Surah Al-Kahf 18:55 — translation and meaning

الكهف · Verse 55 / 110 · Page 300

وَمَا مَنَعَ النَّاسَ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا إِذْ جَاءَهُمُ الْهُدَى وَيَسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّهُمْ إِلَّا أَن تَأْتِيَهُمْ سُنَّةُ الْأَوَّلِينَ أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ قُبُلًا

Word by Word

وَمَا
wama
And nothing
مَنَعَ
mana'a
prevents
النَّاسَ
al-nasa
men
أَن
an
that
يُؤْمِنُوا
yu'minu
they believe
إِذْ
idh
when
جَاءَهُمُ
jaahumu
has come to them
الْهُدَى
al-huda
the guidance
وَيَسْتَغْفِرُوا
wayastaghfiru
and they ask forgiveness
رَبَّهُمْ
rabbahum
(of) their Lord
إِلَّا
illa
except
أَن
an
that
تَأْتِيَهُمْ
tatiyahum
comes to them
سُنَّةُ
sunnatu
(the) way
الْأَوَّلِينَ
al-awalina
(of) the former (people)
أَوْ
aw
or
يَأْتِيَهُمُ
yatiyahumu
comes to them
الْعَذَابُ
al-'adhabu
the punishment
قُبُلًا
qubulan
before (them)

Transliteration

Wa maa mana'an naasa any yu'minooo iz jaaa'ahumul hudaa wa yastaghfiroo Rabbahum illaaa an taatiyahum sunnatul awwaleena aw yaatiyahumul 'azaabu qubulaa

Translation

And nothing has prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them and from asking forgiveness of their Lord except that there [must] befall them the [accustomed] precedent of the former peoples or that the punishment should come [directly] before them.

Verse interpretation (Tafsir)

Nothing prevented the obstinate disbelievers from having faith in what Muhammad (peace be upon him) brought from his Lord. Lack of explanation did not prevent them from seeking Allah’s forgiveness for their sins, for many examples were given to them in the Qur’ān and clear proofs came to them. The only thing that prevented them was their stubborn request for the punishment of the previous communities to be imposed on them and for them to see the punishment that they were promised.

Source: Al-Mukhtasar Tafsir — Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.

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