Surah Al-Kahf 18:94 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection
سُورَةُ الكَهۡفِ · Meccan · Verse 94 of 110
قَالُوا۟ يَٰذَا ٱلْقَرْنَيْنِ إِنَّ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مُفْسِدُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَهَلْ نَجْعَلُ لَكَ خَرْجًا عَلَىٰٓ أَن تَجْعَلَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمْ سَدًّۭا
English: They said, ‘Dhu ’l-Qarnayn, Gog and Magog are ruining this land. Will you build a barrier between them and us if we pay you a tribute?’
Bengali: তারা বললঃ হে যুলকারনাইন, ইয়াজুজ ও মাজুজ দেশে অশান্তি সৃষ্টি করেছে। আপনি বললে আমরা আপনার জন্যে কিছু কর ধার্য করব এই শর্তে যে, আপনি আমাদের ও তাদের মধ্যে একটি প্রাচীর নির্মাণ করে দেবেন।
Meaning & Reflection
'They said: O Dhul-Qarnayn, Gog and Magog are corrupters in the land. May we pay you a tribute, that you build a barrier between us and them?' al-Saadi and Ibn Kathir note the people's plea — beset by a destructive, overwhelming force, they offer *payment* to the powerful man for protection they cannot provide themselves. Ask yourself: here are the weak, facing a menace beyond them, turning to strength for shelter — and assuming, as people do, that such help must be *bought*. It is the transactional view of the world: help comes at a price, protection is purchased. The verse sets up a contrast with how the righteous actually serve. But notice too the honesty of the weak: they *name* their helplessness and ask for help. Am I willing to admit when a threat is beyond me and to ask for aid — or does pride keep me pretending I can handle the 'Gog and Magog' at my own gates alone?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Ashur.
Reflect with the Five Lenses
Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Al-Kahf 18:94:
- 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?