أعوذ باللّٰه من الشيطان الرجيم
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
(Book#883)
Sura:18
Sura:
Ayat: 09-26
[ اَمۡ حَسِبۡتَ اَنَّ اَصۡحٰبَ الۡکَہۡفِ وَ الرَّقِیۡمِ ۙ
The Story of the People of Al-Kahf! ]
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18:9
اَمۡ حَسِبۡتَ اَنَّ اَصۡحٰبَ الۡکَہۡفِ وَ الرَّقِیۡمِ ۙ کَانُوۡا مِنۡ اٰیٰتِنَا عَجَبًا ﴿۹﴾
Or have you thought that the companions of the cave and the inscription were, among Our signs, a wonder?
18:10
اِذۡ اَوَی الۡفِتۡیَۃُ اِلَی الۡکَہۡفِ فَقَالُوۡا رَبَّنَاۤ اٰتِنَا مِنۡ لَّدُنۡکَ رَحۡمَۃً وَّ ہَیِّیٴۡ لَنَا مِنۡ اَمۡرِنَا رَشَدًا ﴿۱۰﴾
[Mention] when the youths retreated to the cave and said, “Our Lord, grant us from Yourself mercy and prepare for us from our affair right guidance.”
18:11
فَضَرَبۡنَا عَلٰۤی اٰذَانِہِمۡ فِی الۡکَہۡفِ سِنِیۡنَ عَدَدًا ﴿ۙ۱۱﴾
So We cast [a cover of sleep] over their ears within the cave for a number of years.
18:12
ثُمَّ بَعَثۡنٰہُمۡ لِنَعۡلَمَ اَیُّ الۡحِزۡبَیۡنِ اَحۡصٰی لِمَا لَبِثُوۡۤا اَمَدًا ﴿٪۱۲﴾
Then We awakened them that We might show which of the two factions was most precise in calculating what [extent] they had remained in time.
18:13
نَحۡنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَیۡکَ نَبَاَہُمۡ بِالۡحَقِّ ؕ اِنَّہُمۡ فِتۡیَۃٌ اٰمَنُوۡا بِرَبِّہِمۡ وَ زِدۡنٰہُمۡ ہُدًی ﴿٭ۖ۱۳﴾
It is We who relate to you, [O Muhammad], their story in truth. Indeed, they were youths who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.
18:14
وَّ رَبَطۡنَا عَلٰی قُلُوۡبِہِمۡ اِذۡ قَامُوۡا فَقَالُوۡا رَبُّنَا رَبُّ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ لَنۡ نَّدۡعُوَا۠ مِنۡ دُوۡنِہٖۤ اِلٰـہًا لَّقَدۡ قُلۡنَاۤ اِذًا شَطَطًا ﴿۱۴﴾
And We made firm their hearts when they stood up and said, “Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. Never will we invoke besides Him any deity. We would have certainly spoken, then, an excessive transgression.
18:15
ہٰۤؤُلَآءِ قَوۡمُنَا اتَّخَذُوۡا مِنۡ دُوۡنِہٖۤ اٰلِہَۃً ؕ لَوۡ لَا یَاۡتُوۡنَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ بِسُلۡطٰنٍۭ بَیِّنٍ ؕ فَمَنۡ اَظۡلَمُ مِمَّنِ افۡتَرٰی عَلَی اللّٰہِ کَذِبًا ﴿ؕ۱۵﴾
These, our people, have taken besides Him deities. Why do they not bring for [worship of] them a clear authority? And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allah a lie?”
18:16
وَ اِذِ اعۡتَزَلۡتُمُوۡہُمۡ وَمَا یَعۡبُدُوۡنَ اِلَّا اللّٰہَ فَاۡ وٗۤا اِلَی الۡکَہۡفِ یَنۡشُرۡ لَکُمۡ رَبُّکُمۡ مِّنۡ رَّحۡمَتِہٖ وَیُہَیِّیٴۡ لَکُمۡ مِّنۡ اَمۡرِکُمۡ مِّرۡفَقًا ﴿۱۶﴾
[The youths said to one another], “And when you have withdrawn from them and that which they worship other than Allah, retreat to the cave. Your Lord will spread out for you of His mercy and will prepare for you from your affair facility.”
18:17
وَ تَرَی الشَّمۡسَ اِذَا طَلَعَتۡ تَّزٰوَرُ عَنۡ کَہۡفِہِمۡ ذَاتَ الۡیَمِیۡنِ وَ اِذَا غَرَبَتۡ تَّقۡرِضُہُمۡ ذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ وَ ہُمۡ فِیۡ فَجۡوَۃٍ مِّنۡہُ ؕ ذٰلِکَ مِنۡ اٰیٰتِ اللّٰہِ ؕ مَنۡ یَّہۡدِ اللّٰہُ فَہُوَ الۡمُہۡتَدِ ۚ وَ مَنۡ یُّضۡلِلۡ فَلَنۡ تَجِدَ لَہٗ وَلِیًّا مُّرۡشِدًا ﴿٪۱۷﴾
And [had you been present], you would see the sun when it rose, inclining away from their cave on the right, and when it set, passing away from them on the left, while they were [laying] within an open space thereof. That was from the signs of Allah . He whom Allah guides is the [rightly] guided, but he whom He leaves astray – never will you find for him a protecting guide.
18:18
وَ تَحۡسَبُہُمۡ اَیۡقَاظًا وَّ ہُمۡ رُقُوۡدٌ ٭ۖ وَّ نُقَلِّبُہُمۡ ذَاتَ الۡیَمِیۡنِ وَ ذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ ٭ۖ وَ کَلۡبُہُمۡ بَاسِطٌ ذِرَاعَیۡہِ بِالۡوَصِیۡدِ ؕ لَوِ اطَّلَعۡتَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ لَوَلَّیۡتَ مِنۡہُمۡ فِرَارًا وَّ لَمُلِئۡتَ مِنۡہُمۡ رُعۡبًا ﴿۱۸﴾
And you would think them awake, while they were asleep. And We turned them to the right and to the left, while their dog stretched his forelegs at the entrance. If you had looked at them, you would have turned from them in flight and been filled by them with terror.
18:19
وَ کَذٰلِکَ بَعَثۡنٰہُمۡ لِیَتَسَآءَلُوۡا بَیۡنَہُمۡ ؕ قَالَ قَآئِلٌ مِّنۡہُمۡ کَمۡ لَبِثۡتُمۡ ؕ قَالُوۡا لَبِثۡنَا یَوۡمًا اَوۡ بَعۡضَ یَوۡمٍ ؕ قَالُوۡا رَبُّکُمۡ اَعۡلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثۡتُمۡ ؕ فَابۡعَثُوۡۤا اَحَدَکُمۡ بِوَرِقِکُمۡ ہٰذِہٖۤ اِلَی الۡمَدِیۡنَۃِ فَلۡیَنۡظُرۡ اَیُّہَاۤ اَزۡکٰی طَعَامًا فَلۡیَاۡتِکُمۡ بِرِزۡقٍ مِّنۡہُ وَ لۡـیَؔتَلَطَّفۡ وَ لَا یُشۡعِرَنَّ بِکُمۡ اَحَدًا ﴿۱۹﴾
And similarly, We awakened them that they might question one another. Said a speaker from among them, “How long have you remained [here]?” They said, “We have remained a day or part of a day.” They said, “Your Lord is most knowing of how long you remained. So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the city and let him look to which is the best of food and bring you provision from it and let him be cautious. And let no one be aware of you.
18:20
اِنَّہُمۡ اِنۡ یَّظۡہَرُوۡا عَلَیۡکُمۡ یَرۡجُمُوۡکُمۡ اَوۡ یُعِیۡدُوۡکُمۡ فِیۡ مِلَّتِہِمۡ وَ لَنۡ تُفۡلِحُوۡۤا اِذًا اَبَدًا ﴿۲۰﴾
Indeed, if they come to know of you, they will stone you or return you to their religion. And never would you succeed, then – ever.”
18:21
وَ کَذٰلِکَ اَعۡثَرۡنَا عَلَیۡہِمۡ لِیَعۡلَمُوۡۤا اَنَّ وَعۡدَ اللّٰہِ حَقٌّ وَّ اَنَّ السَّاعَۃَ لَا رَیۡبَ فِیۡہَا ۚ٭ اِذۡ یَتَنَازَعُوۡنَ بَیۡنَہُمۡ اَمۡرَہُمۡ فَقَالُوا ابۡنُوۡا عَلَیۡہِمۡ بُنۡیَانًا ؕ رَبُّہُمۡ اَعۡلَمُ بِہِمۡ ؕ قَالَ الَّذِیۡنَ غَلَبُوۡا عَلٰۤی اَمۡرِہِمۡ لَنَتَّخِذَنَّ عَلَیۡہِمۡ مَّسۡجِدًا ﴿۲۱﴾
And similarly, We caused them to be found that they [who found them] would know that the promise of Allah is truth and that of the Hour there is no doubt. [That was] when they disputed among themselves about their affair and [then] said, “Construct over them a structure. Their Lord is most knowing about them.” Said those who prevailed in the matter, “We will surely take [for ourselves] over them a masjid.”
18:22
سَیَقُوۡلُوۡنَ ثَلٰثَۃٌ رَّابِعُہُمۡ کَلۡبُہُمۡ ۚ وَ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ خَمۡسَۃٌ سَادِسُہُمۡ کَلۡبُہُمۡ رَجۡمًۢا بِالۡغَیۡبِ ۚ وَ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ سَبۡعَۃٌ وَّ ثَامِنُہُمۡ کَلۡبُہُمۡ ؕ قُلۡ رَّبِّیۡۤ اَعۡلَمُ بِعِدَّتِہِمۡ مَّا یَعۡلَمُہُمۡ اِلَّا قَلِیۡلٌ ۬۟ فَلَا تُمَارِ فِیۡہِمۡ اِلَّا مِرَآءً ظَاہِرًا ۪ وَّ لَا تَسۡتَفۡتِ فِیۡہِمۡ مِّنۡہُمۡ اَحَدًا ﴿٪۲۲﴾
They will say there were three, the fourth of them being their dog; and they will say there were five, the sixth of them being their dog – guessing at the unseen; and they will say there were seven, and the eighth of them was their dog. Say, [O Muhammad], “My Lord is most knowing of their number. None knows them except a few. So do not argue about them except with an obvious argument and do not inquire about them among [the speculators] from anyone.”
The Story of the People of Al-Kahf
Here Allah tells us about the story of the people of Al-Kahf in brief and general terms, then He explains it in more detail.
He says:
أَمْ حَسِبْتَ
Do you think, — O Muhammad —
أَنَّ أَصْحَابَ الْكَهْفِ وَالرَّقِيمِ كَانُوا مِنْ ايَاتِنَا عَجَبًا
that the people of Al-Kahf and Ar-Raqim were a wonder among Our signs!
meaning, their case was not something amazing compared to Our power and ability, for the creation of the heavens and earth, the alternation of night and day and the subjugation of the sun, moon and heavenly bodies, and other mighty signs indicate the great power of Allah and show that He is able to do whatever He wills. He is not incapable of doing more amazing things than the story of the people of the Cave.
Similarly, Ibn Jurayj reported Mujahid saying about,
أَمْ حَسِبْتَ
أَنَّ أَصْحَابَ الْكَهْفِ وَالرَّقِيمِ كَانُوا مِنْ ايَاتِنَا عَجَبًا
(Do you think that the people of Al-Kahf and Ar-Raqim were a wonder among Our signs),
“Among Our signs are things that are more amazing than this.”
Al-Awfi reported that Ibn Abbas said:
أَمْ حَسِبْتَ
أَنَّ أَصْحَابَ الْكَهْفِ وَالرَّقِيمِ كَانُوا مِنْ ايَاتِنَا عَجَبًا
(Do you think that the people of Al-Kahf and Ar-Raqim were a wonder among Our signs),
“What I have given to you of knowledge, the Sunnah and the Book is far better than the story of the people of Al-Kahf and Ar-Raqim.”
Muhammad bin Ishaq said:
“(It means) I have not shown My creatures a proof more amazing than the story of the people of the Al-Kahf and Ar-Raqim.”
Al-Kahf refers to a cave in a mountain, which is where the young men sought refuge.
With regard to the word Ar-Raqim, Al-Awfi reported from Ibn Abbas:
“it is a valley near Aylah.”
This was also said (in another narration) by Atiyah Al-`Awfi and Qatadah.
Ad-Dahhak said:
“As for Al-Kahf, it is a cave in the valley, and Ar-Raqim is the name of the valley.”
Mujahid said,
“Ar-Raqim refers to their buildings.”
Others said it refers to the valley in which their cave was.
Abdur-Razzaq recorded that Ibn Abbas said about Ar-Raqim:
“Ka`b used to say that it was the town.”
Ibn Jurayj reported that Ibn Abbas said,
“Ar-Raqim is the mountain in which the cave was.”
Sa`id bin Jubayr said,
“Ar-Raqim is a tablet of stone on which they wrote the story of the people of the Cave, then they placed it at the entrance to the Cave.”
إِذْ أَوَى الْفِتْيَةُ إِلَى الْكَهْفِ فَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا اتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّيْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا
(Remember) when the young men fled for refuge to Al-Kahf. They said:
“Our Lord! Bestow on us mercy from Yourself, and facilitate for us our affair in the right way!”
Here Allah tells us about those young men who fled from their people for the sake of their religion, fearing persecution. So they fled taking refuge in the cave of a mountain, where they hid from their people. When they entered the cave, they asked Allah to show mercy and kindness towards them,
رَبَّنَا اتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّيْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا
Our Lord!
Bestow on us mercy from Yourself, and facilitate for us our affair in the right way.
رَبَّنَا اتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً
Our Lord! Bestow on us mercy from Yourself,
meaning, `give us Your mercy and conceal us from our people.’
وَهَيِّيْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا
and facilitate for us our affair in the right way.
means, direct our matter well, i.e., grant us a good end.
As was reported in the Hadith:
وَمَا قَضَيْتَ لَنَا مِنْ قَضَاءٍ فَاجْعَلْ عَاقِبَتَهُ رَشَدًا
Whatever You have decreed for us, make its consequences good.
فَضَرَبْنَا عَلَى اذَانِهِمْ فِي الْكَهْفِ سِنِينَ عَدَدًا
Therefore, We covered up their hearing in the cave for a number of years.
meaning, `We caused them to sleep when they entered the cave, and they slept for many years.
ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاهُمْ
Then We raised them up,
from that slumber,
and one of them went out with his Dirhams (silver coins) to buy them some food, as it will be discussed in more detail below.
Allah says:
ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاهُمْ لِنَعْلَمَ أَيُّ الْحِزْبَيْنِ
Then We raised them up, that We might test which of the two parties,
meaning, the two parties who disputed about them,
أَحْصَى لِمَا لَبِثُوا أَمَدًا
was best at calculating the time period that they tarried.
It was said that this refers to how long they stayed in the cave
ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاهُمْ
Then We raised them up,
from that slumber,
and one of them went out with his Dirhams (silver coins) to buy them some food, as it will be discussed in more detail below.
Allah says:
ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاهُمْ لِنَعْلَمَ أَيُّ الْحِزْبَيْنِ
Then We raised them up, that We might test which of the two parties,
meaning, the two parties who disputed about them,
أَحْصَى لِمَا لَبِثُوا أَمَدًا
was best at calculating the time period that they tarried.
It was said that this refers to how long they stayed in the cave
Their Belief in Allah and their Retreat from their People
Allah
نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ نَبَأَهُم بِالْحَقِّ إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ امَنُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ
We narrate unto you their story with truth:Truly, they were young men who believed in their Lord (Allah),
From here Allah begins to explain the story in detail.
He states that they were boys or young men, and that they were more accepting of the truth and more guided than the elders who had become stubbornly set in their ways and clung to the religion of falsehood.
For the same reason, most of those who responded to Allah and His Messenger were young people. As for the elders of Quraysh, most of them kept to their religion and only a few of them became Muslims.
So Allah tells us that the people of the cave were young men.
Mujahid said,
“I was informed that some of them wore some kind of earrings, then Allah guided them and inspired them to fear Him, so they recognized His Oneness, and bore witness that there is no god besides Him.”
وَزِدْنَاهُمْ هُدًى
and We increased them in guidance.
From this and other similar Ayat, several scholars, such as Al-Bukhari and others, understood that faith may increase, that it may vary in degrees, and that it may fluctuate.
Allah says:
وَزِدْنَاهُمْ هُدًى
(and We increased them in guidance), as He said elsewhere:
وَالَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْاْ زَادَهُمْ هُدًى وَءَاتَـهُمْ تَقُوَاهُمْ
While as for those who accept guidance, He increases their guidance and bestows on them their Taqwa. (47:17)
فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ ءامَنُواْ فَزَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَـناً وَهُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ
As for those who believe, it has increased their faith, and they rejoice. (9:124)
لِيَزْدَادُواْ إِيمَـناً مَّعَ إِيمَـنِهِمْ
that they may grow more in faith along with their (present) faith. (48:4)
There are other Ayat indicating the same thing.
It has been mentioned that they were followers of the religion of Al-Masih `Isa, `Isa bin Maryam, but Allah knows best.
It seems that they lived before the time of Christianity altogether, because if they had been Christians, the Jewish rabbis would not have cared about preserving because of their differences. We have mentioned above the report from Ibn Abbas that the Quraysh sent a message to the Jewish rabbis in Al-Madinah to ask them for things with which they could test the Messenger of Allah, and they told them to ask him about these young men, and about Dhul-Qarnayn (the man who traveled much) and about the Ruh.
This indicates that this story was something recorded in the books of the People of the Book, and that it came before Christianity. And Allah knows best.
وَرَبَطْنَا عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ إِذْ قَامُوا فَقَالُوا رَبُّنَا رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالاَْرْضِ
And We made their hearts firm and strong when they stood up and said:”Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth,
Here Allah is saying:`We gave them the patience to go against their people and their city, and to leave behind the life of luxury and ease that they had been living.’
Several of the earlier and later Tafsir scholars have mentioned that;
they were sons of the kings and leaders of Byzantium, and that they went out one day to one of the festivals of their people. They used to gather once a year outside the city, and they would worship idols and offer sacrifices to them. They had an arrogant, tyrannical king who was called Decianus, who commanded and encouraged the people to do that. When the people went out to attend this gathering, these young men went out with their fathers and their people, and when they saw their people’s actions with clear insight, they realized that the prostrations and sacrifices the people were offering to their idols should only be dedicated to Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth.
Each of them started to withdraw from his people and keep aloof from them. The first one of them to move away on his own went and sat in the shade of a tree, then another came and sat with him, then another came and sat with them, then four more followed suit one by one. None of them knew the others, but they were brought together by the One Who instilled faith in their hearts.
As it says in the Hadith recorded by Al-Bukhari with an incomplete chain of narrators from A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), the Messenger of Allah said:
الاَْرْوَاحُ جُنُودٌ مُجَنَّدَةٌ فَمَا تَعَارَفَ مِنْهَا ايْتَلَفَ وَمَا تَنَاكَرَ مِنْهَا اخْتَلَف
Souls are like recruited soldiers. Those that recognize one another will come together, and those that do not recognize one another will turn away from each another.
Muslim also recorded this in his Sahih from the Hadith of Suhayl from his father from Abu Hurayrah from the Messenger of Allah.
People say that similar qualities or characteristics are what bring people together. So each of the young men was trying to conceal what he really believed from the others, out of fear of them, not knowing that they were like him.
Then one of them said, “O people, you know by Allah that only one thing is making you leave your people and isolate yourselves from them, so let each one of you say what it is in his case.”
Another said, “As for me, by Allah I saw what my people are doing and I realized that it was false, and that the only One Who deserves to be worshipped Alone with out partner or associate is Allah Who created everything, the heavens, the earth and everything in between.”
Another said, “By Allah, the same thing happened to me.”
The others said the same, and they all agreed and became brothers in faith. They adopted a particular location as a place of worship and began worshipping Allah there, but their people found out about them and told their king about them. The king ordered them to appear before him, and asked them about their beliefs. They told him the truth and called him to Allah, as Allah says about them:
وَرَبَطْنَا عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ إِذْ قَامُوا فَقَالُوا رَبُّنَا رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالاَْرْضِ لَن نَّدْعُوَ مِن دُونِهِ إِلَهًا
And We made their hearts firm and strong when they stood up and said:”Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, never shall we call upon any god other than Him…”
“Never” (Lan) implies an absolute and eternal negation, meaning, `this will never happen, and if we were to do that it would be false.’
So Allah says about them:
لَقَدْ قُلْنَا إِذًا شَطَطًا
if we did, we should indeed have uttered an enormity in disbelief.
meaning, untruth and utter falsehood
هَوُلَاء قَوْمُنَا اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِهِ الِهَةً لَّوْلَا يَأْتُونَ عَلَيْهِم بِسُلْطَانٍ بَيِّنٍ
These, our people, have taken for worship gods other than Him (Allah). Why do they not bring for them a clear authority!
meaning, why do they not produce some clear evidence and genuine proof for their behavior!
فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا
And who does more wrong than he who invents a lie against Allah.
They said:`but by saying that they are lying transgressors.’
It was said that when they called their king to believe in Allah, he refused, and warned and threatened them. He commanded them to be stripped of their clothing bearing the adornments of their people, then he gave them some time to think about the situation, hoping that they would return to their former religion.
This was a way that Allah showed kindness for them, because during that time they managed to escape from him and flee from persecution for the sake of their religion.
This is what is prescribed in the Shariah during times of trial and persecution — a person who fears for his religion should flee from his persecutors, as was reported in the Hadith:
يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَكُونَ خَيْرُ مَالِ أَحَدِكُمْ غَنَمًا يَتْبَعُ بِهَا شَعَفَ الْجِبَالِ وَمَوَاقِعَ القَطْرِ يَفِرُّ بِدِينِهِ مِنَ الْفِتَن
Soon there will come a time when the best wealth any of you can have will be sheep, which he can follow to the tops of the mountains and places where rain falls, (fleeing) for the sake of his religion from persecution.
In such cases, it is allowed to seclude oneself from people, but this is not prescribed in any other case, because by such seclusion one loses the benefits of congregational and Friday prayers.
These young men were determined to flee from their people, and Allah decreed that for them, as He says about them
وَإِذِ اعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلاَّ اللَّهَ
And when you withdraw from them, and that which they worship, except Allah,
meaning, when you depart from them and follow a different religion, opposing their worship of others besides Allah, then separate from them in a physical sense too,
فَأْوُوا إِلَى الْكَهْفِ يَنشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّن رَّحمته
then seek refuge in the cave; your Lord will open a way for you from His mercy,
meaning, He will bestow His mercy upon you, by which He will conceal you from your people.
ويُهَيِّيْ لَكُم مِّنْ أَمْرِكُم مِّرْفَقًا
and will make easy for you your affair.
means, He will give you what you need. So they left and fled to the cave where they sought refuge.
Then their people noticed they were missing, and the king looked for them, and it was said when he could not find them that Allah concealed them from him so that he could not find any trace of them or any information about them.
As Allah concealed His Prophet Muhammad and his Companion (Abu Bakr) As-Siddiq, when they sought refuge in the cave of Thawr. The Quraysh idolators came in pursuit, but they did not find him even though they passed right by him. When the Messenger of Allah noticed that As-Siddiq was anxious and said, “O Messenger of Allah, if one of them looks down at the place of his feet, he will see us,”
he told him:
يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ مَا ظَنُّكَ بِاثْنَيْنِ اللهُ ثَالِثُهُمَا
O Abu Bakr, what do you think of two who have Allah as their third?
And Allah said:
إِلاَّ تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللَّهُ إِذْ أَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِى الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا
فَأَنزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَيَّدَهُ بِجُنُودٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ السُّفْلَى وَكَلِمَةُ اللَّهِ هِىَ الْعُلْيَا وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
If you help him not, for Allah did indeed help him when the disbelievers drove him out, the second of the two; when they were in the cave, he said to his companion:”Do not grieve, surely, Allah is with us.”
Then Allah sent down His tranquility upon him, and strengthened him with forces which you saw not, and made the word of those who disbelieved the lower, while the Word of Allah became the higher; and Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. (9:40)
The story of this cave (Thawr) is far greater and more wondrous than that of the people of the Cave
The Location of the Cave
Allah tells;
وَتَرَى الشَّمْسَ إِذَا طَلَعَت تَّزَاوَرُ عَن كَهْفِهِمْ ذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ
And you might have seen the sun, when it rose, declining to the right from their cave, and when it set, turning away from them to the left, while they lay in the midst of the cave.
This indicates that the entrance to the cave faced north, because Allah tells us that when the sun was rising, sunlight entered the cave
ذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ
(the right),
meaning that the shade decreased towards the right, as Ibn Abbas, Sa`id bin Jubayr and Qatadah said:
تَّزَاوَرُ
(declining) means leaning.
Every time the sun rises on the horizon, its rays decline until there is nothing left in such a place when it reaches its zenith.
So Allah said,
وَإِذَا غَرَبَت تَّقْرِضُهُمْ ذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ
and when it set, turning away from them to the left,
meaning, it entered their cave from the left of its entrance, which means from the west.
This proves what we say, and it is clear to anyone who thinks about the matter and has some knowledge of astronomy and the paths of the sun, moon and stars. If the entrance of the cave faced east, nothing would have entered it when the sun set, and if it faced the direction of the Qiblah (in this case, south), nothing would have entered it at the time of sunrise or sunset, and the shadows would have leaned neither to the right nor the left. If it had faced west, nothing would have entered it at the time of sunrise, until after the sun had passed its zenith, and would have stayed until sunset. This supports what we have said, and to Allah is the praise.
Ibn Abbas, Mujahid and Qatadah said that “turning away from them” means,
that it would shine on them and then leave them.
Allah has told us this, and He wants us to understand it and ponder its meaning, but He did not tell us the location of this cave, i.e., in which country on earth it is, because there is no benefit for us in knowing that, and no legislative objective behind it. If there was any spiritual or religious interest that could be served by our knowing that, Allah and His Messenger would have taught us about it, as the Prophet said:
مَا تَرَكْتُ شَيْيًا يُقَرِّبُكُمْ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَيُبَاعِدُكُمْ مِنَ النَّارِ إِلاَّ وَقَدْ أَعْلَمْتُكُمْ بِه
I have not left anything that will bring you closer to Paradise and keep you further away from Hell but I have certainly taught you about it.
So Allah has told us about the features of the cave, but He did not tell us where it is, and He said,
وَتَرَى الشَّمْسَ إِذَا طَلَعَت تَّزَاوَرُ عَن كَهْفِهِمْ
And you might have seen the sun, when it rose, declining from their cave.
Malik narrated from Zayd bin Aslam, “Leaning.”
ذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ وَإِذَا غَرَبَت تَّقْرِضُهُمْ ذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ
وَهُمْ فِي فَجْوَةٍ مِّنْهُ
the right, and when it set, turning away from them to the left, while they lay in the midst of the cave.
meaning, the sun entered the cave without touching them, because if it had touched them, it would have burnt their bodies and clothes.
This was the view of Ibn `Abbas.
ذَلِكَ مِنْ ايَاتِ اللَّهِ
That is from the Ayat of Allah,
how He guided them to this cave where He kept them alive, and the sun and wind entered the cave preserving their bodies. Allah says,
ذَلِكَ مِنْ ايَاتِ اللَّهِ
(That is from the Ayat of Allah).
Then He says:
مَن يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِي
He whom Allah guides, he is the rightly-guided;
meaning that He is the One Who guided these young men to true guidance among their people, for the one whom Allah guides is truly guided,
وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُ وَلِيًّا مُّرْشِدًا
but he whom He sends astray, for him you will find no guardian to lead him.
and the one whom Allah leaves astray will find no one to guide him
Their Sleep in the Cave
Some of the scholars mentioned that when Allah caused them to sleep, their eyelids did not close, lest disintegration took hold of them. If their eyes remained open to the air, this would be better for the sake of preservation.
Allah says:
وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًا وَهُمْ رُقُودٌ
And you would have thought them awake, whereas they were asleep.
It was mentioned that when the wolf sleeps, it closes one eye and keeps one eye open, then it switches eyes while asleep.
وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ
And We turned them on their right and on their left sides,
Ibn Abbas said:
“If they did not turn over, the earth would have consumed them.”
وَكَلْبُهُم بَاسِطٌ ذِرَاعَيْهِ بِالْوَصِيدِ
and their dog stretching forth his two forelegs at the Wasid,
Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr and Qatadah said:
“The Wasid means the threshold.”
Ibn Abbas said:
“By the door.”
It was said:
“On the ground.”
The correct view is that it means on the threshold, i.e., at the door.
إِنَّهَا عَلَيْهِم مُّوْصَدَةٌ
Verily, it shall be closed upon them. (104:8)
Their dog lay down at the door, as is the habit of dogs.
Ibn Jurayj said,
“He was guarding the door for them.”
It was his nature and habit to lie down at their door as if guarding them. He was sitting outside the door, because the angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog, as was reported in As-Sahih, nor do they enter a house in which there is an image, a person in a state of ritual impurity or a disbeliever, as was narrated in the Hasan Hadith.
The blessing they enjoyed extended to their dog, so the sleep that overtook them overtook him too. This is the benefit of accompanying good people, and so this dog attained fame and stature.
It was said that he was the hunting dog of one of the people which is the more appropriate view, or that he was the dog of the king’s cook, who shared their religious views, and brought his dog with him.
And Allah knows best.
Allah says:
لَوِ اطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًا وَلَمُلِيْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًا
Had you happened upon them, you would certainly have turned back from them in flight, and would certainly have been filled with awe of them.
meaning that Allah made them appear dreadful, so that no one could look at them without being filled with terror, because of the frightening appearance they had been given. This was so that no one would come near them or touch them until the appointed time when their sleep would to an end as Allah willed, because of the wisdom, clear proof and great mercy involTheir awakening and sending One of Themselves to buy Food
Allah says:
وَكَذَلِكَ بَعَثْنَاهُمْ لِيَتَسَاءلُوا بَيْنَهُمْ قَالَ قَايِلٌ مِّنْهُمْ
Likewise, We woke them that they might question one another. A speaker among them said:
Allah says:`just as We caused them to sleep, We resurrected them with their bodies, hair and skin intact, and nothing lacking in their form and appearance.’ This was after three hundred and nine years. This is why they asked each other,
كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ
How long have you stayed (here),
meaning, `how long have you slept!’
قَالُوا لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ
They said:”We have stayed a day or part of a day.”
because they entered the cave at the beginning of the day, and they woke up at the end of the day, which is why they then said,
أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ
قَالُوا رَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثْتُمْ
“…or a part of a day.” They said:”Your Lord knows best how long you have stayed…”
meaning, `Allah knows best about your situation.’
It seems that they were not sure about how long they had slept, and Allah knows best.
Then they turned their attention to more pressing matters, like their need for food and drink, so they said:
فَابْعَثُوا أَحَدَكُم بِوَرِقِكُمْ
So send one of you with this silver coin of yours,
They had brought with them some Dirhams (silver coins) from their homes, to buy whatever they might need, and they had given some in charity and kept some, so they said:
فَابْعَثُوا أَحَدَكُم بِوَرِقِكُمْ هَذِهِ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ
So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the town,
meaning to their city, which they had left. The definite article indicates that they were referring to a known city.
فَلْيَنظُرْ أَيُّهَا أَزْكَى طَعَامًا
and let him find out which is the Azka food.
Azka means “purest”, as Allah says elsewhere,
وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَى مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَداً
And had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy on you, not one of you would ever have been pure (Zaka) from sins. (24:21)
and
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّى
Indeed whosoever purifies himself (Tazakka) shall achieve success. (87:14)
From the same root also comes the word Zakah, which makes one’s wealth good and purifies it.
فَلْيَأْتِكُم بِرِزْقٍ مِّنْهُ
and bring some of that to you.
وَلْيَتَلَطَّفْ
And let him be careful,
meaning when he goes out buying food and coming back.
They were telling him to conceal himself as much as he could,
وَلَا يُشْعِرَنَّ بِكُمْ أَحَدًا
comeved in that.
Their awakening and sending One of Themselves to buy Food
Allah says:
وَكَذَلِكَ بَعَثْنَاهُمْ لِيَتَسَاءلُوا بَيْنَهُمْ قَالَ قَايِلٌ مِّنْهُمْ
Likewise, We woke them that they might question one another. A speaker among them said:
Allah says:`just as We caused them to sleep, We resurrected them with their bodies, hair and skin intact, and nothing lacking in their form and appearance.’ This was after three hundred and nine years. This is why they asked each other,
كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ
How long have you stayed (here),
meaning, `how long have you slept!’
قَالُوا لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ
They said:”We have stayed a day or part of a day.”
because they entered the cave at the beginning of the day, and they woke up at the end of the day, which is why they then said,
أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ
قَالُوا رَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثْتُمْ
“…or a part of a day.” They said:”Your Lord knows best how long you have stayed…”
meaning, `Allah knows best about your situation.’
It seems that they were not sure about how long they had slept, and Allah knows best.
Then they turned their attention to more pressing matters, like their need for food and drink, so they said:
فَابْعَثُوا أَحَدَكُم بِوَرِقِكُمْ
So send one of you with this silver coin of yours,
They had brought with them some Dirhams (silver coins) from their homes, to buy whatever they might need, and they had given some in charity and kept some, so they said:
فَابْعَثُوا أَحَدَكُم بِوَرِقِكُمْ هَذِهِ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ
So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the town,
meaning to their city, which they had left. The definite article indicates that they were referring to a known city.
فَلْيَنظُرْ أَيُّهَا أَزْكَى طَعَامًا
and let him find out which is the Azka food.
Azka means “purest”, as Allah says elsewhere,
وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَى مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَداً
And had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy on you, not one of you would ever have been pure (Zaka) from sins. (24:21)
and
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّى
Indeed whosoever purifies himself (Tazakka) shall achieve success. (87:14)
From the same root also comes the word Zakah, which makes one’s wealth good and purifies it.
فَلْيَأْتِكُم بِرِزْقٍ مِّنْهُ
and bring some of that to you.
وَلْيَتَلَطَّفْ
And let him be careful,
meaning when he goes out buying food and coming back.
They were telling him to conceal himself as much as he could,
وَلَا يُشْعِرَنَّ بِكُمْ أَحَدًا
إِنَّهُمْ إِن يَظْهَرُوا عَلَيْكُمْ يَرْجُمُوكُمْ
and let no man know of you. For, if they come to know of you, they will stone you,
means, `if they find out where you are,’
.
يَرْجُمُوكُمْ أَوْ يُعِيدُوكُمْ فِي مِلَّتِهِمْ
they will stone you or turn you back to their religion;
They were referring to the followers of Decianus, who they were afraid might find out where they were, and punish them with all kinds of torture until they made them go back to their former religion, or until they died, for if they agreed to go back to their (old) religion, they would never attain success in this world or the Hereafter.
So they said:
وَلَن تُفْلِحُوا إِذًا أَبَدًا
and in that case you will never be successful.
How the People of the City came to know about Them; building a Memorial over the Cave
Allah tells:
وَكَذَلِكَ أَعْثَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ
And thus We made their case known,
means, `We caused the people to find them.’
لِيَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَأَنَّ السَّاعَةَ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهَا
that they might know that the promise of Allah is true, and that there can be no doubt about the Hour.
Several scholars of the Salaf mentioned that the people of that time were skeptical about the Resurrection.
Ikrimah said:
“There was a group of them who said that the souls would be resurrected but not the bodies, so Allah resurrected the people of the Cave as a sign and proof of resurrection.”
They mentioned that when they wanted to send one of their members out to the city to buy them something to eat, he disguised himself and set out walking by a different route, until he reached the city, which they said was called Daqsus.
He thought that it was not long since he left it, but in fact century after century, generation after generation, nation after nation had passed, and the country and its people had changed. He saw no local landmarks that he recognized, and he did not recognize any of the people, elite or commoners. He began to feel confused and said to himself,
“Maybe I am crazy or deluded, maybe I am dreaming.”
Then he said, “By Allah, I am nothing of the sort, what I know I saw last night was different from this.”
Then he said, “I had better get out of here.”
Then he went to one of the men selling food, gave him the money he had and asked him to sell him some food. When the man saw the money he did not recognize it or its imprint, so he passed it to his neighbor and they all began to pass it around, saying, “Maybe this man found some treasure.”
They asked him who he was and where he got this money. Had he found a treasure! Who was he!
He said, “I am from this land, I was living here yesterday and Decianus was the ruler.”
They accused him of being crazy and took him to the governor who questioned him about his circumstances, and he told him. He was confused about his situation. When he told them about it, they — the king and the people of the city — went with him to the cave, where he told them, “Let me go in first and let my companions know.”
It was said that the people did not know how he entered it, and that the people did not know about their story.
It was also said that they did enter the cave and see them, and the king greeted them and embraced them. Apparently he was a Muslim, and his name was Tedosis.
They rejoiced at meeting him and spoke with him, then they bid farewell to him and went back to sleep, then Allah caused them to die. And Allah knows best.
وَكَذَلِكَ أَعْثَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ
And thus We made their case known,
meaning, `just as We caused them to sleep then woke them up physically intact, We made their story known to the people of that time.’
لِيَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَأَنَّ السَّاعَةَ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهَا إِذْ يَتَنَازَعُونَ بَيْنَهُمْ أَمْرَهُمْ
that they might know that the promise of Allah is true, and that there can be no doubt about the Hour. (Remember) when they (the people) disputed among themselves about their case,
meaning, about Resurrection.
Some believed in it and some denied it, so Allah made their discovery of the people of the cave evidence either in their favor or against them.
فَقَالُوا ابْنُوا عَلَيْهِم بُنْيَانًا رَّبُّهُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ
they said:”Construct a building over them; their Lord knows best about them,”
meaning, seal the door of their cave over them, and leave them as they are.
قَالَ الَّذِينَ غَلَبُوا عَلَى أَمْرِهِمْ لَنَتَّخِذَنَّ عَلَيْهِم مَّسْجِدًا
those who won their point said:”We verily, shall build a place of worship over them.”
Those who said this were the people of power and influence, but were they good people or not; there is some debate on this point, because the Prophet said:
لَعَنَ اللهُ الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى اتَّخَذُوا قُبُورَ أَنْبِيَايِهِمْ وَصَالِحِيهِمْ مَسَاجِد
Allah has cursed the Jews and the Christians who took the graves of their Prophets and righteous people as places of worship.
Warning against what they did.
We have reported about the Commander of the faithful Umar bin Al-Khattab that;
when he found the grave of Danyal (Daniel) in Iraq during his period of rule, he gave orders that news of this grave should be withheld from the people, and that the inscription containing mention of battles etc., that they found there should be buried
Their Number
Allah tells:
سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلَثَةٌ رَّابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًا بِالْغَيْبِ وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌ وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُم
They say they were three, the dog being the fourth among them; and they say they were five, the dog being the sixth, guessing at the unseen; and they say they were seven, and the dog being the eighth.
Allah tells us that people disputed over the number of the people of the Cave. The Ayah mentions three views, proving that there was no fourth suggestion. Allah indicates that the first two opinions are invalid, by saying,
رَجْمًا بِالْغَيْبِ
(guessing at the unseen), meaning that they spoke without knowledge, like a person who aims at an unknown target — he is hardly likely to hit it, and if he does, it was not on purpose.
Then Allah mentions the third opinion, and does not comment on it, or He affirms it by saying,
وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ
(and the dog being the eighth), indicating that this is correct and this is what happened.
سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلَثَةٌ رَّابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًا بِالْغَيْبِ وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌ وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ
قُل رَّبِّي أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِم
Say:”My Lord knows best their number…”
indicating that the best thing to do in matters like this is to refer knowledge to Allah, because there is no need to indulge in discussing such matters without knowledge. If we are given knowledge of a matter, then we may talk about it, otherwise we should refrain.
مَّا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلاَّا قَلِيلٌ
none knows them but a few.
of mankind.
Qatadah said that Ibn Abbas said:
“I am one of the few mentioned in this Ayah; they were seven.”
Ibn Jurayj also narrated that Ata’ Al-Khurasani narrated from him,
“I am one of those referred to in this Ayah,”
and he would say:”Their number was seven.”
Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn Abbas said:
مَّا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلاَّا قَلِيلٌ
(none knows them but a few),
“I am one of the few, and they were seven.”
The chains of these reports narrated from Ibn Abbas, which say that they were seven, are Sahih, and this is in accordance with what we have stated above.
فَلَ تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلاَّ مِرَاء ظَاهِرًا
So debate not except with the clear proof.
meaning, gently and politely, for there is not a great deal to be gained from knowing about that.
وَلَا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِم مِّنْهُمْ أَحَدًا
And consult not any of them (about the people of the Cave).
meaning, `They do not have any knowledge about it except what they make up, guessing at the unseen; they have no evidence from an infallible source. But Allah has sent you, O Muhammad, with the truth in which there is no doubt or confusion, which is to be given priority over all previous books and sayings.
18:23
وَ لَا تَقُوۡلَنَّ لِشَایۡءٍ اِنِّیۡ فَاعِلٌ ذٰلِکَ غَدًا ﴿ۙ۲۳﴾
And never say of anything, “Indeed, I will do that tomorrow,”
Tafsir Ibne Kasir Said:-
Saying “If Allah wills” when determining to do Something in the Future
Allah says:
وَلَا تَقُولَنَّ لِشَيْءٍ إِنِّي فَاعِلٌ ذَلِكَ غَدًا
18:24
اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ یَّشَآءَ اللّٰہُ ۫ وَ اذۡکُرۡ رَّبَّکَ اِذَا نَسِیۡتَ وَ قُلۡ عَسٰۤی اَنۡ یَّہۡدِیَنِ رَبِّیۡ لِاَقۡرَبَ مِنۡ ہٰذَا رَشَدًا ﴿۲۴﴾
Except [when adding], “If Allah wills.” And remember your Lord when you forget [it] and say, “Perhaps my Lord will guide me to what is nearer than this to right conduct.”
إِلاَّ أَن يَشَاء اللَّهُ
And never say of anything, “I shall do such and such thing tomorrow.” Except (with the saying), “If Allah wills!”
Here Allah, may He be glorified, shows His Messenger the correct etiquette when determining to do something in the future; this should always be referred to the will of Allah, the Knower of the Unseen, Who knows what was and what is yet to be and what is not to be, and how it will be if it is to be.
It was recorded in the Two Sahihs that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said:
قَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ لَااَطُوفَنَّ اللَّيْلَةَ عَلَى سَبْعِينَ امْرَأَةً وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ تِسْعِينَ امْرَأَةً وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ مِايَةِ امْرَأَةٍ تَلِدُ كُلُّ امْرَأَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ غُلَامًا يُقَاتِلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ
فَقِيلَ لَهُ وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ قَالَ لَهُ الْمَلَكُ قُلْ إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ فَلَمْ يَقُلْ
فَطَافَ بِهِنَّ فَلَمْ تَلِدْ مِنْهُنَّ إِلاَّ امْرَأَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ نِصْفَ إِنْسَانٍ
فَقَالَ رَسُولُ الله
صلى الله عليه وسلّم
وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ قَالَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ لَمْ يَحْنَثْ وَكَانَ دَرَكًا لِحَاجَتِه
وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ
وَلَقَاتَلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ فُرْسَانًا أَجْمَعُون
Suleiman bin Dawud (peace be upon them both) said:”Tonight I will go around to seventy women (according to some reports, it was ninety or one hundred women) so that each one of them will give birth to a son who will fight for the sake of Allah.”
It was said to him, (according to one report, the angel said to him) “Say:`If Allah wills'”, but he did not say it.
He went around to the women but none of them gave birth except for one who gave birth to a half-formed child.
The Messenger of Allah said,
By the One in Whose hand is my soul, had he said, “If Allah wills,” he would not have broken his oath, and that would have helped him to attain what he wanted.
According to another report,
They would all have fought as horsemen in the cause of Allah.
At the beginning of this Surah we discussed the reason why this Ayah was revealed:when the Prophet was asked about the story of the people of the Cave, he said, “I will tell you tomorrow.” Then the revelation was delayed for fifteen days. Since we discussed this at length at the beginning of the Surah, there is no need to repeat it here.
وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ
And remember your Lord when you forget,
It was said that this means, if you forget to say “If Allah wills”, then say it when you remember.
This was the view of Abu Al-`Aliyah and Al-Hasan Al-Basri.
Hushaym reported from Al-A`mash from Mujahid that concerning a man who swears an oath, Ibn Abbas said
“He may say `If Allah wills’ even if it is a year later.”
Ibn Abbas used to interpret this Ayah:
وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ
(And remember your Lord when you forget) in this way.
Al-A`mash was asked, “Did you hear this from Mujahid?”
He said, “Layth bin Abi Salim told it to me.”
The meaning of Ibn Abbas’ view, that a person may say “If Allah wills”, even if it is a year later, is;
that if he forgets to say it when he makes the oath or when he speaks, and he remembers it later, even a year later, the Sunnah is that he should say it, so that he will still be following the Sunnah of saying “If Allah wills”, even if that is after breaking his oath.
This was also the view of Ibn Jarir, but he stated that this does not make up for breaking the oath or mean that one is no longer obliged to offer expiation.
What Ibn Jarir said is correct, and it is more appropriate to understand the words of Ibn Abbas in this way.
And Allah knows best.
وَلَا تَقُولَنَّ لِشَيْءٍ إِنِّي فَاعِلٌ ذَلِكَ غَدًا
إِلاَّ أَن يَشَاء اللَّهُ وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ
And never say of anything, “I shall do such and such thing tomorrow.” Except (with the saying), “If Allah wills!” And remember your Lord when you forget,
At-Tabarani recorded that Ibn Abbas said that this meant saying,
“If Allah wills.”
وَقُلْ عَسَى أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّي لاَِقْرَبَ مِنْ هَذَا رَشَدًا
and say:”It may be that my Lord guides me to a nearer way of truth than this.”
meaning, `if you (O Prophet) are asked about something you know nothing about, ask Allah about it, and turn to Him so that He may guide you to what is right.’
And Allah knows best
18:25
وَ لَبِثُوۡا فِیۡ کَہۡفِہِمۡ ثَلٰثَ مِائَۃٍ سِنِیۡنَ وَ ازۡدَادُوۡا تِسۡعًا ﴿۲۵﴾
And they remained in their cave for three hundred years and exceeded by nine.
The Length of their Stay in the Cave
Allah says:
وَلَبِثُوا فِي كَهْفِهِمْ ثَلَثَ مِايَةٍ سِنِينَ وَازْدَادُوا تِسْعًا
And they stayed in their cave three hundred years, adding nine.
Here Allah tells His Messenger the length of time the people of the Cave spent in their cave, from the time when He caused them to sleep until the time when He resurrected them and caused the people of that era to find them. The length of time was three hundred plus nine years in lunar years, which is three hundred years in solar years. The difference between one hundred lunar years and one hundred solar years is three years, which is why after mentioning three hundred, Allah says, `adding nine.’
قُلِ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثُوا
لَهُ غَيْبُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالاَْرْضِ أَبْصِرْ بِهِ وَأَسْمِعْ مَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَا يُشْرِكُ فِي حُكْمِهِ أَحَدًا
18:26
قُلِ اللّٰہُ اَعۡلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثُوۡا ۚ لَہٗ غَیۡبُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ اَبۡصِرۡ بِہٖ وَ اَسۡمِعۡ ؕ مَا لَہُمۡ مِّنۡ دُوۡنِہٖ مِنۡ وَّلِیٍّ ۫ وَّ لَا یُشۡرِکُ فِیۡ حُکۡمِہٖۤ اَحَدًا ﴿۲۶﴾
Say, ” Allah is most knowing of how long they remained. He has [knowledge of] the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth. How Seeing is He and how Hearing! They have not besides Him any protector, and He shares not His legislation with anyone.”
Say:”Allah knows best how long they stayed…”
`If you are asked about how long they stayed, and you have no knowledge of that and no revelation from Allah about it, then do not say anything. Rather say something like this:
اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثُوا
لَهُ غَيْبُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالاَْرْضِ
“Allah knows best how long they stayed. With Him is (the knowledge of) the Unseen of the heavens and the earth.”
meaning, no one knows about that except Him, and whoever among His creatures He chooses to tell.
What we have said here is the view of more than one of the scholars of Tafsir, such as Mujahid and others among the earlier and later generations.
وَلَبِثُوا فِي كَهْفِهِمْ ثَلَثَ مِايَةٍ سِنِينَ
And they stayed in their cave three hundred years,
Qatadah said, this was the view of the People of the Book, and Allah refuted it by saying:
قُلِ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثُوا
Say:”Allah knows best how long they stayed…”
meaning, that Allah knows better than what the people say.
This was also the view of Mutarraf bin `Abdullah.
However, this view is open to debate, because when the People of the Book said that they stayed in the cave for three hundred years, without the extra nine, they were referring to solar years, and if Allah was merely narrating what they had said, He would not have said,
وَازْدَادُوا تِسْعًا
(adding nine).
The apparent meaning of the Ayah is that Allah is stating the facts, not narrating what was said.
This is the view of Ibn Jarir (may Allah have mercy on him). And Allah knows best.
أَبْصِرْ بِهِ وَأَسْمِعْ
How clearly He sees, and hears (everything)!
He sees them and hears them.
Ibn Jarir said,
“The language used is an eloquent expression of praise.”
The phrase may be understood to mean, how much Allah sees of everything that exists and how much He hears of everything that is to be heard, for nothing is hidden from Him!
It was narrated that Qatadah commented on this Ayah:
أَبْصِرْ بِهِ وَأَسْمِعْ
(How clearly He sees, and hears (everything)!),
“No one hears or sees more than Allah.”
مَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَاا يُشْرِكُ فِي حُكْمِهِ أَحَدًا
They have no protector other than Him, and He makes none to share in His decision and His rule.
meaning, He, may He be glorified, is the One Who has the power to create and to command, the One Whose ruling cannot be overturned; He has no adviser, supporter or partner, may He be exalted and hallowed
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