سُوْرَةُ الْكَهْفِ
Surah Al-Kahf (18) — Ayah 16
وَإِذِ ٱعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ فَأْوُۥٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلْكَهْفِ يَنشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّن رَّحْمَتِهِۦ وَيُهَيِّئْ لَكُم مِّنْ أَمْرِكُم مِّرْفَقًا ﴿16﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
(The young men said to one another): "And when you withdraw from them, and that which they worship, except Allâh, then seek refuge in the Cave; your Lord will open a way for you from His Mercy and will make easy for you your affair (i.e. will give you what you will need of provision, dwelling)."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذِ
wa-idhi
And when
ٱعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ
iʿ'tazaltumūhum
you withdraw from them
وَمَا
wamā
and what
يَعْبُدُونَ
yaʿbudūna
they worship
إِلَّا
illā
except
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
فَأْوُۥٓا۟
fawū
then retreat
إِلَى
ilā
to
ٱلْكَهْفِ
l-kahfi
the cave
يَنشُرْ
yanshur
Will spread
لَكُمْ
lakum
for you
رَبُّكُم
rabbukum
your Lord
مِّن
min
of
رَّحْمَتِهِۦ
raḥmatihi
His Mercy
وَيُهَيِّئْ
wayuhayyi
and will facilitate
لَكُم
lakum
for you
مِّنْ
min
[from]
أَمْرِكُم
amrikum
your affair
مِّرْفَقًۭا
mir'faqan
(in) ease
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
16. And now that you have withdrawn from your people and from what they worship besides Allah, come to the cave; your Lord will spread out His mercy for you and will make your affair easy for you [14].
[13]
The Fame of the Temple of Diana and Polytheistic Customs and Practices:
At the time when these monotheistic youths took refuge in the cave, the city of Ephesus, where they were residents, was the greatest center of idolatry and sorcery in Asia Minor. There was a magnificent temple of the goddess Diana, whose fame had spread throughout the world, and people from far and wide would come to worship there. The magicians, practitioners, fortune-tellers, and amulet writers of that place were famous all over the world. Their business extended as far as Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, and the Jews also had a significant share in this business, attributing their art to Sayyiduna Sulaiman ؑ. In this environment of polytheism and superstition, the condition of the monotheists can be gauged from the sentence that appears in the next section: if they gain power over us, they will either stone us to death or force us to return to the same religion of idolatry and polytheism.
[14] Thus, Allah Almighty accepted their prayer and, taking them into His mercy, cast them into sleep for centuries. When they awoke, the enemy of monotheism and monotheists, King Decius, had perished, and the present king had accepted the religion of Christianity. The name of this king is said to be Emperor Theodosius II (Theodosius). During his reign, the entire Roman Empire had accepted Christianity, so now there was no such hardship for the monotheists as there was in the time of Decius.
[13]
The Fame of the Temple of Diana and Polytheistic Customs and Practices:
At the time when these monotheistic youths took refuge in the cave, the city of Ephesus, where they were residents, was the greatest center of idolatry and sorcery in Asia Minor. There was a magnificent temple of the goddess Diana, whose fame had spread throughout the world, and people from far and wide would come to worship there. The magicians, practitioners, fortune-tellers, and amulet writers of that place were famous all over the world. Their business extended as far as Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, and the Jews also had a significant share in this business, attributing their art to Sayyiduna Sulaiman ؑ. In this environment of polytheism and superstition, the condition of the monotheists can be gauged from the sentence that appears in the next section: if they gain power over us, they will either stone us to death or force us to return to the same religion of idolatry and polytheism.
[14] Thus, Allah Almighty accepted their prayer and, taking them into His mercy, cast them into sleep for centuries. When they awoke, the enemy of monotheism and monotheists, King Decius, had perished, and the present king had accepted the religion of Christianity. The name of this king is said to be Emperor Theodosius II (Theodosius). During his reign, the entire Roman Empire had accepted Christianity, so now there was no such hardship for the monotheists as there was in the time of Decius.
