Surah Al-Kahf 18:31
سُورَةُ الكَهۡفِ · Meccan · Verse 31 of 110
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ جَنَّٰتُ عَدْنٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهِمُ ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ يُحَلَّوْنَ فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٍۢ وَيَلْبَسُونَ ثِيَابًا خُضْرًۭا مِّن سُندُسٍۢ وَإِسْتَبْرَقٍۢ مُّتَّكِـِٔينَ فِيهَا عَلَى ٱلْأَرَآئِكِ ۚ نِعْمَ ٱلثَّوَابُ وَحَسُنَتْ مُرْتَفَقًۭا
Translation
they will have Gardens of lasting bliss graced with flowing streams. There they will be adorned with bracelets of gold. There they will wear green garments of fine silk and brocade. There they will be comfortably seated on soft chairs. What a blessed reward! What a pleasant resting place!
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'For them are Gardens of Eternity, beneath which rivers flow; adorned therein with bracelets of gold, wearing green garments of fine silk and brocade, reclining on couches. Excellent is the reward, and beautiful the resting place.' Ibn Ashur and al-Saadi note the reward described in rich, tangible detail, 'ni'ma ath-thawab wa hasunat murtafaqa', an excellent reward and a beautiful place of rest. Ask yourself: after the parable's warning and the fire just named, the verse turns to lavish, concrete beauty, rivers, gold, silk, rest, so that hope, not only fear, moves me. And note the final word: a beautiful resting place. The whole striving arc ends in rest. My exhausted pursuit of comfort here, in things that never quite deliver it, is answered by a promised home where rest is real and lasting. Am I chasing 'a beautiful resting place' in things that can never be one, or working toward the one that is?
Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi, al-Biqa'i.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Kahf 18:31 is discussed in 7 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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