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
وَمَا كُنتَ تَتْلُوا۟ مِن قَبْلِهِۦ مِن كِتَـٰبٍ وَلَا تَخُطُّهُۥ بِيَمِينِكَ ۖ إِذًا لَّٱرْتَابَ ٱلْمُبْطِلُونَ
And you did not recite before it any scripture, nor did you inscribe one with your right hand. Then [i.e., otherwise] the falsifiers would have had [cause for] doubt.
وَمَن جَـٰهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَـٰهِدُ لِنَفْسِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَنِىٌّ عَنِ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
And whoever strives only strives for [the benefit of] himself. Indeed, Allāh is Free from need of the worlds.
إِنَّا مُنزِلُونَ عَلَىٰٓ أَهْلِ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْقَرْيَةِ رِجْزًا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَفْسُقُونَ
Indeed, we will bring down on the people of this city punishment from the sky because they have been defiantly disobedient."
وَلَمَّا جَآءَتْ رُسُلُنَآ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ بِٱلْبُشْرَىٰ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا مُهْلِكُوٓا۟ أَهْلِ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْقَرْيَةِ ۖ إِنَّ أَهْلَهَا كَانُوا۟ ظَـٰلِمِينَ
And when Our messengers [i.e., angels] came to Abraham with the good tidings, they said, "Indeed, we will destroy the people of that [i.e., Lot's] city. Indeed, its people have been wrongdoers."