Sourate 18 Al-Kahf — Verset 91
كَذَٰلِكَ وَقَدْ أَحَطْنَا بِمَا لَدَيْهِ خُبْرًۭا
Il en fut ainsi et Nous embrassons de Notre Science ce qu'il détenait.
kadhālika waqad aḥaṭnā bimā ladayhi khub'ran
Mot à mot
- كَذَٰلِكَ kadhālika Thus
- وَقَدْ waqad And verily
- أَحَطْنَا aḥaṭnā We encompassed
- بِمَا bimā of what
- لَدَيْهِ ladayhi (was) with him
- خُبْرًۭا khub'ran (of the) information
Tafsîr · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
His Journey East
Allah tells us that Dhul-Qarnayn then traveled from the west of the earth towards the east. Every time he passed a nation, he subjugated the people and called them to Allah. If they obeyed him, all well and good, otherwise he would humiliate them and take their wealth and possessions. From every nation he took what his armies needed to fight the next nation. When he reached the place where the sun rises, as Allah says,
(he found it rising on a people) meaning a nation,
(for whom We (Allah) had provided no shelter against the sun.) meaning, they had no buildings or trees to cover them and shade them from the heat of the sun. Qatadah said, "It was mentioned to us that they were in a land where nothing grew, so when the sun rose they would go into tunnels until it had passed its zenith, then they would come out to go about their daily lives and earn themselves a living."
(So (it was)! And We knew all about him.) Mujahid and As-Suddi said, "This means that Allah knew everything about him and his army, and nothing was hidden from Him, even though they came from so many different nations and lands. For,
(Truly, nothing is hidden from Allah, in the earth or in the heaven.)3:5"