﴿ وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ ٱلضُّرُّ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَن تَدْعُونَ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ ۖ فَلَمَّا نَجَّىٰكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْبَرِّ أَعْرَضْتُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ كَفُورًا ﴾

“And whenever danger befalls you at sea, all those (powers] that you are wont to invoke forsake you, [and nothing remains for you] save Him: but as soon as He has brought you safe ashore, you turn aside [and forget Him]-for, indeed, bereft of all gratitude is man!”

And when distress befalls you at sea, those whom you are wont to invoke are no longer present, except Him�That is, those other than Him from whom you ask relief. Then [eventually] you give up all dependency on your own power (ḥawl) and strength (quwwa) and recognise His power and His strength. This verse is a refutation of the Qadarīs, who claim to have ability for themselves without [the need for] God, Exalted is He. God, Exalted is He, has said, Do you feel secure that He will not cause a slope of land to engulf you, or unleash upon you a storm of pebbles? [17:68] And He said, or unleash upon you a shattering gale to drown you [17:69]. So, if they really have ability (istiṭāʿa), let them repel the punishment from themselves.His words, Exalted is He: