Surah Al-Kahf 18:105
سُورَةُ الكَهۡفِ · Meccan · Verse 105 of 110
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِ رَبِّهِمْ وَلِقَآئِهِۦ فَحَبِطَتْ أَعْمَٰلُهُمْ فَلَا نُقِيمُ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ وَزْنًۭا
Translation
It is those who disbelieve in their Lord’s messages and deny that they will meet Him.’ Their deeds come to nothing: on the Day of Resurrection We shall give them no weight.
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'Those are the ones who disbelieved in the signs of their Lord and the meeting with Him, so their deeds became worthless, and We will assign them no weight on the Day of Resurrection.' Ibn Ashur and al-Saadi note the root of the wasted effort, a foundation of disbelief in God's signs and the coming meeting, which hollows out the deeds so they carry 'no weight' at all when weighed. Ask yourself: the verse locates the flaw not in the actions themselves but in their foundation, deeds disconnected from faith in God and accountability to Him are structurally weightless, however impressive they look. It is the difference between a magnificent building with no foundation and a modest one on solid rock. It presses me to check not just what I do but why and for whom, because a deed's weight comes from its root in sincere faith. Are my good works rooted in genuine faith in God and the meeting with Him, or are they beautiful structures with nothing underneath to make them count?
Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi, al-Biqa'i.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Kahf 18:105 is discussed in 8 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
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