Say: ‘Who rescues you from the darkness of the land and sea? You call on Him humbly and secretly:
“If you rescue us from this, we will truly be among the thankful.” Say: ‘God rescues you from it, and from every plight. Then you associate others with Him.
He Who responds to the oppressed when they call on Him and removes their distress, and has appointed you as inheritors of the earth. Is there another god besides God? How little you pay heed!
When harm occurs to you at sea, those you call on vanish–except for Him alone! But when He delivers you to dry land, you turn away. Man truly is ungrateful.
Hold fast to the rope of God all together, and do not separate. Remember God’s blessing to you when you were enemies and He joined your hearts together so that you became brothers by His blessing. You were on the very brink of a pit of the Fire and He rescued you from it. In this way God makes His Signs clear to you, so that hopefully you will be guided.
Then when they forgot what they had been reminded of, We rescued those who had forbidden the evil and seized those who did wrong with a harsh punishment because they were deviators.
(God said,) ‘When your sister went and said, “Shall I direct you to someone who will take care of him?” that was how We returned you to your mother so that she might delight her eyes and not be grieved. You killed a man and We rescued you from trouble and tested you with many trials. You stayed some years among the people of Madyan. Then you arrived at the pre-ordained time, Musa!
They said, ‘Burn him and support your gods if you are resolved to do something.’ We said, ‘Fire, be coolness and peace for Ibrahim! They desired to trap him but We made them the losers. We delivered both him and Lut to the land which We had blessed for all beings.
And Dhu’n-Nun (Yunus) when he left in anger and thought We would not punish him. He called out in the pitch darkness:
‘There is no god but You! Glory be to You! Truly I have been one of the wrongdoers.’ We responded to him and rescued him from his grief. That is how We rescue the believers.
So We revealed to Musa, ‘Strike the sea with your staff.’ And it split in two, each part like a towering cliff. And We brought the others right up to it. We rescued Musa and all those who were with him.
He (Noah) said: “O my Lord! truly, my people have rejected me. Judge rightly between us, and deliver me and those of the believers who are with me.” So We rescued him (Nuh) and those with him in the loaded ship.
These are the ruins of their houses because of the wrong they did. There is certainly a Sign in that for people with knowledge. We rescued those who believed and who guarded against evil.
The only response of his people was to say: ‘Drive the family of Lut out of your city! They are people who keep themselves pure!’ So We rescued him (Lut) and his family–except for his wife. We ordained her to be one of those who stayed behind.
We sent Nuh to his people and he remained among them for fifty short of a thousand years; yet the Flood engulfed them while they were wrongdoers. We rescued him and the occupants of the Ark and made that into a Sign for all the worlds.
The only answer of his people was to say: ‘Kill him or burn him!’ But God rescued him (Ibrahim) from the fire. There are certainly Signs in that for people who are believers.
When Our messengers came with the good news to Ibrahim, they said,
‘We are going to destroy the people of this city. Truly its inhabitants are wrongdoers.’ He said, ‘Lut is in it.’ They said, ‘We know very well who is in it. We are going to rescue him and his family– except for his wife. She will be one of those who stay behind.’ When Our Messengers came to Lut, he was distressed on their account, feeling incapable of protecting them. They said, ‘Do not fear and do not grieve. We are going to rescue you and your family–except for your wife; she will be one of those who stay behind.’
As for Thamud, We guided them, but they preferred blindness to guidance. So the lightning-bolt of the punishment of humiliation seized them on account of what they earned. And We saved those who believed and were mindful of God.
We unleashed a sudden squall of stones against all of them, except the family of Lut, who We rescued before dawn. It was a blessing direct from Our Presence. That is how We recompense those who give thanks.
Remember when We rescued you from the people of Pharaoh. They were inflicting an evil punishment on you–slaughtering your sons and letting your women live. In that there was a terrible trial for you from your Lord. And when We parted the sea for you and rescued you, and drowned the people of Pharaoh while you watched.
Choosing “The Most” of God’s Approval in Every Respect and Aspiring to Volunteer for Serving Islam, Altruistic Deeds, and Challenging Tasks If Need be Throughout
The Day
Those believers who stay behind–other than those forced to by necessity–are not the same as those who strive in the Way of God, sacrificing their wealth and themselves. God has given those who strive with their wealth and themselves a higher rank than those who stay behind. God has promised the Best to both, but God has preferred those who strive over those who stay behind by an immense reward.
Do you make the giving of water to the pilgrims and looking after the Sacred Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) the same as believing in God and the Last Day and striving in the Way of God? They are not equal in the Sight of God. God does not guide wrongdoing people. Those who believe and migrate and strive in the Way of God with their wealth and themselves have a higher rank with God. They are the ones who are victorious.
… Those of you who gave and fought before the Victory are not the same as those who gave and fought afterwards. They are higher in rank. But to each of them God has promised the Best. God is aware of what you do.
