Tafseer of The Cave · Al-Kahf · 18:27
And recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. There is no changer of His words, and never will you find in other than Him a refuge.
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 exposition of the explanation of the words of the Exalted: وَاتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ كِتَابِ رَبِّكَ لا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَاتِهِ وَلَنْ تَجِدَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مُلْتَحَدًا (18:27)
Allah, exalted be His praise, says to His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: Follow, O Muḥammad, what has been revealed to you of this Book of your Lord, and do not neglect its recitation, nor the observance of the commands and prohibitions of Allah that are in it, nor acting upon what it designates as lawful or unlawful — otherwise you will be among the losers, for the final destination of whoever opposes it and neglects to follow it on the Day of Resurrection is the Fire. لا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَاتِهِ — He says: There is none who can change the threat which He has pronounced in His words — the words which He has sent down to you — against those who disobey Him and those who act contrary to this Book which We have revealed to you.
His words: وَلَنْ تَجِدَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مُلْتَحَدًا — He says: And if you, O Muḥammad, do not recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord, do not follow it and are not guided by it, and the threat of Allah befalls you — with which He has threatened the transgressors of His limits — then you will find, apart from Allah, no refuge to which you may turn, nor any escape to which you may flee, for the power of Allah encompasses you and all His creatures; none of them is able to flee from a decree that He has willed.
In approximately the sense which we have set forth concerning the meaning of His words (multaḥadan) the exegetes have spoken, although their formulations in explaining it differed.
Mention of those who said this:
Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, who said: Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His words (multaḥadan): "A refuge (malja')," he said.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, who said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, who said: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, who said: al-Ḥasan related to us, who said: Warqāʾ related to us — both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: (multaḥadan) — "A refuge," he said.
Al-Qāsim related to us, who said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, who said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — with the same.
Bishr related to us, who said: Yazīd related to us, who said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning وَلَنْ تَجِدَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مُلْتَحَدًا : "A refuge (mawʾil)," he said.
Al-Ḥasan related to us, who said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, who said: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His words (multaḥadan): "A refuge and a sanctuary," he said.
Yunus related to me, who said: Ibn Wahb informed us, who said: Ibn Zayd said concerning His words وَلَنْ تَجِدَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مُلْتَحَدًا : "They find no multaḥad to which they may turn, and they find apart from Him no refuge, nor anyone who protects them." And the multaḥad is the muftaʿal of al-laḥd; one says: laḥadtu ilā kadhā when one inclines toward it, and from this the lāḥid (the lateral niche in a grave) is so called, because it lies to one side of the grave and not in its middle. From this also comes the concept of ilḥād (apostasy) in religion: that is, opposing it by deviating from it and abandoning it.
