Transliteration:( Wasbir nafsaka ma'al lazeena yad'oona Rabbahum bilghadaati wal'ashiyyi yureedoona Wajhahoo wa laa ta'du 'aynaaka 'anhum tureedu zeenatal hayaatid dunyaa wa laa tuti' man aghfalnaa qalbahoo 'an zikrinaa wattaba'a hawaahu wa kaana amruhoo furutaa )
"And keep yourself patient with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His pleasure. And do not let your eyes overlook them, desiring the adornment of the worldly life. And do not obey him whose heart We have made neglectful of Our remembrance, who follows his own desire, and whose affair has exceeded the limits."
This verse teaches us the virtue of remaining in the company of the pious, even if they are poor and destitute. Being with righteous believers is a noble act in itself, whereas associating with the sinful—even if they are wealthy or influential—is spiritually harmful. Allah praises those who remember Him with devotion morning and evening, and quotes elsewhere: “Therefore remember the name of your Lord, and devote yourself to Him exclusively, leaving all others” (Surah Al-Muzzammil 73:8). The poor but devoted believers were especially beloved to the Holy Prophet ﷺ, whose noble heart brought comfort to the broken-hearted.
This verse was revealed in response to the arrogance of the Quraish leaders, who told the Holy Prophet ﷺ that they might accept Islam—but only if he distanced himself from the poor and humble companions. They proposed that if he excluded them from his gatherings, both they and many others would embrace the faith. Allah Almighty revealed this verse to show that a few sincere hearts are more valuable than a crowd of hypocrites. As one scholar said: A drop of perfume is better than barrels of filth. May Allah grant us closeness with such "perfume"—the sincere servants of the faith.
This verse emphasizes that the Holy Prophet’s ﷺ gaze is always inclined toward the pious, no matter where or in which era they may be. This affirms the concept of Haazir and Naazir (being spiritually present and watchful) concerning the Prophet ﷺ. His noble attention embraces all the righteous believers of his Ummah across time and space.
The following point elaborates that this verse is not a reprimand, but a rhetorical negation: “You will not approve of them” is an expression confirming that the Prophet ﷺ has no inclination toward the worldly or heedless. It acknowledges his inherent purity and elevated nature, already detached from such company.
This verse serves as guidance for all Muslims until the Last Day: do not be deceived by the arrogant, the wealthy, or the heedless. Stay close to the sincere, humble, and pious, even if they are poor. Obedience to the arrogant can ruin both your world and your Hereafter, while companionship with the sincere can rectify both. Indeed, most Prophets and saints were chosen from among the poor, emphasizing their nearness to Allah and their role as guiding lights for others.
The tafsir of Surah Kahf verse 28 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Kahf ayat 27 which provides the complete commentary from verse 27 through 28.
(18:28) Keep yourself content with those who call upon their Lord, morning and evening, seeking His pleasure, and do not let your eyes pass beyond them. Do you seek the pomp and glitter of the world?[28] Do not follow him[29] whose heart We have caused to be heedless of Our remembrance, and who follows his desires, and whose attitude is of excess.[30]
28. Though these words have also been addressed to the Prophet (peace be upon him), they are really meant for the chiefs of the Quraish. According to a tradition related by Ibn Abbas, the chiefs of the Quraish would say to the Prophet (peace be upon him) that they considered it below their dignity to sit with such people as Bilal, Suhaib, Ammar, Khabbab, Ibn-Masud and the like who generally remained in his company, and that if he should send them away, they would be willing to attend his meetings in order to learn about his message. At this Allah revealed this verse: And keep yourself whole heartedly content with those who pray to their Lord morning and evening in order to win His approval and do not turn your attention away from them: Do you desire to discard these sincere but poor people so that the chiefs of the Quraish, the well to do people, should come and sit near you? This was meant to warn the chiefs of the Quraish to this effect: Your wealth, your pomp and show of which you are so proud has no value at all in the sight of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him). Nay, those poor people are really more worthy in their sight, for they are sincere and always remember Allah. The same was the attitude of the chiefs of Prophet Noah’s (peace be upon him) people, who said: And we also see that none but the meanest and the most shallow of our people have become your followers. Upon this, Noah (peace be upon him) replied: I am not going to drive away those who have believed in me, nor can I say about those whom you disdain that Allah has not bestowed any good on them. (Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayat 27), (Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayat 29), (Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayat 31).
29. That is, do not yield to what he says, nor submit to him, nor fulfill his desire, nor follow his bidding.
30. The original Arabic text may also mean: Who discards the truth, breaks all moral limits and rushes on headlong. But in both cases it comes to this: The one, who is neglectful of Allah and becomes a slave of his lust, inevitably transgresses all limits and becomes a victim of immoderation. Therefore the one who will submit to him, will also follow the same way and wander about in deviation after him.
[787]- Or "in excess," exceeding the limits of Allāh.
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