Surah Al-Kahf 18:16
سُورَةُ الكَهۡفِ · Meccan · Verse 16 of 110
وَإِذِ ٱعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ فَأْوُۥٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلْكَهْفِ يَنشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّن رَّحْمَتِهِۦ وَيُهَيِّئْ لَكُم مِّنْ أَمْرِكُم مِّرْفَقًۭا
Translation
Now that you have left such people, and what they worshipped instead of God, take refuge in the cave. God will shower His mercy on you and make you an easy way out of your ordeal.’
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'And when you have withdrawn from them and what they worship except God, take refuge in the cave; your Lord will spread His mercy over you and prepare for you ease in your affair.' al-Saadi and Ibn Kathir note the promise attached to their withdrawal, leave the false, retreat, and 'yanshur lakum rabbukum min rahmatih', God will unfold His mercy and smooth your path. Ask yourself: they had to physically leave, separate from the corrupting environment, and only then was the promise of mercy and ease given. Sometimes faithfulness requires a real withdrawal: from a toxic circle, a compromising situation, a place that is quietly unmaking me. This verse promises that such a departure is not loss but the doorway to His unfolding mercy. Is there something I need to withdraw from, trusting that on the other side of the leaving is God spreading out His mercy?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Ashur.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Kahf 18:16 is discussed in 4 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Al-Kahf 18:16 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.