قُلْ مَن يُنَجِّيكُم مِّن ظُلُمَـٰتِ ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ تَدْعُونَهُۥ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً لَّئِنْ أَنجَىٰنَا مِنْ هَـٰذِهِۦ لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ 63
Translations
Say, "Who rescues you from the darknesses of the land and sea [when] you call upon Him imploring [aloud] and privately, 'If He should save us from this [crisis], we will surely be among the thankful.'"
Transliteration
Qul man yunajjikum min zulumati al-barri wa-al-bahri tadAAoonahu tadarruAAan wa-khufyatan la-in anjana min hathihi lanakoonanna min al-shakirin
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents a rhetorical question challenging the polytheists: Who can save you from the darknesses of land and sea when you call upon Him in supplication and in secret, with the condition that if He saves you from this distress, you will surely be among the grateful? According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this ayah demonstrates that only Allah has the power to deliver from danger, yet people instinctively turn to Him alone in times of extreme peril, revealing the emptiness of their polytheism. The ayah highlights the hypocrisy of those who associate partners with Allah in prosperity but return to monotheism in adversity.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-An'am (Meccan period) which addresses fundamental Islamic beliefs and refutes polytheism. The passage contextualizes human behavior during crises, illustrating how natural instinct compels people toward monotheism (fitrah) when facing mortal danger, serving as evidence against the polytheists' practices in pre-Islamic Arabia.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best supplication is that made during distress' (related to concepts in Sunan Ibn Majah). Also relevant is the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet taught that du'a (supplication) at sea is particularly accepted, as people turn to Allah with sincerity in such circumstances.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that authentic faith is demonstrated through consistent gratitude and devotion, not merely crisis-driven supplication. It invites reflection on our own spiritual consistency: do we remember Allah's favors and express gratitude in times of ease as sincerely as we call upon Him in times of distress?
Related Ayahs
وَرَبُّكَ ٱلْغَنِىُّ ذُو ٱلرَّحْمَةِ ۚ إِن يَشَأْ يُذْهِبْكُمْ وَيَسْتَخْلِفْ مِنۢ بَعْدِكُم مَّا يَشَآءُ كَمَآ أَنشَأَكُم مِّن ذُرِّيَّةِ قَوْمٍ ءَاخَرِينَ
And your Lord is the Free of need, the possessor of mercy. If He wills, He can do away with you and give succession after you to whomever He wills, just as He produced you from the descendants of another people.
قَدْ جَآءَكُم بَصَآئِرُ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ فَمَنْ أَبْصَرَ فَلِنَفْسِهِۦ ۖ وَمَنْ عَمِىَ فَعَلَيْهَا ۚ وَمَآ أَنَا۠ عَلَيْكُم بِحَفِيظٍ
There has come to you enlightenment from your Lord. So whoever will see does so for [the benefit of] his soul, and whoever is blind [does harm] against it. And [say], "I am not a guardian over you."
قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَخَذَ ٱللَّهُ سَمْعَكُمْ وَأَبْصَـٰرَكُمْ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِكُم مَّنْ إِلَـٰهٌ غَيْرُ ٱللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِهِ ۗ ٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ ثُمَّ هُمْ يَصْدِفُونَ
Say, "Have you considered: if Allāh should take away your hearing and your sight and set a seal upon your hearts, which deity other than Allāh could bring them [back] to you?" Look how We diversify the verses; then they [still] turn away.
قُلْ أَرَءَيْتَكُمْ إِنْ أَتَىٰكُمْ عَذَابُ ٱللَّهِ أَوْ أَتَتْكُمُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ أَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ تَدْعُونَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ
Say, "Have you considered: if there came to you the punishment of Allāh or there came to you the Hour - is it other than Allāh you would invoke, if you should be truthful?"