سُوْرَةُ الْكَهْفِ
Surah Al-Kahf (18) — Ayah 104
ٱلَّذِينَ ضَلَّ سَعْيُهُمْ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَهُمْ يَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ يُحْسِنُونَ صُنْعًا ﴿104﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
"Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
Those
ضَلَّ
ḍalla
is lost
سَعْيُهُمْ
saʿyuhum
their effort
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ
l-ḥayati
the life
ٱلدُّنْيَا
l-dun'yā
(of) the world
وَهُمْ
wahum
while they
يَحْسَبُونَ
yaḥsabūna
think
أَنَّهُمْ
annahum
that they
يُحْسِنُونَ
yuḥ'sinūna
(were) acquiring good
صُنْعًا
ṣun'ʿan
(in) work
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 104){ اَلَّذِيْنَ ضَلَّ سَعْيُهُمْ … :} That is, all the good deeds they performed were rendered void due to their disbelief. See Surah Ibrahim (18), An-Nur (39, 40), and Al-Furqan (23). This meaning is also correct: “Those whose entire effort was lost in the life of this world,” meaning they did not care for Allah and the Hereafter, and made the comforts and successes of this world their real objective.
