Surah Al-Kahf 18:98 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection
سُورَةُ الكَهۡفِ · Meccan · Verse 98 of 110
قَالَ هَٰذَا رَحْمَةٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّى ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعْدُ رَبِّى جَعَلَهُۥ دَكَّآءَ ۖ وَكَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّى حَقًّۭا
English: and he said, ‘This is a mercy from my Lord. But when my Lord’s promise is fulfilled, He will raze this barrier to the ground: my Lord’s promise always comes true.’
Bengali: যুলকারনাইন বললেনঃ এটা আমার পালনকর্তার অনুগ্রহ। যখন আমার পালনকর্তার প্রতিশ্রুত সময় আসবে, তখন তিনি একে চূর্ণ-বিচূর্ণ করে দেবেন এবং আমার পালনকর্তার প্রতিশ্রুতি সত্য।
Meaning & Reflection
'He said: This is a mercy from my Lord. But when the promise of my Lord comes, He will level it; and the promise of my Lord is ever true.' al-Saadi and Ibn Kathir note the two crowning marks of true greatness — he credits his mightiest achievement entirely to *God's mercy* ('hadha rahmatun min rabbi'), and he humbly admits that even this monumental barrier is *temporary*, destined to be leveled at God's appointed time. Ask yourself: here is the exact opposite of the garden-owner. At the summit of achievement, Dhul-Qarnayn does two things I so often fail to do: he says 'this is from my Lord', not 'look what I built'; and he says 'this too will pass', refusing to imagine his work permanent. Crediting God for my successes and holding them lightly as impermanent — this is the whole difference between the ruler who was praised and the man whose garden was destroyed. At my proudest moment, can I say both 'this is a mercy from my Lord' and 'this too will one day be leveled'?
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 18:98:
- 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?