Surah Al-Kahf 18:35
سُورَةُ الكَهۡفِ · Meccan · Verse 35 of 110
وَدَخَلَ جَنَّتَهُۥ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌۭ لِّنَفْسِهِۦ قَالَ مَآ أَظُنُّ أَن تَبِيدَ هَٰذِهِۦٓ أَبَدًۭا
Translation
He went into his garden and wronged himself by saying, ‘I do not think this will ever perish,
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'And he entered his garden, wronging himself. He said: I do not think this will ever perish.' Ibn Ashur and al-Saadi note the core delusion, 'ma azunnu an tabida hadhihi abada': the assumption of permanence, that his success would simply last forever, an illusion the comfortable are especially prone to. Ask yourself: this is the quiet lie inside every prosperous, stable stretch of life, the felt certainty that it will just continue, that this is now the permanent order of things. It is precisely when the garden is at its lushest that the delusion 'this will never end' takes hold. And it is a self-wronging, 'zalimun li-nafsih', because it blinds me to my own dependence and mortality. What in my life am I unconsciously assuming will 'never perish', and how would I hold it differently if I truly felt its impermanence?
Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi, al-Biqa'i.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Kahf 18:35 is discussed in 21 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
- Security (Amn)
- Luxury (Taraf)
- Dialogue (Hiwar)
- Tyranny (Tughyan)
- Gradual Enticement (Istidraj)
- Sustenance (Rizq)
- Resurrection (Ba'th)
- Humility (Tawadu)
- Monotheism (Tawhid)
- Debate (Jidal)
- Dhul-Qarnayn (Dhu al-Qarnayn)
- Adornment (Zinah)
- Delusion (Ghurur)
- Disbelief (Kufr)
- Forgetfulness (Nisyan)
- Time (Waqt)
- Happiness (Sa'adah)
- Trees (Shajar)
- Doubt (Shakk)
- Honor (Izzah)
- Racism (Unsariyyah)
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Al-Kahf 18:35 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.