Tafseer of The Cave · Al-Kahf · 18:33
Each of the two gardens produced its fruit and did not fall short thereof in anything. And We caused to gush forth within them a river.
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 His words: كِلْتَا الْجَنَّتَيْنِ آتَتْ أُكُلَهَا (18:33)
He says: Both gardens brought forth their fruits and whatever was in them of plantings of palm trees, grapevines, and all sorts of crops. And He said "kiltā al-jannatayn" but then "ātat" (a singular verb), because kiltā can never be used on its own — its origin is kullu — but the Arabs sometimes use kiltā in the singular, while nonetheless meaning the dual by it. Some versifiers said:
"فِـي كِـلْتَ رِجْلَيْهَـا سُـلامي وَاحِـدَه / كِلْتاهُمـا مَقْرُونَـةٌ بِزَائِـدَهْ"
— by "kilta" he means kiltā. Thus too the Arabs deal with kiltā, and with kullu — when they are joined to a definite noun, the verb after them may be singular, dual, or plural.
His words: وَلَمْ تَظْلِمْ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا — He says: They fell short of nothing of the fruits; on the contrary, they brought them forth complete and in full. From this comes the expression: "ẓalama fulān fulānan ḥaqqahu" when one has wronged him in his right and diminished it, as the poet said:
"تَظَّلَمَنِـي مَالِي كَذَا وَلَوَى يَدِي / لَوَى يَدَهُ اللهُ الَّذِي هُوَ غَالِبُهْ"
In nearly the same sense that we have set forth, the exegetes have spoken.
Mention of those who said this:
Bishr related to us, who said: Yazīd related to us, who said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His words وَلَمْ تَظْلِمْ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا : "It fell short of nothing," he said.
His words: وَفَجَّرْنَا خِلالَهُمَا نَهَرًا — Allah, exalted be His praise, says: And We caused a river to flow through these two gardens — that is to say: between them and between their trees. And He said وَفَجَّرْنَا with doubling of the jīm, because the gushing forth (tafjīr) takes place throughout the entire river: it sets its water in motion so that one part of it makes the other flow.
