سُوْرَةُ الإِسۡرَاءِ

Surah Al-Israa (17) — Ayah 67

The Night Journey · Meccan · Juz 15 · Page 289

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وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ ٱلضُّرُّ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَن تَدْعُونَ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ ۖ فَلَمَّا نَجَّىٰكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْبَرِّ أَعْرَضْتُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ كَفُورًا ﴿67﴾

Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali

And when harm touches you upon the sea, those that you call upon vanish from you except Him (Allâh Alone). But when He brings you safe to land, you turn away (from Him). And man is ever ungrateful.

Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning

وَإِذَا wa-idhā And when
مَسَّكُمُ massakumu touches you
ٱلضُّرُّ l-ḍuru the hardship
فِى fī in
ٱلْبَحْرِ l-baḥri the sea
ضَلَّ ḍalla lost
مَن man (are) who
تَدْعُونَ tadʿūna you call
إِلَّآ illā except
إِيَّاهُ ۖ iyyāhu Him Alone
فَلَمَّا falammā But when
نَجَّىٰكُمْ najjākum He delivers you
إِلَى ilā to
ٱلْبَرِّ l-bari the land
أَعْرَضْتُمْ ۚ aʿraḍtum you turn away
وَكَانَ wakāna And is
ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ l-insānu man
كَفُورًا kafūran ungrateful

Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi

Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

(Ayah 67) { وَ اِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فِي الْبَحْرِ …:} Despite the idol worship of the disbelievers of the Age of Ignorance and the era of Prophethood, the innate monotheism placed in their nature is being mentioned as evidence: when a storm arises at sea, and the ship is surrounded by waves like mountains, and death becomes clearly visible, you forget all your gods, benefactors, problem-solvers, and need-fulfillers, and due to the monotheism placed in your nature, you call upon only one Allah. Then, when He saves you and brings you to dry land, you turn away, as if you had no acquaintance with your Lord, and then you begin to call upon your self-made gods and acknowledge only their favor. How ungrateful and thankless this is! And the reality is that the polytheist human has always been extremely ungrateful. In {’’ الْاِنْسَانُ ‘‘}, the alif-lam is for specification, so it refers to the disbelievers, because the believers are grateful, even though they are few in number, as He said: «وَ قَلِيْلٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُوْرُ » [ سبا : ۱۳ ] "And very few among My servants are truly grateful." Allah Almighty has mentioned this attitude of the disbelievers in several places; for details, see Surah Yunus (22, 23), Ankabut (65), Luqman (32), and Zumar (8). This was the condition of those people of the Age of Ignorance who were polytheists, and Allah and His Messenger declared them polytheists, even though in severe distress they called only upon Allah. But the excellence of some who call themselves Muslims in our time is that even in the most severe distress, they do not forget to call upon others for help along with Allah or besides Allah, yet neither is their monotheism affected, nor is their Islam harmed in any way.

Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf

Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

67. 1. This subject has already appeared in several places before.

Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani

Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

67. And when adversity touches you at sea, those you call upon besides Him vanish from you. But when He delivers you to the land, you turn away. And man is ever ungrateful.

[86]
Calling Upon Only Allah in the Whirlpool:

After describing the state of satanic temptation, once again arguments are being presented for the affirmation of Tawheed and the refutation of Shirk. It was the habit of the polytheists of Makkah that when their boat would get caught in a whirlpool or the stormy waves of the sea would engulf the boat and all apparent means seemed to vanish for the people on board, at that moment they would call upon only Allah and forget all their other deities. Allah Almighty has presented this natural inclination as proof of His Oneness and being the Absolute Controller, and has refuted the rest of the deities. However, today’s polytheist appears even more steadfast in his polytheism than the polytheists of that era; even in such dire times, he chants, “Ya Bahawal Haq, take this boat across” (i.e., O Bahawal Haq! Take this boat across). ﴿قٰتَلَهُمُ اللّٰهُ اَنّيٰ يُؤْفَكُوْنَ﴾ Why does this happen? For its reason, see the footnote number 34 of Surah Yunus.
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