Quran Universe
31:32

وَإِذَا غَشِيَهُم مَّوۡجٞ كَٱلظُّلَلِ دَعَوُاْ ٱللَّهَ مُخۡلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ فَلَمَّا نَجَّىٰهُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡبَرِّ فَمِنۡهُم مُّقۡتَصِدٞۚ وَمَا يَجۡحَدُ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآ إِلَّا كُلُّ خَتَّارٖ كَفُورٖ

Waitha ghashiyahum mawjun kaalththulali daAAawoo Allaha mukhliseena lahu alddeena falamma najjahum ila albarri faminhum muqtasidun wama yajhadu biayatina illa kullu khattarin kafoorin

And when waves come over them like canopies, they supplicate Allah, sincere to Him in religion. But when He delivers them to the land, there are [some] of them who are moderate [in faith]. And none rejects Our signs except everyone treacherous and ungrateful.

Word by word
  1. وَإِذَاAnd when
  2. غَشِيَهُمcovers them
  3. مَّوۡجٞa wave
  4. كَٱلظُّلَلِlike canopies
  5. دَعَوُاْthey call
  6. ٱللَّهَAllah
  7. مُخۡلِصِينَ(being) sincere
  8. لَهُto Him
  9. ٱلدِّينَ(in) religion
  10. فَلَمَّاBut when
  11. نَجَّىٰهُمۡHe delivers them
  12. إِلَىto
  13. ٱلۡبَرِّthe land
  14. فَمِنۡهُمthen among them
  15. مُّقۡتَصِدٞۚ(some are) moderate
  16. وَمَاAnd not
  17. يَجۡحَدُdeny
  18. بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآOur Signs
  19. إِلَّاexcept
  20. كُلُّevery
  21. خَتَّارٖtraitor
  22. كَفُورٖungrateful
Luqman · 31:32Makkah

Sincere in the storm, half-hearted back on land.

Calling on Allah only when waves rise

At sea and on land
waves like mountainsfear
they
call Allah sincerelyHim alone
then on land
drift backthe promise forgotten
Two kinds of dua
only in crisisthen forgotten
in storm and calmthe same heart

Ibn Kathir says when waves covered them like mountains or clouds, they called on Allah alone. Safe on land, some held back. He explains Khattar as one who breaks his promise, and Kafur as one who forgets blessings.

The hospital corridor at 3am. You promise Allah you will change everything. The scan comes back clear, and a month later the promise is gone. Remember the corridor.

I turn to Allah when things get serious.

The dua I made in the storm is a promise to keep in the calm.

Try this

Recall one promise you made to Allah in a hard moment, and do one part of it today.

Related17:6729:65
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 31:31)

See you not that the ships sail through the sea by Allah's grace that He may show you of His signs? Verily, in this are signs for every patient, grateful (person)(31)And when waves cover them like shades, they invoke Allah, making their invocations for Him only. But when He brings them safe to land, there are among them those that stop in between. And Our Ayat are not denied except by every Khattār Kafūr (32)

Allah tells us that He is the One Who has subjugated the sea so that ships may sail on it by His command,i.e, His power.For if He did not give the water the strength to carry the ships, they would not sail. So He says:

 لِيُرِيَكُمْ مِنْ آيَاتِهِ

(that He may show you of His signs) meaning, by His power.

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ

(Verily, in this are signs for every patient, grateful.) means, every person who bears difficulty with patience and who gives thanks at times of ease. Then Allah says:

وَإِذَا غَشِيَهُمْ مَوْجٌ كَالظُّلَلِ

(And when waves cover them like shades,) meaning, like mountains or clouds,

دَعَوُا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ 

(they invoke Allah, making their invocations for Him only.) This is like the Ayah,

وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فِي الْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَنْ تَدْعُونَ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ ۖ 

(And when harm touches you upon the sea, those that you call upon vanish from you except Him)(17:67).

فَإِذَا رَكِبُوا فِي الْفُلْكِ

(And when they embark on a ship...)(29:65) Then Allah says:

فَلَمَّا نَجَّاهُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ فَمِنْهُمْ مُقْتَصِدٌ

(But when He brings them safe to land, there are among them those that stop in between.) Mujahid said, "This refers to the disbelievers – as if he interpreted the word Muqtasid to mean denier as in the Ayah,

فَلَمَّا نَجَّاهُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ إِذَا هُمْ يُشْرِكُونَ

(but when He brings them safely to land, behold, they give a share of their worship to others)(29:65).

وَمَا يَجْحَدُ بِآيَاتِنَا إِلَّا كُلُّ خَتَّارٍ كَفُورٍ

(And Our Ayat are not denied except by every Khattār Kafūr.) Khattar means one who betrays or stabs in the back. This was the view of Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and Malik, narrating from Zayd bin Aslam. This word describes a person who, whenever he makes a promise, breaks his promise, and it refers to the worst form of treachery.

كَفُورٍ

(Kafur) means, one who denies blessings and does not give thanks for them, rather he forgets them and does not remember them.