Tafsir of Al-Kahf 18:47

The word "Day" (Yawm) is in the accusative case due to an implied verb, meaning: "Mention the Day We uproot the mountains from their places and move them through the atmosphere like clouds," as indicated by the Almighty’s saying: "And you will see the mountains, thinking them rigid, while they will pass as the passing of clouds."

It is also said that we move their particles after rendering them as scattered dust; in this interpretation, there is an ellipsis of a genitive construct (idafah). It is also permissible that the "moving" is a metaphor for disappearance and annihilation by mentioning the cause while intending the effect—that is, "Mention the Day We cause them to vanish and blow them away completely," which would be like the Almighty’s saying: "And the mountains are crushed to powder, and become dust dispersed."

Both these interpretations face the objection that the turning of mountains into scattered dust and their vanishing occurs after their movement. Some researchers, deriving their understanding from the verses, have suggested that the mountains first detach from the earth and move in the atmosphere, then descend to become shifting sand dunes, and finally scattered dust. The apparent meaning here refers to the initial states of the mountains, and there is no necessity to deviate from the apparent meaning. The purpose of mentioning this is to warn the polytheists of the calamities that are far greater than the most severe of misfortunes.

Abu Hayyan and others allowed for "Day" to be an adverbial modifier for the implied verb in the Almighty’s saying: "You have come to Us," etc.—meaning, "We said on that day, 'You have come to Us.'" This carries implications that you will come to understand, God willing, in that place. Others have suggested it is a conjunction following the preceding phrase: "with your Lord." In this case, it is governed by "better," meaning: "The enduring righteous deeds are better with your Lord and [better on] the Day of Resurrection." In this scenario, it is necessary that "with your Lord" refers to His judgment, as has been claimed.

Ibn Amir, Ibn Kathir, Abu Amr, Al-Hasan, Shibl, Qatadah, Isa, Al-Zuhri, Humayd, Talhah, Al-Yazidi, and Al-Zubayri (from his narrators on behalf of Yaqub) read tussayaru al-jibal with the letter ta as the third letter, vocalized for the passive voice (tussayaru), following the convention of majesty and signaling that the agent is omitted because it is self-evident. It is reported that Al-Hasan read it the same way, but with a ya at the end instead of the ta. Ubayy read suyyirat al-jibal as a past tense passive verb with the mountains in the nominative case. Ibn Muhaysin and Mahbub (from Abu Amr) read tusayyiru al-jibal as an active imperfect verb starting with ta, with the mountains in the nominative case.

"And you see the earth..." This is an address to the Master of all those addressed (the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) or to anyone capable of seeing. It means you see all the facets of the earth "prominent," meaning visible and exposed. As for the appearance of what was underneath the mountains, it is clear; as for anything else, the mountains had previously stood between the observer and the earth. Or, you see it prominent due to the departure of all that was upon it—mountains, seas, structures, and trees. The mention is limited to the removal of the mountains because the removal of the rest is known from it a fortiori. It is also said that attributing prominence to the earth is metaphorical, meaning you see the inhabitants of the earth prominent from its interior, though this contradicts the apparent meaning.

Isa read wa turā al-ardu by constructing the verb in the passive voice and putting "the earth" in the nominative case.

"And We gathered them..."—meaning We assembled them to the standing place from every corner, after raising them from their graves. The [subject] is not mentioned because it is obviously intended. According to the preceding [grammatical analysis], this is mentioned [in the context of the Day]. The preference for the past tense over "We move" and "you see" is to indicate the certainty of the gathering which follows the Resurrection, which the deniers reject and upon which the matter of recompense revolves. The same applies to the verbs coordinated with it, whether negative or positive.

Al-Zamakhshari said this is to signify that their gathering occurs before the movement and the prominence, so that they may witness those terrors and great events; as if it were said, "And We had gathered them before that." This was objected to on the grounds that some verses and reports indicate that the movement and prominence occur at the first blast—the corruption of the world's order—while the gathering and what follows it occur at the second blast. Thus, the verse should not be interpreted as "We gathered them before that" lest it contradict others. One should reflect on this. Furthermore, it is not hidden that the expression in the past tense is metaphorical in the first view and literal in the second, because the past and future are relative to the judgment associated with them, not relative to the time of speaking. The sentence in the latter view, as in Al-Kashshaf and elsewhere, allows for it being a conjunction or a circumstantial clause (hal) related to the agent of "We move."

Abu Hayyan said the primary interpretation is to make it a circumstantial clause according to this view; some have made this mandatory, arguing that if it were a conjunction, it would not be "past" relative to the movement and prominence, but rather relative to the time of speaking, which would require the first interpretation. He then said: "Its verification is that verb forms are set for the time of speaking when they are absolute; when they are made constraints for what indicates a time, then their past or other [tense] is relative to that time." This is weak. The truth is that it is not mandatory. The verification of this is that sentences appearing to be coordinated can be either consistent or inconsistent in time. If it is so in reality, there is no ambiguity. If it is not, then a reason must be sought for the shift. If one of them is a constraint for the other and is past relative to it, it is literal, and its rationale is what was mentioned; the sentence is then not a conjunction. If it is coordinated and the past tense is relative to one of the conjuncts, there is no impediment to it, and whether it is literal or metaphorical is a matter of debate. Fairness dictates preferring Abu Hayyan's view regarding the priority of the circumstantial clause over that, and saying that there is no other way. In that case, qad (the particle of verification) is implied according to most, meaning: "And We have [indeed] gathered them."

"And We did not leave behind from among them anyone,"—meaning We did not omit anyone. It is said, "He left him behind" (ghadarahu) and "He abandoned him" (aghdarahu) if he left him. From this comes "treachery" (ghadr), which is leaving the fulfillment of a promise, and "a pool" (ghadir), which is water that the torrent leaves behind on the earth. It is also read as yughadir (with the ya) on the basis that the pronoun refers to Allah, the Exalted, by way of shift in address (iltifat).

Qatadah read tughadir (with the ta) on the basis that the pronoun refers to the earth, as in the Almighty’s saying: "And casts out what is within it and becomes empty." Abu Hayyan allowed for it to refer to the "Power" (of Allah). Aban bin Yazid from Asim read it similarly, or with a fatha on the dal, constructed as passive, with "anyone" in the nominative case as a proxy for the subject. Al-Dahhak read nughadir with a damma on the nun, a sukun on the ghayn, and a kasra on the dal.