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Al-Kahf - 18:41
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Ibn Abbas said,
"Like land without vegetation, where nothing grows.
أَوْ يُصْبِحَ مَاوُهَا غَوْرًا
Or the water thereof becomes Ghawran
Means, it disappears into the earth, which is the opposite of flowing water that seeks the surface of the earth.
So Gha'ir is to go lower. as Allah says:
قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَصْبَحَ مَأوُكُمْ غَوْراً فَمَن يَأْتِيكُمْ بِمَأءٍ مَّعِينٍ
Say:"Tell me! If your water were Ghawran, who then can supply you with flowing water!"
(67:30)
Meaning, water that flows in all directions.
And here Allah says:
أَوْ يُصْبِحَ مَاوُهَا غَوْرًا فَلَن تَسْتَطِيعَ لَهُ طَلَبًا
Or the water thereof (of the gardens) becomes deep-sunken (underground) so that you will never be able to seek it
Ghawr is from the same root as Gha'ir and has a similar meaning, but is more intensive.
Al-Kahf - 18:42
The Evil Results of Kufr
Allah says:
وَأُحِيطَ بِثَمَرِهِ
So his fruits were encircled
Meaning his wealth, or according to the other opinion, his crops.
What is meant is that what this disbeliever was afraid of and what the believer had terrified him actually had happened. A storm struck his garden, a garden which he had erroneously thought would last forever, distracting him from thoughts of Allah, may He be glorified.
فَأَصْبَحَ يُقَلِّبُ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَى مَا أَنفَقَ فِيهَا
And he began Yuqallibu his hands over what he had spent upon it
Qatadah said: "He was clasping his hands together in a gesture of regret and grief for the wealth he had lost."
وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا
While it was all destroyed on its trellises
وَيَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُشْرِكْ بِرَبِّي أَحَدًا
And he could only say:"Would that I had ascribed no partners to my Lord!"
Al-Kahf - 18:43
وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُ فِيَةٌ
And he had no group of men
Meaning a clan or children, as he had vainly boasted.
يَنصُرُونَهُ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ مُنتَصِرًا
To help him against Allah, nor could he defend himself
Al-Kahf - 18:44
هُنَالِكَ الْوَلَايَةُ لِلَّهِ الْحَقِّ
There, Al-Walayah will be for Allah, the True God
Here there are differences in recitation. Some of the reciters pause at the word there,
وَمَا كَانَ مُنتَصِرًا
هُنَالِكَ
(nor could he defend himself there)
i.e., at that time, when Allah sends the punishment upon him, there will be no one to save him. Then they start the next phrase with Al-Walayah;
(Al-Walayah will be for Allah, the True God).
Some of them pause at the phrase
وَمَا كَانَ مُنتَصِرًا
(nor could he defend himself)
and start the next phrase;
هُنَالِكَ
الْوَلَايَةُ لِلَّهِ الْحَقِّ
(There, Al-Walayah will be for Allah, the True God)
There is a further difference in the recitation of the word Al-Walayah. Some read it as Al-Walayah, which gives the meaning that all allegiance will be to Allah,
i.e., on that Day everyone, believer or disbeliever, will return to Allah, for allegiance and submission to Him when the punishment comes to pass.
This is like the Ayah:
فَلَمَّا رَأَوْاْ بَأْسَنَا قَالُواْ ءَامَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَحْدَهُ وَكَـفَرْنَا بِمَا كُنَّا بِهِ مُشْرِكِينَ
So when they saw Our punishment, they said:"We believe in Allah Alone and reject (all) that we used to associate with Him as partners."
(40:84)
and Allah says concerning the Fir'awn;
وَجَاوَزْنَا بِبَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ الْبَحْرَ فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ وَجُنُودُهُ بَغْيًا وَعَدْوًا حَتَّى إِذَا أَدْرَكَهُ الْغَرَقُ قَالَ ءَامَنتُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلِـهَ إِلاَّ الَّذِى ءَامَنَتْ بِهِ بَنواْ إِسْرَءِيلَ وَأَنَاْ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
ءَالَنَ وَقَدْ عَصَيْتَ قَبْلُ وَكُنتَ مِنَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ
Till when drowning overtook him, he said:"I believe that none has the right to be worshipped but He in Whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am one of the Muslims." Now! While you refused to believe before and you were one of the mischief-makers.
(10:90-91)
Some others read it as Al-Wilayah, meaning that on that Day the rule will belong to Allah, the True God.
Some read Haqqu (True) referring to Al-Wilayah, as in the Ayah;
الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَيِذٍ الْحَقُّ لِلرَّحْمَـنِ وَكَانَ يَوْماً عَلَى الْكَـفِرِينَ عَسِيراً
The sovereignty on that Day will be the true (sovereignty), belonging to the Most Gracious (Allah), and it will be a hard Day for the disbelievers.
(25:26)
Others it read Haqqi referring to Allah, may He be glorified, as in the Ayah:
ثُمَّ رُدُّواْ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَوْلَـهُمُ الْحَقِّ
Then they are returned to Allah, their True Protector.
(6:62)
So Allah says:
هُوَ خَيْرٌ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ عُقْبًا
He (Allah) is the best to reward and the best for the final end
For deeds that were done for the sake of Allah, their reward is good and their consequences are all good
Al-Kahf - 18:45
The Parable of the Worldly Life
Allah says:
وَاضْرِبْ لَهُم
And mention
O Muhammad, to the people,
مَّثَلَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا
The parable of the worldly life
Its transient nature and how it will eventually cease and come to an end.
كَمَاء أَنزَلْنَاهُ مِنَ السَّمَاء فَاخْتَلَطَ بِهِ نَبَاتُ الاَْرْضِ
It is like the water which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it
It mingles with the seeds that are in the earth, so they grow and become good, producing bright, fresh flowers, then after that,
فَأَصْبَحَ هَشِيمًا
It becomes dry and broken pieces
Withered up,
تَذْرُوهُ الرِّيَاحُ
(which the winds scatter.)
Tossing them about right and left
وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُّقْتَدِرًا
And Allah is able to do everything
He has the power to do this and that.
In the Qur'an Allah often gives parables like this of the life of this world, as He says in Surah Yunus,
إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَأءٍ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مِنَ السَّمَأءِ فَاخْتَلَطَ بِهِ نَبَاتُ الاٌّرْضِ مِمَّا يَأْكُلُ النَّاسُ وَالاٌّنْعَـمُ
The parable of the worldly life is but that of water which We send down from the sky so by it arises the intermingled produce of the earth of which men and cattle eat
(10:24)
And in Surah Az-Zumar:
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَأءِ مَأءً فَسَلَكَهُ يَنَابِيعَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعاً مُّخْتَلِفاً أَلْوَانُهُ
See you not that Allah sends down water from the sky, and causes it to penetrate the earth, then out from it comes crops of different colors.
(39:21)
And in Surah Al-Hadid:
اعْلَمُواْ أَنَّمَا الْحَيَوةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِى الاٌّمْوَلِ وَالاٌّوْلْـدِ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ الْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُ
Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children. (It is) like the parable of vegetation after rain, thereof the growth is pleasing to the tiller...
(57:20)
And in the Sahih Hadith:
الدُّنْيَا حُلْوَةٌ خَضِرَة
This world is sweet and green
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