Tafsir of Surah Al-Kahf - Verse 58

The Worst People are Those Who turn away after being reminded

Allah says, `Who among My creatures does more wrong than one who is reminded of the signs of Allah then turns away from them,' i.e., ignores them and does not listen or pay attention to them.

وَنَسِىَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ

(forgetting what his hands have sent forth.) means, bad deeds and evil actions.

إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ

(Truly, We have set over their hearts) means, the hearts of these people,

أَكِنَّةً

(Akinnah) means, coverings.

أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ

(lest they should understand this,) means, so that they will not understand this Qur'an and its clear Message

وَفِى ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا

(and in their ears, deafness.) means that they will be deaf in an abstract way, to guidance.

وَإِن تَدْعُهُمْ إِلَى الْهُدَى فَلَنْ يَهْتَدُواْ إِذاً أَبَداً

(And if you call them to guidance, even then they will never be guided.)

وَرَبُّكَ الْغَفُورُ ذُو الرَّحْمَةِ

(And your Lord is Most Forgiving, Owner of mercy.) means, `your Lord, O Muhammad, is forgiving and has great mercy.'

لَوْ يُؤَاخِذُهُم بِمَا كَسَبُواْ لَعَجَّلَ لَهُمُ الْعَذَابَ

(Were He to call them to account for what they have earned, then surely, He would have hastened their punishment.) This is like the Ayah:

وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ بِمَا كَسَبُواْ مَا تَرَكَ عَلَى ظَهْرِهَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ

(And if Allah were to punish men for that which they earned, He would not leave a moving creature on the surface of the earth.) 35:45

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَةٍ لِّلنَّاسِ عَلَى ظُلْمِهِمْ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَشَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

(But verily, your Lord is full of forgiveness for mankind in spite of their wrongdoing. And verily, your Lord is (also) severe in punishment) 13:6. And there are many Ayat which say the same thing. Then Allah tells us that He is patient, He conceals faults and forgives sins. He may guide some of them from wrongdoing to true guidance, and whoever continues in his evil ways, then there will come to him a Day when infants will turn grey and every pregnant female will shed her load. He says:

بَل لَّهُم مَّوْعِدٌ لَّن يَجِدُواْ مِن دُونِهِ مَوْئِلاً

(But they have their appointed time, beyond which they will find no escape.) meaning, they will find no way out.

وَتِلْكَ الْقُرَى أَهْلَكْنَـهُمْ لَمَّا ظَلَمُواْ

(And these towns, We destroyed them when they did wrong.) This refers to earlier nations in times past; `We destroyed them because of their stubborn disbelief.'

وَجَعَلْنَا لِمَهْلِكِهِم مَّوْعِدًا

(And We appointed a fixed time for their destruction.) `We appointed for them a set time limit, not to be increased or decreased. The same applies to you, O ido- lators, so beware or what happened to them will happen to you too, for you have rejected the noblest Messenger and greatest Prophet, and you are not dearer to Us than them, so fear My punishment and wrath.'

The statement: وَكَانَ الْإِنسَانُ أَكْثَرَ‌ شَيْءٍ جَدَلًا (And man is the most quarrel-some of all things - 54) has been testified through a Hadith narrated by Sayyidna 'Anas ؓ in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been reported to have said, "On the day of Qiyamah, a man from among the disbelievers will be brought forth. He will be asked, 'what was your response to the messenger We had sent to you?' He will say, '0 my Lord, as for me, I did believe in You and in Your messenger too and that I obeyed him in everything I did.' Allah Ta` ala will say, 'here is your book of deeds before you. All this you say is not there.' This man will say, 'I do not believe in this book of deeds.' Allah Ta` ala will say, 'what about these angels of Ours? They used to watch you. They bear witness against you. This man will say, 'I do not accept their testimony as well, nor do I know them, nor have I seen them while I was doing what I did.' Allah Ta` ala will say, 'if so, this Preserved Tablet (اَلَّوح المَحفُوظ) is before you. Written here too is the same thing about you.' He will say, 'my Lord, have You granted me asylum from injustice or have you not?' Allah Ta` ala will say, 'Of course, you have your refuge against injustice with Us.' So then, he will say, '0 my Lord, how can I accept the verdict of those unseen witnesses I am not familiar with at all? As for me, I can only accept a witness that comes from my own person.' At that time, his mouth will be sealed, and his hands and feet will bear witness against his kufr and shirk. After that, he will be released and thrown into the Hell. (The subject matter of this narrative has been reported in Sahih Muslim, also from Sayyidna Anas ؓ - al-Qurtubi)

When a man flouts the Truth, but does not immediately receive the punishment for this, it makes him arrogant. The fact of his going scot free is only due to the latitude given to him during the period of trial, and not because of any real freedom. If the individual is keen to learn a lesson, he must consider the fate of his predecessors, from which he may learn how to conduct his present life. On the face of this earth, different nations and different cultures have risen from time to time and have subsequently been destroyed. When earlier generations were punished for their disobedience, why should later generations not meet the same fate?