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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
Introduction to Tafheem | Glossary | Verbs
Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear

 Surah Al-Kahf 18:1-6 [1/12] ↕
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ٱلْحَمْدُAll Praise
لِلَّهِ(is) for Allah
ٱلَّذِىٓthe One Who
أَنزَلَ(has) revealed
عَلَىٰto
عَبْدِهِHis slave
ٱلْكِتَـٰبَthe Book,
وَلَمْand not
يَجْعَل(has) made
لَّهُۥin it
عِوَجَاۜany crookedness.
﴿١﴾
قَيِّمًاStraight,
لِّيُنذِرَto warn
بَأْسًا(of) a punishment
شَدِيدًاsevere,
مِّنfrom
لَّدُنْهُnear Him,
وَيُبَشِّرَand give glad tidings
ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ(to) the believers,
ٱلَّذِينَthose who
يَعْمَلُونَdo
ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِrighteous deeds,
أَنَّthat
لَهُمْfor them
أَجْرًا حَسَنًا(is) a good reward.
﴿٢﴾
مَّـٰكِثِينَ(They will) abide
فِيهِin it
أَبَدًاforever.
﴿٣﴾
وَيُنذِرَAnd to warn
ٱلَّذِينَthose who
قَالُواْsay,
ٱتَّخَذَ ٱللَّهُ"Allah has taken
وَلَدًاa son."
﴿٤﴾
مَّاNot
لَهُمthey have
بِهِۦabout it
مِنْany
عِلْمٍknowledge
وَلَاand not
لِأَبَآئِهِمْ‌ۚtheir forefathers.
كَبُرَتْMighty (is)
كَلِمَةًthe word
تَخْرُجُ(that) comes out
مِنْof
أَفْوَٲهِهِمْ‌ۚtheir mouths.
إِنNot
يَقُولُونَthey say
إِلَّاexcept
كَذِبًاa lie.
﴿٥﴾
فَلَعَلَّكَThen perhaps you would (be)
بَـٰخِعٌthe one who kills
نَّفْسَكَyourself
عَلَىٰٓover
ءَاثَـٰرِهِمْtheir footsteps,
إِنif
لَّمْnot
يُؤْمِنُواْthey believe
بِهَـٰذَاin this
ٱلْحَدِيثِ[the] narration,
أَسَفًا(in) grief.
﴿٦﴾

بِسۡمِ اللهِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِيۡمِ اَ لۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِىۡۤ اَنۡزَلَ عَلٰى عَبۡدِهِ الۡكِتٰبَ وَلَمۡ يَجۡعَلْ لَّهٗ عِوَجًا  ؕ‏  قَيِّمًا لِّيُنۡذِرَ بَاۡسًا شَدِيۡدًا مِّنۡ لَّدُنۡهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ الَّذِيۡنَ يَعۡمَلُوۡنَ الصّٰلِحٰتِ اَنَّ لَهُمۡ اَجۡرًا حَسَنًا ۙ‏  مّٰكِثِيۡنَ فِيۡهِ اَبَدًا ۙ‏  وَّيُنۡذِرَ الَّذِيۡنَ قَالُوا اتَّخَذَ اللّٰهُ وَلَدًا‏  مَا لَهُمۡ بِهٖ مِنۡ عِلۡمٍ وَّلَا لِاٰبَآئِهِمۡ​ؕ كَبُرَتۡ كَلِمَةً تَخۡرُجُ مِنۡ اَفۡوَاهِهِمۡ​ؕ اِنۡ يَّقُوۡلُوۡنَ اِلَّا كَذِبًا‏  فَلَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَّـفۡسَكَ عَلٰٓى اٰثَارِهِمۡ اِنۡ لَّمۡ يُؤۡمِنُوۡا بِهٰذَا الۡحَـدِيۡثِ اَسَفًا‏ 
Translation
(18:1) Praise be to Allah Who has revealed to His servant the Book devoid of all crookedness;1 (18:2) an unerringly Straight Book, meant to warn of a stern punishment from Allah, and to proclaim, to those who believe and work righteous deeds, the tiding that theirs shall be a good reward (18:3) wherein they shall abide for ever; (18:4) and also to warn those who say: "Allah has taken to Himself a son,"2 (18:5) a thing about which they have no knowledge,3 neither they nor their ancestors. Dreadful is the word that comes out of their mouths. What they utter is merely a lie. (18:6) (O Muhammad), if they do not believe in this Message,4 you will perhaps torment yourself to death with grief, sorrowing over them.
Commentary

1. That is, there is nothing intricate or complicated in it that may be beyond anyone’s understanding nor is there anything that deviates from the straight path of the truth and thus cause hesitation in the mind of a truth loving person.

2. “Those who say” includes the Christians, the Jews and the mushrik Arabs who assigned offspring to Allah.

3. “Dreadful is the word” That one is the son of God, or Allah has adopted that one as a son. This has been declared to be dreadful because it was not based o any knowledge that Allah has a son or has adopted a son. They had merely exaggerated their love for someone and invented such a relationship. And they do not realize that it is a dreadful blasphemy, impudence and fabrication that they are uttering in regards to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

4. This refers to the real cause of the anxiety of the Prophet (peace be upon him) at the time of the revelation of this Surah. It clearly shows that the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not grieve at the persecution from which he and his companions were suffering but at the deviation and moral degeneration of his people. What was consuming him was that, though he was trying to bring them out from their disgraceful state, they persisted in it. He was grieved because he was convinced that their deviation would inevitably lead them to destruction and scourge of Allah. Therefore he was working day and night to save them but it appeared that they were bent upon incurring the chastisement of Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself has described this state of his mind in a tradition to this effect: I may describe this thing in a parable. A person kindled a fire to spread light but the moths persist in falling over it to burn themselves alive. He tries to save them from the fire but the moths reduce his efforts to failure. The same is true of me and you. I hold you by your skirts to keep you away from the fire, but you are bent upon falling into it. (Bukhari, Muslim).

Though apparently it is merely stated that it may be that you will consume your life for their sake out of sorrow, it also contains a sort of consolation for the Prophet (peace be upon him), as if to say: As you are not responsible for forcing them to believe, why should you consume yourself for their sake. Your only duty is to give good news and warning and not to turn people into believers. Therefore, you may go on carrying out your mission of giving good news to the believers and warning of the bad consequences to the disbelievers.