Surah Al-Kahf 18:91 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection

كَذَٰلِكَ وَقَدْ أَحَطْنَا بِمَا لَدَيْهِ خُبْرًۭا

English: And so it was: We knew all about him.

Bengali: প্রকৃত ঘটনা এমনিই। তার বৃত্তান্ত আমি সম্যক অবগত আছি।

Meaning & Reflection

'Thus. And We had encompassed all that was with him in knowledge.' Ibn Ashur and al-Saadi note the quiet reminder threaded through the story of the mighty ruler — 'ahatna bima ladayhi khubra': God's knowledge fully encompassed everything Dhul-Qarnayn had and did. However great his reach, he was entirely within God's knowledge. Ask yourself: at the height of describing a man of vast power, the verse gently notes that God *encompassed* him — nothing he possessed or did fell outside God's full awareness. It is the truth that keeps the powerful humble: however far my reach extends, I am always the *smaller*, wholly known and contained by the One who granted the reach. The garden-owner forgot this and fell; Dhul-Qarnayn is framed by it and stands. Do I act as though my doings are seen and encompassed — or as though, in my little sphere of power, I am unobserved?

Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi, al-Biqa'i.

Reflect with the Five Lenses

Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Al-Kahf 18:91:

• Wording. Look closely at the specific words and structure. Which word stands out, and why might Allah have chosen it here?
• Quranic Worlds. Place the verse in its context — what is happening around it, and what world does it open up?
• Personal Experience. Ask not just what this means, but what it means TO me and FOR me, right now in my life.
• Connections. How does this verse connect to other verses, to the Sunnah, or to themes across the Quran?
• General Lessons. What timeless lesson or action point can I carry away and live by?