Surah Kahf ayat 6 Tafsir Quran 18:6

﴿فَلَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِمْ إِن لَّمْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَسَفًا﴾
[ الكهف: 6]

18:6 Then perhaps you would kill yourself through grief over them, [O Muhammad], if they do not believe in this message, [and] out of sorrow.

Yet it may be that you will consume destroy yourself in their wake — following your being with them that is after they have left you — if they should not believe in this discourse in this Qur’ān out of grief out of rage and anguish on your part because of your eagerness that they believe asafan ‘out of grief’ is in the accusative because it functions as an object denoting reason.

Seemingly, you Muhammad are betaking yourself in pursuit of their train of thought with distress, constant regret and discontent and torturing yourself lest they should refuse credit to this divine discourse

Do not feel sorry because the Idolators do not believe Allah consoles His Messenger for his sorrow فَلاَ تَذْهَبْ نَفْسُكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسَرَتٍ ( So destroy not yourself in sorrow for them. ) 35:8 وَلاَ تَحْزَنْ عَلَيْهِمْ ( And grieve not over them. ) 16:127 لَعَلَّكَ بَـخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ أَلاَّ يَكُونُواْ مُؤْمِنِينَ ( It may be that you are going to kill yourself with grief, that they do not become believers. ) 26:3 meaning, maybe you will destroy yourself with your grief over them.
Allah says: فَلَعَلَّكَ بَـخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ عَلَى ءَاثَـرِهِمْ إِن لَّمْ يُؤْمِنُواْ بِهَـذَا الْحَدِيثِ ( Perhaps, you would kill yourself in grief, over their footsteps, because they believe not in this narration. ) meaning the Qur'an. أَسَفاً ( in grief ) Allah is saying, `do not destroy yourself with regret.' Qatadah said: "killing yourself with anger and grief over them." Mujahid said: "with anxiety." These are synonymous, so the meaning is: `Do not feel sorry for them, just convey the Message of Allah to them.
Whoever goes the right way, then he goes the right way only for the benefit of himself.
And whoever goes astray, then he strays at his own loss, so do not destroy yourself in sorrow for them.' This World is the Place of Trial Then Allah tells us that He has made this world a temporary abode, adorned with transient beauty, andHe made it a place of trial, not a place of settlement.
So He says إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى الاٌّرْضِ زِينَةً لَّهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُم أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً ( Verily, we have made that which is on earth an adornment for it, in order that We may test which of them are best in deeds. ) Abu Maslamah narrated from Abu Nadrah from Abu Sa`id that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«إِنَّ الدُّنْيَا حُلْوَةٌ خَضِرَةٌ، وَإِنَّ اللهَ مُسْتَخْلِفُكُمْ فِيهَا فَنَاظِرٌ مَاذَا تَعْمَلُونَ، فَاتَّقُوا الدُّنْيَا، وَاتَّقُوا النِّسَاءَ، فَإِنَّ أَوَّلَ فِتْنَةِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ كَانَتْ فِي النِّسَاء»
( This world is sweet and green, and Allah makes you generations succeeding one another, so He is watching what you will do.
Beware of (the beguilements of ) this world and beware of women, for the first affliction that Children of Israel suffered from was that of women.) Then Allah tells us that this world will pass away and come to an end, as He says: وَإِنَّا لَجَاعِلُونَ مَا عَلَيْهَا صَعِيداً جُرُزاً ( And verily, We shall make all that is on it bare, dry soil. ) means, `after having adorned it, We will destroy it and make everything on it bare and dry, with no vegetation or any other benefit.' Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas that this means everything on it would be wiped out and destroyed.
Mujahid said: "a dry and barren plain." Qatadah said, "A plain on which there are no trees or vegetation."

(18:6) Well, (O Muhammad), it may be that you will consume your life for their sake out of sorrow, if they do not believe in this message. *4

Then perhaps you would kill yourself through meaning

*4) This refers to the real cause of the anxiety of the Holy Prophet at the time of the revelation of this Surah .
It clearly shows that the Holy Prophet did not grieve at the persecution from which he and his Companions were suffering but at the deviation and moral degeneration of his people.
What was consuming him was that, though he was trying to bring them out from their disgraceful state, they persisted in it.
He was grieved because he was convinced that their deviation would inevitably lead them to destruction and scourge of Allah.
Therefore he was working day and night to save them but it appeared that they were bent upon incurring the chastisement of AIIah.
The Holy Prophet himself has described this state of his mind in a Tradition to this effect: " I may describe this thing in a parable.
A person kindled a fire to spread light but the moths persist in falling over it to burn themselves alive.
He vies to save them from the fire but the moths reduce his efforts to failure.
The same is true of me and you.
I hold you by your skirts to keep you away from the fire, but you are bent upon falling into it. " ( Bukhari, Muslim ).

Though apparently it is merely stated " ......
it may be that you will consume your life for their sake out of sorrow.... " it also contains a sort of consolation for the Holy Prophet, as if to say, " As you are not responsible for forcing them to believe, why should you consume yourself for their sake? Your only duty is to give good news and warning and not to turn people into Believers.
Therefore you may go on carrying out your mission of giving good news to the Believers and warning of the bad consequences to the disbelievers. "
 

Do not feel sorry because the Idolators do not believe Allah consoles His Messenger for his sorrow فَلاَ تَذْهَبْ نَفْسُكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسَرَتٍ ( So destroy not yourself in sorrow for them. ) 35:8 وَلاَ تَحْزَنْ عَلَيْهِمْ ( And grieve not over them. ) 16:127 لَعَلَّكَ بَـخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ أَلاَّ يَكُونُواْ مُؤْمِنِينَ ( It may be that you are going to kill yourself with grief, that they do not become believers. ) 26:3 meaning, maybe you will destroy yourself with your grief over them.
Allah says: فَلَعَلَّكَ بَـخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ عَلَى ءَاثَـرِهِمْ إِن لَّمْ يُؤْمِنُواْ بِهَـذَا الْحَدِيثِ ( Perhaps, you would kill yourself in grief, over their footsteps, because they believe not in this narration. ) meaning the Qur'an. أَسَفاً ( in grief ) Allah is saying, `do not destroy yourself with regret.' Qatadah said: "killing yourself with anger and grief over them." Mujahid said: "with anxiety." These are synonymous, so the meaning is: `Do not feel sorry for them, just convey the Message of Allah to them.
Whoever goes the right way, then he goes the right way only for the benefit of himself.
And whoever goes astray, then he strays at his own loss, so do not destroy yourself in sorrow for them.' This World is the Place of Trial Then Allah tells us that He has made this world a temporary abode, adorned with transient beauty, andHe made it a place of trial, not a place of settlement.
So He says إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى الاٌّرْضِ زِينَةً لَّهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُم أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً ( Verily, we have made that which is on earth an adornment for it, in order that We may test which of them are best in deeds. ) Abu Maslamah narrated from Abu Nadrah from Abu Sa`id that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «إِنَّ الدُّنْيَا حُلْوَةٌ خَضِرَةٌ، وَإِنَّ اللهَ مُسْتَخْلِفُكُمْ فِيهَا فَنَاظِرٌ مَاذَا تَعْمَلُونَ، فَاتَّقُوا الدُّنْيَا، وَاتَّقُوا النِّسَاءَ، فَإِنَّ أَوَّلَ فِتْنَةِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ كَانَتْ فِي النِّسَاء» ( This world is sweet and green, and Allah makes you generations succeeding one another, so He is watching what you will do.
Beware of (the beguilements of ) this world and beware of women, for the first affliction that Children of Israel suffered from was that of women.) Then Allah tells us that this world will pass away and come to an end, as He says: وَإِنَّا لَجَاعِلُونَ مَا عَلَيْهَا صَعِيداً جُرُزاً ( And verily, We shall make all that is on it bare, dry soil. ) means, `after having adorned it, We will destroy it and make everything on it bare and dry, with no vegetation or any other benefit.' Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas that this means everything on it would be wiped out and destroyed.
Mujahid said: "a dry and barren plain." Qatadah said, "A plain on which there are no trees or vegetation."

( Yet it may be, if they believe not in this statement ) if they do not believe in this Qur’an, ( that thou ) O Muhammad ( wilt torment thy soul ) kill yourself ( with grief over their footsteps ) for them.

Perhaps, you, would kill yourself (O Muhammad SAW) in grief, over their footsteps (for their turning away from you), because they believe not in this narration (the Quran).

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