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Muhammad Asad   
For [thus it is with most men:] when the waves engulf them like shadows [of death], they call unto God, sincere [at that moment] in their faith in Him alone: but as soon as He has brought them safe ashore, some of them stop half-way [between belief and unbelief] Yet none could knowingly reject Our messages unless he be utterly perfidious, ingrate
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
And as soon as they are overwhelmed by waves like mountains, they cry out to Allah ˹alone˺ in sincere devotion. But when He delivers them ˹safely˺ to shore, only some become relatively grateful. And none rejects Our signs except whoever is deceitful, ungrateful.
Safi Kaskas   
And when waves come over them like [giant] shadows, they call out to God, sincere in their devotion to Him, but when He delivers them safely to shore, some of them waver. Only a treacherous and ungrateful person refuses to acknowledge Our signs.

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
وَإِذَا غَشِیَهُم مَّوۡجࣱ كَٱلظُّلَلِ دَعَوُا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخۡلِصِینَ لَهُ ٱلدِّینَ فَلَمَّا نَجَّىٰهُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡبَرِّ فَمِنۡهُم مُّقۡتَصِدࣱۚ وَمَا یَجۡحَدُ بِءَایَـٰتِنَاۤ إِلَّا كُلُّ خَتَّارࣲ كَفُورࣲ ۝٣٢
Transliteration (2021)   
wa-idhā ghashiyahum mawjun kal-ẓulali daʿawū l-laha mukh'liṣīna lahu l-dīna falammā najjāhum ilā l-bari famin'hum muq'taṣidun wamā yajḥadu biāyātinā illā kullu khattārin kafūri
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
And when covers them a wave like canopies, they call Allah, (being) sincere to Him (in) religion. But when He delivers them to the land then among them (some are) moderate. And not deny Our Signs except every traitor ungrateful.

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
For [thus it is with most men:] when the waves engulf them like shadows [of death], they call unto God, sincere [at that moment] in their faith in Him alone: but as soon as He has brought them safe ashore, some of them stop half-way [between belief and unbelief] Yet none could knowingly reject Our messages unless he be utterly perfidious, ingrate
M. M. Pickthall   
And if a wave enshroudeth them like awnings, they cry unto Allah, making their faith pure for Him only. But when He bringeth them safe to land, some of them compromise. None denieth Our signs save every traitor ingrate
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
When a wave covers them like the canopy (of clouds), they call to Allah, offering Him sincere devotion. But when He has delivered them safely to land, there are among them those that halt between (right and wrong). But none reject Our Signs except only a perfidious ungrateful (wretch)
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
And as soon as they are overwhelmed by waves like mountains, they cry out to Allah ˹alone˺ in sincere devotion. But when He delivers them ˹safely˺ to shore, only some become relatively grateful. And none rejects Our signs except whoever is deceitful, ungrateful.
Safi Kaskas   
And when waves come over them like [giant] shadows, they call out to God, sincere in their devotion to Him, but when He delivers them safely to shore, some of them waver. Only a treacherous and ungrateful person refuses to acknowledge Our signs.
Wahiduddin Khan   
When the waves engulf them like shadows [of death], they call to God, sincere [at that moment] in their faith in Him alone: but as soon as He has brought them safe ashore, only some of them take the right course. And none denies Our signs save the perfidious and ungrateful person
Shakir   
And when a wave like mountains covers them they call upon Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience, but when He brings them safe to the land, some of them follow the middle course; and none denies Our signs but every perfidious, ungrateful one
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
And when a wave overcame them like an overshadowing, they called to God as ones who are sincere and devoted in the way of life to Him. Then, when He delivered them to dry land among them are ones who halt between two opinions. And none negates Our signs but every ungrateful turncoat.
T.B.Irving   
Whenever waves cover them like awnings, they appeal to God sincerely; religion belongs to Him! Yet once He delivers them to land, some of them act disinterested. It is only every ungrateful swindler who repudiates Our signs.
Abdul Hye   
When a wave covers them like a shade, they invoke Allah with sincerity in faith to Him only. But when He brings them safe to land, there are some among them who stop in the middle (between belief and disbelief). But none denies Our Signs except every ungrateful traitor.
The Study Quran   
And when waves enshroud them like awnings, they call upon God, devoting religion entirely to Him. Then when He has delivered them safely to land, some of them take a middling course. And none reject Our signs, save all who are perfidious, ungrateful
Talal Itani & AI (2024)   
When engulfed by towering waves, they call upon God, sincerely devoted to Him. Yet, once he brings them safely to land, some of them maintain neutrality. Only the ungrateful, treacherous denies Our signs.
Talal Itani (2012)   
When waves, like canopies, cover them, they call upon God, devoting their religion to Him. But when He has delivered them to dry land, some of them waver. No one renounces Our revelations except the treacherous blasphemer
Dr. Kamal Omar   
And when a wave covered them like coverings, they invoked Allah as those who keep the Religion strictly pure for Him. Then when He provided them a safe passage to the land, then amongst them are seen those who adopt a middle path. And do not strive against Ayaatina except all the perfidious, ungrateful individuals
M. Farook Malik   
When any giant wave covers them like a canopy, they pray to Allah with all devotion making their faith pure for Him. But when He delivers them safely to land, some of them falter between belief and unbelief. None reject Our revelations except the treacherous and the ungrateful
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
And when the waves envelop them like overshadowings, they invoke Allah, making the religion His faithfully; yet as soon as He delivers them safe to the land, then (some) of them are moderate; and in no way does anybody repudiate Our signs except everyone (who is) a most perfidious, constantly ungrateful disbeliever
Muhammad Sarwar   
When the waves cover them like shadows, they pray to God with sincerity in their religion, but when We bring them safely to land, only some of them follow the right path. No one rejects Our revelations except the treacherous ungrateful ones
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
And when they are covered by waves like canopies, they pray to Allah, having faith exclusively in Him. Then, once He brings them safe to the land, some of them remain balanced, (while others turn ungrateful by denying Allah‘s signs.) And no one denies Our signs except every ungrateful traitor
Shabbir Ahmed   
And so, when violent waves surround them like shadows of gloom, they call unto Allah, sincere in their faith in Him (and work according to Divine Laws). But as soon as We save them ashore, some of them compromise (with falsehood). Yet none could knowingly reject Our Messages unless he is a betrayer to his own "Self", ungrateful for such blessing
Dr. Munir Munshey   
They call Allah when (in the high seas) the waves cover them over like a canopy. (At that time) they forsake all others (and resolve) to let their religion be exclusively for Him. However, when We rescue them (and bring them) back to land, some of them compromise and fall short (of true belief). Indeed, those refuting Our signs are the swindling ungrateful cheats
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
And when waves come over them like blankets, they (the men call to and) invoke Allah, giving Him (their) true prayers (and love). But when He has brought them safely to land, there are from them, those who stop midway between (right and wrong). And none deny Our Signs except those who break their promise and who are ungrateful
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
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
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
And when waves surround them like mountains, they call on God, sincerely devoting the system to Him. But when He saves them to the shore, some of them revert. None discard Our signs except those who are betrayers, unappreciative
Abdel Haleem   
When the waves loom over those on board like giant shadows they call out to God, devoting their religion entirely to Him. But, when He has delivered them safely to land, some of them waver- only a treacherous, thankless person refuses to acknowledge Our signs
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
And when a wave covereth them like awnings, they call upon Allah, making their religion pure for Him. Then when He delivereth them on the land, only some of them keep to the middle course. And none gainsaith Our signssave each perfidious,ingrate one
Ahmed Ali   
When the waves overshadow them like a canopy, they pray to God with all-exclusive faith in Him. But after He has safely brought them to the shore, there are some who vacillate between doubt and belief, but no one rejects Our signs except those who are perverse and disbelieve
Aisha Bewley   
When the waves hang over them like canopies, they call on Allah, making their deen sincerely His. But then when He delivers them safely to the land, some of them are ambivalent. None but a treacherous, thankless man denies Our Signs.
Ali Ünal   
When the waves overwhelm them like a canopy (of dark clouds), they call upon God sincerely believing in Him alone (as the only Deity, Lord and Sovereign). But when He brings them safe to land, some of them are lukewarm, wavering between faith and unbelief. None opposes and rejects Our signs (knowingly) unless he is perfidious, ungrateful
Ali Quli Qara'i   
When waves cover them like awnings, they invoke Allah, putting exclusive faith in Him. But when He delivers them towards land, [only] some of them remain unswerving. And no one will impugn Our signs except an ungrateful traitor
Hamid S. Aziz   
And when a wave like a shadow covers them, they call on Allah, being sincere in their religion; and when He saves them to the shore, then amongst them are some who halt between two opinions. But none denies Our signs save every perfidious disbeliever
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
And when a wave covers them like the shades, they call on God being sincere to Him in the religion, then when He saves them to the land, some of them keep to the middle course, and no one rejects Our signs except every ungrateful traitor.
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
When a wave covers them like canopies, they call to God, offering Him sincere devotion, but when He has delivered them safely to land, there are among them those that halt between right and wrong. But none reject Our signs except every ungrateful traitor
Musharraf Hussain   
Whenever a wave covers them like shadows they call Allah, sincere in their devotion; but when He brings them safely to land, some of them hesitate to believe. Anyone who disputes Our signs, is disloyal, unthankful
Maududi   
When waves engulf them (in the sea) like canopies, they call upon Allah, consecrating their faith solely to Him. But when He delivers them safely to the land, some of them become lukewarm. None denies Our Signs except the perfidious, the ungrateful
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
And when waves surround them like mountains, they call on God, sincerely devoting the system to Him. But when He saves them to the shore, some of them return. None discard Our signs except those who are betrayers, rejecters.
Mohammad Shafi   
And when a wave, like dark clouds, covers them, they pray exclusively to Allah as monotheists. Then when He brings them back safely to land, some of them become neutral (between polytheists and monotheists). And none but every treacherous, ungrateful one denies Our signs

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
And when any wave befalls them like mountains then they call upon Allah having pure faith on Him. But when He brings them safe towards land, then some of them keep to the middle course. And none shall deny Our signs but every perfidious, ungrateful.
Rashad Khalifa   
When violent waves surround them, they implore GOD, sincerely devoting their prayers to Him alone. But as soon as He saves them to the shore, some of them revert. None discards our revelations except those who are betrayers, unappreciative.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
When the waves, like shadows, envelop them, they call to Allah making their religion sincerely His, but no sooner does He bring them safely to land then some of them are halfhearted. None denies Our verses, except the ungrateful traitor
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
And when a wave like awnings covers them, they call upon Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience. But when He brings them safe to land, some of them follow the middle course. And none denies Our signs but every perfidious, ungrateful one
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira   
And if waves/surges as the shades covered/darkened them , they called God faithful/devoted to him (in) the religion, so when He saved/rescued them to the shore/land, so from them (are) moderate/in the middle range , and none disbelieves and denies with Our verses/evidences except every/each traitor/betrayer (insistent) disbeliever
Bijan Moeinian   
When a violent wave [reminding the leashed power of the nature] approaches the ship, the passengers panic and [no matter how pagan they are] invoke God [to leash the awesome power of the nature for them] sincerely devoting their prayers to God alone. When God brings them safely to the land, some of them take the middle course [to please both Caesar and God!] Only a treacherous [who lied in his prayers] and an unappreciative person [who did not thank God for being taken to safety from a dangerous situation] deny the revelations of the Lord
Faridul Haque   
And if a wave comes upon them like mountains, they pray to Allah believing purely in Him; then when He brings them safely to land, some of them remain upon justice; and none will deny Our signs except an extremely unfaithful, ungrateful person
Sher Ali   
And when waves engulf them like so many coverings, they call upon ALLAH, in full sincerity of faith; but when HE brings them to safe land, then some of them keep to the right course. And none denies Our Signs save every perfidious, ungrateful person
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
And when the sea wave engulfs them like (clouds or towering mountains or) canopies, they (the disbelievers and polytheists) start calling upon Allah, dedicating their most sincere devotion to Him alone. But when rescuing them He brings them back to land, then only a few of them remain on the moderate path (i.e., the path of guidance). And none but every deceptive and ungrateful person denies Our signs
Amatul Rahman Omar   
And when a huge wave covers (the sailors) like (so many) canopies, they call upon Allah bearing sincere faith in Him. But when He brings them safe to land then (only) some of them keep to the right course (and some of them become indifferent). Yet none denies Our signs except every perfidious ungrateful person
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
And when a wave covers them like shades (i.e. like clouds or the mountains of seawater), they invoke Allah, making their invocations for Him only. But when He brings them safe to land, there are among them those that stop in the middle, between (Belief and disbelief). But none denies Our Signs except every perfidious ungrateful

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
And when the waves cover them like shadows they call upon God, making their religion sincerely His; but when He has delivered them to the land, some of them are lukewarm. And none denies Our signs, except every ungrateful traitor
George Sale   
When waves cover them, like overshadowing clouds, they call upon God, exhibiting the pure religion unto him; but when He bringeth them safe to land, there is of them who halteth between the true faith and idolatry
Edward Henry Palmer   
And when a wave like shadows covers them, they call on God, being sincere in their religion; and when He saves them to the shore, then amongst them are some who halt between two opinions. But none gainsays our signs save every perfidious misbeliever
John Medows Rodwell   
When the waves cover them like dark shadows they call upon God as with sincere religion; but when He safely landeth them, some of them there are who halt between two opinions. Yet none reject our signs but all deceitful, ungrateful ones
N J Dawood (2014)   
When the waves, like a giant shadow, envelop them, they pray to God consecrating their religion to Him. But no sooner does He bring them safe to land than some among them falter between faith and unbelief. None denies Our revelations except the treacherous and the ungrateful

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame   
And when a wave assails them like clouds, they invoke Allah making the religion sincere for Him, but when He saves them to the land then among them are such who become mediocre [in their religion] but none denies Our signs except one who is self-conceited, ungrateful.
Munir Mezyed   
When the waves enshroud them like awnings, they call upon Allâh, sincere before Him in their Faith. But when He brings them safe to land, some of them are moderate. None will venture to repudiate Our Signs except every perfidious ingrate.
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher   
And when the waves cover them like darkness, they call Allah, making their religion sincere for Him, then when He rescues them onto land, there is the wavering among them, and only every faithless rejecter objects to Our signs.
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation   
And when waves like canopies cover them, they call upon Allah, devoting religion to Him. But when He has delivered them ashore, some of them waver. But no one repudiates Our signs except every perfidious staunch denier.
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
When a wave covers (the idolaters) like a canopy, they call to Allah, offering Him sincere devotion. When He has delivered them safely to land, however, some of them waiver. No one rejects Our signs except treacherous ingrates.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
Whenever waves cover them like awnings, they appeal to Allah (God) sincerely; religion belongs to Him! Yet once He delivers them to land, some of them act disinterested. It is only every ungrateful swindler who repudiates Our signs.
Samy Mahdy   
And if waves, like canopies, over-cover them, they call Allah, sincerely for Him the religion. So, when He has saved them to the land, so from them who are moderate. And none deny with Our verses except every treacherous, ungrateful.
Sayyid Qutb   
When the waves engulf them like shadows, they call to God, sincere in their faith in Him alone; but as soon as He has brought them safe to land, some of them are restrained in their attitude. Yet none could knowingly reject Our revelations except those who are utterly perfidious or hardened unbelievers.
Thomas Cleary   
And when waves close in over them. they call on God, sincere in submitting to God. And when We deliver them onto dry land, then some of them go straight. And no one denies Our signs but every traitorous ingrate.
Ahmed Hulusi   
And when waves cover them like dark clouds they devote their faith purely to Allah and pray... But when We deliver them to the land, some of them take the middle path. And none deliberately denies Our signs, except those who are brutal and ungrateful.
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli   
And when a wave covers them like the canopy (of clouds), they call upon Allah in sincere devotion unto Him, but when He has delivered them to the land, some of them follow the middle course, and none denies Our signs, except every perfidious, ungrateful one
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur‘an al-Karim   
And when they-people at large-are overwhelmed at sea with waves rising in billows they invoke Allah for mercy and they invoke Him exclusively. And when He saves them and delivers them to safety, then only some of them do keep their promise and begin to adopt an honest and godly course of life and eventually lift to Him their inward sight. And no one denies Our divine signs and favours ignoring Our revelations but the one who professes friendship in order to betray, mislead, deceive or seduce others and disappoint their hopes and expectations and impels himself to the feeling of ingratitude and ungratefulness
Mir Aneesuddin   
And when a wave covers them like overshadowing clouds, they pray to Allah, making religion exclusively for Him, but when He brings them safe to the land, then among them there are those who compromise (by not continuing to keep religion purely for Allah); and no one knowingly denies Our signs except every traitor, ungrateful one.

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
When a wave covers them like the canopy (of clouds), they call to God, offering Him sincere devotion. But when He has delivered them safely to land, there are among them those that halt between (right and wrong). But none reject Our Signs exce pt only a perfidious ungrateful (wretch)
OLD Literal Word for Word   
And when covers them a wave like canopies, they call Allah, (being) sincere to Him (in) religion. But when He delivers them to the land then among them (some are) moderate. And not deny Our Signs except every traitor ungrateful
OLD Transliteration   
Wa-itha ghashiyahum mawjun kaalththulali daAAawoo Allaha mukhliseena lahu alddeena falamma najjahum ila albarri faminhum muqtasidun wama yajhadu bi-ayatina illa kullu khattarin kafoorin