Surah 18. Al-Kahf

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Verses [Section]: 1-12[1], 13-17 [2], 18-22 [3], 23-31 [4], 32-44 [5], 45-49 [6], 50-53 [7], 54-59 [8], 60-70 [9], 71-82 [10], 83-101 [11], 102-110 [12]

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Quran Text of Verse 23-31وَ لَاAnd (do) notتَقُوْلَنَّsayلِشَایْءٍof anythingاِنِّیْIndeed Iفَاعِلٌwill doذٰلِكَthatغَدًاۙtomorrow اِلَّاۤExceptاَنْIfیَّشَآءَAllah willsاللّٰهُ ؗAllah willsوَ اذْكُرْAnd rememberرَّبَّكَyour Lordاِذَاwhenنَسِیْتَyou forgetوَ قُلْand sayعَسٰۤیPerhapsاَنْ[that]یَّهْدِیَنِwill guide meرَبِّیْmy Lordلِاَقْرَبَto a nearer (way)مِنْthanهٰذَاthisرَشَدًا right way وَ لَبِثُوْاAnd they remainedفِیْinكَهْفِهِمْtheir caveثَلٰثَ(for) threeمِائَةٍhundredسِنِیْنَyearsوَ ازْدَادُوْاand addتِسْعًا nine قُلِSayاللّٰهُAllahاَعْلَمُknows bestبِمَاabout what (period)لَبِثُوْا ۚthey remainedلَهٗFor Himغَیْبُ(is the) unseenالسَّمٰوٰتِ(of) the heavensوَ الْاَرْضِ ؕand the earthاَبْصِرْHow clearly He seesبِهٖ[of it]وَ اَسْمِعْ ؕAnd how clearly He hearsمَاNotلَهُمْfor themمِّنْbesides Himدُوْنِهٖbesides Himمِنْanyوَّلِیٍّ ؗprotectorوَّ لَاand notیُشْرِكُHe sharesفِیْ[in]حُكْمِهٖۤHis Commandsاَحَدًا (with) anyone وَ اتْلُAnd reciteمَاۤwhatاُوْحِیَhas been revealedاِلَیْكَto youمِنْofكِتَابِthe Bookرَبِّكَ ؕۚ(of) your LordلَاNoneمُبَدِّلَcan changeلِكَلِمٰتِهٖ ۫ۚHis Wordsوَ لَنْand neverتَجِدَyou will findمِنْbesides Himدُوْنِهٖbesides Himمُلْتَحَدًا a refuge 18. Al-Kahf Page 297وَ اصْبِرْAnd be patientنَفْسَكَyourselfمَعَwithالَّذِیْنَthose whoیَدْعُوْنَcallرَبَّهُمْtheir Lordبِالْغَدٰوةِin the morningوَ الْعَشِیِّand the eveningیُرِیْدُوْنَdesiringوَجْهَهٗHis Faceوَ لَاAnd (let) notتَعْدُpass beyondعَیْنٰكَyour eyesعَنْهُمْ ۚover themتُرِیْدُdesiringزِیْنَةَadornmentالْحَیٰوةِ(of) the lifeالدُّنْیَا ۚ(of) the worldوَ لَاand (do) notتُطِعْobeyمَنْwhomاَغْفَلْنَاWe Have Made Heedlessقَلْبَهٗhis heartعَنْofذِكْرِنَاOur rememberanceوَ اتَّبَعَand followsهَوٰىهُhis desiresوَ كَانَand isاَمْرُهٗhis affairفُرُطًا (in) excess وَ قُلِAnd sayالْحَقُّThe truthمِنْ(is) fromرَّبِّكُمْ ۫your Lordفَمَنْso whoeverشَآءَwillsفَلْیُؤْمِنْlet him believeوَّ مَنْand whoeverشَآءَwillsفَلْیَكْفُرْ ۙlet him disbelieveاِنَّاۤIndeed Weاَعْتَدْنَاhave preparedلِلظّٰلِمِیْنَfor the wrongdoersنَارًا ۙa Fireاَحَاطَwill surroundبِهِمْthemسُرَادِقُهَا ؕits wallsوَ اِنْAnd ifیَّسْتَغِیْثُوْاthey call for reliefیُغَاثُوْاthey will be relievedبِمَآءٍwith waterكَالْمُهْلِlike molten brassیَشْوِی(which) scaldsالْوُجُوْهَ ؕthe facesبِئْسَWretchedالشَّرَابُ ؕ(is) the drinkوَ سَآءَتْand evilمُرْتَفَقًا (is) the resting place اِنَّIndeedالَّذِیْنَthose whoاٰمَنُوْاbelievedوَ عَمِلُواand didالصّٰلِحٰتِthe good deedsاِنَّاindeed, Weلَاwill not let go wasteنُضِیْعُwill not let go wasteاَجْرَ(the) rewardمَنْ(of one) whoاَحْسَنَdoes goodعَمَلًاۚdeeds اُولٰٓىِٕكَThoseلَهُمْfor themجَنّٰتُ(are) Gardensعَدْنٍof Edenتَجْرِیْflowsمِنْfromتَحْتِهِمُunderneath themالْاَنْهٰرُthe riversیُحَلَّوْنَThey will be adornedفِیْهَاthereinمِنْ[of] (with)اَسَاوِرَbraceletsمِنْofذَهَبٍgoldوَّ یَلْبَسُوْنَand will wearثِیَابًاgarmentsخُضْرًاgreenمِّنْofسُنْدُسٍfine silkوَّ اِسْتَبْرَقٍand heavy brocadeمُّتَّكِـِٕیْنَrecliningفِیْهَاthereinعَلَیonالْاَرَآىِٕكِ ؕadorned couchesنِعْمَExcellentالثَّوَابُ ؕ(is) the rewardوَ حَسُنَتْand goodمُرْتَفَقًا۠(is) the resting place

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Translation of Verse 23-31

(18:23) And never say about anything: "I shall certainly do this tomorrow"

(18:24) unless Allah should will it. And should you forget (and make such a statement), remember your Lord and say: "I expect my Lord to guide me²⁴ to what is nearer to rectitude than this."

(18:25) They remained in the Cave for three hundred years; and others added nine more years.²⁵

(18:26) Say: "Allah knows best how long they remained in it, for only He knows all that is hidden in the heavens and the earth. How well He sees; how well He hears! The creatures have no other guardian than Him; He allows none to share His authority."

(18:27) (O Prophet),²⁶ recite to them from the Book of your Lord what has been revealed to you for none may change His words; (and were you to make any change in His words) you will find no refuge from Him.²⁷

(18:28) Keep yourself content with those who call upon their Lord, morning and evening, seeking His pleasure, and do not let your eyes pass beyond them. Do you seek the pomp and glitter of the world?²⁸ Do not follow him²⁹ whose heart We have caused to be heedless of Our remembrance, and who follows his desires, and whose attitude is of excess.³⁰

(18:29) And proclaim: "This is the Truth from your Lord. Now let him who will, believe; and let him who will, disbelieve.³¹ We have prepared a Fire for the wrong-doers whose billowing folds encompass them.³² If they ask for water, they will be served with a drink like dregs of oil³³ that will scald their faces. How dreadful a drink, and how evil an abode!

(18:30) As for those who believe and do good We shall not cause their reward to be lost.

(18:31) They shall dwell in the Gardens of Eternity, beneath which streams flow. There they will be adorned with bracelets of gold,³⁴ will be arrayed in green garments of silk and rich brocade, and will recline on raised couches.³⁵ How excellent is their reward, and how nice their resting-place!"

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Commentary

24. We believe this to be a parenthetical statement which is thematically linked to the preceding verse. The preceding verse states that God alone knows the exact number of the People of the Cave and that it is pointless to try to ascertain their true number. One should, therefore, avoid wasting one’s time on substantive matters, and should refrain from pursuits that will lead nowhere.

The question is of such trivial consequence that one should not even get involved with others in such debates.

At this stage, before proceeding to the next point, both the Prophet (peace be on him) and the believers are directed not to make categorical statements as to what they would do on the morrow. For no one knows what they will in fact be able to do. One does not know at all what lies in store for the future. Nor has one absolute power to do whatever one wills. So even if one were to unintentionally make any categorical statements as to what one will be able to do on the morrow, one should be instantly conscious and remember God, and make one’s statement conditional with God’s will. In other words, one should state that one will do a certain thing provided God so wills. In like manner, a person does not know for sure whether the act he intends will be beneficial for him or whether some other action would be conducive to greater benefit. Hence, one ‘ought to place one’s reliance on God and say that one hopes God will direct one to the right judgement.

25. This is in continuation of the statement immediately preceding the parenthetical statement: ‘Some people will say that they were three in number and the-fourth was their dog .. .’ This part of the earlier verse connects with the present verse: ‘They remained in the Cave for three hundred years and some others add nine more years.’ In our opinion these figures — three hundred or three hundred and nine years — have been mentioned by way of narrating the different opinions held by people on the question. The statement, therefore, about the period of stay in the cave is not God’s, but rather the varying opinions of human beings. This is substantiated by what has been said in the very next verse in which the Prophet (peace be on him) has been asked to say that God knows best how long they actually remained in the cave. Had God Himself said that they remained in the cave for three hundred and nine years, the statement - which follows would be meaningless. It is for this reason that ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas has expressed the view that the statement is not God’s; it rather merely - recount" what people said on the matter. (See al- Alusi, Ruh al-Ma ‘ani, vol. 15, p. 252.)

26. After concluding the story of the People of the Cave, another subject is introduced. In this discourse comments are made about the problems which the Muslims of Makka were then facing.

27. This does not in any way mean that the Prophet (peace be on him) was inclined — God forbid — to alter the Qur’an so as to placate the Makkan unbelievers and strike a deal with them, and that God asked the Prophet (peace be on him) not to do so. The fact is that this verse is directed to the unbelievers of Makka, even though it is addressed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) who had no authority to make any alteration of his own accord to the Book of God. His task rather consisted in faithfully transmitting what had been revealed to him by God. The unbelievers had the option to accept what he had communicated to them on God’s behalf or not; and those who accepted it were required to accept it in toto. If they were not convinced about the Prophet’s Message, then they were free to reject it. They could exercise either of these two options. It was quite out of the question, however, that the religion revealed by God could, in any way, be subjected to modifications, however minor, so as to suit peoples’ fancies.

This has been said in response to the unbelievers’ persistent demand that the Prophet (peace be on him) should not insist on the acceptance of his message in full. They asked the Prophet (peace be on him) to make at least some allowance for their ancestral faith, for their age-old customs and usages. What they proposed was a kind of compromise, involving give and take on both sides. They suggested that such a compromise would have the benefit of averting dissension. The Qur’an frequently recounts this demand by the unbelievers and its response too is uniformly the same. To cite just one example:

And whenever Our clear revelations are recited to them, those who do not expect to meet Us say: ‘Bring us a Qur’an other than this one, or at least make changes in it’ (Yunus: 10: 15).

28. As reported by Ibn ‘Abbas, the Quraysh elites advised the Prophet (peace be on him) that they were not prepared to sit in the company of people of such low status as Bilal, Suhayb, ‘Ammar, Khabbab and Ibn Mas‘ud. Were the Prophet (peace be on him) to get rid of them then they would be willing to visit - him and spend time learning about his message. (See al-Qurtubi’s comments on al-Kahf 18: verse 28 in his Commentary — Ed.)

In response, God tells the Prophet (peace be on him) that he should ‘be content with the company of those who had gathered around him merely to seek God’s pleasure, and to remember God at all times of the day and night. There was no good reason for him to choose for his company those whose claim to importance rested on their affluence in preference to his sincere and devoted followers.

Once again, even though this directive is apparently addressed to the Prophet (peace be on him), it is meant to give a message to the Quraysh elites who are being told that their affluence and the pomp and glory in which they exulted carried no weight with God and His Messenger. As compared to them, those poor ones who were sincere and ever-conscious of God, were of much _ greater value.

All this has a striking similarity to the exchange between the Prophet Noah. (peace be on him) and the notables of his nation. The latter used to tell the Prophet Noah (peace be on him): “We merely consider you a human being like ourselves: Nor do we find among those who follow you except the lowliest of. our folk, the men who follow you without any proper reason’ (Hud 11: 27). To this the Prophet Noah replied: ‘Nor will I drive away those who believe’ (Hud 11; 29). On another occasion he said: “Nor do I say regarding those whom you look upon with disdain that Allah will not bestow any good upon them’ (Hud _ 11: 31). (See also al-An‘am 6: 52 and al-Hijr 15: 88.)

29. That is, one ought not to follow a person who is heedless of God, nor submit to him, nor accept his command. Here the word ‘obedience’ means all this, having been used in its widest, most comprehensive sense.

30. The words used in the above verse are. This can be translated in more than one way. One such possibility is reflected in our translation above. The verse may, however, also be understood in a slightly different sense; it can typify the person who brazenly abandons the truth, and who exceeds all moral bounds in his ruthless bid to achieve his aims. In both cases, however, the result is much the same. The lives of all those who become slaves to their base desires as a result of relegating God to oblivion become devoid of balance and proportion. To obey such a person means that one should abandon one’s own sense of proportion and indulge in immoderation and stumble in all directions in one’s effort to follow leaders who are not bound by any limits.

31. It is quite clear at this point as to why this statement was made after narrating the story of the People of the Cave. While recounting the events referred to above, it was mentioned that after having come to have faith in God’s unity, the People of the Cave rose up and proclaimed: ‘Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth’ (verse 14). Moreover, they categorically refused to enter into any compromise with their people who were immersed in doctrinal error. Instead, they resolutely proclaimed: ‘We shall call upon no other god beside Him; (for if we did so), we shall be uttering a blasphemy’ (verse 14).

Thus, abandoning their people and their gods, they preferred to retire to a cave despite being devoid of any support and resources. They preferred this to striking a bargain with their people at the cost of truth. Later on, when they woke up after their long slumber, the thing that truly agitated them was the possibility of their being reverted to the faith of their erring people, a possibility which seemed catastrophic to them (see verse 20).

After narrating these events the discourse now turns to the Prophet (peace be on him) even though its true purport is to impress upon the opponents of Islam that any compromise with those who associate others with God in His divinity or who deny the truth is simply out of the question. The Prophet (peace be on him) is directed to faithfully communicate the truth that had been vouchsafed _ to him from on high. Once he had done so, the people would be free both to accept it and see its good result, or to reject it and suffer the consequences. All those who accept the truth — even if they be young, poor resource less, ordinary slaves or laborers — deserve to be considered as valuable as precious gems. As for those who are indifferent to God on account of their excessive devotion to their base desires, they should be considered as devoid of all worth even if they have a great deal of influence and an abundance of riches.

32. The word suradiq signifies the walls of a tent. In its present usage in " connection with Hell, however, it seems that it denotes the extent of the reach of the flames or the heat of Hell-Fire. The verse here says that the suradig of Hell-Fire encompasses the wrong-doers. Some scholars consider this expression to refer to the future, in which case it would mean that in the ‘Hereafter the Hell-Fire would enclose them as the walls of a tent encloses the inmates of the tent. We are, however, of the opinion that the verse means that the wrong-doers who have rejected the truth have already been enclosed by this Hell-Fire and that it is not possible for them to escape it.

33. The word muhla has a number of meanings. According to some scholars, it means a residue of oil. According to others, it means lava, that is the elements of the earth which have melted under excessive heat. Others consider it to mean molten metals. Some consider it to mean pus and blood. (Cf. the meaning of muhl, al-Zamakhshari, al-Kashshaf, comments on al-Kahf 18: verse 29. See also muhl, Ibn Manzur, Lisan al- ‘Arab — Ed.)

34. In ancient times kings used to wear bracelets of gold. This has been mentioned with regard to the People of Paradise to emphasize that the believers will be made to don a royal dress so as to honor them. Thus, the situation of the Hereafter will be altogether different from what it is in the present world.

For in the Hereafter even those unbelievers who are highly placed in this world, including kings, will be made to suffer humiliation. On the contrary, righteous believers — even if they occupy humble positions in this world — will be shown the honor usually reserved for kings.

35. The word ara’ik is the plural of arikah, meaning a throne shaded by a canopy. Once again, this verse underscores the truth that the honor which is accorded to royal personages will be conferred on all those who are rewarded with Paradise.