Surah Al-Kahf 18:78
سُورَةُ الكَهۡفِ · Meccan · Verse 78 of 110
قَالَ هَٰذَا فِرَاقُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنِكَ ۚ سَأُنَبِّئُكَ بِتَأْوِيلِ مَا لَمْ تَسْتَطِع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْرًا
Translation
He said, ‘This is where you and I part company. I will tell you the meaning of the things you could not bear with patiently:
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'He said: This is the parting between me and you. I will inform you of the interpretation of that over which you could not have patience.' al-Saadi and Ibn Kathir note the pivot, now, at the parting, the explanations finally come: the meaning was there all along, disclosed only after the events, once the trial of patience was complete. Ask yourself: notice that understanding arrives at the end, not during, Musa gets his answers only when the journey is over. This is exactly how God's wisdom often works: the meaning of the confusing chapter becomes clear only later, sometimes only at the very 'parting', the end of a season, or the end of life itself. The demand to understand now, mid-event, is the demand the whole story gently refuses. Can I trust that the interpretation of what I 'could not be patient about' is coming, even if, like Musa, I only receive it at the parting, when I can finally see what it was all for?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Ashur.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Kahf 18:78 is discussed in 4 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 18:78 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.