Surah 18. Al-Kahf

Say: "God knows best how long they remained [there]. His [alone] is the knowledge of the hidden reality of the heavens and the earth: how well does He see and hear! No guardian have they apart from Him, since He allots to no one a share in His rule!"

  - Mohammad Asad

O Prophet, say: "Allah knows best how long they stayed; He is the One Who knows the secrets of the heavens and the earth; sharp is His sight and keen His hearing! They have no protector besides Him and He does not let anyone share in His command.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say: Allah is best aware how long they tarried. His is the Invisible of the heavens and the earth. How clear of sight is He and keen of hearing! They have no protecting friend beside Him, and He maketh none to share in His government.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AND CONVEY [to the world] whatever has been revealed to thee of thy Sustainer's writ. There is nothing that could alter His words;³⁵ and thou canst find no refuge other than with Him.

  - Mohammad Asad

According to Razi, it is on this passage, among others, that the great Qur'an-commentator Abu Muslim al-Isfahani based his rejection of the so-called "doctrine of abrogation" discussed in my note [87] on {2: 106}.

O Prophet! Recite what has been revealed to you from the Book of your Rabb: no one is authorized to change His Words and if you dare to make any change, you will find no refuge to protect you from Him.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And recite that which hath been revealed unto thee of the scripture of thy Lord. There is none who can change His words, and thou wilt find no refuge beside Him.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And contain thyself in patience by the side of all who at morn and at evening invoke their Sustainer, seeking His countenance, and let not thine eyes pass beyond them in quest of the beauties of this world's life:³⁶ and pay no heed to any whose heart We have rendered heedless of all remembrance of Us³⁷ because he had always followed [only] his own desires, abandoning all that is good and true.³⁸

  - Mohammad Asad

For an explanation of this verse, see 6:52 and the corresponding note [41].

See surah {2}, note [7]. Zamakshari and Razi explain the verb aghfalna - agreeably with Qur'anic doctrine - as meaning "whom We have found to be heedless". (See also my note [4] on the second part of 14:4 .)

Lit., "and whose case (amr) was one of abandonment of [or "transgression against"] all bounds [of what is right]".

Keep yourself content with those who call on their Rabb morning and evening seeking His good pleasure; and let not your eyes turn away from them desiring the attraction of Worldly Life; nor obey the one whose heart We have permitted to neglect Our remembrance, who follows his own desires and goes to extremes in the conduct of his affairs.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Restrain thyself along with those who cry unto their Lord at morn and evening, seeking His countenance; and let not thine eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp of the life of the world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, who followeth his own lust and whose case hath been abandoned.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And say: "The truth [has now come] from your Sustainer: let, then, him who wills, believe in it, and let him who wills, reject it. "Verily, for all who sin against themselves [by rejecting Our truth]³⁹ We have readied a fire whose billowing folds will encompass them from all sides;⁴⁰ and if they beg for water, they will be given water [hot] like molten lead, which will scald their faces: how dreadful a drink, and how evil a place to rest!

  - Mohammad Asad

Thus Razi explains the expression az-zalimun (lit., "the evildoers") in the above context.

The expression suradiq - rendered by me as "billowing folds"-literally denotes an awning or the outer covering of a tent, and alludes here to the billowing "walls of smoke" that will surround the sinners (Zamakhshari): a symbolism meant to stress the inescapability of their suffering in the hereafter (Razi).

O Prophet proclaim: "This is the Truth from your Rabb. Now let him who will, believe in it, and him who will, deny it." As for those who reject it, for such wrongdoers We have prepared a Fire whose flames will hem them in like the walls of a tent. When they cry for help, they will be showered with water as hot as molten brass, which will scald their faces. What a dreadful drink and what a horrible residence!

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say: (It is) the truth from the Lord of you (all). Then whosoever will, let him believe, and whosoever will, let him disbelieve. Lo! We have prepared for disbelievers Fire. Its tent encloseth them. If they ask for showers, they will be showered with water like to molten lead which burneth the faces. Calamitous the drink and ill the resting place!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[But,] behold, as for those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds - verily, We do not fail to requite any who persevere in doing good:

  - Mohammad Asad

As for those who believe and do good deeds, rest assured that We do not waste the reward of him who does a good work.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! as for those who believe and do good works, Lo! We suffer not the reward of one whose work is goodly to be lost.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

theirs shall be gardens of perpetual bliss - [gardens] through which running waters flow wherein they will be adorned with bracelets of gold and will wear green garments of silk and brocade, [and] wherein upon couches they will recline:⁴¹ how excellent a recompense, and how goodly a place to rest!

  - Mohammad Asad

Like all other Qur'anic descriptions of happenings in the hereafter, the above reference to the "adornment" of the believers with gold and jewels and silk (cf. similar passages in 22:23 , 35:33 and 76:21 ) and their "reclining upon couches (ara'ik)" is obviously an allegory - in this case, an allegory of the splendour, the ever-fresh life (symbolized by "green garments"), and the restful fulfilment that awaits them in result of the many acts of self-denial which their faith had imposed on them during their earthly life. - Referring to the symbolism of these joys of paradise Razi draws our attention to the difference in the construction of the two parts of this clause: the first part is in the passive form ("they will be adorned...") and the second, in the active ("they will wear..."). In his opinion, the active form alludes to what the righteous will have earned by virtue of their deeds, whereas the passive form denotes all that will be bestowed on them by God above and beyond their deserts.

They are the ones for whom there will be the Gardens of Eden, beneath which rivers flow; they will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, they will wear green garments of fine silk and rich brocade and they will recline on soft couches. What an excellent reward and what a beautiful residence!

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

As for such, theirs will be Gardens of Eden, wherein rivers flow beneath them; therein they will be given armlets of gold and will wear green robes of finest silk and gold embroidery, reclining upon thrones therein. Blest the reward, and fair the resting place!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AND PROPOUND unto them the parable of two men, upon one of whom We had bestowed two vineyards, and surrounded them with date-palms, and placed a field of grain in-between.⁴²

  - Mohammad Asad

This parable connects with verses {7-8} of this surah, and serves as an illustration of the statement that "all beauty on earth is a means by which God puts men to a test".

O Prophet! Give them this parable. Once there were two men. To one of them We had given two gardens of grapevines surrounded with palm-trees and put between them land for cultivation.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Coin for them a similitude: Two men, unto one of whom We had assigned two gardens of grapes, and We had surrounded both with date palms and had put between them tillage.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Each of the two gardens yielded its produce and never failed therein in any way, for We had caused a stream to gush forth in the midst of each of them.

  - Mohammad Asad

Both of those gardens yielded abundant produce and did not fail to yield its best. We had even caused a river to flow between the two gardens.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Each of the gardens gave its fruit and withheld naught thereof. And We caused a river to gush forth therein.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And so [the man] had fruit in abundance. And [one day] he said to his friend, bandying words with him, "More wealth have I than thou, and mightier am I as regards [the number and power of my] followers!"

  - Mohammad Asad

He had abundant produce, he said to his companion while conversing with him: "I am richer than you and my clan is mightier than yours."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And he had fruit. And he said unto his comrade, when he spake with him: I am more than thee in wealth, and stronger in respect of men.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And having [thus] sinned against himself, he entered his garden, saying, "I do not think that this will ever perish!

  - Mohammad Asad

When, having thus wronged his soul, he entered his garden and said: "I do not think that this garden will ever perish!

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And he went into his garden, while he (thus) wronged himself. He said: I think not that all this will ever perish.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And neither do I think that the Last Hour will ever come. But even if [it should come, and] I am brought before my Sustainer,⁴³ I will surely find something even better than this as [my last] resort!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "brought back [or "referred"] to my Sustainer" - i.e., for judgment.

Nor do I believe that the Hour of Judgment will ever come. Even if I am returned to my Rabb, I will surely find even a better place than this."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

I think not that the Hour will ever come, and if indeed I am brought back unto my Lord I surely shall find better than this as a resort.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And his friend answered him in the course of their argument: "Wilt thou blaspheme against Him who has created thee out of dust,⁴⁴ and then out of a drop of sperm, and in the end has fashioned thee into a [complete] man?

  - Mohammad Asad

See second half of note [47] on {3: 59}, and note [4] on {23: 12}.

His companion replied while still conversing with him: "Do you disbelieve in Him Who created you from dust, from a drop of semen, and fashioned you into a perfect man?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And his comrade, while he disputed with him, exclaimed: Disbelievest thou in Him Who created thee of dust, then of a drop (of seed), and then fashioned thee a man?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But as for myself, [I know that] He is God, my Sustainer; and I cannot attribute divine powers to any but my Sustainer."⁴⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "I shall not [or "do not"] associate anyone [or "anything"] with my Sustainer" - i.e., "I cannot associate in my mind wealth or poverty with any power or creative cause other than Him" (Qiffal, as quoted by Razi).

As for myself, Allah is the One Who is my Rabb and I do not associate anyone with Him.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

But He is Allah, my Lord, and I ascribe unto my Lord no partner.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And [he continued:] "Alas,⁴⁶ if thou hadst but said, on entering thy garden, Whatever God wills [shall come to pass, for] there is no power save with God!' Although, as thou seest, I have less wealth and offspring than thou,

  - Mohammad Asad

For an explanation of my rendering of law-la as "alas", see note [119] on {10: 98}.

When you entered your garden why did you not say: `It is as Allah pleased, no one has power except Allah!' Though you see me poorer than yourself in wealth and children,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

If only, when thou enteredst thy garden, thou hadst said: That which Allah willeth (will come to pass)! There is no strength save in Allah! Though thou seest me as less than thee in wealth and children.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

yet it may well be that my Sustainer will give me something better than thy garden - just as He may let loose a calamity out of heaven upon this [thy garden], so that it becomes a heap of barren dust

  - Mohammad Asad

yet my Rabb may give me a garden better than yours, and may send down thunderbolts from sky upon your garden, turning it into a barren wasteland.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Yet it may be that my Lord will give me better than thy garden, and will send on it a bolt from heaven, and some morning it will be a smooth hillside,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall