Study the Quran

Tafsir

Scholarly commentary explaining a verse — its context, its meaning and how the scholars have understood it.

Al-Kahf 18:102

Word by word

أَفَحَسِبَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَن يَتَّخِذُوا۟ عِبَادِى مِن دُونِىٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ ۚ إِنَّآ أَعْتَدْنَا جَهَنَّمَ لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ نُزُلًا

Then do those who disbelieve think that they can take My servants instead of Me as allies? Indeed, We have prepared Hell for the disbelievers as a lodging.

Ibn Kathir (Abridged) English Ma'arif al-Qur'an English Tafsir Muyassar Arabic Tafsir Ibn Kathir Arabic All sources

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Hell will be displayed before the Disbelievers on the Day of Resurrection

Allah tells us what He will do to the disbelievers on the Day of Resurrection. He will show Hell to them, meaning He will bring it forth for them to see its punishment and torment before they enter it. This will intensify their distress and grief. In Sahih Muslim it is recorded that Ibn Mas`ud said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,«يُؤْتَى بِجَهَنَّمَ تُقَادُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِسَبْعِينَ أَلْفَ زِمَامٍ، مَعَ كُلِّ زِمَامٍ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفَ مَلَك»(Hell will be brought forth on the Day of Resurrection, pulled by means of seventy thousand reins, each of which will be held by seventy thousand angels.) Then Allah says of them:الَّذِينَ كَانَتْ أَعْيُنُهُمْ فِى غِطَآءٍ عَن ذِكْرِى((To) those whose eyes had been under a covering from My Reminder,) meaning, they neglected it, turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to it, refusing to accept guidance and follow the truth.

As Allah says:وَمَن يَعْشُ عَن ذِكْرِ الرَّحْمَـنِ نُقَيِّضْ لَهُ شَيْطَاناً فَهُوَ لَهُ قَرِينٌ(And whosoever turns away blindly from the remembrance of the Most Gracious, We appoint for him a Shaytan to be a companion for him.) 43:36 And here Allah says:وَكَانُواْ لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ سَمْعاً(and they could not bear to hear (it). ) meaning, they did not understand the commands and prohibitions of Allah. Then He says:أَفَحَسِبَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ أَن يَتَّخِذُواْ عِبَادِى مِن دُونِى أَوْلِيَآءَ(Do then those who disbelieved think that they can take My servants as Awliya' protectors besides Me) meaning, do they think that this is right for them and that it is going to benefit themكَلاَّ سَيَكْفُرُونَ بِعِبَـدَتِهِمْ وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضِدّاً(Nay, but they will deny their worship of them, and become opponents to them) 19:82. Allah says that He has prepared Hell as their abode on the Day of Resurrection.

Ma'arif al-Qur'an

Mufti Muhammad Shafi

Commentary

According to Tafsir al-Bahr al-Muhit, in the first verse (102): أَفَحَسِبَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا أَن يَتَّخِذُوا عِبَادِي مِن دُونِي أَوْلِيَاءَ (Do, then, the disbelievers deem that they take My servants as patrons beside Me?), there is an elision (حذف hadhf) in the text at this place, that is: فیجد بھم وینتفعون بذلک الاتخاذ As such, it would mean: 'Do these disbelieving people who have taken My servants - instead of Me - as the objects of their worship and the dispensers of their matters and problems think that this make-shift arrangement made by them would bring them some benefit and they would enjoy it?' This is a form of interrogative meant for negation or disapproval. In short, it means that such thinking is wrong, a mark of ignorance.

The word: عبادی (` ibadi: My servants) used here means angels, and the particular prophets whom the people of the world worshiped taking them as partners in the pristine divinity of Allah - as Sayyidna ` Uzair and Sayyidna Masih (علیہ السلام) . Those who worshiped angels were some Arabs. As for those who ascribed partners to Allah, the Jews and Christians both did it. The Jews did it in respect of Sayyidna ` Uzair (علیہ السلام) and the Christians, in respect of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) . Therefore, meant here by: الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا (al-ladhina kafaru: Those who disbelieved) in this verse are these very groups of disbelievers. Some commentators have taken عبادی (` ibadi: My servants) at this place to mean shaitans. In that case, الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا (those who disbelieved) would mean disbelievers who worship the Jinn and shaitans. Some other commentators have taken is? عبادی (` ibadi: My servants) at this place in the general sense of something created, under mastery, which becomes inclusive of all false objects of worship, idols, fire and stars.

Maulana Ashraf ` Ali Thanavi (رح) has referred to this aspect in the Summary of his Tafsir Bayan al-Qur’ an while explaining servants as subjects. However, the first explanation given above has been rated as weightier in al-Bahr al-Muhit and other Tafsirs. Allah knows best.

The word: أَوْلِيَاءَ (awliya' ) is the plural of وَلِی (waliyy). This word is used in the Arabic language to carry several meanings. At this place, it means one who gets things done, resolves matters, fulfills needs - which is the particular attribute of the true object of worship. The purpose thereby is to take them as objects of worship.

Tafsir Muyassar

Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Saudi Arabia

أفظن الذين كفروا بي أن يتخذوا عبادي آلهة من غيري؛ ليكونوا أولياء لهم؟ إنا أعتدنا نار جهنم للكافرين منزلا.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

ثم قال ( أفحسب الذين كفروا أن يتخذوا عبادي من دوني أولياء ) أي : اعتقدوا أنهم يصح لهم ذلك ، وينتفعون بذلك ؟ ( كلا سيكفرون بعبادتهم ويكونون عليهم ضدا ) [ مريم : 82 ] ; ولهذا أخبر أنه قد أعد لهم جهنم يوم القيامة منزلا .

Tafsir is provided for educational reference. Paragraph breaks are added for readability — the wording of each commentary is unchanged. For religious guidance, consult a qualified scholar.