Surah Al-Kahf 18:53
سُورَةُ الكَهۡفِ · Meccan · Verse 53 of 110
وَرَءَا ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ ٱلنَّارَ فَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَنَّهُم مُّوَاقِعُوهَا وَلَمْ يَجِدُوا۟ عَنْهَا مَصْرِفًۭا
Translation
The evildoers will see the Fire and they will realize that they are about to fall into it: they will find no escape from it.
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'And the criminals will see the Fire and be certain they are to fall into it, and will find no way to avert it.' Ibn Ashur and al-Saadi note the shift from doubt to devastating certainty, 'wa zannu annahum muwaqi'uha', they become sure, precisely when certainty can no longer help, and there is 'no escape' left. Ask yourself: the tragedy is the timing of the certainty, the truth becomes undeniable only at the moment it's too late to act on it. In this life I have the opposite gift: the truth is available while I can still respond to it. The whole point of being warned now is to reach the certainty before the point of no return, while there is still a 'way to avert'. Am I waiting for the kind of undeniable proof that only arrives when nothing can be done, or acting on the clear warning I already have, while escape is still open?
Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi, al-Biqa'i.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Kahf 18:53 is discussed in 2 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
- Conjecture (Zann) (key verse)
- Salvation (Najah)
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Al-Kahf 18:53 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.