Imam Ahmad recorded that Al-Bara' said: "A man recited Al-Kahf and there was
an animal in the house which began acting in a nervous manner. He looked, and
saw a fog or cloud overhead. He mentioned this to the Prophet , who said:
«اقْرَأْ فُلَانُ،
فَإِنَّهَا السَّكِينَةُ تَنْزِلُ عِنْدَ الْقُرْآنِ أَوْ تَنَزَّلَتْ
لِلْقُرْآن»
(Keep on reciting so and so, for this is the tranquillity which descends when
one reads Qur'an or because of reading Qur'an;) This was also recorded in the
Two Sahihs. This man who recited it was Usayd bin Al-Hudayr, as we have
previously mentioned in our Tafsir of Surat Al-Baqarah. Imam Ahmad recorded from
Abu Ad-Darda' that the Prophet said:
«مَنْ حَفِظَ عَشْرَ
آيَاتٍ مِنْ أَوَّلِ سُورَةِ الْكَهْفِ عُصِمَ مِنَ الدَّجَّال»
(Whoever memorizes ten Ayat from the beginning of Surat Al-Kahf will be
protected from the Dajjal.) This was also recorded by Muslim, Abu Dawud,
An-Nasa'i and At-Tirmidhi. According to the version recorded by At-Tirmidhi,
«مَنْ حَفِظَ ثَلَاثَ
آيَاتٍ مِنْ أَوَّلِ الْكَهْف»
(Whoever memorizes three Ayat from the beginning of Al-Kahf.) He said, it is
"Hasan Sahih. '' In his Mustadrak, Al-Hakim recorded from Abu Sa`id that the
Prophet said:
«مَنْ قَرَأَ سُورَةَ
الْكَهْفِ فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ أَضَاءَ لَهُ مِنَ النُّورِ مَا بَيْنَهُ
وَبَيْنَ الْجُمُعَتَيْن»
(Whoever recites Surat Al-Kahf on Friday, it will illuminate him with light
from one Friday to the next.) Then he said: "This Hadith has a Sahih chain, but
they (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.'' Al-Hafiz Abu Bakr Al-Bayhaqi
also recorded it in his Sunan from Al-Hakim, then he narrated with his own chain
that the Prophet said:
«مَنْ قَرَأَ سُورَةَ
الْكَهْفِ كَمَا نَزَلَتْ، كَانَتْ لَهُ نُورًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَة»
(Whoever recites Surat Al-Kahf as it was revealed, it will be a light for him
on the Day of Resurrection.)
| Reason why this Surah Al-Kahf was revealed |
Muhammad bin Ishaq mentioned the reason why this Surah was revealed. He said
that an old man from among the people of Egypt who came to them some forty-odd
years ago told him, from `Ikrimah that Ibn `Abbas said: "The Quraysh sent
An-Nadr bin Al-Harith and `Uqbah bin Abi Mu`it to the Jewish rabbis in
Al-Madinah, and told them: `Ask them (the rabbis) about Muhammad, and describe
him to them, and tell them what he is saying. They are the people of the first
Book, and they have more knowledge of the Prophets than we do.' So they set out
and when they reached Al-Madinah, they asked the Jewish rabbis about the
Messenger of Allah . They described him to them and told them some of what he
had said. They said, `You are the people of the Tawrah and we have come to you
so that you can tell us about this companion of ours.' They (the rabbis) said,
`Ask him about three things which we will tell you to ask, and if he answers
them then he is a Prophet who has been sent (by Allah); if he does not, then he
is saying things that are not true, in which case how you will deal with him
will be up to you. Ask him about some young men in ancient times, what was their
story For theirs is a strange and wondrous tale. Ask him about a man who
travelled a great deal and reached the east and the west of the earth. What was
his story And ask him about the Ruh (soul or spirit) -- what is it If he tells
you about these things, then he is a Prophet, so follow him, but if he does not
tell you, then he is a man who is making things up, so deal with him as you see
fit.' So An-Nadr and `Uqbah left and came back to the Quraysh, and said: `O
people of Quraysh, we have come to you with a decisive solution which will put
an end to the problem between you and Muhammad. The Jewish rabbis told us to ask
him about some matters,' and they told the Quraysh what they were. Then they
came to the Messenger of Allah and said, `O Muhammad, tell us,' and they asked
him about the things they had been told to ask. The Messenger of Allah said,
«أُخْبِرُكُمْ غَدًا
عَمَّا سَأَلْتُمْ عَنْه»
(I will tell you tomorrow about what you have asked me.) but he did not say
`If Allah wills.' So they went away, and the Messenger of Allah stayed for
fifteen days without any revelation from Allah concerning that, and Jibril,
peace be upon him, did not come to him either. The people of Makkah started to
doubt him, and said, `Muhammad promised to tell us the next day, and now fifteen
days have gone by and he has not told us anything in response to the questions
we asked.' The Messenger of Allah felt sad because of the delay in revelation,
and was grieved by what the people of Makkah were saying about him. Then Jibril
came to him from Allah with the Surah about the companions of Al-Kahf, which
also contained a rebuke for feeling sad about the idolators. The Surah also told
him about the things they had asked him about, the young men and the traveler.
The question about the Ruh was answered in the Ayah;
﴿وَيَسْـَلُونَكَ
عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ﴾
(And they ask you concerning the Ruh (the spirit); say: "The Ruh...'')
﴿17:85﴾
| 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 أَصْحَـبَ
الْكَهْفِ وَالرَّقِيمِ كَانُواْ مِنْ ءَايَـتِنَا 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
أَصْحَـبَ الْكَهْفِ وَالرَّقِيمِ كَانُواْ مِنْ ءَايَـتِنَا 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
أَصْحَـبَ الْكَهْفِ وَالرَّقِيمِ كَانُواْ مِنْ ءَايَـتِنَا 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.'' iAl-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 that 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 فَقَالُواْ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً
وَهَيِّىءْ 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,
﴿رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا
مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً﴾
(Our Lord! Bestow on us mercy from Yourself,) meaning, `give us Your mercy
and conceal us from our people.'
﴿وَهَيِّىءْ 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
ءَاذَانِهِمْ فِى 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
بَعَثْنَـهُمْ﴾
(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 بَعَثْنَـهُمْ
لِنَعْلَمَ أَيُّ الحِزْبَيْنِ﴾
(Then We raised them up, that We might test which of the two parties)
meaning, the two parties who disputed about them,
﴿أَحْصَى لِمَا
لَبِثُواْ 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 |
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