The Quran

Preface

وَإِذا غَشِيَهُم مَوجٌ كَالظُّلَلِ دَعَوُا اللَّهَ مُخلِصينَ لَهُ الدّينَ فَلَمّا نَجّاهُم إِلَى البَرِّ فَمِنهُم مُقتَصِدٌ ۚ وَما يَجحَدُ بِآياتِنا إِلّا كُلُّ خَتّارٍ كَفورٍ

Yusuf Ali

When a wave covers them like the canopy (of clouds), they call to God, offering Him sincere devotion.¹ But when He has delivered them safely to land, there are among them those that halt² between (right and wrong). But none reject Our Signs except only a perfidious ungrateful (wretch)!

Cf. 7:29. Unlike the people mentioned in the last verse, who constantly seek God’s help and give thanks for His mercies by using them aright and doing their duty, there is a class of men whose worship is merely inspired by terror. When they are in physical danger-the only kind of danger they appreciate-g.g-., in a storm at sea, they genuinely think of God. But once the danger is past, they become indifferent or wish to appear good while dallying with evil. See next verse.
They halt between two opinions. They are not against good, but they will not eschew evil. They are a contrast to those who “constantly persevere and give thanks”. But such an attitude amounts really to “perfidious ingratitude”.