Verse:102 Commentary Commentary

According to Tafsir al-Bahr al-Muhit, in the first verse (102): أَفَحَسِبَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا أَن يَتَّخِذُوا عِبَادِي مِن دُونِي أَوْلِيَاءَ (Do, then, the disbelievers deem that they take My servants as patrons beside Me?), there is an elision (حذف hadhf) in the text at this place, that is: فیجد بھم وینتفعون بذلک الاتخاذ As such, it would mean: 'Do these disbelieving people who have taken My servants - instead of Me - as the objects of their worship and the dispensers of their matters and problems think that this make-shift arrangement made by them would bring them some benefit and they would enjoy it?' This is a form of interrogative meant for negation or disapproval. In short, it means that such thinking is wrong, a mark of ignorance.

The word: عبادی (` ibadi: My servants) used here means angels, and the particular prophets whom the people of the world worshiped taking them as partners in the pristine divinity of Allah - as Sayyidna ` Uzair and Sayyidna Masih (علیہ السلام) . Those who worshiped angels were some Arabs. As for those who ascribed partners to Allah, the Jews and Christians both did it. The Jews did it in respect of Sayyidna ` Uzair (علیہ السلام) and the Christians, in respect of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) . Therefore, meant here by: الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا (al-ladhina kafaru: Those who disbelieved) in this verse are these very groups of disbelievers. Some commentators have taken عبادی (` ibadi: My servants) at this place to mean shaitans. In that case, الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا (those who disbelieved) would mean disbelievers who worship the Jinn and shaitans. Some other commentators have taken is? عبادی (` ibadi: My servants) at this place in the general sense of something created, under mastery, which becomes inclusive of all false objects of worship, idols, fire and stars. Maulana Ashraf ` Ali Thanavi (رح) has referred to this aspect in the Summary of his Tafsir Bayan al-Qur' an while explaining servants as subjects. However, the first explanation given above has been rated as weightier in al-Bahr al-Muhit and other Tafsirs. Allah knows best.

The word: أَوْلِيَاءَ (awliya' ) is the plural of وَلِی (waliyy). This word is used in the Arabic language to carry several meanings. At this place, it means one who gets things done, resolves matters, fulfills needs - which is the particular attribute of the true object of worship. The purpose thereby is to take them as objects of worship. Verse:103 Commentary Who are those referred to as: الْأَخْسَرِ‌ينَ أَعْمَالًا (The greatest losers in respect of [ their ] deeds - 103)? At this place, the first two verses (101, 102) are, in terms of their general sense, inclusive of every individual or group that would put in a lot of effort in some deeds taking them to be good, but with Allah their effort is ruined and their deed, wasted. Al-Qurtubi said that this situation is caused due to two things. One: Corruption in Belief. Two: Hypocrisy. It means that a person whose very Belief and Faith is not correct - no matter how good he is in his deeds and how painstaking in his effort - will find all this useless and wasted in the Hereafter.

Similarly, the deed of anyone who acts for the pleasure of the created by way of hypocrisy, that deed too will remain deprived of thawab (reward). It is in terms of this general sense that some revered Sahabah have declared the Kharjites as the substantiation of this verse. Then, there are some commentators who take the Mu'tazilah, the Rawafid and some others as the groups who have strayed away from the straight path. But, in the next verse (105), it has been determined that meant at this place are those particular disbelievers who deny the verses of Allah Ta' ala and the coming of Qiyamah and Akhirah. It was said: الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا بِآيَاتِ رَ‌بِّهِمْ وَلِقَائِهِ (Those are the ones who disbelieved in the signs of their Lord and in the meeting with Him). Therefore, al-Qurtubi, Abu Hayyan, Mazhari and others prefer the view that really meant at this place are particular disbelievers who deny Allah, the Last Day and the Reckoning of deeds. But, apparently too, even those people whose deeds were ruined by their corrupted beliefs and whose effort had gone waste cannot remain unaffected by its general sense. As for the related sayings re-ported from Sayyidna ` Ali and Sa` d ؓ ، this is precisely what they mean. (Qurtubi) Verse:104 Commentary - - - Verse:105 Commentary The last sentence in the same verse (105): فَلَا نُقِيمُ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَزْنًا (and We shall not assign to them any weight) means that their deeds may appear to be great outwardly, but when placed on the balance of reckoning, they will carry no weight. The reason is that these deeds will be of no use and will not carry any weight because of kufr (disbelief) and shirk (ascribing of partners to Allah).

According to a Hadith of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ appearing in the Sahih of al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: On the day of Qiyamah, there will come a tall and heavy man who, in the sight of Allah, will not be worth the weight of a mosquito.' Then he said: 'If you wish to verify it, recite this verse of the Qur'an: فَلَا نُقِيمُ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَزْنًا (and We shall not assign to them any weight).'

Sayyidna Abu Said al-Khudri says: ' (on the day of Qiyamah) deeds as big as the mountains of Tihamah will be brought in. But, they will carry no weight on the balance of justice.' (Qurtubi) Verse:106 Commentary - - - Verse:107 Commentary The word: الْفِرْ‌دَوْسِ (al-Firdaus) in: جَنَّاتُ الْفِرْ‌دَوْسِ (Gardens of Firdaus) means a verdant valley full of fruits and flowers - with reference to Paradise. However, difference exists as to the origin of this word. Is it Arabic, or is it non-Arabic? Those who call it non-Arabic have to refine it further. Is it Persian or Greco-Roman or Syriac? There are different views about this.

It appears in the Sahih of al-Bukhari and Muslim that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: 'when you ask of Allah, ask for Jannatul-Firdaus because it is the highest and the superior most rank of Jannah. Above it, there is the Throne of the Rahman and from it issue forth all streams of .Jannah.' (Qurtubi) Verse:108 Commentary The purpose of the last sentence: لَا يَبْغُونَ عَنْهَا حِوَلًا (and will not wish to move from there - 108) is to tell that this station of Jannah is a never-ending, ever-lasting blessing for them. The reason is that Allah Ta' ala has promulgated His command to the effect that whoever has entered Jannah will never be expelled from there. But, there was the possibility of some doubt crossing someone's heart, for human beings naturally get fed up by living at one place. They wish to move out and go to other places. Now, if they were not allowed to go elsewhere out of Jannah, they might start feeling the pinch of a sort of restriction. This was answered in the verse by saying that taking Jannah on the analogy of other places is rank ignorance. Once a person goes into the Jannah, everything he saw and lived within the mortal world would find all that trifling in the presence of the bliss and beauty of Jannah and - so blessed in that manner - no one would ever even think of going out of here. Verse:109 Commentary - - - Verse:110 Commentary Commentary

The cause of the revelation of the last verse of Surah al-Kahf: وَلَا يُشْرِ‌كْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَ‌بِّهِ أَحَدًا (and must not associate anyone in the worship of his Lord - 110), as mentioned in Hadith reports, shows that shirk at this place means hidden shirk, that is, hypocrisy (رِیَاء : riy' ).

One such narration from Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ has been reported by Imam Hakim in al-Mustadrak as being sound on the criterion set forth by the two authorities, al-Bukhari and Muslim. According to the narration, one of the Muslims used to carry out Jihad in the way of Allah. Side by side, he wished that his soldiering and bravery in the cause be recognized and appreciated by the people. This verse was revealed about him (which tells us that one gets no thawab (reward) by having such an intention in Jihad).

In Kitabul-Ikhlas, Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Abi al-Dunya have reported from Tawus that a Sahabi stated before the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم : 'There are occasions when I am ready to worship, or to do some righteous deed, my aim thereby is nothing but the pleasure of Allah. But, along with it, I do have the wish that people would see me doing it.' Hearing this, he observed silence until the cited verse was revealed.

And in Abu Nu'aym and in the history of Ibn ` Asakir, it appears on the authority of Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ that whenever the Sahabi, Sayyidna Jundub ibn Zuhayr ؓ prayed, fasted or gave in charity and then saw people admiring him for doing those deeds, he felt pleased about it and would then increase the frequency of those deeds. There-upon, this verse was revealed.

The gist of narrations given above is that the shirk prohibited in this verse is the hidden shirk of showing off (riya' ). And that a deed may though be for Allah alone but, along with it, should it become associated with some selfish motive of name, fame and recognition, then, this too will be a kind of hidden shirk, something that makes one's deed go waste, even harmful.

However, there are some other Sahih Ahadith which apparently seem to indicate otherwise. For example, Tirmidhi reports from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ that he submitted before the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم : 'There are times when I am on my prayer mat inside my house (making Salah) and, all of a sudden, there comes someone. I like it that he saw me in that state. (Would that be riya'?) ' The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, '0 Abu Hurairah, may Allah have mercy on you. Then you get two rewards, one for the deed you were already doing in secret, and the other for what you did openly after the coming of that person. (This is no riya' ).'

And according to a narration of Sayyidna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari appearing in the Sahih of Muslim, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was asked, 'What do you say about a person who does some good deed, then hears people praising it?' The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, تِلکَ عَاجِلُ بُشرَی المُؤمِنِ : "This is instant good news for the believer." (that his deed was accepted with Allah and He had his servants praise it).

The apparent difference in these two kinds of narrations has been resolved and brought in agreement in Tafsir Mazhari. It says that the first kind of narrations about the cause of the revelation of the verse apply to a particular situation. This is when one associates his intention to please people or to earn a good name for himself along with the intention of seeking the pleasure of Allah through his deed to the extent that he further increases the frequency of that deed on being praised by people for it. This is, no doubt, hypocrisy (riya' ) and hidden shirk.

And the latter narrations, those from Tirmidhi and Muslim, concern another situation. This is when one has acted for the pleasure of Allah alone without any inclination of receiving publicity or praise for it and then Allah Ta' ala, in His grace, gives him fame by making people praise him. If so, it has nothing to do with riya' (showing off). In fact, this is spontaneous good news for the believer (that his deed has found acceptance with Allah).

Riya' and its Evil Consequences: Stern Warnings of Hadith

Sayyidna Mahmud ibn Labid ؓ reports that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, 'What I fear most about you is minor shirk.' The Sahabah ؓ asked: Ya Rasulallah, what is minor shirk?' He said, 'Riya" (to do something only to show people). (Reported by Ahmad in his Musnad)

After having reported this Hadith in Shu` ab-al-'Iman, Al-Baihaqi has also reported the remarks: 'On the day of Qiyamah, when Allah Ta' ala will reward His servants for their deeds, He will ask the practitioners of riya' to go for their rewards to those they wanted to impress with their deeds and find out whether or not they have any for them.'

Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ reports that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "Allah Ta` ala says 'I am free and above from associating with those associated with Me. Whoever does a good deed and then associates in it someone else with Me, then, I leave the entire deed for the one associated.' And, according to another narration, 'I withdraw from that deed making it exclusive for the person associated with me.' (Narrated by Muslim)

And Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Umar ؓ reports that he heard the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم saying, 'Whoever does a good deed to earn a fair name among people, then, Allah Ta' ala too deals with him in a manner that he is disgraced before them.' (Narrated by Ahmad in Shu` ab-al-'Imn - from Tafsir Mazhari)

It appears in Tafsir al-Qurtubi that Sayyidna Hasan al-Basri (رح) was asked about ikhlas (unalloyed sincerity) and riya' (showing off). He said: Ikhlas requires that your good deeds remaining hidden should be what you like and the bad deeds remaining hidden should be what you do not like. After that, if Allah Ta' ala discloses your deeds before the people, you should say, 'Ya Allah, all this is Your grace and favour, not the outcome of my deed and effort.'

And Tirmidhi reports from Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم once mentioned shirk by saying: ھُوَ فِیکُم اَخفٰی مِن دبِیبِ النَّمل (It is right there in you more stealthily than the soundless movement of an ant). Then, he added, 'I tell you something which, if you do, you will remain safe against all sorts of shirk, major or minor (riya' ). Make this prayer (dua three times every day:

اَللّٰھُمَّ اِنِّی اَعُوذُبِکِ اَن اُشرِکَ بِکَ وَ اَنَا اَعلَمُ وَاَستغفِرُکَ لِمَا لَا اَعلَمُ

0' Allah, I seek refuge with You lest I associate a partner with You while I know and I seek forgiveness from You for what I do not know.

Some Merits and Properties of Surah al-Kahf

Sayyidna Abu a1-Darda' ؓ reports that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "Whoever remembers to recite the first ten verses of Surah al-Kahf will remain safe against the fitnah (upheaval, trial) caused by Dajjal (anti-Christ). (Reported by Muslim, Ahmad, Abu Dawud and al-Nasa'i)

And Imam Ahmad, Muslim and al-Nasa'i have reported within this narration from Sayyidna Abu al-Darda' words to the effect that 'whoever remembers to recite the last ten verses of Surah al-Kahf will remain safe against the fitnah of Dajjal.'

And according to a narration of Sayyidna Anas ؓ ، the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "Whoever recites the initial and the concluding verses of Surah al-Kahf will have light for him, from his feet up to his head. And whoever recites this Surah in full will have light for him, from the ground up to the sky." (Reported by Ibn al-Sunni, and Ahmad in his Musnad)

And as narrated by Sayyidna Abu Said ؓ ، the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "Whoever recites Surah al-Kahf in full on the day of Jumu'ah will have light for him until the next Jumu'ah. (Reported and declared as Sahih by al-Hakim and al-Baihaqi in al-Da` awat - from Mazhari)

To Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ someone said, 'I resolve in my heart to wake up in the later part of night and make Salah but sleep overtakes me.' Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ said to him, 'recite the last verses of Surah al-Kahf - from: قُل لَّوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ‌ مِدَادًا (109) to the end of the Surah (110) - before you sleep. Then, the time you intend to wake up will be the time when Allah Ta' a1a will wake you up.' (Reported by ath-Tha` alibi)

And according to the Musnad of al-Darimi, Zirr ibn Hubaish told ` Abdah, 'Anyone who sleeps after having recited these last verses will wake up at the time he or she intends to.' And ` Abdah says, 'we have tried this repeatedly. It happens just like that.'

An important word of advice

Ibn al-` Arabi quotes his Shaikh, Turtushi: 'Let not the hours of your dear life pass away confronting contemporaries and socializing with friends. Watch out! Allah Ta' ala has concluded His statement on the following verse:

فَمَن كَانَ يَرْ‌جُو لِقَاءَ رَ‌بِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِ‌كْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَ‌بِّهِ أَحَدًا

So the one who hopes to meet his Lord must do righteous deed

and must not associate anyone in the worship of his Lord - 110 (Al-Qurtubi)

Alhamdulillah

The Commentary on

Surah al-Kahf

End here.