Surah Al-Kahf Ayat 6 (18:6 Quran) With Tafsir

Ala-Maududi

(18:6) (O Muhammad), if they do not believe in this Message,^[4] you will perhaps torment yourself to death with grief, sorrowing over them.

4. This refers to the real cause of the anxiety of the Prophet (peace be upon him) at the time of the revelation of this Surah. It clearly shows that the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not grieve at the persecution from which he and his companions were suffering but at the deviation and moral degeneration of his people. What was consuming him was that, though he was trying to bring them out from their disgraceful state, they persisted in it. He was grieved because he was convinced that their deviation would inevitably lead them to destruction and scourge of Allah. Therefore he was working day and night to save them but it appeared that they were bent upon incurring the chastisement of Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself has described this state of his mind in a tradition to this effect: I may describe this thing in a parable. A person kindled a fire to spread light but the moths persist in falling over it to burn themselves alive. He tries to save them from the fire but the moths reduce his efforts to failure. The same is true of me and you. I hold you by your skirts to keep you away from the fire, but you are bent upon falling into it. (Bukhari, Muslim).

Though apparently it is merely stated that it may be that you will consume your life for their sake out of sorrow, it also contains a sort of consolation for the Prophet (peace be upon him), as if to say: As you are not responsible for forcing them to believe, why should you consume yourself for their sake. Your only duty is to give good news and warning and not to turn people into believers. Therefore, you may go on carrying out your mission of giving good news to the believers and warning of the bad consequences to the disbelievers.

Ibn-Kathir

6. Perhaps, you would kill yourself in grief, over their footsteps, because they believe not in this narration. 7. Verily, we have made that which is on earth an adornment for it, in order that We may test which of them are best in deeds. 8. And verily, We shall make all that is on it bare, dry soil.

(So destroy not yourself in sorrow for them.) ﴿35:8﴾

(And grieve not over them.) ﴿16:127﴾

(It may be that you are going to kill yourself with grief, that they do not become believers.) ﴿26:3﴾ meaning, maybe you will destroy yourself with your grief over them. Allah says:

(Perhaps, you would kill yourself in grief, over their footsteps, because they believe not in this narration.) meaning the Qur’an.

(in grief) Allah is saying, `do not destroy yourself with regret.’ Qatadah said: “killing yourself with anger and grief over them.” Mujahid said: “with anxiety.” These are synonymous, so the meaning is: `Do not feel sorry for them, just convey the Message of Allah to them. Whoever goes the right way, then he goes the right way only for the benefit of himself. And whoever goes astray, then he strays at his own loss, so do not destroy yourself in sorrow for them.’

(Verily, we have made that which is on earth an adornment for it, in order that We may test which of them are best in deeds.) Abu Maslamah narrated from Abu Nadrah from Abu Sa`id that the Messenger of Allah said:

(This world is sweet and green, and Allah makes you generations succeeding one another, so He is watching what you will do. Beware of (the beguilements of) this world and beware of women, for the first affliction that Children of Israel suffered from was that of women.) Then Allah tells us that this world will pass away and come to an end, as He says:

(And verily, We shall make all that is on it bare, dry soil.) means, `after having adorned it, We will destroy it and make everything on it bare and dry, with no vegetation or any other benefit.’ Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas that this means everything on it would be wiped out and destroyed. Mujahid said: “a dry and barren plain.” Qatadah said, “A plain on which there are no trees or vegetation.”