Surah Al-Kahf (18) — Ayah 45

(Ayah 45){وَ اضْرِبْ لَهُمْ مَّثَلَ الْحَيٰوةِ الدُّنْيَا … : ’’ هَشِيْمًا ‘‘} This {’’فَعِيْلٌ‘‘ } means {’’مَفْعُوْلٌ‘‘}, that is, shattered into pieces. {’’تَذْرُوْهُ‘‘ ’’ذَرَا يَذْرُوْ‘‘} (n) means the blowing of winds. {’’ مُقْتَدِرًا ‘‘ ’’قَدَرَ يَقْدِرُ‘‘} is the active participle from the form ifti‘āl, and with the addition of extra letters, the meaning is intensified, that is, fully capable. This is another example of the transience of the world, meaning the world is like that water which Allah Almighty sent down from the sky, with which plants grew from the earth, then they became so dense that, joining together, they presented a very beautiful scene, which made the farmer happy to see. Then that crop ripened and turned yellow, then it became so dry that it broke apart and was shattered. In the same way, the soul descended from the sky, joined with the body made from the earth, and man began to grow. After childhood, youth came in the blink of an eye, and parents rejoiced to see their young children. Then, after a short time, old age arrived. Now, it is inevitable that he will perish, just as if a ripe crop is given water or fertilizer, it is bound to become fragments; similarly, if an old person is given nourishing food or tonics, he is destined to go to the grave and turn into particles of dust. Then, many plants are uprooted as soon as they sprout, many green plants are cut at their prime, and if no accident occurs, they are cut at ripeness, or they themselves fall apart. In the same way, some people die in childhood, some in youth or middle age, and if this period passes safely, then after old age, the matter of staying here ends in every case. Allah Almighty has placed the “fa’ of sequence” between all the stages of life, that is, {’’ فَاخْتَلَطَ ‘‘} and {’’ فَاَصْبَحَ ‘‘}, meaning these stages come one after another rapidly. For verses of this meaning, see Yunus (24), Zumar (21), and Hadid (20).