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Al-Kahf (The Cave)

Verse 17of 110

۞ وَتَرَى ٱلشَّمْسَ إِذَا طَلَعَت تَّزَٰوَرُ عَن كَهْفِهِمْ ذَاتَ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَإِذَا غَرَبَت تَّقْرِضُهُمْ ذَاتَ ٱلشِّمَالِ وَهُمْ فِى فَجْوَةٍۢ مِّنْهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ مَن يَهْدِ ٱللَّهُ فَهُوَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِ ۖ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُۥ وَلِيًّۭا مُّرْشِدًۭا﴿١٧

Translation (Sahih International)

And [had you been present], you would see the sun when it rose, inclining away from their cave on the right, and when it set, passing away from them on the left, while they were [laying] within an open space thereof. That was from the signs of Allah. He whom Allah guides is the [rightly] guided, but he whom He leaves astray - never will you find for him a protecting guide.

Word-by-word meaning

۞ وَتَرَىwatarāAnd you (might) have seen
ٱلشَّمْسَl-shamsathe sun
إِذَاidhāwhen
طَلَعَتṭalaʿatit rose
تَّزَٰوَرُtazāwaruinclining away
عَنʿanfrom
كَهْفِهِمْkahfihimtheir cave
ذَاتَdhātato
ٱلْيَمِينِl-yamīnithe right
وَإِذَاwa-idhāand when
غَرَبَتgharabatit set
تَّقْرِضُهُمْtaqriḍuhumpassing away from them
ذَاتَdhātato
ٱلشِّمَالِl-shimālithe left
وَهُمْwahumwhile they
فِى(lay) in
فَجْوَةٍۢfajwatinthe open space
مِّنْهُ ۚmin'huthereof
ذَٰلِكَdhālikaThat
مِنْmin(was) from
ءَايَـٰتِāyāti(the) Signs
ٱللَّهِ ۗl-lahi(of) Allah
مَنmanWhoever
يَهْدِyahdiAllah guides
ٱللَّهُl-lahuAllah guides
فَهُوَfahuwaand he
ٱلْمُهْتَدِ ۖl-muh'tadi(is) the guided one
وَمَنwamanand whoever
يُضْلِلْyuḍ'lilHe lets go astray
فَلَنfalanthen never
تَجِدَtajidayou will find
لَهُۥlahufor him
وَلِيًّۭاwaliyyana protector
مُّرْشِدًۭاmur'shidana guide

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

The Location of the Cave This indicates that the entrance to the cave faced north, because Allah tells us that when the sun was rising, sunlight entered the caveذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ(the right), meaning that the shade decreased towards the right, as Ibn `Abbas, Sa`id bin Jubayr and Qatadah said:تَّزَاوَرُ(declining) means leaning. Every time the sun rises on the horizon, its rays decline until there is nothing left in such a place when it reaches its zenith.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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