Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Kahf Verse 16

Mufti Taqi Usmani

When you have turned away from them, and those whom they worship, except Allah, then seek refuge in the cave, and your Lord will extend His mercy for you, and provide you ease in your matters.”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Since you have distanced yourselves from them and what they worship besides Allah, take refuge in the cave. Your Lord will extend His mercy to you and accommodate you in your ordeal.”

Ruwwad Translation Center

When you have distanced yourselves from them and what they worship other than Allah, take refuge in the cave; your Lord will extend His mercy to you and make for you an easy way out of your ordeal.”

A. J. Arberry

So, when you have gone apart from them and that they serve, excepting God, take refuge in the Cave, and your Lord will unfold to you of His mercy, and will furnish -- you with a gentle issue of your affair.'

Abdul Haleem

Now that you have left such people, and what they worshipped instead of God, take refuge in the cave. God will shower His mercy on you and make you an easy way out of your ordeal.’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And now when ye have withdrawn from them and that which they worship, except God, betake yourselves to the cave; your Lord will unfold for you some of His mercy, and will prepare for you of your affair an easy arrangement.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

"When ye turn away from them and the things they worship other than Allah, betake yourselves to the Cave; Your Lord will shower His mercies on you and disposes of your affair towards comfort and ease."

Abul Ala Maududi

And now that you have dissociated yourselves from them and from whatever they worship beside Allah, go and seek refuge in the Cave. Your Lord will extend His mercy to you and will provide for you the means for the disposal of your affairs."

Ahmed Ali

(And they said to each other:) "Now that you have withdrawn from them and what they worship beside God, it is better to take refuge in the cave. Your Lord may bestow of His mercy on you, and facilitate your affair."

Ahmed Raza Khan

“And when you have disassociated yourself from them and all what they worship besides Allah – so take refuge in the Cave – your Lord will spread His mercy for you and arrange ease for you in your affairs.”

Ali Quli Qarai

When you have dissociated yourselves from them and from what they worship except Allah, then take refuge in the Cave. Your Lord will unfold His mercy for you, and He will help you on to ease in your affair.’

Ali Ünal

(Events developed to the point that they had to leave their society. They discussed what they should do and concluded:) "And now that you have withdrawn yourselves from them and all that they worship instead of God, then seek refuge in the Cave. Your Lord will lay out for you of His mercy, and He will arrange for you in your affair a comfort and support."

Amatul Rahman Omar

(They said one to another), `So (now) when you have left them and that which they worship apart from Allâh, you should take shelter in the Place of Refuge. (If you do so) your Lord will extend to you His mercy and will provide some ease for you in (this) affair of yours.´

English Literal

And when you separated/isolated/withdrew yourselves from them and what they worship, except God, so takeshelter/refuge to the cave , your Lord spreads/extends for you from His mercy, and He prepares/makes possible for you from your matter/affair convenience/benefit/help.

Faridul Haque

"And when you have disassociated yourself from them and all what they worship besides Allah - so take refuge in the Cave - your Lord will spread His mercy for you and arrange ease for you in your affairs."

Hamid S. Aziz

"So when you have gone apart from them and what they serve other than Allah, then resort you to the cave. Our Lord will unfold His mercy to you, and will dispose for you your affair advantageously."

Hilali & Khan

(The young men said to one another): "And when you withdraw from them, and that which they worship, except Allah, then seek refuge in the Cave, your Lord will open a way for you from His Mercy and will make easy for you your affair (i.e. will give you what you will need of provision, dwelling, etc.)."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

These our people have taken gods beside Him. Why do they not bring clear authority for them? Who is then more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah?

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And when you forsake them and what they worship save Allah, betake yourselves for refuge to the cave; your Lord will extend to you largely of His mercy and provide for you a profitable course in your affair.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And when ye withdraw from them and that which they worship except Allah, then seek refuge in the Cave; your Lord will spread for you of His mercy and will prepare for you a pillow in your plight.

Muhammad Sarwar

(They were told), "Now that you have abandoned them and what they worship instead of God, seek refuge in the cave. God will, certainly, grant you mercy and provide you with help to safely get out of this trouble."

Qaribullah & Darwish

When you depart from them and from what they worship, other than Allah, seek refuge in the Cave. Allah will extend His Mercy to you and will furnish you with a gentle issue of your affair.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

(The young men said to one another:) "And when you withdraw from them, and that which they worship, except Allah, then seek refuge in the cave; your Lord will open a way for you from His mercy and will make easy for you your affair."

Wahiduddin Khan

"Now that you have withdrawn from them and from all that they worship instead of God, take refuge in that cave; your Lord will extend His mercy to you and will make fitting provision for you in your situation."

Talal Itani

“Now that you have withdrawn from them, and from what they worship besides God, take shelter in the cave. And your Lord will unfold His mercy for you, and will set your affair towards ease.”

Tafsir jalalayn

And when you withdraw from them and from that which they worship except God, then take refuge in the Cave. Your Lord will reveal for you something of His mercy and prepare for you in your affair some comfort' (read mirfaqan or marfiqan), that is to say, something for you to find comfort in, in the way of lunch or supper.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَإِذِ اعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلاَّ اللَّهَ

And when you withdraw from them, and that which they worship, except Allah,

meaning, when you depart from them and follow a different religion, opposing their worship of others besides Allah, then separate from them in a physical sense too,

فَأْوُوا إِلَى الْكَهْفِ يَنشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّن رَّحمته

then seek refuge in the cave; your Lord will open a way for you from His mercy,

meaning, He will bestow His mercy upon you, by which He will conceal you from your people.

ويُهَيِّيْ لَكُم مِّنْ أَمْرِكُم مِّرْفَقًا



and will make easy for you your affair.

means, He will give you what you need. So they left and fled to the cave where they sought refuge.

Then their people noticed they were missing, and the king looked for them, and it was said when he could not find them that Allah concealed them from him so that he could not find any trace of them or any information about them.

As Allah concealed His Prophet Muhammad and his Companion (Abu Bakr) As-Siddiq, when they sought refuge in the cave of Thawr. The Quraysh idolators came in pursuit, but they did not find him even though they passed right by him. When the Messenger of Allah noticed that As-Siddiq was anxious and said, "O Messenger of Allah, if one of them looks down at the place of his feet, he will see us,"

he told him;

يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ مَا ظَنُّكَ بِاثْنَيْنِ اللهُ ثَالِثُهُمَا



O Abu Bakr, what do you think of two who have Allah as their third?

And Allah said;

إِلاَّ تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللَّهُ إِذْ أَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِى الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا

فَأَنزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَيَّدَهُ بِجُنُودٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ السُّفْلَى وَكَلِمَةُ اللَّهِ هِىَ الْعُلْيَا وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

If you help him not, for Allah did indeed help him when the disbelievers drove him out, the second of the two; when they were in the cave, he said to his companion;"Do not grieve, surely, Allah is with us."

Then Allah sent down His tranquility upon him, and strengthened him with forces which you saw not, and made the word of those who disbelieved the lower, while the Word of Allah became the higher; and Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. (9;40)
The story of this cave (Thawr) is far greater and more wondrous than that of the people of the Cave