Surah Kahf ayat 24 Tafsir Quran 18:24

﴿إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ ۚ وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ وَقُلْ عَسَىٰ أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّي لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَٰذَا رَشَدًا﴾
[ الكهف: 24]

18:24 Except [when adding], "If Allah wills." And remember your Lord when you forget [it] and say, "Perhaps my Lord will guide me to what is nearer than this to right conduct."

without adding ‘If God will’ in other words unless firmly adhering to the will of God exalted be He by saying ‘If God will’ inshā’a’Llāh. And remember your Lord that is remember His will making things conditional on it if you forget to make things conditional on it mentioning it after forgetting it is the equal in validity to mentioning it at the time of the statement — as al-Hasan al-Basrī and others have said — as long as the person is still in the same place in which he made the statement. And say ‘May be my Lord will guide me to something closer in time than this closer than the story of the People of the Cave as an indication of the truth of my prophethood by way of guidance and God indeed did so.

That is if it be the will of Allah. And should you forget this divine axiom, then call Allah to mind and invoke Him to guide you to a better choice than that which you had in mind I pray and beseech You O Allah, my Creator, to guide me to a better choice than that which I had in mind

Saying "If Allah wills" when determining to do Something in the Future Here Allah, may He be glorified, shows His Messenger the correct etiquette when determining to do something in the future; this should always be referred to the will of Allah, the Knower of the Unseen, Who knows what was and what is yet to be and what is not to be, and how it will be if it is to be.
It was recorded in the Two Sahihs that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«قَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ: لَأَطُوفَنَّ اللَّيْلَةَ عَلَى سَبْعِينَ امْرَأَةً وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: تِسْعِينَ امْرَأَةً، وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: مِائَةِ امْرَأَةٍ تَلِدُ كُلُّ امْرَأَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ غُلَامًا يُقَاتِلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ قَالَ لَهُ الْمَلَكُ: قُلْ إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ، فَلَمْ يَقُلْ، فَطَافَ بِهِنَّ فَلَمْ تَلِدْ مِنْهُنَّ إِلَّا امْرَأَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ نِصْفَ إِنْسَانٍ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِصلى الله عليه وسلّم: وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، لَوْ قَالَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ لَمْ يَحْنَثْ، وَكَانَ دَرَكًا لِحَاجَتِه»
وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ:
«وَلَقَاتَلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ فُرْسَانًا أَجْمَعُون»
( Sulayman bin Dawud (peace be upon them both ) said: "Tonight I will go around to seventy women according to some reports, it was ninety or one hundred women so that each one of them will give birth to a son who will fight for the sake of Allah." It was said to him, according to one report, the angel said to him "Say: `If Allah wills'", but he did not say it.
He went around to the women but none of them gave birth except for one who gave birth to a half-formed child.) The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ( By the One in Whose hand is my soul, had he said, "If Allah wills," he would not have broken his oath, and that would have helped him to attain what he wanted.
) According to another report, ( They would all have fought as horsemen in the cause of Allah. ) At the beginning of this Surah we discussed the reason why this Ayah was revealed: when the Prophet was asked about the story of the people of the Cave, he said, "I will tell you tomorrow." Then the revelation was delayed for fifteen days.
Since we discussed this at length at the beginning of the Surah, there is no need to repeat it here. وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ ( And remember your Lord when you forget ) It was said that this means, if you forget to say "If Allah wills", then say it when you remember.
This was the view of Abu Al-`Aliyah and Al-Hasan Al-Basri.
Hushaym reported from Al-A`mash from Mujahid that concerning a man who swears an oath, Ibn `Abbas said "He may say `If Allah wills' even if it is a year later." Ibn `Abbas used to interpret this Ayah: وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ ( And remember your Lord when you forget ) in this way.
Al-A`mash was asked, "Did you hear this from Mujahid" He said, "Layth bin Abi Salim told it to me." The meaning of Ibn `Abbas' view, that a person may say "If Allah wills", even if it is a year later, is that if he forgets to say it when he makes the oath or when he speaks, and he remembers it later, even a year later, the Sunnah is that he should say it, so that he will still be following the Sunnah of saying "If Allah wills", even if that is after breaking his oath.
This was also the view of Ibn Jarir, but he stated that this does not make up for breaking the oath or mean that one is no longer obliged to offer expiation.
What Ibn Jarir said is correct, and it is more appropriate to understand the words of Ibn Abbas in this way.
And Allah knows best. وَلاَ تَقْولَنَّ لِشَىْءٍ إِنِّى فَاعِلٌ ذلِكَ غَداً إِلاَّ أَن يَشَآءَ اللَّهُ وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ ( And never say of anything, "I shall do such and such thing tomorrow." Except (with the saying ), "If Allah wills!" And remember your Lord when you forget) At-Tabarani recorded that Ibn `Abbas said that this meant saying, "If Allah wills." وَقُلْ عَسَى أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّى لاًّقْرَبَ مِنْ هَـذَا رَشَدًا ( and say: "It may be that my Lord guides me to a nearer way of truth than this." ) meaning, `if you ( O Prophet ) are asked about something you know nothing about, ask Allah about it, and turn to Him so that He may guide you to what is right.' And Allah knows best.

(18:24) except that Allah wills it." If ever you inadvertently utter anything like this, you should at once remember your Lord and say, "I hope that my Lord will guide me *24 in this matter with that thing which is nearest to the right way for me"

Except [when adding], "If Allah wills." And meaning

*24) This is a parenthetical clause which has been inserted here because of its relevancy to the preceding verse, in which it was asserted that the correct number of the Sleepers of the Cave is known only to Allah and a research into it is a useless task.
Therefore one should refrain from investigating into unimportant things, nor enter into discussions about them.
This has led to the instruction contained in the parenthetical clause for the benefit of the Holy Prophet and the Believers who have been told never to make a positive assertion like this: " L will do this thing tomorrow ", for you do not know whether you will be able to do that thing or not: you have neither the knowledge of the unknown nor have full powers to do what you like.
If ever inadvertently you utter anything like this, you should at once remember your Lord and say, " lnsha Allah. " Besides this you do not know whether there will be any good for you in the thing about which you say, " 1 will do this. " It is possible that you may do another thing better than that.
Therefore you should trust in God and say, " I hope that my Lord will guide me in this matter with that thing which is nearer to the right way for me. "
 

Saying "If Allah wills" when determining to do Something in the Future Here Allah, may He be glorified, shows His Messenger the correct etiquette when determining to do something in the future; this should always be referred to the will of Allah, the Knower of the Unseen, Who knows what was and what is yet to be and what is not to be, and how it will be if it is to be.
It was recorded in the Two Sahihs that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «قَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ: لَأَطُوفَنَّ اللَّيْلَةَ عَلَى سَبْعِينَ امْرَأَةً وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: تِسْعِينَ امْرَأَةً، وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: مِائَةِ امْرَأَةٍ تَلِدُ كُلُّ امْرَأَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ غُلَامًا يُقَاتِلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ قَالَ لَهُ الْمَلَكُ: قُلْ إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ، فَلَمْ يَقُلْ، فَطَافَ بِهِنَّ فَلَمْ تَلِدْ مِنْهُنَّ إِلَّا امْرَأَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ نِصْفَ إِنْسَانٍ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِصلى الله عليه وسلّم: وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، لَوْ قَالَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ لَمْ يَحْنَثْ، وَكَانَ دَرَكًا لِحَاجَتِه» وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: «وَلَقَاتَلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ فُرْسَانًا أَجْمَعُون» ( Sulayman bin Dawud (peace be upon them both ) said: "Tonight I will go around to seventy women according to some reports, it was ninety or one hundred women so that each one of them will give birth to a son who will fight for the sake of Allah." It was said to him, according to one report, the angel said to him "Say: `If Allah wills'", but he did not say it.
He went around to the women but none of them gave birth except for one who gave birth to a half-formed child.) The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ( By the One in Whose hand is my soul, had he said, "If Allah wills," he would not have broken his oath, and that would have helped him to attain what he wanted.
) According to another report, ( They would all have fought as horsemen in the cause of Allah. ) At the beginning of this Surah we discussed the reason why this Ayah was revealed: when the Prophet was asked about the story of the people of the Cave, he said, "I will tell you tomorrow." Then the revelation was delayed for fifteen days.
Since we discussed this at length at the beginning of the Surah, there is no need to repeat it here. وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ ( And remember your Lord when you forget ) It was said that this means, if you forget to say "If Allah wills", then say it when you remember.
This was the view of Abu Al-`Aliyah and Al-Hasan Al-Basri.
Hushaym reported from Al-A`mash from Mujahid that concerning a man who swears an oath, Ibn `Abbas said "He may say `If Allah wills' even if it is a year later." Ibn `Abbas used to interpret this Ayah: وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ ( And remember your Lord when you forget ) in this way.
Al-A`mash was asked, "Did you hear this from Mujahid" He said, "Layth bin Abi Salim told it to me." The meaning of Ibn `Abbas' view, that a person may say "If Allah wills", even if it is a year later, is that if he forgets to say it when he makes the oath or when he speaks, and he remembers it later, even a year later, the Sunnah is that he should say it, so that he will still be following the Sunnah of saying "If Allah wills", even if that is after breaking his oath.
This was also the view of Ibn Jarir, but he stated that this does not make up for breaking the oath or mean that one is no longer obliged to offer expiation.
What Ibn Jarir said is correct, and it is more appropriate to understand the words of Ibn Abbas in this way.
And Allah knows best. وَلاَ تَقْولَنَّ لِشَىْءٍ إِنِّى فَاعِلٌ ذلِكَ غَداً إِلاَّ أَن يَشَآءَ اللَّهُ وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ ( And never say of anything, "I shall do such and such thing tomorrow." Except (with the saying ), "If Allah wills!" And remember your Lord when you forget) At-Tabarani recorded that Ibn `Abbas said that this meant saying, "If Allah wills." وَقُلْ عَسَى أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّى لاًّقْرَبَ مِنْ هَـذَا رَشَدًا ( and say: "It may be that my Lord guides me to a nearer way of truth than this." ) meaning, `if you ( O Prophet ) are asked about something you know nothing about, ask Allah about it, and turn to Him so that He may guide you to what is right.' And Allah knows best.

( Except if Allah will ) unless you second it by saying: if Allah will. ( And remember thy Lord ) without exception ( when thou forgettest ) even if it is after a while, ( and say: It may be that my Lord guideth me ) and lead me ( unto a nearer way of truth than this ) a more correct and certain way than this. This verse was revealed about the Prophet ( pbuh ) for he said to the idolaters of Mecca when they asked him about the spirit: " tomorrow, I will answer you " , and he forgot to say " if Allah wills ".

Except (with the saying), "If Allah will!" And remember your Lord when you forget and say: "It may be that my Lord guides me unto a nearer way of truth than this."

Page 296 English transliteration