And when We let mankind taste mercy after some adversity has afflicted them, behold! They take to plotting against Our Ayat! Say: "Allah is more swift in planning!" Certainly, Our messengers (angels) record all of that which you plot (21)He it is Who enables you to travel through land and sea, till when you are in the ships, and they sail with them with a favorable wind, and they are glad therein, then comes a stormy wind and the waves come to them from all sides, and they think that they are encircled therein. Then they invoke Allah, making their faith pure for Him (alone), (saying): "If You (Allah) deliver us from this, we shall truly, be of the grateful. (22)But when He delivers them, behold! They rebel (disobey Allah) in the earth wrongfully. O mankind! Your rebellion is only against yourselves, – a brief enjoyment of this worldly life, then (in the end) unto Us is your return, and We shall inform you of that which you used to do (23)

Allah tells us that when He makes men feel His mercy after being afflicted with distress,

إِذَا لَهُم مَّكْرٌ فِي آيَاتِنَا

(They take to plotting against Our Ayat.)

The coming of mercy after distress is like the coming of ease after hardship, fertility after aridity, and rain after drought. Mujahid said that man's attitude indicates a mockery and belying of blessings. The meaning here is similar to Allah's statement:

وَإِذَا مَسَّ الْإِنسَانَ الضُّرُّ دَعَانَا لِجَنبِهِ أَوْ قَاعِدًا أَوْ قَائِمًا

(And when harm touches man, he invokes Us, lying on his side, or sitting or standing.)(10:12)

Al-Bukhari recorded that Allah's Messenger ﷺ led the Subh (Dawn) prayer after it had rained during the night, then he ﷺ said:

هَلْ تَدْرُونَ مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمُ اللَّيْلَةَ؟

(Do you know what your Lord has said last night?)

They replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better." He ﷺ said:

قَالَ: أَصْبَحَ مِنْ عِبَادِي مُؤْمِنٌ بِي وَكَافِرٌ، فَأَمَّا مَنْ قَالَ: مُطِرْنَا بِفَضْلِ اللهِ وَرَحْمَتِهِ فَذَاكَ مُؤْمِنٌ بِي كَافِرٌ بِالْكَوْكَبِ، وَأَمَّا مَنْ قَالَ: مُطِرْنَا بِنَوْءِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَذَاكَ كَافِرٌ بِي مُؤْمِنٌ بِالْكَوْكَبِ

(Allah said; "This morning, some of My servants have become believers and some disbelievers in Me. He who said: 'We have had this rainfall due to the grace and mercy of Allah' is a believer in Me and a disbeliever in the stars. And he who said 'we have had this rainfall due to the rising of such and such star' is a disbeliever in Me and a believer in the stars.)

The Ayah:

قُلِ اللَّهُ أَسْرَعُ مَكْرًا

(Say: "Allah is more swift in planning!") means that Allah is more capable of gradually seizing them with punishment, while granting them concession of a delay until the criminals think that they would not be punished. But in reality they are in periods of respite, then they will be taken suddenly. The noble writers (meaning the angels who write the deeds) will write everything that they do and keep count of their deeds. Then they will present it before the All-Knowing of the seen and unseen worlds. The Lord will then reward them for the significant deeds and even the seemingly insignificant that may be as tiny as a spot on a date pit.

Allah further states:

هُوَ الَّذِي يُسَيِّرُكُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ

(He it is Who enables you to travel through land and sea...) which means that He preserves you and maintains you with His care and watching.

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا كُنتُمْ فِي الْفُلْكِ وَجَرَيْنَ بِهِم بِرِيحٍ طَيِّبَةٍ وَفَرِحُوا بِهَا

(Till when you are in the ships, and they sail with them with a favorable wind, and they are glad therein...) meaning smoothly and calmly;

جَاءَتْهَا 

(then comes (these ships))

رِيحٌ عَاصِفٌ 

(a stormy wind)

وَجَاءَهُمُ الْمَوْجُ مِن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ

(and the waves come to them from all sides,)

وَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُمْ أُحِيطَ بِهِمْ

(and they think that they are encircled therein) meaning that are going to be destroyed.

دَعَوُا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ

(Then they invoke Allah, making their faith pure for Him (alone)) meaning that in this situation they would not invoke an idol or statue besides Allah. They would single Him out alone for their supplications and prayers. This is similar to Allah's statement:

وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فِي الْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَن تَدْعُونَ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ ۖ فَلَمَّا نَجَّاكُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ أَعْرَضْتُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ الْإِنسَانُ كَفُورًا

(And when harm touches you upon the sea, those that you call upon vanish from you except Him (Allah alone). But when He brings you safe to land, you turn away (from Him). And man is ever ungrateful.)[17:67] And in this Surah, He says:

دَعَوُا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ لَئِنْ أَنجَيْتَنَا مِنْ هَٰذِهِ

(They invoke Allah, making their faith pure for Him (saying): "If You (Allah) deliver us from this (situation).")

لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الشَّاكِرِينَ

("We shall truly, be of the grateful.")

This means that we will not ascribe others as partners with You. We will later worship You alone as we are praying to You here and now. Allah states;

فَلَمَّا أَنجَاهُمْ

(But when He delivers them) from that distress,

إِذَا هُمْ يَبْغُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ

(behold! They rebel (disobey Allah) in the earth wrongfully...) meaning: they returned as if they had never experienced any difficulties and had never promised Him anything. So Allah said:

كَأَن لَّمْ يَدْعُنَا إِلَىٰ ضُرٍّ مَّسَّهُ

(He passes on as if he had never invoked Us for a harm that touched him!)[10:12] Allah then said:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّمَا بَغْيُكُمْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُم

(O mankind! Your rebellion (disobedience to Allah) is only against yourselves,) it is you yourselves that will taste the evil consequence of this transgression. You will not harm anyone else with it, as comes in the Hadith,

مَا مِنْ ذَنْبٍ أَجْدَرَ أَنْ يُعَجِّلَ اللهُ عُقُوبَتَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا مَعَ مَا يَدَّخِرُ اللهُ لِصَاحِبِهِ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْبَغْيِ وَقَطِيعَةِ الرَّحِمِ

(There is no sin that is more worthy that Allah hasten punishment for in this world – on top of the punishment that Allah has in store for it in the Hereafter – than oppression and cutting the ties of the womb.) Allah's statement:

مَّتَاعَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا

(a brief enjoyment of this worldly life...) means that you only have a short enjoyment in this low and abased worldly life.

ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُكُمْ

(then (in the end) unto Us is your return...) meaning your goal and final destination.

فَنُنَبِّئُكُم 

(and We shall inform you) of all your deeds. Then we shall recompense you for them. So let him who finds good (in his record) praise Allah, and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself.