سُوْرَةُ الْكَهْفِ
Surah Al-Kahf (18) — Ayah 64
قَالَ ذَٰلِكَ مَا كُنَّا نَبْغِ ۚ فَٱرْتَدَّا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَارِهِمَا قَصَصًا ﴿64﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
[Mûsâ (Moses)] said: "That is what we have been seeking." So they went back retracing their footsteps.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قَالَ
qāla
He said
ذَٰلِكَ
dhālika
That
مَا
mā
(is) what
كُنَّا
kunnā
we were
نَبْغِ ۚ
nabghi
seeking
فَٱرْتَدَّا
fa-ir'taddā
So they returned
عَلَىٰٓ
ʿalā
on
ءَاثَارِهِمَا
āthārihimā
their footprints
قَصَصًۭا
qaṣaṣan
retracing
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.
64. 1. Hazrat Musa (علیہ السلام) said, O servant of Allah! The place where the fish came alive and disappeared, that was indeed our desired destination, for which we have been traveling. So, following their traces, they returned and came back to that very Majma‘ al-Bahrayn. The meaning of قَصَصَا is to follow behind, to walk behind. That is, they kept walking behind, following the footprints.
