Tafsir for verse: 18:49
وَوُضِعَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبُ فَتَرَى ٱلۡمُجۡرِمِينَ مُشۡفِقِينَ مِمَّا فِيهِ وَيَقُولُونَ يَٰوَيۡلَتَنَا مَالِ هَٰذَا ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةٗ وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّآ أَحۡصَىٰهَاۚ وَوَجَدُواْ مَا عَمِلُواْ حَاضِرٗاۗ وَلَا يَظۡلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدٗا ٤٩ ﴿49
49And the book (of deeds) will be placed (before them), then you will see the guilty people scared of its contents and saying, “Woe to us! What a book is this! It has missed nothing, minor or major, but has taken it into account.” Thus they will find whatever they did present before them, and your Lord will not wrong anyone.
AI-Assisted Translation: This translation was produced by AI agents carefully trained over several months and thoroughly reviewed. It does NOT replace the scholarship of traditional scholars and is intended as a step in the right direction to make classical tafsir more accessible. There may still be inaccuracies—please report them promptly so we can improve the translation quality.

Commentary

And it was placed in the easiest manner after the presentation that necessitates gathering with the slightest indication. The Book, which is meticulously recorded in it are the details of actions and their grandeur in a clear manner that is not hidden from any reader or anyone else. So you will see the criminals, that your eyes may find satisfaction in them with a gloating that has no good after it, being apprehensive of what is in it from the vile of their actions, and the evil of their deeds and words, meaning they are always in great fear of the punishment of the Truth and the disgrace among the creation. And they say, meaning they renew and repeat their saying: 'Oh, woe to us!' as a metaphor that there is no companion for them at that time except destruction. What is this Book? Meaning what is it that it is not like the condition of the books in this world? The drawing of the letter of the genitive alone indicates that they have become, due to the force of terror and the severity of distress, standing over some of the books. They explained the state of the Book that horrified them and asked about it by saying: 'It does not leave.' Meaning it does not leave [any betrayal from it], meaning lack of fulfillment. (p-73) [And it is from 'ghadara' the thing: to leave it - as if each of them wants to betray the other, meaning lack of fulfillment of it, from 'ghadir' - a piece of -] water that the flood leaves as if it did not fulfill for them by taking what it had with it, and likewise 'ghadirah' for a she-camel that the shepherd left 'small' meaning from our actions.

And when they were horrified by the recording of all the minor sins, they began with them, and they explicitly mentioned the major sins - even though the recording of the minor sins implies them - as an emphasis that the situation is for exaggeration and the magnification of grief, and an indication that what led them to it are the minor sins - as Al-Fudhayl ibn Iyad, may Allah be pleased with him, said - so they said: 'And there is no major sin except that He has counted it.' And when the counting may not necessitate the knowledge of the owner of the Book and his recompense for it, He negated that by His saying, the Exalted: 'And they found what they did present.' Writing and recompense without Him wronging them [glorified and exalted is He] or wronging anyone who opposed them in it. 'And your Lord does not wrong' the One who raised you with the character of the Qur'an 'anyone' from them nor from anyone else in a Book nor punishment nor reward, but He recompenses the enemies with what they deserve, punishing them and granting ease to His allies who opposed them in it for justice between them. Imam Ahmad narrated in the Musnad from Jabir ibn Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with them both, 'that he traveled to Abdullah ibn Unays, may Allah be pleased with him, a month’s journey, and he sought permission to enter upon him. He said: So he came out, stepping on his garment, and embraced me, and I embraced him. I said: A hadith has reached me from you that you heard from the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, regarding retribution, and I feared that you would die before I hear it. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, say:'

'Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will gather the people - or he said: the servants - barefoot, naked, and without anything. I said: And what is without anything? He said: They will have nothing with them. Then He will call to them with a voice that is heard by those who are far away just as it is heard by those who are near: I am the King, I am the Judge. It is not appropriate for anyone from the people of the Fire to enter the Fire while he has a right with someone from the people of Paradise until I settle it for him. And it is not appropriate for anyone from the people of Paradise to enter Paradise while he has a right with someone from the people of the Fire until I settle it for him, even if it is a slap. He said: We said: How is that when we come to Allah barefoot, naked, and without anything? He said: With the good deeds and the bad deeds.

Explore Other Scholars on This Verse

Compare different scholarly perspectives on Surah Al-Kahf verse 49

Al-Biqa'iBurhān ad-Dīn Ibrāhīm al-Biqāʿī
Learn more about Al-Biqa'i
2140 / 6181