Surah 18. Al-Kahf, Ayah 82
| وَأَمَّا الْجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَامَيْنِ يَتِيمَيْنِ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ تَحْتَهُ كَنْزٌ لَهُمَا وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَالِحًا فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَنْ يَبْلُغَا أَشُدَّهُمَا وَيَسْتَخْرِجَا كَنْزَهُمَا رَحْمَةً مِنْ رَبِّكَ ۚ وَمَا فَعَلْتُهُ عَنْ أَمْرِي ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَأْوِيلُ مَا لَمْ تَسْطِعْ عَلَيْهِ صَبْرًا |
| Transliteration | : | wa- 'ammaa al- jidaar fa- kaana li- ghulaamain yatemain fe al- madenah wa- kaana tah.ta -hu kanz la- -humaa wa- kaana 'abo -humaa s.aalih.(an) fa- araada rabb -ka 'an yablughaa ashudd -humaa wa- yastakhrijaa kanz -humaa rah.mah min rabb -ka wa- maa facaltu -hu can 'amr -y dhaalika ta'wel maa lam tast.ic calay -hi s.abr(an) |
| Pickthall | : | And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was beneath it a treasure belonging to them and their father had been righteous, and thy Lord intended that they should come to their full strength and should bring forth their treasure as a mercy from their Lord; and I did it not upon my own command. Such is the interpretation of that wherewith thou couldst not bear. |
| Asad | : | "And as for that wall, it belonged to two orphan boys [living] in the town, and beneath it was [buried], a treasure belonging to them [by right].79 Now their father had been a righteous man, and so thy Sustainer willed it that when they come of age they should bring forth their treasure by thy Sustainer's grace. "And I did not do [any of] this of my own accord:80 this is the real meaning of all [those events] that thou wert unable to bear with patience." |
| Malik | : | As for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city and beneath it their treasure was buried. Since their father was a righteous man, your Rabb desired that these children should attain their maturity and take out their treasure. All this was done as a mercy from your Rabb. What I did was not done by my own will. That is the interpretation of those actions which you could not bear to watch with patience". |
| Yusuf Ali | : | "As for the wall it belonged to two youths orphans in the Town; there was beneath it a buried treasure to which they were entitled: their father had been a righteous man: so thy Lord desired that they should attain their age of full strength and get out their treasure a mercy (and favor) from thy Lord. I did it not of my own accord. Such is the interpretation of (those things) over which thou wast unable to hold patience." 2425 2426 2427 |
Note - 79I.e., left to them as an inheritance. Presumably that
treasure would have been exposed to view if the wall had
been allowed to tumble down, and would have been stolen
by the avaricious village folk, who had shown their true
character by refusing all hospitality to weary
travellers.
|
Note - 80Implying that whatever he had done was done under the
impulsion of a higher truth-the mystic insight which
revealed to him the reality behind the outward appearance
of things and made him a conscious particle in God's
unfathomable plan: and this explains the use of the
plural "we" in verses {80-81}, as well as the direct
attribution, in the first paragraph of verse {82}, of a
concrete human action to God's will (Razi).
|
Note - 2425The wall was in a ruinous state. If it had fallen, the
treasure buried beneath it would have been exposed and
would certainly have been looted, among so churlish and
selfish a people. See n. 2419 above. The treasure had
been collected and buried by a righteous man. It was not,
in any sense of the word, ill-gotten gains; it was buried
expressly in the interests of the orphans by their father
before his death. It was intended that the orphans should
grow up and safely take possession of their heritage. It
was also expected that they would be righteous men like
their father, and use the treasure in good works and in
advancing righteousness among an otherwise wicked
community. There was thus both public and private
interests involved in all the three incidents. In the
second incident Khidhr uses the word "we", showing that
he was associating in his act the public authorities of
the place, who had been eluded by the outlaw.
|
Note - 2426Age of full strength: Cf. xvii. 34 and n. 2218.
|
Note - 2427Those who act, not from a whim or a private impulse of
their own, but from higher authority, have to bear the
blame, for acts of the greatest wisdom and utility.
|
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I.e., left to them as an inheritance. Presumably that treasure would have been exposed to view if the wall had been allowed to tumble down, and would have been stolen by the avaricious village folk, who had shown their true character by refusing all hospitality to weary travellers. |
| |
Implying that whatever he had done was done under the impulsion of a higher truth-the mystic insight which revealed to him the reality behind the outward appearance of things and made him a conscious particle in God's unfathomable plan: and this explains the use of the plural "we" in verses {80-81}, as well as the direct attribution, in the first paragraph of verse {82}, of a concrete human action to God's will (Razi). |
| |
The wall was in a ruinous state. If it had fallen, the treasure buried beneath it would have been exposed and would certainly have been looted, among so churlish and selfish a people. See n. 2419 above. The treasure had been collected and buried by a righteous man. It was not, in any sense of the word, ill-gotten gains; it was buried expressly in the interests of the orphans by their father before his death. It was intended that the orphans should grow up and safely take possession of their heritage. It was also expected that they would be righteous men like their father, and use the treasure in good works and in advancing righteousness among an otherwise wicked community. There was thus both public and private interests involved in all the three incidents. In the second incident Khidhr uses the word "we", showing that he was associating in his act the public authorities of the place, who had been eluded by the outlaw. |
