Surah Al-Kahf 18:38
سُورَةُ الكَهۡفِ · Meccan · Verse 38 of 110
لَّٰكِنَّا۠ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ رَبِّى وَلَآ أُشْرِكُ بِرَبِّىٓ أَحَدًۭا
Translation
But, for me, He is God, my Lord, and I will never set up any partner with Him.
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'But as for me, He is God, my Lord, and I associate none with my Lord.' al-Saadi and Ibn Kathir note the poor believer's ringing declaration, 'lakinna huwa Allahu rabbi', planting his identity not in what he owns but in Whose he is, refusing to share his Lord with any rival. Ask yourself: the rich man defined himself by his gardens; the poor man defines himself by his God. One says 'look at what I have'; the other says 'He is my Lord, and I associate nothing with Him'. It is a study in two sources of worth, possessions versus relationship with God. Stripped of my possessions, achievements, and status, what would remain of my sense of who I am? The poor believer had nothing to show and everything to stand on. Where is my identity actually anchored, in what I have, or in Whose I am?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Ashur.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Kahf 18:38 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 18:38 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.