Tafseer of The Cave · Al-Kahf · 18:48
And they will be presented before your Lord in rows, [and He will say], "You have certainly come to Us just as We created you the first time. But you claimed that We would never make for you an appointment."
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: وَعُرِضُوا عَلَى رَبِّكَ صَفًّا (18:48)
Allah, exalted is His admonition, says: And the creatures are presented to your Lord in rows, Muḥammad.
لَقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا كَمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ — Allah, exalted is His admonition, says: It is said to them when they are presented to Allah: "Truly, you have come to Us, O people, alive just as you were at your first creation." The verb "it is said" has been omitted from the text because the listener knows that it is intended.
His words: بَلْ زَعَمْتُمْ أَلَّنْ نَجْعَلَ لَكُمْ مَوْعِدًا — This text has the form of a statement about an address from Allah to the entire multitude together, but what is intended is particular (khāṣṣ). This is because on the Day of Resurrection there will be creatures among the prophets and messengers, believers in Allah and His messengers and in the Resurrection — and it is well known that on that Day it will not be said to those who belong to the sincere believers in the promise of Allah in the world, and to those who had certainty of the coming of the Hour: "You thought that We would not appoint for you a promised Resurrection after death, nor a gathering on the Day of Resurrection." This is only what is said to the one who in the world had denied the Resurrection and the coming of the Hour.
