سُوْرَةُ الإِسۡرَاءِ
Surah Al-Israa (17) — Ayah 67
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 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.
[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.
