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qul man yunajjīkum min ẓulumāti l-barri wa-l-baḥri tadʿūnahū taḍarruʿan wa-khufyatan la-ʾin ʾanjānā min hādhihī la-nakūnanna mina sh-shākirīna
Say, ‘Who delivers you from the darkness of land and sea, [when] You invoke Him suppliantly and secretly: ‘‘If He delivers us from this, we will surely be among the grateful’’?’
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-‘An’am, Verse 63 - 64
63. "Say: 'Who delivers you from the darkness of the land and the sea? You call upon Him humbly and secretly, (saying): If He delivers us from this (darkness), certainly we shall be of the grateful ones'."
64. "Say: Allah delivers you from them and from every affliction, then again you assign (Him) associates'."
The Light that Glitters in Darkness
Once more the Qur'an takes the hand of pagans and leads them into inside their innate disposition, and in that mysterious place it shows them the light of Unity and monotheism. So, it commands the Prophet (S) to question them who delivers them from the darkness of the land and the sea. The verse says:
"Say: ' Who delivers you from the darkness of the land and the sea?...."
Darkness has sometimes a substantial aspect and sometimes a spiritual aspect. The substantial aspect of darkness is when the light ceases utterly, or it becomes so weak that one cannot see anywhere or he sees with difficulty. The spiritual aspect of darkness is the same hardships, entanglements, disturbances and pollutions whose end is both dark and ambiguous. If this darkness combines with some terrible incidents and, for example, in a voyage by night, a person be surrounded with some awful waves in a whirlpool, its horror is of a higher degree than that of difficulties that come forth in daytime.
It is in these moments that one delivers everything to forgetfulness and does not care of anything except himself and the light, which glitters the depth of his soul, invites him to a source wherein only He can solve such problems. These kinds of cases, which happen for everybody, are some windows to Unity and monotheism. That is why, in the next phrase of the verses, the Qur'an says that it is in this status that:
And, it is in this condition that immediately you make covenant with that great source, promising that if He delivers you from danger you will certainly be grateful of His blesses and rely on none but Him.
Then, The Qur'an commands the Prophet (S) to tell them that Allah will deliver them from these darkness and from any other sorrow, as He has delivered them frequently), but, after deliverance, they pave again the path of polytheism and paganism. The verse says: