Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 18 Al-Kahf, Ayat 28-40

وَاصۡبِرۡ نَـفۡسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِيۡنَ يَدۡعُوۡنَ رَبَّهُمۡ بِالۡغَدٰوةِ وَالۡعَشِىِّ يُرِيۡدُوۡنَ وَجۡهَهٗ​ وَلَا تَعۡدُ عَيۡنٰكَ عَنۡهُمۡ​ ۚ تُرِيۡدُ زِيۡنَةَ الۡحَيٰوةِ الدُّنۡيَا​ ۚ وَ لَا تُطِعۡ مَنۡ اَغۡفَلۡنَا قَلۡبَهٗ عَنۡ ذِكۡرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوٰٮهُ وَكَانَ اَمۡرُهٗ فُرُطًا‏ ﴿18:28﴾ وَقُلِ الۡحَـقُّ مِنۡ رَّبِّكُمۡ​ فَمَنۡ شَآءَ فَلۡيُؤۡمِنۡ وَّمَنۡ شَآءَ فَلۡيَكۡفُرۡ ​ۙاِنَّاۤ اَعۡتَدۡنَا لِلظّٰلِمِيۡنَ نَارًا ۙ اَحَاطَ بِهِمۡ سُرَادِقُهَا​ ؕ وَاِنۡ يَّسۡتَغِيۡثُوۡا يُغَاثُوۡا بِمَآءٍ كَالۡمُهۡلِ يَشۡوِى الۡوُجُوۡهَ​ؕ بِئۡسَ الشَّرَابُ وَسَآءَتۡ مُرۡتَفَقًا‏ ﴿18:29﴾ اِنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ اِنَّا لَا نُضِيۡعُ اَجۡرَ مَنۡ اَحۡسَنَ عَمَلًا​ ۚ‏ ﴿18:30﴾ اُولٰۤـئِكَ لَهُمۡ جَنّٰتُ عَدۡنٍ تَجۡرِىۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِهِمُ الۡاَنۡهٰرُ يُحَلَّوۡنَ فِيۡهَا مِنۡ اَسَاوِرَ مِنۡ ذَهَبٍ وَّ يَلۡبَسُوۡنَ ثِيَابًا خُضۡرًا مِّنۡ سُنۡدُسٍ وَّاِسۡتَبۡرَقٍ مُّتَّكِـئِيۡنَ فِيۡهَا عَلَى الۡاَرَآئِكِ​ؕ نِعۡمَ الثَّوَابُ ؕ وَحَسُنَتۡ مُرۡتَفَقًا‏ ﴿18:31﴾ وَاضۡرِبۡ لَهُمۡ مَّثَلًا رَّجُلَيۡنِ جَعَلۡنَا لِاَحَدِهِمَا جَنَّتَيۡنِ مِنۡ اَعۡنَابٍ وَّحَفَفۡنٰهُمَا بِنَخۡلٍ وَّجَعَلۡنَا بَيۡنَهُمَا زَرۡعًا ؕ‏ ﴿18:32﴾ كِلۡتَا الۡجَـنَّتَيۡنِ اٰتَتۡ اُكُلَهَا وَلَمۡ تَظۡلِمۡ مِّنۡهُ شَيۡـئًـا​ ۙ وَّفَجَّرۡنَا خِلٰـلَهُمَا نَهَرًا ۙ‏ ﴿18:33﴾ وَكَانَ لَهٗ ثَمَرٌ​ ۚ فَقَالَ لِصَاحِبِهٖ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهٗۤ اَنَا اَكۡثَرُ مِنۡكَ مَالًا وَّاَعَزُّ نَفَرًا‏ ﴿18:34﴾ وَدَخَلَ جَنَّتَهٗ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفۡسِهٖ​ ۚ قَالَ مَاۤ اَظُنُّ اَنۡ تَبِيۡدَ هٰذِهٖۤ اَبَدًا ۙ‏ ﴿18:35﴾ وَّمَاۤ اَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَآئِمَةً  ۙ وَّلَـئِنۡ رُّدِدْتُّ اِلٰى رَبِّىۡ لَاَجِدَنَّ خَيۡرًا مِّنۡهَا مُنۡقَلَبًا‏ ﴿18:36﴾ قَالَ لَهٗ صَاحِبُهٗ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهٗۤ اَكَفَرۡتَ بِالَّذِىۡ خَلَقَكَ مِنۡ تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِنۡ نُّـطۡفَةٍ ثُمَّ سَوّٰٮكَ رَجُلًاؕ‏ ﴿18:37﴾ لّٰـكِنَّا۟ هُوَ اللّٰهُ رَبِّىۡ وَلَاۤ اُشۡرِكُ بِرَبِّىۡۤ اَحَدًا‏ ﴿18:38﴾ وَلَوۡلَاۤ اِذۡ دَخَلۡتَ جَنَّتَكَ قُلۡتَ مَا شَآءَ اللّٰهُ ۙ لَا قُوَّةَ اِلَّا بِاللّٰهِ​ ۚ اِنۡ تَرَنِ اَنَا اَقَلَّ مِنۡكَ مَالًا وَّوَلَدًا​ ۚ‏ ﴿18:39﴾ فَعَسٰى رَبِّىۡۤ اَنۡ يُّؤۡتِيَنِ خَيۡرًا مِّنۡ جَنَّتِكَ وَيُرۡسِلَ عَلَيۡهَا حُسۡبَانًا مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ فَتُصۡبِحَ صَعِيۡدًا زَلَـقًا ۙ‏ ﴿18:40﴾

(18:28) Keep yourself content with those who call upon their Lord, morning and evening, seeking His pleasure, and do not let your eyes pass beyond them. Do you seek the pomp and glitter of the world?28 Do not follow him29 whose heart We have caused to be heedless of Our remembrance, and who follows his desires, and whose attitude is of excess.30 (18:29) And proclaim: "This is the Truth from your Lord. Now let him who will, believe; and let him who will, disbelieve.31 We have prepared a Fire for the wrong-doers whose billowing folds encompass them.32 If they ask for water, they will be served with a drink like dregs of oil33 that will scald their faces. How dreadful a drink, and how evil an abode! (18:30) As for those who believe and do good We shall not cause their reward to be lost. (18:31) They shall dwell in the Gardens of Eternity, beneath which streams flow. There they will be adorned with bracelets of gold,34 will be arrayed in green garments of silk and rich brocade, and will recline on raised couches.35 How excellent is their reward, and how nice their resting-place!" (18:32) (O Muhammad), propound a parable to them.36 There were two men of whom We bestowed upon one of the two vineyards, surrounding both of them with date-palms and putting a tillage in between. (18:33) Both the vineyards yielded abundant produce without failure and We caused a stream to flow in their midst (18:34) so the owner had fruit in abundance and he said to his neighbour, while conversing with him: "I have greater wealth than you and I am stronger than you in numbers." (18:35) Then he entered his vine-yard37 and said, wronging himself: "Surely, I do not believe that all this will ever perish. (18:36) Nor do I believe that the Hour of Resurrection will ever come to pass. And even if I am returned to my Lord, I shall find a better place than this."38 (18:37) While conversing with him his neighbour exclaimed: "Do you deny Him Who created you out of dust, then out of a drop of sperm, and then fashioned you into a complete man?39 (18:38) As for myself, Allah alone is my Lord, and I associate none with my Lord in His Divinity. (18:39) When you entered your vineyard, why did you not say: 'Whatever Allah wills shall come to pass, for there is no power40 save with Allah!' If you find me less than yourself in wealth and children (18:40) it may well be that my Lord will give me something better than your vineyard, and send a calamity upon your vineyard from the heavens and it will be reduced to a barren waste,

Notes

28. Though these words have also been addressed to the Prophet (peace be upon him), they are really meant for the chiefs of the Quraish. According to a tradition related by Ibn Abbas, the chiefs of the Quraish would say to the Prophet (peace be upon him) that they considered it below their dignity to sit with such people as Bilal, Suhaib, Ammar, Khabbab, Ibn-Masud and the like who generally remained in his company, and that if he should send them away, they would be willing to attend his meetings in order to learn about his message. At this Allah revealed this verse: And keep yourself whole heartedly content with those who pray to their Lord morning and evening in order to win His approval and do not turn your attention away from them: Do you desire to discard these sincere but poor people so that the chiefs of the Quraish, the well to do people, should come and sit near you? This was meant to warn the chiefs of the Quraish to this effect: Your wealth, your pomp and show of which you are so proud has no value at all in the sight of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him). Nay, those poor people are really more worthy in their sight, for they are sincere and always remember Allah. The same was the attitude of the chiefs of Prophet Noah’s (peace be upon him) people, who said: And we also see that none but the meanest and the most shallow of our people have become your followers. Upon this, Noah (peace be upon him) replied: I am not going to drive away those who have believed in me, nor can I say about those whom you disdain that Allah has not bestowed any good on them. (Surah Al-Anbia Ayats 27, 29, (31).

29. That is, do not yield to what he says, nor submit to him, nor fulfill his desire, nor follow his bidding.

30. The original Arabic text may also mean: Who discards the truth, breaks all moral limits and rushes on headlong. But in both cases it comes to this: The one, who is neglectful of Allah and becomes a slave of his lust, inevitably transgresses all limits and becomes a victim of immoderation. Therefore the one who will submit to him, will also follow the same way and wander about in deviation after him.

31. This verse makes it quite plain that the story of the sleepers of the cave has been related to tell the opponents of Islam: This is the truth from your Lord. Now whosoever wills, he may accept it and whosoever wills, he may reject it. But people must understand that no compromise will be made in regard to the truth just as the sleepers of the cave did not make any compromise with regard to their creed. They did not make any compromise in regard to the doctrine of Tauhid after they had believed in it and categorically declared: Our Lord is the One Who alone is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. After this declaration they did not in any way accede to the making of any compromise with their people, who had gone astray. But they firmly declared: We will not give Him up and pray to other deities, because it will be the most improper thing, if we did so. After making this declaration they left their people and deities and took refuge in the cave without taking any provisions with them. After this when they woke up, the only thing about which they showed any anxiety, was that their people might not succeed in forcing them back to their own faith. After relating these things, the Quran addresses the Prophet (peace be upon him) to the effect (though these words are really meant for the opponents of Islam): It is absolutely out of question whether any compromise can be made with mushriks and disbelievers. Present the truth intact to them whether they accept it or not. If they do not accept it, they themselves will meet with an evil end. As regards to those, who have accepted the truth, (whether they be youngsters or poor, indigent people or slaves or laborers) they are really those people who have a worth with Allah, and they alone will be honored. Therefore you should not discard them and prefer the chiefs and the rich people who may be neglectful of Allah and be slaves of their own desires, even though they might be possessors of worldly grandeur.

32. The Arabic word Suradiq literally means sides of a tent but, as used in the case of Hell, it may mean its external boundaries to which its flames and heat may reach. According to some commentators, it applies to the future tense “its walls will be surrounding them” so as to refer to the flames of Hell in the Hereafter. But we are of the opinion that its flames have already encircled, in this very world, these workers of iniquity, who have turned away from the truth and that they cannot escape them.

33. The Arabic word muhul has several lexical meanings. According to some people, it means the residue of oil; according to others, it is lava which is formed by the melting of things in the earth; according to some others, it is molten matter and according to others, it is pus and blood.

34. The dwellers of Paradise will be adorned with bracelets of gold like the kings of ancient times. This will be to show that they will be adorned like the kings of this world, whereas an unbeliever and wicked king will be disgraced there.

35. The Arabic word araaik is plural of arikah which is that kind of throne that is covered with an umbrella. This is also to show that in Paradise the believers will sit on thrones like the kings of this world.

36. In order to understand the significance of this parable we should keep in view( Ayat 28 )in which arrogant chiefs of Makkah were told that the poor companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) would not be discarded to please them.

37. He considered his gardens to be Paradise. Thus he behaved like those mean persons who, when rise to power and wealth, are always involved in the misunderstanding that they are enjoying Paradise in this world, therefore they do not stand in need of any other Paradise.

38. That is, I don’t think there is any life after death, but supposing there be one, I shall fare even better there than in my present life, for my prosperity is a clear proof that I am a favorite of God.

39. This shows that unbelief in Allah is not confined to the denial of the existence of God in so many words, but arrogance, pride, vanity and the denial of the Hereafter are also kufr. Although that person did not deny the existence of Allah, he professed it as is apparent from his words (And if I am brought back to my Lord), yet in spite of his profession, his neighbor charged him with unbelief in Allah. This is because the person, who considers his wealth and his grandeur etc. to be the fruits of his own power and capability and not the favors of Allah, and who thinks that they are everlasting and none can take than away from him and that he is not accountable to anyone, is guilty of unbelief in Allah, even though he might profess belief in Him, for he acknowledges Allah as a Being and not as his Master, Owner and Sovereign. In fact, belief in Allah demands not merely the profession of His existence but also the acknowledgment of His Sovereignty, Mastery, Rule and the like.

40. That is, If we are able to do anything, it is by the help and support of Allah alone.