فَإِذَا رَكِبُوا۟ فِى ٱلْفُلْكِ دَعَوُا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ فَلَمَّا نَجَّىٰهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْبَرِّ إِذَا هُمْ يُشْرِكُونَ 65
Translations
And when they board a ship, they supplicate Allāh, sincere to Him in religion [i.e., faith and hope]. But when He delivers them to the land, at once they associate others with Him
Transliteration
Fa-idha rakiboo fil-fulki da'awoo Allaha mukhlisteena lahu ad-deen fa-lamma najjaahum ila al-barr idha hum yushrikoon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the hypocrisy of those who, when facing danger at sea, sincerely call upon Allah alone in desperation, but once saved and reaching safety on land, they return to associating partners with Him in worship. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize this as a profound example of human ingratitude and the weakness of faith that is contingent upon circumstances rather than conviction. Al-Qurtubi notes that this behavior reveals the true state of the human heart—that tawheed (monotheism) was born of fear rather than genuine belief.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-'Ankabut, a Meccan chapter that addresses the weakness of human nature and the fickleness of those who claim to believe. The broader context of the surah discusses various forms of disbelief and hypocrisy among the Arabs. This specific ayah illustrates the common behavior of Arabian merchants and traders who relied on sea voyages for commerce, revealing their conditional monotheism.
Related Hadiths
The Quran itself references this behavior in Surah Yunus 10:22-23, where Allah describes similar scenes. Additionally, Hadith in Sahih Bukhari (Book of Dua) highlights the authenticity of du'a (supplication) during times of hardship, contrasting the sincerity then with forgetfulness afterward.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that sincere worship should stem from genuine conviction and gratitude, not merely from fear or desperation in times of crisis. Believers must maintain consistent faith in both hardship and ease, recognizing that true tawheed is a permanent commitment of the heart rather than a temporary emotional response to danger.
Related Ayahs
ٱللَّهُ يَبْسُطُ ٱلرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦ وَيَقْدِرُ لَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
Allāh extends provision for whom He wills of His servants and restricts for him. Indeed Allāh is, of all things, Knowing.
وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ سَبِيلَنَا وَلْنَحْمِلْ خَطَـٰيَـٰكُمْ وَمَا هُم بِحَـٰمِلِينَ مِنْ خَطَـٰيَـٰهُم مِّن شَىْءٍ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَـٰذِبُونَ
And those who disbelieve say to those who believe, "Follow our way, and we will carry your sins." But they will not carry anything of their sins. Indeed, they are liars.
وَمَآ أَنتُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۖ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مِن وَلِىٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ
And you will not cause failure [to Allāh] upon the earth or in the heaven. And you have not other than Allāh any protector or any helper.
وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّن نَّزَّلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَحْيَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَوْتِهَا لَيَقُولُنَّ ٱللَّهُ ۚ قُلِ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ
And if you asked them, "Who sends down rain from the sky and gives life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness?" they would surely say, "Allāh." Say, "Praise to Allāh"; but most of them do not reason.