Tafsir of Al-Kahf 18:1

Classification: Meccan (except for verse 38, and verses 83 through 101, which are Medinan). Number of Verses: 110 (revealed after al-Ghashiyah).

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

{All praise is due to Allah, who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance. [It is] straight, to warn of severe punishment from Him and to give good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward. They will remain therein forever. And to warn those who say, "Allah has taken a son." They have no knowledge thereof, nor had their fathers. Grave is the word that comes out of their mouths; they say nothing but a lie.}

Exegesis:

• "All praise is due to Allah": A declaration of praise for His essence and attributes, specifically for the favor of revealing the Book.
• "Who has sent down upon His Servant the Book": Referring to Muhammad (ﷺ). The mention of "Servant" ('abd) is an honorific title, emphasizing his status in receiving the revelation.
• "And has not made therein any deviance": Meaning, He did not place in it any contradiction, inconsistency, or crookedness. It is perfectly balanced and truthful.
• "Straight" (Qayyiman): It is upright, maintaining the truth and guiding to the straight path. It is a guardian over the previous scriptures.
• "To warn of severe punishment from Him": A warning to the disbelievers of a harsh retribution originating from His power.
• "And to give good tidings to the believers... that they will have a good reward": Specifically, Paradise.
• "They will remain therein forever": An eternal state of dwelling in that reward.
• "And to warn those who say, 'Allah has taken a son'": A specific warning against the polytheists and those who attribute offspring to the Divine.
• "They have no knowledge thereof, nor had their fathers": Their claim is based on blind imitation and ignorance, lacking any foundation in truth or revelation.
• "Grave is the word that comes out of their mouths": It is a monstrous and heinous statement.
• "They say nothing but a lie": Their claim is pure fabrication, devoid of any reality.

{Praise be to Allah who has sent down upon His servant the Book} Allah instructs His servants and teaches them how to praise and thank Him for His greatest blessing upon them: the blessing of Islam, and the Book He sent down to His servant Muhammad (ﷺ), which is the cause of their salvation and success.

{And has not placed therein any crookedness} He has not placed in it any crookedness at all. "Crookedness" in abstract meanings is like crookedness in physical objects. The intent is to negate any discrepancy, contradiction, or deviation from wisdom and correctness within its meanings.

• Question: What is the grammatical case of qayyiman (straight/upright)?
• Answer: It is best to consider it governed by an implied verb, rather than a state (hal) of "the Book." Since "and has not placed" is a conjunction to "sent down," it falls within the relative clause. Making it a hal would separate the state from the subject by part of the relative clause. The estimation is: "He has not placed crookedness in it; He has made it upright." By negating crookedness, He has affirmed its uprightness.

• Question: What is the benefit of combining the negation of crookedness with the affirmation of uprightness, when one suffices for the other?
• Answer: The benefit is emphasis. Many things may appear upright but, upon close inspection, are not free from the slightest crookedness. Others say qayyiman means "overseeing all other scriptures," confirming them and testifying to their truth. Others say it means "upright regarding the interests of the servants and the laws they cannot do without."

{To warn of a severe punishment from Him} An-dhar (to warn) is transitive to two objects, as in: "We have warned you of a near punishment." Here, it is limited to one. The origin is "to warn those who disbelieve of a severe ba's (punishment)." Ba's comes from "a miserable punishment." Min ladunhu means originating from His presence.

{And to give good tidings}

• Question: Why is only one object of "warn" mentioned?
• Answer: The thing warned against is the primary focus, so it was necessary to limit it to that. The evidence is the repetition of "warning" later regarding the disbelievers without mentioning the object of the warning, whereas the object of the "good tidings" is mentioned ("that they will have a good reward") because it was already established. The "good reward" is Paradise.

{They have no knowledge of it} Meaning, of the "son" or the "taking" of a son. This means their statement did not stem from knowledge, but from extreme ignorance and imitation of their forefathers, influenced by Satan and his promptings.

• Question: Taking a son for Allah is inherently impossible, so how can it be said "they have no knowledge of it"?
• Answer: It means they have no knowledge of it because it is not something that can be known, due to its impossibility. Lack of knowledge of a thing occurs either due to ignorance of the path to it, or because the thing itself is impossible, making knowledge of it untenable.

{Great is the word that comes out of their mouths} Kalimatan (word) is read in the accusative as a specifier (tamyiz) and in the nominative as the subject of the verb. The accusative is stronger and more eloquent; it carries the meaning of exclamation, as if to say: "How great a word it is!"

{That comes out of their mouths} This is a description of the "word," emphasizing the audacity of their speaking it and letting it pass their lips. Many of the evil thoughts Satan whispers into people's hearts are things they do not dare to utter, suppressing them out of shame. How much more so for such a grave evil?

• Question: To what does the pronoun in kaburat (it is great) refer?
• Answer: To their statement: "Allah has taken a son." It is called a "word" just as a poem is called a "word."

{Then perhaps you would kill yourself through grief over them, if they do not believe in this message}