Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur'an - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary * - Translations’ Index
Translation of the meanings Ayah: (28) Surah: Al-Kahf
وَٱصۡبِرۡ نَفۡسَكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدۡعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِٱلۡغَدَوٰةِ وَٱلۡعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجۡهَهُۥۖ وَلَا تَعۡدُ عَيۡنَاكَ عَنۡهُمۡ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَاۖ وَلَا تُطِعۡ مَنۡ أَغۡفَلۡنَا قَلۡبَهُۥ عَن ذِكۡرِنَا وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ وَكَانَ أَمۡرُهُۥ فُرُطٗا
(28) Constrain yourself in patience with those who pray to their Lord early and late in the day seeking ˹only˺ His Face[3805]; do not ˹neither˺ avert your eyes from them[3806] seeking ˹out˺ the adornment of the worldly life[3807]; and do not obey whoever We made his heart ignorant of Our remembrance[3808] thus followed his vain desires[3809] and ˹hence all˺ his affairs are in shambles[3810].
[3805] The fact that they are busy with mentioning and praying to their Lord at these two busiest times of the day underlines how devoted they were (cf. Abū Ḥayyān): “Only Allah has a decision; He declares the Truth—He is the best of adjudicators” (6: 57).
[3806] In these early days, the ones who sincerely Believed were mostly from among the underprivileged societal denominations, paupers and slaves, so out of sheer egotism when those belonging to the upper echelons of society wanted to sit with the Prophet they disdainfully demanded these ‘others’ be sent away. Saʿd Ibn Abī Waqqāṣ (رضي الله عنه) said: “We were with the Prophet (ﷺ), six of us, when the Associators said to him: “Send these away, lest they get overfamiliar with us!” He continued: “There were me, ˹ʿAbdullāh˺ Ibn Masʿūd, a man from ˹the clan of ˺ Hudhayl, Bilāl ˹Ibn Rabāḥ˺ and another two men whom I do not know their names. Something ˹of sorts˺ occurred to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and then Allah sent down: “Do not ˹Muhammad˺ turn away those who pray to their Lord early and late in the day”” (Muslim: 2413).
Naturally, the Noble Messenger (ﷺ) did not want to do that but God told him against it as is usually the case with Divine teaching (cf. al-Qurṭubī). Anas Ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Noble Messenger (ﷺ) said: “That I stay with a group of people mentioning Allah from the Fajr Prayer until the sun shines is worthier to me than emancipating four of the ˹noble˺ sons of Ishmael. That I stay with a group of people mentioning Allah from the Asr Prayer until the sun sets is worthier to me than manumitting four ˹slaves˺” (Abū Dāwūd: 3667).
[3807] “˹Thus Muhammad˺ Do not linger your eyes on what We have made parties of them enjoy, do not feel sad over them and lower your wing for the Believers” (15: 88); “And do not linger your eyes to what We have given parties of them to enjoy – the flower of the worldly life – that We may test them therein; the provision of your Lord is better and more enduring” (20: 131).
[3808] Such a person ignored remembering God Almighty so God punished him by making him all the more ignorant (cf. al-Saʿdī): “So turn away from whoever has shunned Our Reminder, only seeking the ˹fleeting˺ life of this world” (53: 29).
[3809] By choosing Denial, idolatry and sinning over Believing, monotheism and dutifulness (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Baghawī, al-Shawkānī).
[3810] Furuṭan (in shambles) originates from al-ifrāṭ which means going to excess without check (cf. Ibn Qutaybah, Gharīb al-Qur’ān, Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-Lughah, al-Iṣfahānī, al-Mufradāt). That is in all his affairs he exceeds proportionate moderation. Thus, he goes over the Truth leaving it behind his back and his life is at a loss (cf. Ibn Kathīr, al-Biqāʿī, al-Shinqīṭī).
[3806] In these early days, the ones who sincerely Believed were mostly from among the underprivileged societal denominations, paupers and slaves, so out of sheer egotism when those belonging to the upper echelons of society wanted to sit with the Prophet they disdainfully demanded these ‘others’ be sent away. Saʿd Ibn Abī Waqqāṣ (رضي الله عنه) said: “We were with the Prophet (ﷺ), six of us, when the Associators said to him: “Send these away, lest they get overfamiliar with us!” He continued: “There were me, ˹ʿAbdullāh˺ Ibn Masʿūd, a man from ˹the clan of ˺ Hudhayl, Bilāl ˹Ibn Rabāḥ˺ and another two men whom I do not know their names. Something ˹of sorts˺ occurred to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and then Allah sent down: “Do not ˹Muhammad˺ turn away those who pray to their Lord early and late in the day”” (Muslim: 2413).
Naturally, the Noble Messenger (ﷺ) did not want to do that but God told him against it as is usually the case with Divine teaching (cf. al-Qurṭubī). Anas Ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Noble Messenger (ﷺ) said: “That I stay with a group of people mentioning Allah from the Fajr Prayer until the sun shines is worthier to me than emancipating four of the ˹noble˺ sons of Ishmael. That I stay with a group of people mentioning Allah from the Asr Prayer until the sun sets is worthier to me than manumitting four ˹slaves˺” (Abū Dāwūd: 3667).
[3807] “˹Thus Muhammad˺ Do not linger your eyes on what We have made parties of them enjoy, do not feel sad over them and lower your wing for the Believers” (15: 88); “And do not linger your eyes to what We have given parties of them to enjoy – the flower of the worldly life – that We may test them therein; the provision of your Lord is better and more enduring” (20: 131).
[3808] Such a person ignored remembering God Almighty so God punished him by making him all the more ignorant (cf. al-Saʿdī): “So turn away from whoever has shunned Our Reminder, only seeking the ˹fleeting˺ life of this world” (53: 29).
[3809] By choosing Denial, idolatry and sinning over Believing, monotheism and dutifulness (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Baghawī, al-Shawkānī).
[3810] Furuṭan (in shambles) originates from al-ifrāṭ which means going to excess without check (cf. Ibn Qutaybah, Gharīb al-Qur’ān, Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-Lughah, al-Iṣfahānī, al-Mufradāt). That is in all his affairs he exceeds proportionate moderation. Thus, he goes over the Truth leaving it behind his back and his life is at a loss (cf. Ibn Kathīr, al-Biqāʿī, al-Shinqīṭī).
Arabic explanations of the Qur’an:
Translation of the meanings Ayah: (28) Surah: Al-Kahf
Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur'an - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary - Translations’ Index
Translation of the meanings of the Noble Qur’an into English - in progress - translated by Dr. Walid Bleihesh Al-Omari.