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Surah Al-Kahf, Verse 42

سورة الكهف، الآية ٤٢

18:42 Juz 15 Hizb 30 Page 298 of the mushaf Meccan surah

Text of verse 18:42

وَأُحِيطَ بِثَمَرِهِۦ فَأَصْبَحَ يُقَلِّبُ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَىٰ مَآ أَنفَقَ فِيهَا وَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا وَيَقُولُ يَٰلَيْتَنِى لَمْ أُشْرِكْ بِرَبِّىٓ أَحَدًا ۝٤٢

Transliteration

wa-uḥīṭa bithamarihi fa-aṣbaḥa yuqallibu kaffayhi ʿalā mā anfaqa fīhā wahiya khāwiyatun ʿalā ʿurūshihā wayaqūlu yālaytanī lam ush'rik birabbī aḥadan

Translation

And his fruits were encompassed [by ruin], so he began to turn his hands about [in dismay] over what he had spent on it, while it had collapsed upon its trellises, and said, "Oh, I wish I had not associated with my Lord anyone."789

Notes

[789] He attributed his prosperity to himself rather than to Allāh and disbelieved in the account of the Hereafter.

Translation in another language
Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary Read in the surah

Verse 42 of Surah Al-Kahf (18:42), a Meccan surah, is in juz 15, on page 298 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 73 reciters.

Listen to verse 42 of Surah Al-Kahf

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Tafsir of verse 42

Al-Mukhtasar

What the believer anticipated occurred. Destruction engulfed the fruit of the disbeliever’s garden and the disbeliever began wringing his hands on account of extreme regret and remorse over the money that he had spent on its maintenance and upkeep, whilst the garden had fallen over the supports on which the grapevines are spread out and he was saying: I wish I had believed in my Lord alone, and I had not associated anyone with Him in worship.

Tafsir of the whole Surah Al-Kahf

Other translations of verse 42

Eventually, all his produce was destroyed and he started wringing his hands [in dismay] over what he had spent on it, as it had collapsed on its trellises, and he said, “Oh, would that I had not associated anyone with my Lord!”

So his fruits were encircled (with ruin). And he remained clapping his hands (with sorrow) over what he had spent upon it, while it was all destroyed on its trellises, and he could only say: "Would that I had ascribed no partners to my Lord!" [Tafsir Ibn Kathîr]

And his fruit was beset (with destruction). Then began he to wring his hands for all that he had spent upon it, when (now) it was all ruined on its trellises, and to say: Would that I had ascribed no partner to my Lord!

So his fruits (and enjoyment) were encompassed (with ruin), and he remained twisting and turning his hands over what he had spent on his property, which had (now) tumbled to pieces to its very foundations, and he could only say, "Woe is me! Would I had never ascribed partners to my Lord and Cherisher!"

And his wealth was destroyed; so he began to wring his hands for what he had spent on it, while it lay, having fallen down upon its roofs, and he said: Ah me! would that I had not associated anyone with my Lord.

And his produce was (all) encompassed; so (in the morning) he became (remorseful), wringing his hands (Literally: turning his two palms about) for what he had expended upon it-and it was devastated upon its trellises- and saying, "Oh would that I had not associated with my Lord any one!"

Verse 42 word by word

  1. وَأُحِيطَ wa-uḥīṭa And were surrounded ح و ط
  2. بِثَمَرِهِۦ bithamarihi his fruits ث م ر
  3. فَأَصْبَحَ fa-aṣbaḥa so he began ص ب ح
  4. يُقَلِّبُ yuqallibu twisting ق ل ب
  5. كَفَّيْهِ kaffayhi his hands ك ف ف
  6. عَلَىٰ ʿalā over
  7. مَآ mā what
  8. أَنفَقَ anfaqa he (had) spent ن ف ق
  9. فِيهَا fīhā on it
  10. وَهِىَ wahiya while it (had)
  11. خَاوِيَةٌ khāwiyatun collapsed خ و ي
  12. عَلَىٰ ʿalā on
  13. عُرُوشِهَا ʿurūshihā its trellises ع ر ش
  14. وَيَقُولُ wayaqūlu and he said ق و ل
  15. يَٰلَيْتَنِى yālaytanī Oh! I wish
  16. لَمْ lam I had not associated
  17. أُشْرِكْ ush'rik I had not associated ش ر ك
  18. بِرَبِّىٓ birabbī with my Lord ر ب ب
  19. أَحَدًا aḥadan anyone أ ح د

Verses related to verse 42

Cited by Ibn Kathir in his explanation of this verse

  • Ghafir 40:84

    فَلَمَّا رَأَوْا۟ بَأْسَنَا قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَحْدَهُۥ وَكَفَرْنَا بِمَا كُنَّا بِهِۦ مُشْرِكِينَ

    And when they saw Our punishment, they said, "We believe in Allāh alone and disbelieve in that which we used to associate with Him."

  • Yunus 10:90–91

    وَجَٰوَزْنَا بِبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ ٱلْبَحْرَ فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ وَجُنُودُهُۥ بَغْيًا وَعَدْوًا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَدْرَكَهُ ٱلْغَرَقُ قَالَ ءَامَنتُ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِىٓ ءَامَنَتْ بِهِۦ بَنُوٓا۟ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ وَأَنَا۠ مِنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ …

    And We took the Children of Israel across the sea, and Pharaoh and his soldiers pursued them in tyranny and enmity until, when drowning overtook him, he said, "I believe that there is no deity except that in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am of the Muslims." …

  • Al-Furqan 25:26

    ٱلْمُلْكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ ٱلْحَقُّ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ وَكَانَ يَوْمًا عَلَى ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ عَسِيرًا

    True sovereignty, that Day, is for the Most Merciful. And it will be upon the disbelievers a difficult Day.

  • Al-An’am 6:62

    ثُمَّ رُدُّوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ مَوْلَىٰهُمُ ٱلْحَقِّ أَلَا لَهُ ٱلْحُكْمُ وَهُوَ أَسْرَعُ ٱلْحَٰسِبِينَ

    Then they [i.e., His servants] are returned to Allāh, their true Lord. Unquestionably, His is the judgement, and He is the swiftest of accountants.

Verses with similar wording

They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.

  • Al-Baqarah 2:259

    أَوْ كَٱلَّذِى مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ وَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا قَالَ أَنَّىٰ يُحْىِۦ هَٰذِهِ ٱللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا فَأَمَاتَهُ ٱللَّهُ مِا۟ئَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُۥ قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ قَالَ بَل لَّبِثْتَ مِا۟ئَةَ عَامٍ فَٱنظُرْ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ وَٱنظُرْ إِلَىٰ حِمَارِكَ وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ ءَايَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَٱنظُرْ إِلَى ٱلْعِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُۥ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

    Or [consider such an example] as the one who passed by a township which had fallen into ruin. He said, "How will Allāh bring this to life after its death?" So Allāh caused him to die for a hundred years; then He revived him. He said, "How long have you remained?" He [the man] said, "I have remained a day or part of a day." He said, "Rather, you have remained one hundred years. Look at your food and your drink; it has not changed with time. And look at your donkey; and We will make you a sign for the people. And look at the bones [of this donkey] - how We raise them and then We cover them with flesh." And when it became clear to him, he said, "I know that Allāh is over all things competent."

All similar verses of Surah Al-Kahf

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