Tafsir of Al-Kahf 18:41

(Or its water becomes sunken): That is, sinking into the earth. The use of the verbal noun (masdar) is for hyperbole, similar to what has passed before.

(So you will never be able to seek it): That is, to seek the sunken water, meaning movement and effort to recover and extract it. The intended meaning is the negation of the ability to reach it; thus, it is expressed as the negation of seeking, pointing to the fact that it is impossible, and a rational person does not seek such a thing. It is said that the pronoun in "it" (lahu) refers to water in general, not the specific water mentioned. That is: "You will never be able to find, in place of that sunken water, other water." This is what the words of Al-Mawardi imply, although it is contrary to the apparent meaning.

The apparent view is that "becomes" (yusbih) is a conjunction connected to "becomes" (tusbih) [in the previous verse]. In this case, "reckoning" (husban) must mean something upon which the occurrence of both matters is customarily contingent, such as the Divine decree of destruction. For not every celestial calamity results in the garden becoming a slippery ground, nor does every one result in its water becoming sunken. It is also permissible that the conjunction is connected to "He sends" (yursil). In this case, "reckoning" may signify any of the aforementioned meanings. According to this, the believer has hoped for the destruction of his disbelieving companion’s garden, whether by a celestial calamity or a terrestrial one—which is the sinking of its water—thereby destroying all the trees and crops within it. However, he did not explicitly state the harm and ruin resulting from the sinking; perhaps that is because it is obvious, and he sufficed with pointing to it by saying "So you will never..." and so on. This was criticized by noting that it is not hidden that there is no corruption in this conjunction, neither in wording nor meaning, except that the apparent phrasing would have been to say, "Or He makes its water sunken," or something similar, which attributes the action to Allah, the Exalted. The reason for shifting to what is in the noble composition is not clear, so contemplate this.

Furthermore, most scholars hold that his statement "If you see me..." etc., is in response to the disbeliever’s statement, "I am greater than you in wealth," etc. It is as if they intended a general correspondence, not an absolute one. As for when the meaning of "group" (nafar) and "offspring" are not identical, it is clear. As for when they are identical—interpreted by defining "group" as "offspring"—it is because there are two matters here: greater status and might. Yet, only the counterpart to one of them was mentioned here, which is the lack of abundance, attributed in meaning to both wealth and offspring. Yes, it is said: The paucity of offspring may entail ignominy, and abundance may entail might, as observed among the Bedouin Arabs.

It would have been apparent to address the matter of offspring in the conditional outcome (jaza'), just as the matter of wealth was addressed, by saying: "And perhaps He will give me [something] better than your offspring," and afflict them with a disaster so they become perished, or similar. It was answered that he did not address this, pointing to the obsession with wealth that had seized the heart of that disbeliever, and that the destruction of his garden and the granting of something better to his believing companion is sufficient to spite and anger him.

It is said that he did not address it because it involves hoping for the destruction of those who did not engage in dialogue or debate, and against whom no resistance or boasting was recorded, merely to anger a disbeliever who had argued, boasted, and competed. Leaving it is better for completeness, and more perfect for the virtuous person. The imprecations against the disbelievers and their offspring, issued by some of the prophets (peace be upon them), are not of the same category as this hope, as is not hidden to the contemplator. Since he wished to abandon this hope, he abandoned the hope for [the destruction of] the offspring for himself, either in following [the disbeliever's pattern] or because it was not important to him. It is said that he hoped for it in his statement, "Better than your garden," because it means "something better than your garden," and an indefinite noun may encompass general things by the aid of the context, thus including offspring—but this is not well-founded.

It is said that he meant what is apparent: a garden better than your garden. However, goodness cannot be perfected without offspring, for pleasure is not complete with wealth for one who has no offspring. Thus, the hope for a garden better than that garden includes the hope for offspring better than those offspring. He did not hope for the destruction of his offspring so that their survival after the destruction of their garden would be a burden upon him. It is not hidden that the only thing that comes to mind regarding the "goodness" of the garden is its goodness in terms of being a garden—the abundance of trees, the increase of fruits, the profusion of river water, and so on. Regarding his statement "so that it may be..." etc., there is an obvious objection.

It is said that he did not hope for [the destruction of] the offspring because he was satisfied with what he had of them, for the abundance of offspring is not something the perfect ones desire—and there is a view on this. It is said that he did not pair the hope for being given offspring with the hope for being given a garden because that hoped-for giving is in the Hereafter, and it is not a place for giving birth due to the cessation of procreation there. It is not hidden that this, even after conceding that one is not given offspring in the Hereafter if he wills it, is not well-founded.

It is said that it is possible the hope for offspring is in his statement "better than your garden," based on the fact that he meant by "your garden" everything he enjoyed of the worldly life, and the pronouns following it refer back to it, in the sense of the orchard, by way of istikhdam (using a word in a sense that implies its other meaning). This is as you see, so reflect. Allah, the Exalted, knows the secrets of His Book and informs.

A group read ghu'uran (sunken) with a damma on the ghayn, an hamza following it, and a waw after them.