Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Kahf Verse 26

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Say, “Allah knows best how long they stayed. To Him belongs the unseen of the heavens and the earth - how well He sees and how well He hears! They have no supporter other than Him and He lets no one share His authority.”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Allah knows best how long they stayed. With Him ˹alone˺ is ˹the knowledge of˺ the unseen of the heavens and the earth. How perfectly He hears and sees! They have no guardian besides Him, and He shares His command with none.”

Ruwwad Translation Center

Say, “Allah knows best how long they remained. To Him belongs [knowledge of] the unseen of the heavens and earth. How well He sees and how well He hears! They have no protector besides Him, and He shares His command with none.”

A. J. Arberry

Say: 'God knows very well how long they tarried. To Him belongs the Unseen in the heavens and in the earth. How well He sees! How well He hears! They have no protector, apart from Him, and He associates in His government no one.'

Abdul Haleem

Say [Prophet], ‘God knows best how long they stayed.’ His is the knowledge of all that is hidden in the heavens and earth- How well He sees! How well He hears!- and they have no one to protect them other than Him; He does not allow anyone to share His rule.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Say thou: Allah knoweth best how long they tarried; His alone is the hidden knowledge of the heavens and the earth. How well He seeth and heareth. They have no patron beside Him, nor in His rule He associateth anyone.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Say; "Allah knows best how long they stayed; with Him is (the knowledge of) the secrets of the heavens and the earth; how clearly He sees, how finely He hears (everything)! They have no protector other than Him; nor does He share His Command with any person whatsoever.

Abul Ala Maududi

Say: "Allah knows best how long they remained in it, for only He knows all that is hidden in the heavens and the earth. How well He sees; how well He hears! The creatures have no other guardian than Him; He allows none to share His authority."

Ahmed Ali

You say: "God only knows how long they stayed. He alone knows the secrets of the heavens and the earth. How distinctly He sees and hears! They have no other guardian but Him, and He does not share His authority with any one."

Ahmed Raza Khan

Say, “Allah well knows how long they stayed; for Him only are the hidden of the heavens and the earth; how well He sees and hears! They do not have any supporter besides Him; and He does not associate anyone in His command.”

Ali Quli Qarai

Say, ‘Allah knows best how long they remained. To Him belongs the Unseen of the heavens and the earth. How well does He see! How well does He hear! They have no guardian besides Him, and none shares with Him in His judgement.’

Ali Ünal

Say: "God knows better how long they stayed. To Him belongs (absolute dominion and full knowledge of) the unseen of the heavens and the earth. How perfect His seeing and how perfect His hearing! And they have apart from Him no guardian, and He allots to no one a share in His absolute authority.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Say, `Allâh knows best how long they stayed. To Him belong the hidden realities in the heavens and the earth. How clear He sees and how well He hears! They have no helper beside Him. He lets none associate with Him and share His judgment.

English Literal

Say: "God (is) more knowledgeable with what they stayed/remained , for Him (are) the skies`/space`s and the earth`s/Planet Earth`s unseen/invisible , see/look/understand with Him, and make (to) hear/listen, (there is) none for them from other than Him (as a) guardian/ally , and He does not share/make partners in His judgment/rule anyone.201

Faridul Haque

Say, "Allah well knows how long they stayed; for Him only are the hidden of the heavens and the earth; how well He sees and hears! They do not have any supporter besides Him; and He does not associate anyone in His command."

Hamid S. Aziz

So they stayed in their cave three hundred years and (some add) nine more.

Hilali & Khan

Say: "Allah knows best how long they stayed. With Him is (the knowledge of) the unseen of the heavens and the earth. How clearly He sees, and hears (everything)! They have no Wali (Helper, Disposer of affairs, Protector, etc.) other than Him, and He makes none to share in His Decision and His Rule."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And they remained in their cave three hundred years, and they add nine.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Say: Allah knows best how long they remained; to Him are (known) the unseen things of the heavens and the earth; how clear His sight and how clear His hearing! There is none to be a guardian for them besides Him, and He does not make any one His associate in His Judgment.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Say: Allah is Best Aware how long they tarried. His is the Invisible of the heavens and the earth. How clear of sight is He and keen of hearing! They have no protecting friend beside Him, and He maketh none to share in His government.

Muhammad Sarwar

(Muhammad), say, "God knows best how long they stayed there; to Him belongs the unseen of both the heavens and the earth. How clear is His sight and how keen His hearing! No one other than Him is their guardian and no one shares His Judgment.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Say: 'None but Allah knows how long they stayed. To Him belong the Unseen in the heavens and the earth. How well He sees, and how well He hears! They have no other guardian, other than Him, and He allows no one (to share) His rule'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Say: "Allah knows best how long they stayed. With Him is the unseen of the heavens and the earth." How clearly He sees, and hears (everything)! They have no protector other than Him, and He makes none to share in His decision and His rule.

Wahiduddin Khan

Say, "God knows best how long they stayed in it." Only God has knowledge of the unseen in the heavens and on the earth. How well He sees and how well He hears! Man has no other guardian besides Him. He allows none to share His sovereignty.

Talal Itani

Say, “God knows best how long they stayed.” His is the mystery of the heavens and the earth. By Him you see and hear. They have no guardian apart from Him, and He shares His Sovereignty with no one.

Tafsir jalalayn

Say; `God is more knowledgeable of how long they tarried, [more knowledgeable] than those contending over this [issue] -- and this [fact] has already been mentioned [above, verse 19]. To Him belongs the Unseen of the heavens and the earth, that is, [to Him belongs] the knowledge thereof. How well He sees!, namely, God -- this form is for [expressing] amazement [at something]. How well He hears!, likewise [for expressing amazement]. These two [expressions] are being used metaphorically. What is meant is that nothing can escape God's sight or hearing. They, the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth, have no guardian, someone to assist [them], besides Him, and He makes none to share in His rule', for He is Independent, without need of a partner.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Say;"Allah knows best how long they stayed..."

`If you are asked about how long they stayed, and you have no knowledge of that and no revelation from Allah about it, then do not say anything. Rather say something like this;

اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثُوا

لَهُ غَيْبُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالاَْرْضِ

"Allah knows best how long they stayed. With Him is (the knowledge of) the Unseen of the heavens and the earth."

meaning, no one knows about that except Him, and whoever among His creatures He chooses to tell.

What we have said here is the view of more than one of the scholars of Tafsir, such as Mujahid and others among the earlier and later generations.

وَلَبِثُوا فِي كَهْفِهِمْ ثَلَثَ مِايَةٍ سِنِينَ

And they stayed in their cave three hundred years,

Qatadah said, this was the view of the People of the Book, and Allah refuted it by saying;

قُلِ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثُوا

Say;"Allah knows best how long they stayed..."

meaning, that Allah knows better than what the people say.

This was also the view of Mutarraf bin `Abdullah.

However, this view is open to debate, because when the People of the Book said that they stayed in the cave for three hundred years, without the extra nine, they were referring to solar years, and if Allah was merely narrating what they had said, He would not have said,
وَازْدَادُوا تِسْعًا
(adding nine).

The apparent meaning of the Ayah is that Allah is stating the facts, not narrating what was said.

This is the view of Ibn Jarir (may Allah have mercy on him). And Allah knows best.

أَبْصِرْ بِهِ وَأَسْمِعْ

How clearly He sees, and hears (everything)!

He sees them and hears them.

Ibn Jarir said,

"The language used is an eloquent expression of praise."

The phrase may be understood to mean, how much Allah sees of everything that exists and how much He hears of everything that is to be heard, for nothing is hidden from Him!

It was narrated that Qatadah commented on this Ayah;
أَبْصِرْ بِهِ وَأَسْمِعْ
(How clearly He sees, and hears (everything)!),

"No one hears or sees more than Allah."

مَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَاا يُشْرِكُ فِي حُكْمِهِ أَحَدًا



They have no protector other than Him, and He makes none to share in His decision and His rule.

meaning, He, may He be glorified, is the One Who has the power to create and to command, the One Whose ruling cannot be overturned; He has no adviser, supporter or partner, may He be exalted and hallowed