Surah Al-Kahf 18:70
سُورَةُ الكَهۡفِ · Meccan · Verse 70 of 110
قَالَ فَإِنِ ٱتَّبَعْتَنِى فَلَا تَسْـَٔلْنِى عَن شَىْءٍ حَتَّىٰٓ أُحْدِثَ لَكَ مِنْهُ ذِكْرًۭا
Translation
The man said, ‘If you follow me then, do not query anything I do before I mention it to you myself.’
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'He said: Then if you follow me, do not ask me about anything until I myself mention it to you.' al-Saadi and Ibn Kathir note the one condition, restraint of the questioning tongue: trust the teacher's process, hold back the demand for immediate explanation, and let understanding come in its time. Ask yourself: the whole discipline asked of Musa is to not demand answers now, to let the meaning be disclosed when the teacher chooses, not when the student insists. It is exactly what God asks of me with His decree: to hold back the constant 'why?', to trust that the explanation will come in its time (in this life or the next), rather than demanding it the instant something confuses or hurts me. Can I follow the process without needing the reason immediately, trusting that 'until I mention it to you' means the understanding is coming, just not on my schedule?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Ashur.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Kahf 18:70 is discussed in 5 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 18:70 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.