Surah Al-Kahf 18:31 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection

أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ جَنَّٰتُ عَدْنٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهِمُ ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ يُحَلَّوْنَ فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٍۢ وَيَلْبَسُونَ ثِيَابًا خُضْرًۭا مِّن سُندُسٍۢ وَإِسْتَبْرَقٍۢ مُّتَّكِـِٔينَ فِيهَا عَلَى ٱلْأَرَآئِكِ ۚ نِعْمَ ٱلثَّوَابُ وَحَسُنَتْ مُرْتَفَقًۭا

English: they will have Gardens of lasting bliss graced with flowing streams. There they will be adorned with bracelets of gold. There they will wear green garments of fine silk and brocade. There they will be comfortably seated on soft chairs. What a blessed reward! What a pleasant resting place!

Bengali: তাদেরই জন্যে আছে বসবাসের জান্নাত। তাদের পাদদেশে প্রবাহিত হয় নহরসমূহ। তাদের তথায় স্বর্ণ-কংকনে অলংকৃত করা হবে এবং তারা পাতলা ও মোটা রেশমের সবুজ কাপর পরিধান করবে এমতাবস্থায় যে, তারা সিংহাসনে সমাসীন হবে। চমৎকার প্রতিদান এবং কত উত্তম আশ্রয়।

Meaning & Reflection

'For them are Gardens of Eternity, beneath which rivers flow; adorned therein with bracelets of gold, wearing green garments of fine silk and brocade, reclining on couches. Excellent is the reward, and beautiful the resting place.' Ibn Ashur and al-Saadi note the reward described in rich, tangible detail — 'ni'ma ath-thawab wa hasunat murtafaqa', an excellent reward and a beautiful place of rest. Ask yourself: after the parable's warning and the fire just named, the verse turns to lavish, concrete beauty — rivers, gold, silk, rest — so that hope, not only fear, moves me. And note the final word: a beautiful *resting place*. The whole striving arc ends in rest. My exhausted pursuit of comfort here, in things that never quite deliver it, is answered by a promised home where rest is real and lasting. Am I chasing 'a beautiful resting place' in things that can never be one — or working toward the one that is?

Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi, al-Biqa'i.

Reflect with the Five Lenses

Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Al-Kahf 18:31:

• Wording. Look closely at the specific words and structure. Which word stands out, and why might Allah have chosen it here?
• Quranic Worlds. Place the verse in its context — what is happening around it, and what world does it open up?
• Personal Experience. Ask not just what this means, but what it means TO me and FOR me, right now in my life.
• Connections. How does this verse connect to other verses, to the Sunnah, or to themes across the Quran?
• General Lessons. What timeless lesson or action point can I carry away and live by?