18:57

وَمَنۡ أَظۡلَمُ مِمَّن ذُكِّرَ بِـَٔايَٰتِ رَبِّهِۦ فَأَعۡرَضَ عَنۡهَا وَنَسِيَ مَا قَدَّمَتۡ يَدَاهُۚ إِنَّا جَعَلۡنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمۡ أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفۡقَهُوهُ وَفِيٓ ءَاذَانِهِمۡ وَقۡرٗاۖ وَإِن تَدۡعُهُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡهُدَىٰ فَلَن يَهۡتَدُوٓاْ إِذًا أَبَدٗا

Waman athlamu mimman thukkira biayati rabbihi faaAArada AAanha wanasiya ma qaddamat yadahu inna jaAAalna AAala quloobihim akinnatan an yafqahoohu wafee athanihim waqran wain tadAAuhum ila alhuda falan yahtadoo ithan abadan

And who is more unjust than one who is reminded of the verses of his Lord but turns away from them and forgets what his hands have put forth? Indeed, We have placed over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears deafness. And if you invite them to guidance - they will never be guided, then - ever.

Word by word
  1. وَمَنۡAnd who
  2. أَظۡلَمُ(is) more wrong
  3. مِمَّنthan (he) who
  4. ذُكِّرَis reminded
  5. بِـَٔايَٰتِof the Verses
  6. رَبِّهِۦ(of) his Lord
  7. فَأَعۡرَضَbut turns away
  8. عَنۡهَاfrom them
  9. وَنَسِيَand forgets
  10. مَاwhat
  11. قَدَّمَتۡhave sent forth
  12. يَدَاهُۚhis hands
  13. إِنَّاIndeed,We
  14. جَعَلۡنَا[We] have placed
  15. عَلَىٰover
  16. قُلُوبِهِمۡtheir hearts
  17. أَكِنَّةًcoverings
  18. أَنlest
  19. يَفۡقَهُوهُthey understand it
  20. وَفِيٓand in
  21. ءَاذَانِهِمۡtheir ears
  22. وَقۡرٗاۖ(is) deafness
  23. وَإِنAnd if
  24. تَدۡعُهُمۡyou call them
  25. إِلَىto
  26. ٱلۡهُدَىٰthe guidance
  27. فَلَنthen never
  28. يَهۡتَدُوٓاْthey will be guided
  29. إِذًاthen
  30. أَبَدٗاever
Al-Kahf · 18:57Makkah

Reminded, he turned away and forgot his own deeds.

The heart that closes after ignoring


The pattern
remindedof Allah's signs
turns away
forgets his deedswhat his hands sent
then
heart coveredears deaf to guidance
What ignoring does
I can listen laterno cost
the heart hardenseach time I ignore

Ibn Kathir explains the worst wrong is to be reminded of the signs of Allah and then turn away, not listening or paying attention, while forgetting one's own bad deeds. Their hearts come to have coverings so they will not understand this Qur'an.

The khutbah lands on you exactly, and you are checking your phone before the prayer ends. A friend gently names a habit and you change the subject. Every ignored reminder makes the next one harder to hear.

I can ignore this reminder and catch the next one.

Each reminder I turn from makes my heart a little harder to reach.

Try this

Act on one reminder you received this week, however small, before tonight.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And who does more wrong than he who is reminded of the Ayat (signs) of his Lord, but turns away from them, forgetting what his hands have sent forth. Truly, We have set over their hearts Akinnah, lest they should understand this (the Qur'an), and in their ears, deafness. And if you call them to guidance, even then they will never be guided (57)And your Lord is Most Forgiving, Owner of mercy. Were He to call them to account for what they have earned, then surely, He would have hastened their punishment. But they have their appointed time, beyond which they will find no escape (58)And these towns, We destroyed them when they did wrong. And We appointed a fixed time for their destruction (59)

The Worst People are Those Who turn away after being reminded

Allah says, 'Who among My creatures does more wrong than one who is reminded of the signs of Allah then turns away from them,' i.e., ignores them and does not listen or pay attention to them.

وَنَسِيَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ

(forgetting what his hands have sent forth.) means, bad deeds and evil actions.

إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ

(Truly, We have set over their hearts) means, the hearts of these people,

أَكِنَّةً

(Akinnah) means, coverings.

أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ

(lest they should understand this,) means, so that they will not understand this Qur'an and its clear Message

وَفِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا

(and in their ears, deafness.) means that they will be deaf in an abstract way, to guidance.

وَإِن تَدْعُهُمْ إِلَى الْهُدَىٰ فَلَن يَهْتَدُوا إِذًا أَبَدًا

(And if you call them to guidance, even then they will never be guided.)

وَرَبُّكَ الْغَفُورُ ذُو الرَّحْمَةِ

(And your Lord is Most Forgiving, Owner of mercy.) means, 'your Lord, O Muhammad, is forgiving and has great mercy.'

لَوْ يُؤَاخِذُهُم بِمَا كَسَبُوا لَعَجَّلَ لَهُمُ الْعَذَابَ

(Were He to call them to account for what they have earned, then surely, He would have hastened their punishment.) This is like the Ayah:

وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ بِمَا كَسَبُوا مَا تَرَكَ عَلَىٰ ظَهْرِهَا مِن دَابَّةٍ

(And if Allah were to punish men for that which they earned, He would not leave a moving creature on the surface of the earth.)[35:45]

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَةٍ لِّلنَّاسِ عَلَىٰ ظُلْمِهِمْ ۖ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَشَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

(But verily, your Lord is full of forgiveness for mankind in spite of their wrongdoing. And verily, your Lord is (also) severe in punishment)[13:6].

And there are many Ayat which say the same thing.

Then Allah tells us that He is patient, He conceals faults and forgives sins. He may guide some of them from wrongdoing to true guidance, and whoever continues in his evil ways, then there will come to him a Day when infants will turn grey and every pregnant female will shed her load. He says:

بَل لَّهُم مَّوْعِدٌ لَّن يَجِدُوا مِن دُونِهِ مَوْئِلًا

(But they have their appointed time, beyond which they will find no escape.) meaning, they will find no way out.

وَتِلْكَ الْقُرَىٰ أَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ لَمَّا ظَلَمُوا

(And these towns, We destroyed them when they did wrong.) This refers to earlier nations in times past; 'We destroyed them because of their stubborn disbelief.'

وَجَعَلْنَا لِمَهْلِكِهِم مَّوْعِدًا

(And We appointed a fixed time for their destruction.) 'We appointed for them a set time limit, not to be increased or decreased. The same applies to you, O idolators, so beware or what happened to them will happen to you too, for you have rejected the noblest Messenger and greatest Prophet, and you are not dearer to Us than them, so fear My punishment and wrath.'