Quran Universe
17:68

أَفَأَمِنتُمۡ أَن يَخۡسِفَ بِكُمۡ جَانِبَ ٱلۡبَرِّ أَوۡ يُرۡسِلَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ حَاصِبٗا ثُمَّ لَا تَجِدُواْ لَكُمۡ وَكِيلًا

Afaamintum an yakhsifa bikum janiba albarri aw yursila AAalaykum hasiban thumma la tajidoo lakum wakeelan

Then do you feel secure that [instead] He will not cause a part of the land to swallow you or send against you a storm of stones? Then you would not find for yourselves an advocate.

Word by word
  1. أَفَأَمِنتُمۡDo you then feel secure
  2. أَنthat (not)
  3. يَخۡسِفَHe will cause to swallow
  4. بِكُمۡyou
  5. جَانِبَside
  6. ٱلۡبَرِّ(of) the land
  7. أَوۡor
  8. يُرۡسِلَsend
  9. عَلَيۡكُمۡagainst you
  10. حَاصِبٗاa storm of stones
  11. ثُمَّThen
  12. لَاnot
  13. تَجِدُواْyou will find
  14. لَكُمۡfor you
  15. وَكِيلًاa guardian
Al-Isra · 17:68Makkah

Is dry land really safer?

The false feeling of security

On land
safe ashorethe danger is over
the earth can open
stones can rain
no guardianbut Him
Where safety is
on solid ground
with Allahland or sea

This speaks to the person who turned away once the boat reached land. Ibn Kathir explains: do you think dry land makes you safe from Him? Mujahid said Hasib is rain that carries stones, like what came on the people of Lut, except his family, whom Allah saved before dawn.

The scare is over, the scan was clear, the job is safe. You exhale and go back to normal. Your safety today is as much a gift as your rescue was. It is not a reason to forget Him.

Once the danger has passed, I am safe on my own.

I am never safe by myself. Every calm day is held up by Allah.

Try this

On a normal, calm day this week, thank Allah for one danger you are not in.

Related54:3467:16
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Do you then feel secure that He will not cause a side of the land to swallow you up, or that He will not send against you a Hasib? Then, you shall find no guardian (68)

Does not the Punishment of Allah come on Land too?

Allah says, do you think that by emerging onto dry land you will be safe from His vengeance and punishment, that a side of the land will not swallow you up or He will not send against you a Hasib - which is a kind of rain that carries stones? This was the view of Mujahid and others. As Allah says:

إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ حَاصِبًا إِلَّا آلَ لُوطٍ ۖ نَّجَّيْنَاهُم بِسَحَرٍ - نِّعْمَةً مِّنْ عِندِنَا

(Verily, We sent against them, except the family of Lut, them We saved in the last hour of the night, As a favor from Us.)(54:34-35) Elsewhere, Allah says:

وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا حِجَارَةً مِّن سِجِّيلٍ مَّنضُودٍ

(and We rained on them stones of Sijjil, in a well-arranged manner one after another)

أَأَمِنتُم مَّن فِي السَّمَاءِ أَن يَخْسِفَ بِكُمُ الْأَرْضَ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَمُورُ - أَمْ أَمِنتُم مَّن فِي السَّمَاءِ أَن يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَاصِبًا ۖ فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ كَيْفَ نَذِيرِ

(Do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven (Allah), will not cause the earth to sink with you, and then it should quake? Or do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven (Allah), will not send against you a Hasib? Then you shall know how (terrible) has been My warning)(67:16-17)

ثُمَّ لَا تَجِدُوا لَكُمْ وَكِيلًا

(Then, you shall find no guardian.) no helper to turn the punishment away from you and save you.