Surah Al-Kahf 18:42
سُورَةُ الكَهۡفِ · Meccan · Verse 42 of 110
وَأُحِيطَ بِثَمَرِهِۦ فَأَصْبَحَ يُقَلِّبُ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَىٰ مَآ أَنفَقَ فِيهَا وَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا وَيَقُولُ يَٰلَيْتَنِى لَمْ أُشْرِكْ بِرَبِّىٓ أَحَدًۭا
Translation
And so it was: his fruit was completely destroyed, and there he was, wringing his hands over what he had invested in it, as it drooped on its trellises, and saying, ‘I wish I had not set up any partner to my Lord.’
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'And his fruit was encompassed [by ruin], so he began wringing his hands over what he had spent on it, while it lay fallen on its trellises, saying: Would that I had not associated anyone with my Lord!' al-Saadi and Ibn Kathir note the swift, total collapse, and the too-late confession: at the moment of ruin he finally sees clearly that his real error was the shirk of his self-reliant pride. Ask yourself: catastrophe stripped away his delusion in an instant and revealed the truth his abundance had hidden, that he had been quietly worshipping his own garden and his own power. The tragedy is that clarity came only after the loss. Must my gardens fall before I see what I've been truly relying on? The verse offers me the clarity now, in advance: what would I confess if my securities collapsed tomorrow, and why not confess and correct it while they still stand?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Ashur.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Kahf 18:42 is discussed in 13 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 18:42 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.