18:44 Al-Kahf (The Cave)

{ هُنَالِكَ الْوَلَايَةُ لِلَّهِ الْحَقِّ هُوَ خَيْرٌ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ عُقْبًا } أي: في تلك الحال التي أجرى الله فيها العقوبة على من طغى، وآثر الحياة الدنيا، والكرامة لمن آمن، وعمل صالحا، وشكر الله، ودعا غيره لذلك، تبين وتوضح أن الولاية لله الحق، فمن كان مؤمنا به تقيا، كان له وليا، فأكرمه بأنواع الكرامات، ودفع عنه الشرور والمثلات، ومن لم يؤمن بربه ويتولاه، خسر دينه ودنياه، فثوابه الدنيوي والأخروي، خير ثواب يرجى ويؤمل، ففي هذه القصة العظيمة، اعتبار بحال الذي أنعم الله عليه نعما دنيوية، فألهته عن آخرته وأطغته، وعصى الله فيها، أن مآلها الانقطاع والاضمحلال، وأنه وإن تمتع بها قليلا، فإنه يحرمها طويلا، وأن العبد ينبغي له -إذا أعجبه شيء من ماله أو ولده- أن يضيف النعمة إلى موليها ومسديها، وأن يقول: { ما شاء الله، لا قوة إلا بالله } ليكون شاكرا لله متسببا لبقاء نعمته عليه، لقوله: { وَلَوْلَا إِذْ دَخَلْتَ جَنَّتَكَ قُلْتَ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ } وفيها: الإرشاد إلى التسلي عن لذات الدنيا وشهواتها، بما عند الله من الخير لقوله: { إِنْ تَرَن أَنَا أَقَلَّ مِنْكَ مَالًا وَوَلَدًا فَعَسَى رَبِّي أَنْ يُؤْتِيَنِ خَيْرًا مِنْ جَنَّتِكَ } وفيها أن المال والولد لا ينفعان، إن لم يعينا على طاعة الله كما قال تعالى: { وما أموالكم ولا أولادكم بالتي تقربكم عندنا زلفى إلا من آمن وعمل صالحا } وفيه الدعاء بتلف مال ما كان ماله سبب طغيانه وكفره وخسرانه، خصوصا إن فضل نفسه بسببه على المؤمنين، وفخر عليهم، وفيها أن ولاية الله وعدمها إنما تتضح نتيجتها إذا انجلى الغبار وحق الجزاء، ووجد العاملون أجرهم فـ { هُنَالِكَ الْوَلَايَةُ لِلَّهِ الْحَقِّ هُوَ خَيْرٌ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ عُقْبًا } أي: عاقبة ومآلا.

ويبتدئ بقوله: " الولاية لله الحق " ومنهم من يقف على وما كان منتصرًا ويبتدئ بقوله هنالك الولاية لله الحق ثم اختلفوا في قراءة الولاية فمنهم من فتح الواو من الولاية فيكون المعنى هنالك الموالاة لله أي هنالك كل أحد مؤمن أو كافر يرجع إلى الله وإلى موالاته والخضوع له إذا وقع العذاب كقوله " فلما رأوا بأسنا قالوا آمنا بالله وحده وكفرنا بما كنا به مشركين " وكقوله إخبارًا عن فرعون " حتى إذا أدركه الغرق قال آمنت أنه لا إله إلا الذي آمنت به بنو إسرائيل وأنا من المسلمين الآن وقد عصيت قبل وكنت من المفسدين " ومنهم من كسر الواو من الولاية أي هنالك الحكم لله الحق ثم منهم من رفع الحق على أنه نعت للولاية كقوله تعالى " الملك يومئذ الحق للرحمن وكان يومًا على الكافرين عسيرًا " ومنهم من خفض القاف على أنه نعت لله عز وجل كقوله: " ثم ردوا إلى الله مولاهم الحق " الآية ولهذا قال تعالى " هو خير ثوابًا " أي جزاء " وخير عقبًا " أي الأعمال التي تكون لله عزو جل ثوابها خير وعاقبتها حميدة رشيدة كلها خير.

The Evil Results of Kufr

Allah says:

وَأُحِيطَ بِثَمَرِهِ

(So his fruits were encircled), meaning his wealth, or according to the other opinion, his crops. What is meant is that what this disbeliever was afraid of and what the believer had terrified him actually had happened. A storm struck his garden, a garden which he had erroneously thought would last forever, distracting him from thoughts of Allah, may He be glorified.

فَأَصْبَحَ يُقَلِّبُ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَى مَآ أَنْفَقَ فِيهَا

(And he began Yuqallibu his hands over what he had spent upon it,) Qatadah said: "He was clasping his hands together in a gesture of regret and grief for the wealth he had lost."

وَيَقُولُ يلَيْتَنِى لَمْ أُشْرِكْ بِرَبِّى أَحَدًاوَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُ فِئَةٌ

(and he could only say: "Would that I had ascribed no partners to my Lord!" And he had no group of men) meaning a clan or children, as he had vainly boasted,

يَنصُرُونَهُ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ مُنْتَصِراًهُنَالِكَ الْوَلَـيَةُ لِلَّهِ الْحَقِّ

(to help him against Allah, nor could he defend himself. There, Al-Walayah will be for Allah, the True God.) Here there are differences in recitation. Some of the reciters pause at the word there,

وَمَا كَانَ مُنْتَصِراًهُنَالِكَ

(nor could he defend himself there. ), i.e., at that time, when Allah sends the punishment upon him, there will be no one to save him. Then they start the next phrase with Al-Walayah;

الْوَلَـيَةُ لِلَّهِ الْحَقِّ

(Al-Walayah will be for Allah, the True God.) Some of them pause at the phrase

وَمَا كَانَ مُنْتَصِراً

(nor could he defend himself) and start the next phrase;

هُنَالِكَ الْوَلَـيَةُ لِلَّهِ الْحَقِّ

(There, Al-Walayah will be for Allah, the True God.) There is a further difference in the recitation of the word Al-Walayah. Some read it as Al-Walayah, which gives the meaning that all allegiance will be to Allah, i.e., on that Day everyone, believer or disbeliever, will return to Allah, for allegiance and submission to Him when the punishment comes to pass. This is like the Ayah:

فَلَمَّا رَأَوْاْ بَأْسَنَا قَالُواْ ءَامَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَحْدَهُ وَكَـفَرْنَا بِمَا كُنَّا بِهِ مُشْرِكِينَ

(So when they saw Our punishment, they said: "We believe in Allah Alone and reject (all) that we used to associate with Him as partners.") 40:84 and Allah says concerning the Fir`awn;

وَجَاوَزْنَا بِبَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ الْبَحْرَ فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ وَجُنُودُهُ بَغْيًا وَعَدْوًا حَتَّى إِذَآ أَدْرَكَهُ الْغَرَقُ قَالَ ءَامَنتُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلِـهَ إِلاَّ الَّذِى ءَامَنَتْ بِهِ بَنواْ إِسْرَءِيلَ وَأَنَاْ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ - ءَالَنَ وَقَدْ عَصَيْتَ قَبْلُ وَكُنتَ مِنَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ

(Till when drowning overtook him, he said: "I believe that none has the right to be worshipped but He in Whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am one of the Muslims." Now! While you refused to believe before and you were one of the mischief-makers.) 10:90-91 Some others read it as Al-Wilayah, meaning that on that Day the rule will belong to Allah, the True God. Some read Haqqu (True) refering to Al-Wilayah, as in the Ayah;

الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ لِلرَّحْمَـنِ وَكَانَ يَوْماً عَلَى الْكَـفِرِينَ عَسِيراً

(The sovereignty on that Day will be the true (sovereignty), belonging to the Most Gracious (Allah), and it will be a hard Day for the disbelievers) 25:26. Others it read Haqqi referring to Allah, may He be glorified, as in the Ayah:

ثُمَّ رُدُّواْ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَوْلَـهُمُ الْحَقِّ

(Then they are returned to Allah, their True Protector.) 6:62 So Allah says:

هُوَ خَيْرٌ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ عُقْبًا

(He (Allah) is the best to reward and the best for the final end.) for deeds that were done for the sake of Allah, their reward is good and their consequences are all good.

There that is on the Day of Resurrection all protection walāya; if read wilāya then it means ‘sovereignty’ belongs to God the True if read as al-haqqu then it is as an adjective qualifying walāya or wilāya or if read as al-haqqi then it is an attribute of God’s Majesty. He is better at rewarding than the rewarding of any person other than Him if such a person were in a position to reward; and best in consequence read ‘uquban or ‘uqban He is best in terms of the consequence for believers both thawāban ‘rewarding’ and ‘uqban ‘consequence’ are in the accusative for the purpose of specification.

The word: حُسبانا - (husbana) in verse 40 has been explained by Qatadah as 'punishment' in an absolute sense, by Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ as 'fire' and by some as 'stoning.' As for what appears after that in the Qur'an: أُحِيطَ بِثَمَرِ‌هِ (And its produce was struck by destruction from all sides - 42), it obviously means that some major calamity hit his gardens, wealth and things of luxury reducing everything to ruins. The Qur'an does not mention any particular calamity explicitly. It appears that, some fire came down from the skies and burnt the whole thing - as it appears in the Tafsir of 'husban' by Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas ؓ who has explained it as 'fire.' And Allah knows best.