سُوْرَةُ الْكَهْفِ
Surah Al-Kahf (18) — Ayah 21
وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَعْثَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَأَنَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهَآ إِذْ يَتَنَـٰزَعُونَ بَيْنَهُمْ أَمْرَهُمْ ۖ فَقَالُوا۟ ٱبْنُوا۟ عَلَيْهِم بُنْيَـٰنًا ۖ رَّبُّهُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ ۚ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ غَلَبُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَمْرِهِمْ لَنَتَّخِذَنَّ عَلَيْهِم مَّسْجِدًا ﴿21﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And thus We made their case known (to the people), that they might know that the Promise of Allâh is true, and that there can be no doubt about the Hour. (Remember) when they (the people of the city) disputed among themselves about their case, they said: "Construct a building over them; their Lord knows best about them;" (then) those who won their point said (most probably the disbelievers): "We verily shall build a place of worship over them."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَكَذَٰلِكَ
wakadhālika
And similarly
أَعْثَرْنَا
aʿtharnā
We made known
عَلَيْهِمْ
ʿalayhim
about them
لِيَعْلَمُوٓا۟
liyaʿlamū
that they might know
أَنَّ
anna
that
وَعْدَ
waʿda
(the) Promise
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
(of) Allah
حَقٌّۭ
ḥaqqun
(is) true
وَأَنَّ
wa-anna
and that
ٱلسَّاعَةَ
l-sāʿata
(about) the Hour
لَا
lā
(there is) no
رَيْبَ
rayba
doubt
فِيهَآ
fīhā
in it
إِذْ
idh
When
يَتَنَـٰزَعُونَ
yatanāzaʿūna
they disputed
بَيْنَهُمْ
baynahum
among themselves
أَمْرَهُمْ ۖ
amrahum
about their affair
فَقَالُوا۟
faqālū
and they said
ٱبْنُوا۟
ib'nū
Construct
عَلَيْهِم
ʿalayhim
over them
بُنْيَـٰنًۭا ۖ
bun'yānan
a structure
رَّبُّهُمْ
rabbuhum
Their Lord
أَعْلَمُ
aʿlamu
knows best
بِهِمْ ۚ
bihim
about them
قَالَ
qāla
Said
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those who
غَلَبُوا۟
ghalabū
prevailed
عَلَىٰٓ
ʿalā
in
أَمْرِهِمْ
amrihim
their matter
لَنَتَّخِذَنَّ
lanattakhidhanna
Surely we will take
عَلَيْهِم
ʿalayhim
over them
مَّسْجِدًۭا
masjidan
a place of worship
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
21. 1 That is, just as We made them sleep and woke them up, in the same way We made people aware of their condition. According to some narrations, this awareness happened in such a way that when one of the Companions of the Cave went to the city with a silver coin, which was from the time of King Decianus three hundred years earlier, and he gave that coin to a shopkeeper, the shopkeeper was astonished. He showed it to the neighboring shopkeeper, who was also astonished upon seeing it, while the Companion of the Cave kept saying that he was a resident of this city and had just left here yesterday, but three centuries had passed since that "yesterday." How could people believe him? People suspected that perhaps this person had found a buried treasure. This matter reached the king or the competent authority, and with the help of this companion, they reached the cave and met the Companions of the Cave. After that, Allah Almighty caused them to die again (Ibn Kathir).
21. 2 That is, from the incident of the Companions of the Cave, it is known that the occurrence of the Resurrection and the promise of life after death by Allah is true. For the deniers, there is a demonstration of Allah's power in this incident.
21. 3 "Idh" is either the adverb of "a'tharna," meaning We made them known at the time when they were disputing among themselves about life after death or the event of the Resurrection.
21. 4 Who were those who said this? Some say they were the believers of that time, others say it was the king and his companions. When they went and met them, and after that Allah made them sleep again, the king and his companions said that a building should be constructed for their protection.
21. 5 Allah Almighty said to those who were disputing that only Allah has the authentic knowledge about them.
21. 6 Were these dominant ones the believers or the disbelievers and polytheists? Shawkani preferred the first opinion, and Ibn Kathir preferred the second opinion, because building mosques over the graves of the righteous is not liked by Allah. The Prophet ﷺ said: "May Allah curse the Jews and Christians who made the graves of their prophets and righteous ones into mosques." (Al-Bukhari, Muslim) Allah Almighty curses the Jews and Christians who made the graves of their prophets and righteous ones into mosques. During the caliphate of Umar, when the grave of Prophet Daniel was discovered in Iraq, he ordered that it be hidden and made like an ordinary grave so that people would not know that such and such grave belongs to such and such prophet. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
21. 2 That is, from the incident of the Companions of the Cave, it is known that the occurrence of the Resurrection and the promise of life after death by Allah is true. For the deniers, there is a demonstration of Allah's power in this incident.
21. 3 "Idh" is either the adverb of "a'tharna," meaning We made them known at the time when they were disputing among themselves about life after death or the event of the Resurrection.
21. 4 Who were those who said this? Some say they were the believers of that time, others say it was the king and his companions. When they went and met them, and after that Allah made them sleep again, the king and his companions said that a building should be constructed for their protection.
21. 5 Allah Almighty said to those who were disputing that only Allah has the authentic knowledge about them.
21. 6 Were these dominant ones the believers or the disbelievers and polytheists? Shawkani preferred the first opinion, and Ibn Kathir preferred the second opinion, because building mosques over the graves of the righteous is not liked by Allah. The Prophet ﷺ said: "May Allah curse the Jews and Christians who made the graves of their prophets and righteous ones into mosques." (Al-Bukhari, Muslim) Allah Almighty curses the Jews and Christians who made the graves of their prophets and righteous ones into mosques. During the caliphate of Umar, when the grave of Prophet Daniel was discovered in Iraq, he ordered that it be hidden and made like an ordinary grave so that people would not know that such and such grave belongs to such and such prophet. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
