Tafseer of Luqman · Luqman · 31:32
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.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: En wanneer golven hen overspoelen als schaduwbanken, roepen zij Allah aan, Hem zuiver toegewijd in de godsdienst. Maar wanneer Hij hen redt naar het land, dan is een deel van hen gematigd. En niemand verloochent Onze tekenen dan elke trouweloze, uiterst ondankbare (31:32).
The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: and when these — who call upon, alongside Allah, the gods and the idols — are at sea, when they board the ships, and waves overwhelm them like the "ẓulal," which is the plural of "ẓulla" (shade-bank), by which He likens the waves on account of the intense blackness of the abundance of water. Nābigha of the Banū Jaʿda said in describing a sea:
"A green water with shade-banks accompanies them, upon its edges the shards of the great wine-jars."
And he likened the wave — which is singular — to the "ẓulal," which is plural, because the wave comes surging one after another and rides one over the other, like the form of shade-banks. And His saying: roepen zij Allah aan, Hem zuiver toegewijd in de godsdienst (they call upon Allah, devoting the religion purely to Him). The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: and when these are overwhelmed by waves like shade-banks and they fear drowning, they flee to Allah with supplication, devoting obedience purely to Him, ascribing nothing to Him as partner therein, calling upon none alongside Him, and seeking aid from none other than Him. His saying: Maar wanneer Hij hen redt naar het land (But when He delivers them to the land) from what they feared at sea of drowning and destruction, to the land. Dan is een deel van hen gematigd (then a part of them is moderate). He says: then a part of them is moderate (muqtaṣid) in his speech and in his acknowledgment of his Lord, while nonetheless concealing disbelief in Him.
And in accordance with what we have said about this, the people of interpretation spoke.
* Mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us, both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning his saying: Dan is een deel van hen gematigd (then a part of them is moderate), he said: the moderate in speech while he is a disbeliever (kāfir).
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning his saying: Dan is een deel van hen gematigd (then a part of them is moderate), he said: the moderate is the one who is in a state of righteousness in the matter.
And His saying: En niemand verloochent Onze tekenen dan elke trouweloze, uiterst ondankbare (And none denies Our signs but every treacherous, utterly ungrateful one). The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: and none disbelieves in Our indications and Our proofs but every betrayer of his covenant. And the "khatr" among the Arabs is: the ugliest treachery. To this belongs the saying of ʿAmr ibn Maʿdīkarib:
"And indeed, were you to see Abū ʿUmayr, you would make your hands full of treachery and faithlessness (khatr)."
And His saying: kafūr (utterly ungrateful) means: denying the favors, not grateful for the bounty bestowed upon him.
And in accordance with what we have said about the meaning of "al-khattār," the people of interpretation spoke.
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Ḥakkām related to us, on the authority of ʿAnbasa, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Mujāhid: elke trouweloze, uiterst ondankbare (kullu khattārin kafūr) (every treacherous, utterly ungrateful one), he said: every betrayer.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us, both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning his saying: elke trouweloze (every treacherous one), he said: betrayer.
Yaʿqūb and Ibn Wakīʿ related to me, both saying: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of Abū Rajāʾ, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning his saying: En niemand verloochent Onze tekenen dan elke trouweloze, uiterst ondankbare (And none denies Our signs but every treacherous, utterly ungrateful one), he said: betrayer.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning his saying: En niemand verloochent Onze tekenen dan elke trouweloze, uiterst ondankbare (And none denies Our signs but every treacherous, utterly ungrateful one), the "khattār" is the betrayer: every betrayer of his bond, ungrateful toward his Lord.
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning his saying: En niemand verloochent Onze tekenen dan elke trouweloze, uiterst ondankbare (And none denies Our signs but every treacherous, utterly ungrateful one), he said: every denier, utterly ungrateful.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning his saying: En niemand verloochent Onze tekenen dan elke trouweloze, uiterst ondankbare (And none denies Our signs but every treacherous, utterly ungrateful one), he said: the "khattār" is the betrayer, as you say: "he betrayed me."
Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: my father related to us, on the authority of Misʿar, he said: I heard Qatāda saying: the one who betrays his covenant.
He said: al-Muḥāribī related to us, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, he said: the betrayer.
He said: my father related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Samr ibn ʿAṭiyya al-Kāhilī, on the authority of ʿAlī, may Allah be pleased with him, he said: the trickery is treachery, and the treachery is disbelief (kufr).