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March 31, 2022 - March 30, 2024
Surah al-Kahf is among the earliest revelations received by our Prophet f.
The surah summarizes for us the gist of Islam; its main theme is that Allah S will protect us from all trials.
The reason for this early revelation is that this surah fortifies the believer with īmān. It teaches that no matter what is happening, Allah S will take care of you.
‘Whoever reads Surah al-Kahf on the day of Jumuʿah shall have a light that will shine from him from one Friday to the next.’
In yet another, slightly weaker, version it is reported that whoever recites Surah al-Kahf on a Friday will have all of their minor sins forgiven until the following Friday. Thus, the virtues of reciting this surah on Friday are clear.
According to some Quranic scholars, if one were to count the words of the Quran, the word that occurs in the exact middle of the entire Qur’an is found in Surah al-Kahf, and the word itself is wa-l-yatalaṭaf, from the noun laṭīf.
Just as Surah al-Fātiḥah begins with alḥamdulillāh, so Surah al-Kahf begins with alḥamdulillāh in its very first verse:
Ḥamd is to praise solely because the one that you are praising is worthy of that praise.
praise the one being praised solely because he deserves that praise due to internal characteristics that he possesses, and not due to anything he has done to or for you.
Many have translated ʿabd as ‘slave’, but the real meaning here is not slave but ‘worshipper’.
When Allah S says ‘My ʿabd’, this is the highest praise He can give to any creation.
Kitāb has two meanings to it; the first is the literal meaning that is ‘book’, and kataba, which means to write down.
So, the meaning of kitāb is both that this book, the Qur’an, contains a large amount of wisdom and information, and that this book has been written down.
‘Qayyiman’ () means both that the book is straight and that it makes others straight.
the three pillars of īmān have also been referenced: loving Allah S, fearing Him, and hoping in Allah S.
When asked about the proof of Islam or the proof of Prophethood, our response should be that it is the Qur’an.
The word bakhaʿa بَخَعْ is a deep word with no English equivalent. Its literal meaning is to die from depression or to be consumed by grief.
Allah S clarifies that it is out of grief for those who do not believe in the message the Prophet f is presenting them.
This shows us the sincerity of the Prophet f. When we preach, many of us do so for our own ego, and when we argue we want to win, we don’t want truth to win. Our Prophet f wanted the truth to win, not himself.
From our Lord consoling the Messenger f in distress we gain the simple Sunnah that when we find someone in a difficult situation we should console them and give them words of comfort.
To call to Islam, we need to have that genuine love for our people, and want them to love this religion and to love Allah S, not for our ego, but for Allah’s sake.
ultimately what matters is pure intention.
Scholars suggest that it is perhaps natural for a person to wonder as to why the Quraysh, despite their rejection of Allah S, were wealthy, powerful and respected.
Allah S accordingly is guiding us here to not be deceived or disillusioned by the greenery, finery, power, and all that they have. The real beautification and wealth will be in the next world.
In reality, the People of the Cave is a trivial matter and there are far greater miracles they should be asking about.
The Prophet’s f conduct, his character, the Qur’an—all of this is a bigger miracle than the People of the Cave and their story.
it is commonly mentioned by Quranic scholars that a third of the Qur’an is stories, a third is law and a third is theology.
Note here that these young men were fleeing from a problem, seeking refuge, and the first thing they did when they entered the cave was turn to Allah S in duʿā’.
when in a difficult situation, we must do two things, one a physical act of this world (dunyāwī) and another a spiritual act (dīnī).
We need both; the physical action and the spiritual duʿā’.
Our religion is a religion of action; when in difficulty we must act. At the same time, we must not forget Allah S and we must make duʿā’, because duʿā’ is the more important weapon of the believer.
‘Surely Allah, The High, boasts to the Angels in regards to the young person who is a servant (of His) and He says, “Look towards my servant! He has refrained from following his lowly desires for My sake alone.”’
This is of the mercy of Allah S that the religion does not get more difficult when you go towards Him, rather the path becomes easier.
when we show our sincerity and īmān to Allah S, He will increase manifold and multiply that sincerity.
blessings begin from within before they manifest without. Before protection from their enemies, they needed protection from themselves and their wavering doubts.
when they did their part and showed their determination, Allah S showered them with blessings.
Is it better to remain in a misguided community or to break away?
Our scholars say that as a general rule, you must remain in your communities as long as you are being of benefit to them and preaching to them. But when the situation changes, when your religion is threatened and you are not allowed
to worship Allah S properly, and your life is threatened for your worship, then it is preferable to leave your commu...
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Allah S is implying that He has had prepared the cave for them such that the ambience, temperature and sunlight of the cave would be perfect.
This shows that they were lying in a manner such that their eyes were open. Allah S caused them to go to sleep while their eyes were open.
the key message Allah S demonstrates for us is that He will protect us in manners we cannot expect.
In 300 years their generation, their tyrannical king, their entire society perished. Everything changed, and Allah S protected them from a gruesome and evil end.
Allah S uses the term baʿathnāhum, a term generally used when resurrecting the dead, not for waking from sleep. But Allah S uses this term here because the Sleepers had slept so long it is as if they had died and He had resurrected them from the dead.
The believer is brave but not foolish, they have trust in Allah S but they take precautions.
Our religion values life and asks us to preserve it and use it in the best way possible rather than throw it away. Our religion says preserve religion, life, sanity and wealth; these are the maqāṣid or the goals of the Shariah.
Allah S has illustrated that when He can cause a person to sleep for 300 years and then bring them back, then surely He can bring the dead back to life too.
And so we do not build a mosque over a grave, and neither do we bury a person within a mosque.
So to argue or debate, you must have knowledge or else remain silent.
This is a very important point for us, especially those of us living in lands with majority non-Muslim populations. Not everybody is qualified to give daʿwah verbally. We can all give daʿwah by our actions and we can preach at a basic level what we know, but not everyone is qualified to respond to argumentation. Hence Allah S says here to not debate unless you have knowledge of what you are debating.
