Surah Al-Kahf 18:29
سُورَةُ الكَهۡفِ · Meccan · Verse 29 of 110
وَقُلِ ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ فَمَن شَآءَ فَلْيُؤْمِن وَمَن شَآءَ فَلْيَكْفُرْ ۚ إِنَّآ أَعْتَدْنَا لِلظَّٰلِمِينَ نَارًا أَحَاطَ بِهِمْ سُرَادِقُهَا ۚ وَإِن يَسْتَغِيثُوا۟ يُغَاثُوا۟ بِمَآءٍۢ كَٱلْمُهْلِ يَشْوِى ٱلْوُجُوهَ ۚ بِئْسَ ٱلشَّرَابُ وَسَآءَتْ مُرْتَفَقًا
Translation
Say, ‘Now the truth has come from your Lord: let those who wish to believe in it do so, and let those who wish to reject it do so.’ We have prepared a Fire for the wrongdoers that will envelop them from all sides. If they call for relief, they will be relieved with water like molten metal, scalding their faces. What a terrible drink! What a painful resting place!
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'And say: The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills, let him believe, and whoever wills, let him disbelieve.' Ibn Ashur and al-Saadi note the genuine freedom granted, the truth is stated plainly and the choice left truly open, immediately followed by the naming of the consequence, the fire for the wrongdoers. Freedom, yes; but not freedom from outcome. Ask yourself: I sometimes hear 'let whoever wills believe or disbelieve' as if it meant the choice doesn't matter, as if all paths were equal. This verse means the opposite: the choice is really mine, precisely because it really matters. God will not force my faith, but He will not shield me from the results of refusing it either. Do I treat my freedom of belief as license, 'it's up to me, so no big deal', or as the weightiest responsibility I carry, exactly because it is genuinely mine to make?
Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi, al-Biqa'i.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Kahf 18:29 is discussed in 11 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 18:29 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.