Allah Almighty says: {And who created the species, all of them, and has made for you of ships and animals those which you mount. That you may settle yourselves upon their backs and then remember the favor of your Lord when you have settled upon them and say: “Exalted is He Who has subjected this to us, and we could not have [otherwise] subdued it. And indeed we, to our Lord, will [surely] return.”} [Surat az-Zukhruf: 12-14]
1) They guide us to recall the favor of Allah as He facilitated to us the use of animals and taught us the manufacture of ships, which helps us in the fulfillment of our needs.
2) Glorifying Allah Almighty in this context is more appropriate than praising Him, as we hold Him far exalted above deficiencies, which include the need for riding a mount or a ship.
Benefit:
Allah Almighty says: {And He has made for you of ships and animals those which you mount.}
Ships are of different types: sea, land, and air.
As for the seaborne ships, they were known since the time of Nūh (Prophet Noah) ( peace be upon him), as Allah Almighty revealed to him, saying: {And construct the ship under Our observation and Our inspiration.} [Hūd: 37]
As for land types, they include cars and the like, which emerged in recent times.
Air types include planes and the like. All three types fall under the verse that says: {And He has made for you of ships...} Glory be to the One Who has placed within His Book knowledge for those who look and think!
972/1 - Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: Whenever the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) mounted his camel while setting out on a journey, he would say “Allāhu Akbar” thrice then say: “Subhān alladhi sakh-khara lana hadha wa ma kunna lahu muqrinīn, wa inna ila rabbina lamunqalibūn. Allahumma inna nas’aluka fi safarina hadha al-birr wat-taqwa, wa min al-‘amali ma tarda. Allahumma hawwin ‘alayna safarana hadha watwi ‘anna bu‘dah. Allahumma anta al-sāhib fi al-safar wal-khalīfah fi al-ahl. Allahumma inni a‘ūdhu bika min wa‘thā’ al-safar wa ka’ābat al-manzhar wa sū’ al-munqalab fil-māl wal-ahl wal-walad” (Glory be to the One Who has subjected this to us, and we could not have otherwise subdued it. And indeed we, to our Lord, shall return. O Allah, we ask You for righteousness and piety in this journey of ours, and we ask You for deeds which please You. O Allah, facilitate our journey and let us cover its distance quickly. O Allah, You are the Companion on the journey and the Successor over the family. O Allah, I take refuge with You from the hardship of travel, a bad sight in store, and an ill-fated outcome with wealth and family). Upon returning from his journey, he would say the same with the following addition: “Āyibūn tā’ibūn ‘ābidūn lirabbina hāmidūn” (We return, repentant, worshiping, and praising our Lord). [Narrated by Muslim]
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973/2 - ‘Abdullāh ibn Sarjis (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) traveled, he would seek refuge [in Allah] from the hardships of the journey, from having a change of heart, adverse conditions replacing good ones, the prayer of an oppressed person, and from seeing a misfortune occurring to his family and wealth.” [Narrated by Muslim, Al-Tirmidhi, and Al-Nasā’i]
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1) It presents the Prophet’s supplication when riding a mount for travel.
2) We are encouraged to be persistent in asking Allah Almighty to help us and make things easy for us. In fulfilling our needs, we have none to turn to but our Lord.
3) Allah Almighty encompasses His servants in terms of knowledge and protection. He is the Companion during travel and the Successor in one’s family, protecting and taking care of them. Indeed, He is encompassing all things, and He is with us wherever we are.
974/3 - ‘Ali ibn Rabī‘ah reported: In my presence, a riding animal was brought to ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib for him to ride. When he put his foot in the stirrup, he said: “Bismillah” (In the name of Allah). When he had settled himself on its back, he said: “Al-hamdulillah” (Praise be to Allah). Then he said: {Subhān alladhi sakh-khara lana hadha wa ma kunna lahu muqrinīn (Glory be to the One Who has subjected this to us, and we could not have otherwise subdued it). Wa inna ila rabbina lamunqalibūn (And indeed we, to our Lord, shall return).} [Surat az-Zukhruf: 13-14] Then, he said “Al-hamdulillah” (praise be to Allah) three times and then “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is Most Great) three times; then, he said: “Subhānaka inni zhalamtu nafsi, faghfir li, fa’innahu la yaghfir adh-dhunūb illa ant” (Glory be to You, I have wronged myself, so forgive me, for indeed none forgives sins but You). Then, he smiled. So, it was asked: “O Commander of the Faithful, what made you smile?” He replied: “I saw the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) do as I did and then he smiled. I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what made you smile?’ He said: ‘Indeed, your Lord is pleased with His slave when he says: “Forgive for me my sins,” knowing that none can forgive sins but Me.’” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and Al-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hasan (sound) and in some editions as Hasan Sahīh (sound and authentic). This is the version narrated by Abu Dāwūd]
1) The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were keen to follow the Prophet’s example in terms of words, actions, and conditions. Fortunate and guided are those whom Allah enables to abide by the Prophet’s guidance.
2) It shows the vast mercy of Allah Almighty, as He rejoices when His sinful servant repents to Him.
3) It establishes the attribute of '‘ajab' for Allah Almighty in a way that befits Him. The Arabic verb 'ya‘jabu' (translated in the Hadīth above as 'pleased') literally means 'wonders'. So, this attribute is established for Allah Almighty based on the statement of the truthful Prophet, whose literal translation would be: “Allah wonders at His slave...” So, dear Brother who believes in the Oneness of Allah, do not feel discomforted about any attribute of Allah Almighty established by clear texts of Shariah.