Transliteration:( Fa-izaa rakiboo fil fulki da'awul laaha mukhliseena lahud deena falammaa najjaa hum ilal barri izaa hum yushrikoon )
And when they embark on ships [156], they invoke Allah, sincere to Him in faith [157]. But when He delivers them to the land, they associate others with Him [158].
This refers to the state of people—particularly polytheists—when they face danger at sea, especially when the winds turn violent. In such moments of crisis, they fear drowning, and their reliance on idols vanishes.
The “sincerity and religion” mentioned here do not imply true faith, since these were disbelievers. Rather, it means that in times of extreme hardship, they instinctively turn to Allah alone and abandon their idols. This reveals the incompleteness and weakness of their disbelief.
It is a witnessed phenomenon—even today—that in times of severe illness or calamity, even non-Muslims sometimes request Muslims to recite the Kalimah or invoke Allah and His Prophet ﷺ. This behavior indicates their inward recognition of Allah’s power despite outward disbelief.
The idolaters of Makkah would carry their idols during sea journeys, but as soon as a storm hit, they would throw them overboard and sincerely supplicate to Allah. However, once they were safely back on land, they would return to shirk. This verse exposes the foolishness and hypocrisy of such actions—turning to Allah in fear, then forgetting Him in comfort.
The tafsir of Surah Ankabut verse 65 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Ankabut ayat 64 which provides the complete commentary from verse 64 through 65.
(29:65) When they embark in the ships they call upon Allah, consecrating their faith to Him. But when He rescues them and brings them to land, they suddenly begin to associate others with Allah in His Divinity
There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.
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