وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا فِي هَذَا الْقُرْآنِ لِلنَّاسِ مِنْ كُلِّ مَثَلٍ وَكَانَ الْإِنْسَانُ أَكْثَرَ شَيْءٍ جَدَلًا ﴿۵۴﴾ وَمَا مَنَعَ النَّاسَ أَنْ يُؤْمِنُوا إِذْ جَاءَهُمُ الْهُدَى وَيَسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّهُمْ إِلَّا أَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمْ سُنَّةُ الْأَوَّلِينَ أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ قُبُلًا ﴿۵۵﴾

﴾54﴿ Wa laqad sarrafnaa fee haazal quraani linnaasi min kulli masal; wa kaanal insaanu aksara shai'in jadalaa
﴾55﴿ Wa maa mana'an naasa any yu'minooo iz jaaa'ahumul hudaa wa yastaghfiroo Rabbahum illaaa an taatiyahum sunnatul awwaleena aw yaatiyahumul 'azaabu qubulaa

﴾54﴿ And indeed, We have explained in this Qur'an every kind of example for mankind, yet man is, more than anything, prone to dispute
﴾55﴿ And nothing has prevented people from believing, when guidance came to them, and from seeking forgiveness from their Lord, except waiting for the way of the ancients to come upon them or for the punishment to come upon them face to face

[54] In this verse, there is a rebuke (zajr) directed at those who turn away and engage in argumentation despite clear warnings.
The phrase (مِنْ كُلِّ مَثَلٍ) refers to the fact that Allah has presented every kind of example—including proofs, warnings, parables, and admonitions—to guide people.
The word (صَرَّفْنَا) implies that these messages and meanings have been explained in various forms and styles, repeatedly and clearly.
(جَدَلًا) – “argument” – is mentioned often in this Sūrah, because much of its content addresses and refutes the doubts and arguments of the disputers (mujādilīn).
Thus, the verse condemns pointless debate and rejection after receiving thorough clarification.
[55] In this verse, there is a rebuke (zajr) for those who do not bring faith, and the reason given is that they are waiting for punishment to occur before believing.
The phrase (أَنْ يُؤْمِنُوا) refers to accepting tawḥīd (the oneness of Allah),
and (يَسْتَغْفِرُوا) refers to repenting from shirk (polytheism).
(سُنَّةُ الْأَوَّلِينَ) – “the way of the former nations” – refers to complete and collective destruction (ʿadhāb istīṣālī), like what happened to past nations who denied their prophets.
(أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ قُبُلًا) – means that the punishment comes upon some of them directly, in a way that they witness it with their own eyes.
Benefit: In Surah al-Isrā’ (17:94), the obstacle to faith in messengers was mentioned—their human nature was used as an excuse to deny them.
But in this Sūrah (al-Kahf), the obstacle to accepting tawḥīd is mentioned: it is waiting for divine punishment, instead of believing proactively.