وَإِذَا أَذَقْنَا النَّاسَ رَحْمَةً مِنْ بَعْدِ ضَرَّاءَ مَسَّتْهُمْ إِذَا لَهُمْ مَكْرٌ فِي آيَاتِنَا قُلِ اللَّهُ أَسْرَعُ مَكْرًا إِنَّ رُسُلَنَا يَكْتُبُونَ مَا تَمْكُرُونَ ﴿۲۱﴾ هُوَ الَّذِي يُسَيِّرُكُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ حَتَّى إِذَا كُنْتُمْ فِي الْفُلْكِ وَجَرَيْنَ بِهِمْ بِرِيحٍ طَيِّبَةٍ وَفَرِحُوا بِهَا جَاءَتْهَا رِيحٌ عَاصِفٌ وَجَاءَهُمُ الْمَوْجُ مِنْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ وَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُمْ أُحِيطَ بِهِمْ دَعَوُا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ لَئِنْ أَنْجَيْتَنَا مِنْ هَذِهِ لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الشَّاكِرِينَ ﴿۲۲﴾ فَلَمَّا أَنْجَاهُمْ إِذَا هُمْ يَبْغُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّمَا بَغْيُكُمْ عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ مَتَاعَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَنُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿۲۳﴾

﴾21﴿ Wa izaaa azaqnan naasa rahmatan min ba'di darraaa'a massat hum izaa lahum makrun feee aayaatinaa; qulil laahu asra'u makraa; inna rusulanaa yaktuboona maa tamkuroon
﴾22﴿ Huwal lazee yusayyirukum fil barri walbahri hattaaa izaa kuntum fil fulki wa jaraina bihim bi reehin tayyibatinw wa farihoo bihaa jaaa'at haa reehun 'aasifunw wa jaaa'ahumul mawju min kulli makaaninw wa zannooo 'annahum 'uheeta bihim da'a wullaaha mukhliseena lahud deena la'in anjaitanaa min haazihee la nakoonanna minash shaakireen
﴾23﴿ Falammaaa anjaahum izaa hum yabghoona fil ardi bighairil haqq; yaaa aiyuhannaasu innamaa bagh yukum 'alaaa anfusikum mataa'al hayaatid dunyaa thumma ilainaa marji'ukum fanunabbi 'ukum bimaa kuntum ta'maloon

﴾21﴿ And when We let people taste a mercy after adversity has touched them, behold, they devise against Our signs. Say, Allah is swifter in devising. Indeed, Our angels record whatever you plot
﴾22﴿ Allah Almighty is the one who guides you on land and sea until, when you are in ships and they sail with them by a gentle and pleasant wind, they rejoice in it. But suddenly, a strong wind comes and waves come at them from every direction, and they realize they are surrounded. Then they call upon Allah with sincere devotion, saying, 'If You save us from this calamity, we will surely be among the grateful
﴾23﴿ When Allah Almighty saves them, they commit injustice on the earth without right (meaning they associate partners with Him). O people, your wrongdoing is only against your own selves. Enjoy the pleasures of worldly life, but to Us is your return, and We will inform you of what you used to do.

[21] This verse is a warning to the deniers. (Raḥmah) refers to abundant sustenance, good health, merciful rain, and other blessings.
(Ḍarrā’) refers to famine, illness, and similar hardships.
(Makr) here means to reject and oppose, or to argue and dispute.
The essence is that some people, when they are relieved after hardship, begin to oppose Tawhid and the Qur'an of Allah, the Exalted.
(Asra‘u makrā)—makr in this context means the hidden planning of punishment, and speed here refers to the fact that those who are most deserving of punishment are destroyed earlier, while others are destroyed later.
Hastiness is not a trait of Allah, but speed is, in accordance with His wisdom.
This verse is also evidence that with every human being there are appointed angels who record their actions.
[22] (Yusayyirukum)—This refers to all types of travel, both on land and sea, regardless of whether such means existed at that time or not.
(Ḥattā idhā kuntum)—This introduces a condition, describing the state of sea travel.
(Fī al-fulk)—This includes both large and small ships.
(Wajrayna bihim)—This is an instance of iltifāt (a rhetorical shift in pronoun), changing from direct address to third person. One benefit of this shift is that their situation is described as a lesson for others.
(Ṭayyibah)—Describes smooth sailing—not too fast, not too slow.
(Uḥīṭa bihim)—Here, iḥāṭah means surrounding them with danger or destruction, meaning they were on the verge of being destroyed, though not yet destroyed. That’s why ẓannū (“they assumed”) is used.
(Mukhliṣīn)—Meaning they call solely upon Allah, associating no partners with Him. This sincerity stems from an innate, certain knowledge—this is īmānī ikhlāṣ (faithful sincerity).
This verse begins with a rational argument, followed by a warning to the polytheists. The essence is: when a great calamity or hardship befalls them, they call only upon Allah, abandoning the names of their false deities. They even make vows and promises to Allah—saying that if He saves them from the calamity, they will show gratitude by accepting Tawḥīd and offering vows and charity in His name.
Note: But sadly, the ignorant people of our time have become so attached in belief to saints and righteous figures that when a great trial befalls them, they call upon the saints instead of Allah and forget Him altogether. Thus, their condition is worse than that of the earlier polytheists.
This very idea is mentioned by al-Alusi in his Tafsīr al-Ma‘ānī.
[23] This verse is connected to the previous one. (Anjāhum)—This indicates that Allah, the Exalted, sometimes accepts the supplication of a polytheist as well, due to the sincerity and desperation in their plea.
(Yabghūna fī al-arḍ)—Here, baghī (transgression) refers to shirk, based on its usage in verse 65 of Surah al-‘Ankabūt, verse 67 of Surah al-Isrā’, and verse 32 of Surah Luqmān.
(Bighayr al-ḥaqq)—This means bāṭil (falsehood), referring to shirk. That is, they cause corruption by associating partners with Allah. Or it could mean: their transgression is not justified—it is without right.
Baghy bi’l-ḥaqq would refer to, for example, Muslims overpowering the wealth of disbelievers through jihad, where such taking is lawful.
(Matā‘)—Its verb is omitted; it could be understood as tamatta‘ū matā‘an (they enjoyed briefly) or as matā‘an being accusative due to an implied preposition (fī matā‘). The meaning: their transgression only earns them a brief enjoyment—it will soon vanish.
(Matā‘ al-ḥayāt al-dunyā)—This answers a potential question: “If Allah already knew that this person would return to shirk, then why did He accept their prayer?”
The answer: This is a benefit of worldly life, and Allah gives such benefits even to the polytheists.
This verse proves that at times, Allah does accept the supplications of polytheists.