The news on Wednesday, January 29

7. Logistics in the Qur'an

As we have shown earlier, trade is mentioned 9 times in the Qur'an, and branding is mentioned 5 times in the Qur'an.

Today, God willing, we will show that logistics, or the transportation of goods from the supplier's source to the customer's destination, is also mentioned 9 times in the Qur'an.

This means the number of times it is mentioned is exactly the same as trade.

This shows that whenever trade happens, there must be logistics involved as well. You cannot engage in trade and not transport the product from the supplier to the customer without logistics.

And then, we will show that not only has God referred to the concept of logistics, but He has also mentioned two of the main types of logistics methods, namely land and sea transport.

To begin the discussion and prove this, we follow the word "fulk" (ship).

"Fulk" in Arabic means "ship".

What is the purpose of a ship for you and me?

The purpose of a ship is for transportation.

Sometimes this transportation is for people, and sometimes it is for commercial products being moved from one place to another.

The most important use of a ship in the Qur'an is for the transportation of people in the story of Prophet Noah (PBUH). We will not go into detail about that here because there is no commercial purpose in it, so no one can claim that we are associating Noah's ark with trade. If we used this, we would ourselves admit that it would seem like we are forcing something into the realm of trade.

So, we will not discuss the ships used in the story of Noah.

And we will not focus on the instances where God uses the ship as a means of human transportation.

Now, imagine 1400 years ago, when the Qur'an was revealed to the Messenger of God, Muhammad (PBUH), in the dry and barren land of Mecca. What use would a ship have for the ordinary people?

Yet, God says in His book:

"Allah, it is He Who has subjected to you the sea, that ships may sail through it by His command, and that you may seek of His bounty, and that you may be thankful." Surah al-Jathiyah, 45:12

The renowned scholar, Al-Aroussi Howayzi, in the interpretation of Nur al-Thaqalayn, narrates from Imam Sadiq (PBUH) regarding this verse, that the phrase "to seek of His bounty" refers to trade.

Also, the scholar and theologian, Hujjat al-islam Qara'ati, in his interpretation of Nur mentions that the use of ships for benefiting from God's bounty has two purposes: one is for the transportation of people, and the other is for the transportation of goods in trade, which is more closely related to benefiting from His bounty.

This interpretation of ships and benefiting from God's bounty is also found in Surah Ar-Rum (30:46), Surah An-Nahl (16:14), Surah Fatir (35:12), and Surah Al-Jathiyah (45:12).

In Surah Al-Jathiyah, verse 12, we read:

"Allah, it is He Who has subjected to you the sea, that ships may sail through it by His command, and that you may seek of His bounty, and that you may be thankful." Surah Al-Jathiyah, 45:12

8. The Ship and the Benefits to Mankind

When we talk about benefit, a person knows that this benefit, or profit, can be material or spiritual.

God refers to the benefit of the ship for humans in His book:

"And the [great] ships which sail through the sea with that which benefits people." 

The question here is: What spiritual benefit does the ship have for people?

For example, does riding a ship bring a person closer to the Ahl al-Bayt?

Our dear Iran, the land of the Shia, the house of the Ahl al-Bayt, and the most spiritual place in the world, is located in a geography where most of our people have never even ridden a ship.

I, myself, have never ridden a ship. The question is, have most of you, esteemed ones, ever ridden a ship?

Even the people of Mecca and Medina, the heart of Islam, have mostly never ridden a ship, because they didn’t even have water to be transported by ship.

If the benefit of the ship were spiritual, then countries like England, the United States, Israel, Russia, and all the known infidel lands would be the closest to God's presence, because their people have frequently sailed on ships and traveled by them.

Therefore, any wise person will agree that God's intended benefit is material profit, meaning money as we understand it today.

And when we talk about money in relation to the ship, the only relevant concept is trade and the logistics that must transport the trader’s goods.

To better understand this concept of benefit, let me refer to another verse from the Qur'an that you have read or heard many times:

"They ask you, O Prophet, about intoxicants and gambling. Say, There is great evil in both, as well as some benefit for people—but the evil outweighs the benefit." Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:219

God uses two words here: ithm (sin) and nafi' (benefit), in contrast to one another.

While all the scholars know that the opposite of nafi' is darar (harm), God did not use the word harm.

Unfortunately, some ill-informed people interpret this verse by saying that since wine has some health benefits, God has referred to these benefits in this verse.

Well, esteemed one, let's assume the same about wine.

But can you explain what benefits gambling has for the body, which is why God says nafi'ihima (their benefit)?

So, it becomes clear that the benefit of wine in this verse is not related to its benefits for the body, as gambling is mentioned alongside it, which certainly has no benefits for the body.

Imam Reza (PBUH) is quoted in Al-Risalah al-Dhahabiah as saying: "There is no health benefit in wine."

Therefore, when some try to justify wine consumption by pointing to its so-called health benefits and relate it to this verse of the Qur'an, claiming that God affirms the benefit of wine, they are deceiving themselves and distorting the Qur'an.

Moreover, the fact that God uses the word ithm (sin) in contrast to nafi' (benefit) further supports this claim, because ithm refers to moral sin and ugliness.

God uses the word birr (goodness) in contrast to ithm when He says:

"And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression." Surah Al-Ma'idah, 5:2

So, it becomes clear that the ithm or moral ugliness in wine and gambling refers to a spiritual matter.

However, the nafi' (benefit) in the context of wine and gambling refers to something entirely material.

When God says that wine and gambling have benefit for people, He is referring to the trade of wine and gambling.

This is the trade that, unfortunately, is one of the most profitable in today's world, as wine has the largest global consumption among products, and after that, gambling, casinos, and betting websites follow.

Therefore, pay attention: when the Qur'an speaks of nafi' (benefit), it often refers to material profit, not spiritual benefit.

Don’t get tired, the exciting part of the story is yet to come.

An'am in the Qur'an refers to livestock, and the sixth surah of the Qur'an is named after it.

May God have mercy on the souls of those who, when a loved one passes away, hold a Khatm An’am for them.

God, in His book, mentions four main uses of livestock for us humans.

Let’s take a moment to review these four, and then we will read the verses.

1. Drinks from livestock

2. Foods from livestock

3. Riding on livestock

4. Use of livestock for transport or logistics

How beautifully He said:

"And there is certainly a lesson for you in cattle, from whose bellies We give you milk to drink, and in them are many other benefits for you, and from them you may eat." Surah Al-Mu’minun, 23:21

Here, the uses are clearly stated: one is for drinks, and another for foods.

However, in the middle of the verse, there’s a phrase: "and in them are many other benefits for you" which may cause confusion for the reader at first. What does God mean by these "many benefits" from livestock, other than just drinking and eating, which He has already mentioned separately and not elaborated on?

If the benefit was just drinking, it’s already mentioned, and if it was just eating, that’s already there as well. So what are these "many benefits" that God, the Lord of the worlds, deems as "great"?

The verse continues:

"And you are carried upon some of them and upon ships." Surah Al-Mu’minun, 23:22

Here, a connection is made between livestock and ships. This connection is not about drinking or eating, because ships do not provide drinks or food.

The word that links livestock and ships is "carried".

You may ask, carried with what?

Correct, carried with goods.

Thus, the three uses of livestock—only one of which is similar to ships—are mentioned here: drinking, eating, and carrying.

Now, let’s look at another masterpiece of creation where He said:

"It is Allah Who made cattle for you so that you may ride some and eat others. Also, you find in them other benefits. And by means of them you may reach destinations you desire. And you are carried upon some of them and upon ships." Surah Ghafir, 40:79-80

Here, the use of livestock for riding, or "riding them" (i.e., using them for transportation), is mentioned along with eating and carrying, but drinking is not mentioned in this verse.

So, in both places, two themes appear: the consumption of livestock (eating) and their use in transport or logistics (carrying). Ships are mentioned alongside these as well.

However, drinking is mentioned in one verse, and riding or using livestock for transport is mentioned in the other, but God doesn’t repeat the theme of drinking or riding. Instead, eating and carrying are repeated.

This indicates that the importance of eating and transportation using livestock is greater than the importance of riding or drinking from them.

After all, it is rare for anyone to ride a cow or drink the milk of a horse.

However, people consume the meat of all types of livestock, such as cows, sheep, horses, donkeys, and camels.

Moreover, all of them are used for transportation.

Thus, God has referred here to both land transport (with livestock) and sea transport (with ships).