Surah Al-Kahf 18:108
سُورَةُ الكَهۡفِ · Meccan · Verse 108 of 110
خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا لَا يَبْغُونَ عَنْهَا حِوَلًۭا
Translation
There they will remain, never wishing to leave.
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'Abiding therein forever, never desiring any change from it.' al-Saadi and Ibn Kathir note the perfection of the reward, not only eternal but so complete that its dwellers 'la yabghuna 'anha hiwala', never wish to move on, never grow bored, never seek anything else. Ask yourself: this names something I have never once experienced, a contentment so total I would not want it to change. Every joy I know here eventually palls; I always crave novelty, the next thing, because nothing fully satisfies. This verse describes a state I would never want to leave or alter, the end of restlessness itself. It exposes the deep truth beneath my constant seeking: I am chasing a satisfaction that this world, by design, can never make permanent. Recognising that a joy I'd never wish to change exists only there, do I stop demanding it of every fleeting pleasure here, and start working toward the one place restlessness finally ends?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Ashur.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Kahf 18:108 is discussed in 2 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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