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Al-Kahf - 18:30
| Previous: Ayah 26-29 | Next: Ayah 37-40 | Tafsir by Ibn Kathir |
The Reward of those Who believe and do Righteous Deeds
Allah says,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ امَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ إِنَّا لَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ مَنْ أَحْسَنَ عَمَلً
Verily, as for those who believed and did righteous deeds, certainly We shall not make the reward of anyone to be lost who does his (righteous) deeds in the most perfect manner.
Al-Kahf - 18:31
أُوْلَيِكَ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ
These! For them will be Jannatu 'Adn;
When Allah mentions the state of those who are doomed, He follows that by mentioning the blessed who believed in Allah and believed what His Messengers brought, those who did the righteous deeds that they commanded them to do. They will have Jannatu 'Adn.
'Adn means lasting.
تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهِمُ الاَْنْهَارُ
Wherein rivers flow beneath them
Means, from beneath its rooms and dwellings.
Fir'awn said:
وَهَـذِهِ الاٌّنْهَـرُ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِى
And these rivers flowing beneath me
(43:51)
يُحَلَّوْنَ
They will be adorned
Means, with jewelry.
فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٍ
With bracelets of gold,
Allah says elsewhere:
وَلُوْلُواً وَلِبَاسُهُمْ فِيهَا حَرِيرٌ
And pearls and their garments therein will be of silk.
(22:23)
This is explained in more detail here, where Allah says:
وَيَلْبَسُونَ ثِيَابًا خُضْرًا مِّن سُندُسٍ وَإِسْتَبْرَقٍ
And they will wear green garments of Sundus and Istabraq
Sundus refers to a fine garment, like a shirt and the like, and Istabraq is thick and shiny velvet.
مُّتَّكِيِينَ فِيهَا عَلَى الاَْرَايِكِ
They will be Muttaki'in therein on Ara'ik
The word Muttaki'in implies lying down, or it was said that it means sitting with one's legs crossed, which is closer to the meaning here.
In a Sahih Hadith, the Prophet said:
أَمَّا أَنَا فَلَ اكُلُ مُتَّكِيًا
As for me, I do not eat sitting with legs crossed (Muttaki'an)
Ara'ik is the plural of Arikah, which is a bed under a canopy.
And Allah knows best.
نِعْمَ الثَّوَابُ وَحَسُنَتْ مُرْتَفَقًا
How good is the reward, and what an excellent place of rest (Murtafaq)!
Means, how blessed is Paradise as a reward for their good deeds.
And what an excellent Murtafaq means, and how good a place to dwell and rest and stay.
Previously, Allah had said of Hell,
بِيْسَ الشَّرَابُ وَسَأءَتْ مُرْتَفَقًا
Terrible is the drink, and an evil place of rest (Murtafaq)!
(18:29)
In a similar way, He contrasts the two (Paradise and Hell) in Surah Al-Furqan, where He says:
إِنَّهَا سَأءَتْ مُسْتَقَرّاً وَمُقَاماً
Evil indeed it (Hell) is as an abode, and as a place to rest in.
(25:66)
Then He mentions the qualities of the believers, then says:
أُوْلَـيِكَ يُجْزَوْنَ الْغُرْفَةَ بِمَا صَبَرُواْ وَيُلَقَّوْنَ فِيهَا تَحِيَّةً وَسَلَـماً
خَـلِدِينَ فِيهَا حَسُنَتْ مُسْتَقَرّاً وَمُقَاماً
Those will be rewarded with the highest place because of their patience. Therein they shall be met with greetings and the word of peace and respect.
Abiding therein excellent it is as an abode, and as a place to rest in.
(25:75-76)
Al-Kahf - 18:32
The Example of the Rich Idolators and the Poor Muslims
Allah says,
وَاضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلًا رَّجُلَيْنِ جَعَلْنَا لاِاَحَدِهِمَا جَنَّتَيْنِ مِنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَحَفَفْنَاهُمَا بِنَخْلٍ وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُمَا زَرْعًا
And put forward to them the example of two men:unto one of them We had given two gardens of grapes, and We had surrounded both with date palms; and had put between them green crops (cultivated fields).
After mentioning the idolators who were too arrogant to sit with the poor and weak among Muslims, showing off before them with their wealth and noble lineage, Allah then gives a parable for them of two men, one of whom Allah gave two gardens of grapes, surrounded with palm trees and cultivated with crops throughout. All of the trees and plants were abundantly fruitful, providing readily accessible, good quality produce.
Al-Kahf - 18:33
Allah says
كِلْتَا الْجَنَّتَيْنِ اتَتْ أُكُلَهَا
Each of those two gardens brought forth its produce
Meaning, produced its fruits,
وَلَمْ تَظْلِمْ مِنْهُ شَيْيًا
And failed not in the least therein
Meaning, nothing at all was diminishing.
وَفَجَّرْنَا خِلَلَهُمَا نَهَرًا
And We caused a river to gush forth in the midst of both
Means, rivers were flowing through them here and there.
Al-Kahf - 18:34
وَكَانَ لَهُ ثَمَرٌ
And he had Thamar
It was said that what was meant here was wealth, and it was said that what was meant were fruits, which is the more apparent meaning here.
This is also supported by the alternative recitation, Thumr, which is the plural of Thamrah (fruit) just as Khushb is the plural of Khashab (wood). Others recite it as Thamar.
فَقَالَ
And he said the owner of the two gardens
لِصَاحِبِهِ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهُ
To his companion in the course of discussion
Means, while he was disputing with him and boasting to him and showing off,
أَنَا أَكْثَرُ مِنكَ مَالاً وَأَعَزُّ نَفَرًا
I am greater than you in wealth and have a mightier entourage
Meaning, 'I have more servants, attendants and children.'
Qatadah said, "This, by Allah, is the wish of the immoral to have a lot of wealth and a large entourage.
Al-Kahf - 18:35
وَدَخَلَ جَنَّتَهُ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِ
And he went into his garden having been unjust to himself
Meaning, in his disbelief, rebellion, arrogance and denial of the Hereafter.
قَالَ مَا أَظُنُّ أَن تَبِيدَ هَذِهِ أَبَدًا
He said:"I do not think this will ever perish."
Thus he was allowing himself to be deceived because of the plants, fruits and trees that he saw, and the rivers flowing through the different parts of his gardens. He thought that it could never come to an end or cease or be destroyed.
Al-Kahf - 18:36
This was because of his lack of understanding and the weakness of his faith in Allah, and because he was enamored with this world and its adornments, and because he disbelieved in the Hereafter. So he said
وَمَا أَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَايِمَةً
"And I do not think the Hour will ever come..."
Meaning, will ever happen.
وَلَيِن رُّدِدتُّ إِلَى رَبِّي لَاَجِدَنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهَا مُنقَلَبًا
And if indeed I am brought back to my Lord, I surely shall find better than this when I return to Him
Meaning, 'if there is a Hereafter and a return to Allah, then I will have a better share than this with my Lord, for if it were not that I am dear to Him, He would not have given me all this.'
As Allah says elsewhere:
وَلَيِن رُّجِّعْتُ إِلَى رَبِّى إِنَّ لِى عِندَهُ لَلْحُسْنَى
But if I am brought back to my Lord, surely there will be for me the best with Him.
(41:50)
أَفَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِى كَفَرَ بِـَايَـتِنَا وَقَالَ لاوتَيَنَّ مَالاً وَوَلَداً
Have you seen him who disbelieved in Our Ayat and said:"I shall certainly be given wealth and children (if I will be alive again)."
(19:77)
He took it for granted that Allah would give him this, without any sound evidence for that.
The reason why this Ayah was revealed was because of Al-'As bin Wa'il, as we will explain in the appropriate place, if Allah wills. In Allah we put our trust.
| Previous: Ayah 26-29 | Next: Ayah 37-40 | Tafsir by Ibn Kathir |
