Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Kahf Verse 93

Mufti Taqi Usmani

until when he reached between the two mountains, he found by them a people who were almost unable to understand anything said.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

until he reached ˹a pass˺ between two mountains. He found in front of them a people who could hardly understand ˹his˺ language.

Ruwwad Translation Center

until when he reached [a valley] between the two mountains, he found beyond them a people who could barely understand a word.

A. J. Arberry

until, when he reached between the two barriers, he found this side of them a people scarcely able to understand speech.

Abdul Haleem

then, when he reached a place between two mountain barriers, he found beside them a people who could barely understand him.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Until when he arrived between the two mountains, he found beside them a people who well-nigh understood not a word.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Until, when he reached (a tract) between two mountains, he found, beneath them, a people who scarcely understood a word.

Abul Ala Maududi

until when he reached a place between the two mountains, he found beside the mountains a people who scarcely understood anything.

Ahmed Ali

Till he reached a place between two mountains, and found this side of it a people who understood but little of what was spoken.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Until, when he came between two mountains, he found before them a nation that did not appear to understand any speech.

Ali Quli Qarai

When he reached [the place] between the two barriers, he found between them a people who could hardly understand a word [of his language].

Ali Ünal

Until, when he reached (a place) between two mountain-barriers, he found before them a people who scarcely understood a word.

Amatul Rahman Omar

So that when he reached a place (- Derbent) between two barriers (on one side the Caspian Sea and on the other the Caucasian mountains) he found in their vicinity a people who could hardly understand speech (in his Persian language).

English Literal

Until when he reached between the two barriers/obstacles/mountains , he found from other than them (B) a nation they are not about to/almost understand a saying/opinion and belief .

Faridul Haque

Until, when he came between two mountains, he found before them a nation that did not appear to understand any speech.

Hamid S. Aziz

Then he followed still another way,

Hilali & Khan

Until, when he reached between two mountains, he found, before (near) them (those two mountains), a people who scarcely understood a word.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Then he followed a course.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Until when he reached (a place) between the two mountains, he found on that side of them a people who could hardly understand a word.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Till, when he came between the two mountains, he found upon their hither side a folk that scarce could understand a saying.

Muhammad Sarwar

after this to the middle of two mountains where he found a people who could hardly understand a single word.

Qaribullah & Darwish

when he reached between the two barriers he found on one side of them a nation who could barely understand speech.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Until, when he reached between two mountains, he found before them a people who scarcely understood a word.

Wahiduddin Khan

until he came between two mountains. He found beside them a people who could scarcely understand a word [of his language].

Talal Itani

Until, when he reached the point separating the two barriers, he found beside them a people who could barely understand what is said.

Tafsir jalalayn

until, when he reached between the two barriers (read al-saddayn or al-suddayn here and [likewise] further below [at verse 94, saddan or suddan]) -- [these were] two mountains [lying] in the remote regions beyond the land of the Turks; Alexander sealed the breach between the two, as will be described [below] -- he found on this side of them, that is, in front of them, a folk that could scarcely comprehend speech, in other words, they could only understand it after much agonising (a variant reading [for yafqahna, `comprehend'] has yufqihna, `be understood').

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ بَيْنَ السَّدَّيْنِ

Then he followed (another) way. Until, when he reached between two mountains,

meaning, he traveled from the east of the earth until he reached a place between the two mountains which were next to one another with a valley in between, from which Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog) will emerge into the land of the Turks and spread mischief there, destroying crops and people.
Ya'juj and Ma'juj are among the progeny of Adam, peace be upon him, as was recorded in the Two Sahihs;

إِنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ يَا ادَمُ

فَيَقُولُ لَبَّيْكَ وَسَعْدَيْكَ

فَيَقُولُ ابْعَثْ بَعْثَ النَّارِ

فَيَقُولُ وَمَا بَعْثُ النَّارِ

فَيَقُولُ مِنْ كُلِّ أَلْفٍ تِسْعُمِايَةٍ وَتِسْعَةٌ وَتِسْعُونَ إِلَى النَّارِ وَوَاحِدٌ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ

فَحِينَيِذٍ يَشِيبُ الصَّغِيرُ وَتَضَعُ كُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ حَمْلَهَا فَقَالَ إِنَّ فِيكُمْ أُمَّتيْنِ مَا كَانَتَا فِي شَيْءٍ إِلاَّ كَثَّرَتَاهُ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوج

"Allah said;"O Adam."

Adam said, "Here I am at Your service."

Allah said, "Send forth the group of Hellfire."

Adam said, "What is the group of Hellfire?"

Allah said;"Out of every thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine will go to Hell and one will go to Paradise."

At that time young men will turn grey and every pregnant female will drop her load. Among you are two nations who never come to anything but they overwhelm it with their huge numbers. (They are) Ya'juj and Ma'juj."

وَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمَا قَوْمًا لاَّ يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ قَوْلاً



he found before them a people who scarcely understood a word.

he could not understand their speech, because they were so isolated from other people