Al-Tafsīr Al-Kabīr (The Grand Exegesis)

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The Review of Religions is honoured to present the first full English translation of Sūrah al-Kahf, chapter 18 of the Holy Qur’ān, from Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad’s (ra) magnum opus, Al-Tafsīr Al-Kabīr for our readers.

In this edition, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (ra) presents the lexical analysis and explanation of verse 7 of Sūrah al-Kahf.

[O Muhammad], if they do not believe in this magnificent Word, will you cast yourself into destruction, in intense grief over them?

Lexical Analysis

لَعَلَّ (La‘alla)

For the meaning of لَعَلَّ, see Sūrah Hūd, verse 13.

The word  لَعَلَّ means طَمَعٌ وَاِشْفَاقٌ, i.e., it is used for expressing both hope and fear.

وَلَعَلَّ وَإِنْ كَانَ طَمَعًا فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ يَقْتَضِيْ فِيْ كَلَامِهِمْ – تَارَةً طَمَعَ الْمُخَاطَبِ وَتَارَةً طَمَعَ الْمُخَاطِبِ وَتَارَةً طَمَعَ غَيْرِهِمَا فَقَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى فِيْمَا ذَكَرَ مِنْ قَوْمِ فِرْعَوْنَ﴿لَعَلَّنَا نَتَّبِعُ السَّحَرَةَ﴾ فَذَلِكَ طَمَعٌ مِنْهُمْ وَقَوْلُهُ فِيْ فِرْعَوْنَ﴿لَعَلَّهُ يَتَذَكَّرُ أَوْ يَخْشَى﴾ فَإِطْمَاعٌ لِمُوْسَى مَعَ هَارُونَ وَمَعْنَاهُ فَقُوْلَا لَهُ قَوْلًا لَيِّنًا رَاجِيَيْنِ أَن يَّتَذَكَّرَ أَوْ يَخْشَى وَقَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى﴿فَلَعَلَّكَ تَارِكٌ بَعْضَ مَا يُوْحَى إِلَيْكَ﴾ أَيْ يَظُنُّ بِكَ النَّاسُ ذَلِكَ

The word لَعَلَّ, when used in the context of hope, has multiple meanings in the Arabic idiom. It can sometimes convey hope in the heart of the addressee or refer to the instilling of hope in them, and sometimes imply the speaker’s own desire, while at other times, it might refer to the hope and desire of others beyond the speaker and the listener. For instance, where the Holy Qur’ān mentions the Pharaoh’s people saying لَعَلَّنَا نَتَّبِعُ السَّحَرَةَ, it expresses the hope of the Pharaoh’s people, ‘Wouldn’t it be good if they win, and we follow them?’

And when God Almighty’s statement about Pharaoh appears as لَعَلَّهُ يَتَذَكَّرُ أَوْ يَخْشَى  [perhaps he will remember or fear], it was to give hope to Moses and Aaron, who are being addressed, that the Pharaoh might receive guidance.  

Similarly, in the verse فَلَعَلَّكَ تَارِكٌ بَعْضَ مَا يُوحَى إِلَيْكَ, it suggests what others might hope, that perhaps you might, fearing their objections, conceal certain portions of the Word of God.[1]

بَاخِعٌ (Bākhi‘)

This is the active participle from بَخَعَ, and بَخَعَ نَفْسَهُ means قَتَلَهَا مِن وَجْدٍ أَو غَيْظٍ, that is, to destroy oneself through grief or anger.[2] Also, Tāj al-‘Arūs states that بَخَعَ نَفْسَهُ means قَتَلَهَا غَمًّا, i.e., he killed himself from grief and sorrow.

The phrase بَخَعَ لَهُ بِالْحَقِّ بِخَوْعًا means أَقَرَّ بِهِ وَخَضَعَ لَهُ, i.e., he acknowledged the truth and submitted to it.

 بَخَعَ لَهُ نُصْحَهُ أَيْ أَخْلَصَهُ وَبَالَغَ means that he made his advice sincere and complete for him, leaving no deficiency in his counsel.

The phrase فَلَعَلَّكَ بَـٰخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ means ‘Perhaps you will destroy yourself,’ implyingمُهْلِكُهَا مُبَالِغًا فِيهَا حِرْصًا عَلَى إِسْلَامِهِمْ i.e., Perhaps you will bring yourself to destruction due to your intense desire for their acceptance of Islam.[3]

آثار (Āthār)

This is the plural of اَثَرٌ and الْاَثْرُ, which mean: مَا بَقِيَ مِنْ رَسْمِ الشَّيْءِ, i.e., the remaining trace or sign of something.

 أَسَفًا (Asafā)

أَسَفًا is the infinitive form of the verb أَسِفَ, and أَسِفَ عَلَيْهِ implies: حَزِنَ أَشَدَّ الْحُزْنِ وَتَلَهَّفَ, i.e., to feel intense grief and regret, that is, he became severely distressed and sorrowful.[4]

Exegesis

The Prophecy of Christianity’s Decline After Its Rise

In this verse, just as the Holy Prophet (sa) felt anguish in his heart upon hearing the impending destruction of the Jews (16:164), he would experience intense grief upon being informed about the Christian nation’s destruction. Thus, Allah the Almighty expresses sympathy even before the distress occurs and warns the Holy Prophet (sa) that upon hearing this news, your heart will be so grieved that it will be as though you are destroying yourself. But you should exercise patience, for this is the will of your Lord. Take note that only Christianity has been mentioned here, rather than other idolaters.

The Holy Prophet’s (sa) Grief over the Destruction of the Christian Nation

Therefore, the grief mentioned in this verse that the Holy Prophet (sa) would experience could only be regarding the destruction of the Christians.

But how tragic it is that the Holy Prophet (sa) was so deeply moved by the punishment that would come upon the Christians some thirteen hundred years later, that it was as if he would destroy himself, yet at the same time, certain Christian authors continue to hurl abuse day and night at their benefactor.

In the words بِهَـٰذَا ٱلْحَدِيثِ أَسَفًا [grieving over this discourse], there is an indication that the Holy Qur’an itself is proof of its own truth, and within it lies the solution to the difficulties that Christian nations would face. Therefore, it will be extremely distressing for you that, despite the presence of this remedy, nations that will have attained special worldly prominence and power will be unable to benefit from it and will be destroyed by rejecting it.

Serialisation of Surah al-Kahf will continue in the next edition.

ENDNOTES

[1] Mufradāt Imām Rāghib.

[2] Aqrab al-Mawārid.

[3] Tāj al-‘Arūs.

[4] Aqrab al-Mawārid.