Tafseer of The Cave · Al-Kahf · 18:20
Indeed, if they come to know of you, they will stone you or return you to their religion. And never would you succeed, then - ever."
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The discourse on the explanation of His statement: ( إِنَّهُمْ إِنْ يَظْهَرُوا عَلَيْكُمْ يَرْجُمُوكُمْ ) (Indeed, if they gain the upper hand over you, they will stone you). By this they meant: Daqyānūs (Decius) and his companions. They said: If Daqyānūs and his companions gain the upper hand over you, such that they come to know your dwelling place, they will stone you with abusive words in speech.
As al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, concerning His statement: ( إِنَّهُمْ إِنْ يَظْهَرُوا عَلَيْكُمْ يَرْجُمُوكُمْ ) (Indeed, if they gain the upper hand over you, they will stone you), he said: they will revile you with speech, tormenting you.
And His statement: ( أَوْ يُعِيدُوكُمْ فِي مِلَّتِهِمْ ) (or they will return you to their creed), He says: or they will return you to their religion, so that you become unbelievers by worshipping the idols.
( وَلَنْ تُفْلِحُوا إِذًا أَبَدًا ) (and then you would never succeed), He says: and you would not attain success — and that is the abiding permanence and eternity in the gardens (janna) — then: that is, if you return to their creed, never: all the days of your life.