Surah Al-Kahf 18:38 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection

لَّٰكِنَّا۠ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ رَبِّى وَلَآ أُشْرِكُ بِرَبِّىٓ أَحَدًۭا

English: But, for me, He is God, my Lord, and I will never set up any partner with Him.

Bengali: কিন্তু আমি তো একথাই বলি, আল্লাহই আমার পালনকর্তা এবং আমি কাউকে আমার পালনকর্তার শরীক মানি না।

Meaning & 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.

Reflect with the Five Lenses

Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Al-Kahf 18:38:

• Wording. Look closely at the specific words and structure. Which word stands out, and why might Allah have chosen it here?
• Quranic Worlds. Place the verse in its context — what is happening around it, and what world does it open up?
• Personal Experience. Ask not just what this means, but what it means TO me and FOR me, right now in my life.
• Connections. How does this verse connect to other verses, to the Sunnah, or to themes across the Quran?
• General Lessons. What timeless lesson or action point can I carry away and live by?