Surah Al-Kahf 18:39
سُورَةُ الكَهۡفِ · Meccan · Verse 39 of 110
وَلَوْلَآ إِذْ دَخَلْتَ جَنَّتَكَ قُلْتَ مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِٱللَّهِ ۚ إِن تَرَنِ أَنَا۠ أَقَلَّ مِنكَ مَالًۭا وَوَلَدًۭا
Translation
If only, when you entered your garden, you had said, “This is God’s will. There is no power not [given] by God.” Although you see I have less wealth and offspring than you,
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'And why, when you entered your garden, did you not say: This is what God has willed; there is no power except through God?' Ibn Ashur and al-Biqa'i note the precise remedy the believer offers, 'ma sha'Allah, la quwwata illa billah': the single acknowledgement that would have kept the blessing safe by crediting it to God, not to self. Ask yourself: here is the exact sentence I forget in my good moments, that this success is what God willed, and any strength I have is only through Him, never my own. Saying it does not diminish the joy; it protects it, by keeping the gift attached to the Giver. The rich man's ruin traced to a missing sentence of gratitude. When I walk into my own 'garden', a win, a good day, a thing I'm proud of, do I credit it to God with 'ma sha'Allah', or silently to myself?
Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Biqa'i, al-Saadi.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Kahf 18:39 is discussed in 8 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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