سورة الكهف، الآية ١٠٤
ٱلَّذِينَ ضَلَّ سَعْيُهُمْ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَهُمْ يَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ يُحْسِنُونَ صُنْعًا ١٠٤
alladhīna ḍalla saʿyuhum fī l-ḥayati l-dun'yā wahum yaḥsabūna annahum yuḥ'sinūna ṣun'ʿan
[They are] those whose effort is lost in worldly life, while they think that they are doing well in work."
Verse 104 of Surah Al-Kahf (18:104), a Meccan surah, is in juz 16, on page 304 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 73 reciters.
79 recitations by 73 reciters: pick one and it plays in the player.
Those who will see on the Day of Judgment that the effort they used to make in the world has gone to waste, whilst they thought they were doing well in their effort and that they will benefit from their actions. The reality was the exact opposite.
Those whose efforts in the life of this world are wasted, while they think that they are doing well54.”
[54] For they follow other than their Lord’s path, and justify their deviant actions until they finally believe that they are on the right path.
"Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds.9
[9] (V.18:104) For the acceptance of the righteous deeds it is stipulated that the following two basic conditions must be fulfilled:
a) The intentions while doing such deeds must be totally for Allâh’s sake only without any show-off or to gain praise or fame.
b) Such a deed must be performed in accordance with the Sunnah of Allâh’s Messenger Muhammad bin ‘Abdullâh صلى الله عليه وسلم , the last of the Prophets and the Messengers.
Narrated ‘Âishah رضي الله عنها : Allâh’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "If somebody innovates something which is not present in our religion (of Islâmic Monotheism), then that thing will be rejected." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol.3, Hadith No.861).
In another Hadith narrated ‘Âishah رضي الله عنها: The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "Whoever performs a (good) deed which we have not ordered (anyone) to do (or is not in accord with our religion of Islâmic Monotheism), then that deed will be rejected and will not be accepted." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol.9, Chapter No.20 before Hadith No.449).
Those whose effort goeth astray in the life of the world, and yet they reckon that they do good work.
"Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their works?"
(These are) they whose labor is lost in this world's life and they think that they are well versed in skill of the work of hands.
The ones whose endeavor errs away in the present life, (Literally: the lowly life, i.e., the life of this world) and they reckon that they are doing fair work.
