Sura-18, Al Kahf, Mecca 69

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Translation:

18:24

إِلَّا أَن يَشَاء اللَّهُ...   

24.  Without adding, "So please Allah!"

... وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ... 

And call thy Lord to mind when thou forgettest,

... وَقُلْ عَسَى أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّي لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَذَا رَشَدًا ﴿٢٤﴾

and say, "I hope that my Lord will guide me ever closer (even) than this to the right road."

Transliteration Illa_ ay yasya_'alla_h(u), wa-zkur rabbaka iza_ nasita wa qul 'asa_ ay yahdiyani rabbi li'aqraba min ha_za_ rasyada_(n).

Other Translations:

18: 24

Asad ………”I pray that my Sustainer guide me, even closer than this, to a consciousness of what is right!”

Pickthall Except if Allah will. And remember thy Lord when thou forgettest, and say: It may be that my Lord guideth me unto a nearer way of truth than this.

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Ali’s Comments:

2363 Verses 23 and 24 are parenthetical. We must never rely upon our own resources so much as to forget Allah. If by any chance we do forget, we must come back to Him and keep Him in remembrance, as did the Companions of the Cave. (18.24)

2364 ……..in our life, there is always the hope of drawing closer and closer to Allah. (18.24)]

Amatulla’s comments:

It indicates that there are different paths to the final goal of life: and by living a good life and asking guidance from God to be led in the better and better ways, one can hope to achieve a better and straighter path to the Goal.