciptakan) kuda, bagal, dan keledai, untuk kamu tunggangi dan (menjadi) perhiasan. Allah menciptakan apa yang tidak kamu ketahui. (an-Nahl/16: 8)

Untuk memungkinkan pengangkutan orang dan barang-barang yang lebih banyak, manusia dapat membuat alat-alat angkutan darat yang ditarik oleh hewan-hewan tersebut, seperti dokar, pedati, gerobak, dan sebagainya. Dengan menggunakan akal yang dikaruniakan Allah kepadanya, manusia dapat pula membuat alat angkutan yang bergerak dengan tenaga mesin yang memakai bahan bakar berupa minyak bumi atau batu bara, yang juga disediakan dan dikaruniakan Allah kepada manusia. Kendaraan bermesin ini dapat berjalan lebih cepat dan bermuatan lebih banyak.

Berkat kemajuan akal (nalar) dan ilmu pengetahuan yang dikaruniakan Allah kepada manusia, mereka dapat membuat kendaraan-kendaraan yang dapat terbang di udara, mulai dari balon, pesawat terbang, hingga roket-roket yang menggerakkan kapal-kapal ruang angkasa yang kecepatannya dapat melebihi kecepatan suara. Itu semua merupakan nikmat dari Allah kepada manusia. Dengan menyiasati hukum gravitasi, manusia berhasil menciptakan pesawat terbang untuk kepentingan transportasi manusia.