| This Surah (Revealed) Meccan, except for verses 28, and from [verses] 82 to the end of 101, which are
Medinese; it consists of 110 or 115 verses, revealed after sūrat al-Ghāshiya.(Al-Kahf)
|
| بِسْم ِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ | |
|
Tafseer
Praise â which is the attribution [to a person] of that which is beautiful â is
established [as something that], belongs to God [alone], exalted be He. Now, is the intention here to
point this out for the purpose of believing in it, or to praise [God] thereby, or both? All are possibilities, the
most profitable of which is [to understand] the third [as being the intention behind this statement]; Who has
revealed to His servant, Muhammad (s), the Book, the Qurâān, and has not allowed for it, that is, [He has
not allowed that there be] in it, any crookedness, [any] variance or contradiction (the [last] sentence
[wa-lam yajâal lahu âiwajan] is a circumstantial qualifier referring to al-kitāb, âthe Bookâ);
|
|
Tafseer
[a Book] upright, (qayyiman is a second circumstantial qualifier for [added]
emphasis) to warn of, to make, by this Book, the disbelievers fear, severe chastisement from Him, from God, and
to bring to the believers who perform righteous deeds the good tidings that theirs will be a fair reward,
|
|
Tafseer
wherein they will abide forever, and this [reward] is Paradise;
|
|
Tafseer
and to warn those, from among the disbelievers, who say, âGod has taken a sonâ.
|
|
Tafseer
They do not have, in this, in this saying, any knowledge, nor did their fathers,
before them, who [also] used to say this. Dreadful, grave, is the word that comes out of their mouths
(kalimatan, âwordâ, is for specification and it explains the unidentified [feminine] person [of the verb,
kaburat, âdreadfulâ]; and that which is the object of censure has been omitted, and that is their
above-mentioned saying [that God has taken a son]). They speak nothing, thereby, but, an utterance of, lies.
|
|
Tafseer
Yet it may be that you will consume, destroy, yourself in their wake â following
[your being with] them, that is, after they have left you â if they should not believe in this discourse, [in
this] Qurâān, out of grief, out of rage and anguish on your part, because of your eagerness that they believe
(asafan, âout of griefâ, is in the accusative because it functions as an object denoting reason).
|
|
Tafseer
312 Truly We have made all that is on the earth, in the way of animals, plants,
trees, rivers and so on, as an adornment for it, that We may try them, that We may test mankind observing
thereby, which of them is best in conduct, therein, that is, [to see which of them] is the most abstemious of
it.
|
|
Tafseer
And indeed We shall turn all that is therein into barren shreds, that produce no
plants.
|
|
Tafseer
Or did you think, did you suppose, that the Companions of the Cave, the cavern
in the mountain, and the Inscription, the tablet wherein their names and lineages had been inscribed â
the Prophet (s) had been asked about their tale â were, with regard to their tale, a [unique] marvel from
among, the entirety [of], Our signs? (âajaban, âa marvelâ is the predicate of [the defective verb] kāna
[sc. kānū], the preceding [min āyātinā, âfrom among Our signsâ] being a circumstantial qualifier). In other
words, [did you suppose] that they were a marvel exclusively from among all [Our] other signs, or that they
were the most marvellous among them? Not so.
|
|
Tafseer
Mention, when the youths took refuge in the Cave (fitya, âyouthsâ, is the plural
of fatā, and denotes a mature young man) fearing for their faith from their disbelieving people, they said,
âOur Lord! Give us mercy from Yourself and remedy for us our affair through rectitudeâ, [through Your]
guidance.
|
|
Tafseer
So We smote their ears, that is, We made them sleep, in the Cave for several
years, for a [fixed] number of years.
|
|
Tafseer
Then We aroused them, We awakened them, that We might know, a knowledge of
direct vision, which of the two parties, the two groups in disagreement over the length of their stay
[in the cave], was better in calculating (ahsā is [of the pattern] of afâal, meaning âmore preciseâ]) what
they had tarried (li-mā labithū is semantically connected to the following) in [terms of the] length of time
(amadan, [in the accusative] denotes purpose).
|
|
Tafseer
We relate, recite, to you their story with truth, that is, truthfully. They were
indeed youths who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.
|
|
Tafseer
And We strengthened their hearts, to [enable them to] speak the truth, when they
stood up, before their king, who had commanded them to prostrate to idols, and said, âOur Lord is the
Lord of the heavens and the earth. We will not call on any god besides Him, that is, other than Him, for
then we shall certainly have uttered an outrage, in other words, [we shall have spoken] a statement that
contains shatat, meaning one of extreme disbelief, were we, hypothetically, to call on any god other than
God.
|
|
Tafseer
These (hāâūlāâ is the subject [of the sentence]) our people (qawmunā is an
explicative supplement [to the subject]) have taken gods besides Him. Why [if what they claim is true] do they
not bring some clear warrant, some manifest argument, regarding them? regarding worship of these
[idols]. And who does greater wrong â in other words, no one does greater wrong â than he who invents
a lie against God?, by 313 ascribing partners to Him, exalted be He. Some among the youths said to the
others:
|
|
Tafseer
And when you withdraw from them and from that which they worship except God,
then take refuge in the Cave. Your Lord will reveal for you something of His mercy and prepare for you
in your affair some comfortâ (read mirfaqan or marfiqan), that is to say, something for you to find comfort
in, in the way of lunch or supper.
|
|
Tafseer
And you might have seen the sun, when it rose, inclining (read tazzāwaru or
tazāwaru) away from their Cave towards the right, side of it, and, when it set, go past them on the left,
avoid them and pass over them, so that it does not fall on them at all, while they were in a cavern
therein, in an ample space inside the Cave where the coolness and the gentle breeze of the winds reached them.
That, which is mentioned, was [one] of Godâs signs, [one of] the proofs of His power. Whomever God guides,
he indeed is rightly guided, and whomever He leads astray, you will not find for him a guiding
friend.
|
|
Tafseer
And you would have supposed them â had you seen them â awake, that is,
conscious, because their eyes were open (ayqāz, âawakeâ, is the plural of yaqiz), though they were asleep
(ruqūd is the plural of rāqid). And We caused them to turn over to the right and to the left, lest the earth
consume their flesh, and their dog [lay] stretching its forelegs, his paws, on the threshold, at the opening of
the cave: whenever they turned over it would turn over just like them, both during sleep and
consciousness. If you had observed them you would have turned away from them in flight and you would have been
filled (read la-mulliâta or lamuliâta) with awe because of them (read ruâban or ruâuban, âaweâ):
|
| Ayah it was] through this
awe that God protected them from anyone entering upon them.
|
|
Tafseer
And so, just as We did with them that which We have mentioned, it was that We
aroused them, We awakened them, that they might question one another, concerning their state and
the length of their stay [in the cave]. One of them said, âHow long have you tarried?â They said, âWe
have tarried a day, or part of a dayâ:
|
| Ayah he said this] because they had entered the cave at sunrise and were
awakened at sunset, and so they thought that it was [the time of] sunset on the day of their entry. Then, they
said, unsure about this [fact], âYour Lord knows best how long you have tarried. Now send one of you with this
silver coin of yours (read bi-warqikum or bi-wariqikum) to the city â which is said to be the one now
called Tarsus (Tarasūs) â and let him see which is the purest food, that is, which of the foods of the city is
the purest, and [let him] bring you a supply thereof. Let him be careful and not make anyone aware of you.
|
|
Tafseer
For indeed if they should come to know of you, they will [either] stone you,
kill you by stoning, or make you return to their creed, and then, if you do return to their creed, you will never
prosperâ.
|
|
Tafseer
And so, just as We aroused them, it was that We disclosed them, [to] their
people and the believers, that they, that is, their people, might know that Godâs promise, of resurrection, is
true: by virtue of the fact that One Who has the power to make them sleep for [such] a long period of time, or
sustain them in that state without nourishment, also has the power to resurrect the dead; and that, as for
the Hour, there is no doubt, no uncertainty, concerning it. Behold (idh adverbially qualifies aâtharnā, âWe
disclosedâ) they were disputing, that is, the believers and the disbelievers, among themselves their affair, the
affair of the youths, with regard to building something around them [as a monument]; so they, the
disbelievers, said, âBuild over them, that is, around them, a building, to cover them up; their Lord knows them
best.â Those who prevailed 314 regarding their affair, the affair of the youths, namely, the believers, âWe
will verily set up over them, around them, a place of worshipâ, for prayers to be performed therein. And this indeed
took place at the entrance of the cave.
|
|
Tafseer
They will say, that is, [some of] those disputing the number of the youths [of
the cave] at the time of the Prophet (s), in other words, some of these will say that they [the youths] were:
âThree; their dog the fourth of themâ; and they, some [others] among them, will say, âFive; their dog the
sixth of themâ â both of these sayings were those of the Christians of Najrān â guessing at random, in other
words, out of supposition, not having been present with them [at the time], and this [statement âguessing at
randomâ] refers back to both sayings, and is in the accusative because it is an object denoting reason, in
other words, [they said this] for the reason that they were [merely] supposing it. And they, that is, the
believers, will say, âSeven; and their dog the eighth of themâ (the sentence is [part of] the subject clause, the
predicate of which is the adjectival qualification of sabâa, âsevenâ [namely, thāminuhum, âthe eighth of themâ] with
the additional wāw [wathāminuhum], which is said to be for emphasis, or an indication that the adjective is
[semantically] attached to that which it is qualifying). The qualification of the first two sayings as
being ârandomâ, but not the third, is proof that [the latter] is the satisfactory and correct [number]. Say: âMy
Lord knows best their number, and none knows them except a fewâ: Ibn âAbbās said, âI am [one] of these âfewâ
[described]â, and he mentioned that they were seven. So do not contend concerning them except with an
outward manner [of contention], [except] with that which has been revealed to you, and do not
question concerning them, do not ask for opinions [from], any of them, [from] the People of the Scripture,
the Jews. The people of Mecca asked him [the Prophet] about the story of the People of the Cave, and so he
said to them, âI will tell you about it tomorrowâ, but without adding [the words], âIf God willsâ (inshāâaâ
Llāhu) and so the following was revealed:
|
|
Tafseer
And never say regarding something, that is, for the purpose of [doing]
something, âI will indeed do that tomorrowâ, in other words, [I will do something] at some future [point] in time,
|
|
Tafseer
without [adding], âIf God willâ, in other words, unless [firmly] adhering to the
will of God, exalted be He, by saying, âIf God willâ (inshāâaâLlāh). And remember your Lord, that is,
[remember] His will, making [things] conditional on it, if you forget, to make [things] conditional on it: mentioning
it after forgetting [it] is the equal [in validity] to mentioning it at the time of the statement â as al-Hasan
[al-Basrī] and others have said â as long as the person is still in the [same] place [in which he made the
statement]. And say, âMay be my Lord will guide me to [something] closer [in time] than this, [closer] than
the story of the People of the Cave, as an indication of [the truth of] my prophethood, by way of guidance, and
God indeed did so.
|
|
Tafseer
And they tarried in the Cave three hundred (read [with tanwīn] thalāthamiâatin)
years (sinīn is an explicative supplement to thalāthamiâatin, âthree hundredâ): these three hundred years in
the case of the People of the Cave were solar years; but for [the number of] lunar ones, the Arabs add nine
years thereto, and this is mentioned in His saying: and add nine, that is, nine years; in other words three
hundred solar years, while three hundred and nine lunar ones.
|
|
Tafseer
Say: âGod is more knowledgeable of how long they tarried, [more knowledgeable]
than those contending over this [issue] â and this [fact] has already been mentioned [above, verse
19]. To Him belongs the Unseen of the heavens and the earth, that is, [to Him belongs] the knowledge
thereof. How well He sees!, namely, God â this form is for [expressing] amazement [at something]. How well
He hears!, likewise [for expressing amazement]. These two [expressions] are being used metaphorically.
What is meant is that 315 nothing can escape Godâs sight or hearing. They, the inhabitants of the heavens
and the earth, have no guardian, someone to assist [them], besides Him, and He makes none to share in
His ruleâ, for He is Independent, without need of a partner.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|