Overall meaning : Allah directs His Prophet, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to ask the Arab idolaters who associate partners with Him, 'Who saves you from the dangers of the land and the sea, when you call out to Him humbly and secretly, saying, “If You save us, Our Lord, from this distress, we will surely be most grateful to You, acknowledge Your favours and worship You alone sincerely.'’
Showing that they associate partners with their Lord after saving them, Allah Almighty says, 'Say to them, Muhammad: Allah alone saves you from this distress and from all afflictions, but then you associate partners with Him in times of ease and prosperity.’
Allah also instructs His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to say to them, 'Allah alone has the power to send punishment upon you from above your heads (by raining down stones upon you from the sky, for instance) or from under your feet (by making the earth cave in around you and swallowing you whole, for example), or throw you into utter confusion and split you into hostile groups and factions, fighting and killing one another.’ Then He directs him to see how He expounds His signs and proofs to them in diverse forms so that they may ponder and grasp the truth and give up worshipping false gods besides Him.
Then He informs His Prophet, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that his people—the Quraysh—have rejected the Qur’an although it is the very truth, and He instructs him to say to them that it is not up to him to keep count of their deeds and repay them for them, for his duty is only to convey Allah’s message to them.
Allah, Exalted be He, then threateningly informs them that every piece of news from Him has a time set for its fulfilment, neither to be delayed nor advanced, and that they will come to know the punishment against which they have been warned when it takes place at the time He wills.