وَرَبُّكَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ذُو ٱلرَّحْمَةِ ۖ لَوْ يُؤَاخِذُهُم بِمَا كَسَبُوا۟ لَعَجَّلَ لَهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابَ ۚ بَل لَّهُم مَّوْعِدٌ لَّن يَجِدُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦ مَوْئِلًا 58
Translations
And your Lord is the Forgiving, the possessor of mercy. If He were to impose blame upon them for what they earned, He would have hastened for them the punishment. Rather, for them is an appointment from which they will never find an escape.
Transliteration
Wa rabbukal ghafuru dhu ar-rahmah; law yu'akhidhuhum bima kasabu la'ajjala lahum al-adhab; bal lahum maw'idun lan yajidu min dunihee maw'ila
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah emphasizes Allah's attributes of forgiveness and mercy, teaching that if He were to immediately punish people for their sins, punishment would come swiftly and inescapably. Instead, Allah has appointed a final Day of Judgment from which there is no escape or refuge, demonstrating His wisdom in delaying punishment to allow opportunity for repentance. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir highlight how this verse balances divine justice with divine mercy, showing that Allah's forbearance does not mean impunity—the ultimate reckoning is certain.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Kahf's broader themes about divine wisdom, patience, and the certainty of the afterlife. It follows discussions about those who reject faith and serves as a warning that divine patience is temporary, reinforcing the surah's emphasis on accountability on the Day of Judgment.
Related Hadiths
Hadith from Sahih Muslim (2758): The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'If Allah were to punish people for their wrongdoing, He would not leave upon it a creature, but He gives them respite to a specified term.' This directly illustrates the concept of divine forbearance mentioned in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that while Allah's mercy delays immediate punishment, encouraging repentance and reform, ultimate accountability before Allah is inescapable and certain. We should therefore use the respite we are given in this life to correct ourselves and draw closer to Allah, not become complacent in our disobedience.
Related Ayahs
قَالَ هَـٰذَا رَحْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّى ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعْدُ رَبِّى جَعَلَهُۥ دَكَّآءَ ۖ وَكَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّى حَقًّا
[Dhul-Qarnayn] said, "This is a mercy from my Lord; but when the promise of my Lord comes [i.e., approaches], He will make it level, and ever is the promise of my Lord true."
وَمَا نُرْسِلُ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ ۚ وَيُجَـٰدِلُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ لِيُدْحِضُوا۟ بِهِ ٱلْحَقَّ ۖ وَٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ ءَايَـٰتِى وَمَآ أُنذِرُوا۟ هُزُوًا
And We send not the messengers except as bringers of good tidings and warners. And those who disbelieve dispute by [using] falsehood to [attempt to] invalidate thereby the truth and have taken My verses, and that of which they are warned, in ridicule.
فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَتَيَآ أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ ٱسْتَطْعَمَآ أَهْلَهَا فَأَبَوْا۟ أَن يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَارًا يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ فَأَقَامَهُۥ ۖ قَالَ لَوْ شِئْتَ لَتَّخَذْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا
So they set out, until when they came to the people of a town, they asked its people for food, but they refused to offer them hospitality. And they found therein a wall about to collapse, so he [i.e., al-Khiḍr] restored it. [Moses] said, "If you wished, you could have taken for it a payment."
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.