Surah Al-Kahf 18:86 — translation and meaning

الكهف · Verse 86 / 110 · Page 303

ۗ حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ مَغْرِبَ الشَّمْسِ وَجَدَهَا تَغْرُبُ فِي عَيْنٍ حَمِئَةٍ وَوَجَدَ عِندَهَا قَوْمًا قُلْنَا يَاذَا الْقَرْنَيْنِ إِمَّا أَن تُعَذِّبَ وَإِمَّا أَن تَتَّخِذَ فِيهِمْ حُسْنًا

Word by Word

ۗ
حَتَّى
hatta
Until
إِذَا
idha
when
بَلَغَ
balagha
he reached
مَغْرِبَ
maghriba
(the) setting place
الشَّمْسِ
al-shamsi
(of) the sun
وَجَدَهَا
wajadaha
he found it
تَغْرُبُ
taghrubu
setting
فِي
fi
in
عَيْنٍ
aynin
a spring
حَمِئَةٍ
hami-atin
(of) dark mud
وَوَجَدَ
wawajada
and he found
عِندَهَا
indaha
near it
قَوْمًا
qawman
a community
قُلْنَا
qul'na
We said
يَاذَا
yadha
O Dhul-qarnain
الْقَرْنَيْنِ
al-qarnayni
O Dhul-qarnain
إِمَّا
imma
Either
أَن
an
[that]
تُعَذِّبَ
tu'adhiba
you punish
وَإِمَّا
wa-imma
or
أَن
an
[that]
تَتَّخِذَ
tattakhidha
you take
فِيهِمْ
fihim
[in] them
حُسْنًا
hus'nan
(with) goodness

Transliteration

Hattaaa izaa balagha maghribash shamsi wajadahaaa taghrubu fee 'aynin hami'a tinw wa wajada 'indahaa qawmaa; qulnaa yaa Zal Qarnaini immaaa an tu'az ziba wa immaaa an tattakhiza feehim husnaa

Translation

Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it [as if] setting in a spring of dark mud, and he found near it a people. Allah said, "O Dhul-Qarnayn, either you punish [them] or else adopt among them [a way of] goodness."

Verse interpretation (Tafsir)

And he travelled on earth until he reached the end of the land towards the setting place of the sun, seeing it as though it was setting in a hot spring of black clay. And he found an unbelieving people by the setting place of the sun. So I said to him, to test him: “O Dhu’l-Qarnayn, you can either punish these people by killing them or through other means, or you can be good to them”.

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

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