SURAH AL- KAHAF

The Cave

(Maccie, Surah # 18, Verses 110)

18:1 All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has sent down to His slave (Muhammad SAW) the Book (the Quran),and has made it a flawless guide (for human beings)

18:2 (He has made it) Straight to give warning (to the disbelievers) of a severe punishment from Him, and to give glad tidings to the believers, who work righteous deeds, that they shall have a fair reward (i.e. Paradise).

18:3 In which they will remain forever

18:4 And to warn those(Jews, Christians, and pagans) who say, " Allah has taken a son."

18:5 They have no knowledge of this, nor did their forefathers. What a terrible claim that comes out of their mouths! They say nothing but lies.

18:6 Now, perhaps you ˹O Prophet˺ will grieve yourself to death over their denial, if they ˹continue to˺ disbelieve in this message (Quran)

18:7 We have indeed made whatever is on earth as an adornment for it, in order to test which of them is best in deeds.

18:8 And verily! We shall make all that is on it (the earth) a bare dry soil (into dust)

PEOPLE OF THE CAVE

18:9 Do you think that the people of the Cave and the Inscription (the news or the names of the people of the Cave) were a wonder among Our Signs?

18:10 When the youth sought refuge in the cave they prayed

 رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةًۭ وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًۭا

 "Lord, grant us mercy and help us to get out of this trouble in a righteous way".

18:11 So We caused them to fall into a dead sleep in the cave for many years,

18:12 Then We raised them up (from their sleep), that We might test which of the two parties was best at calculating the time period that they had remained.

18:13 We narrate unto you (O Muhammad SAW) their story with truth: Truly! They were young men who believed in their Lord (Allah), and We increased them in guidance.

18:14 And We made their hearts firm and strong when they stood up and said: "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, never shall we call upon any ilah (god) other than Him; if we did,or we would truly be uttering an outrageous lie.”

18:15 "These our people have taken for worship aliha (gods) other than Him (Allah).Why cannot they present clear proof in support of their claim.Who is more unjust than one who invents falsehood against God?

18:16 (The young men said to one another): "And when you withdraw from them, and that which they worship, except Allah, then seek refuge in the Cave, your Lord will open a way for you from His Mercy and will make easy for you your affair

18:17 And you might have seen the sun, when it rose, declining to the right from their Cave, and when it set, turning away from them to the left, while they lay in the midst of the Cave. That is one of the signs of Allah. He whom Allah guides, is rightly guided; but he whom He sends astray, for him you will never find for them a guiding mentor.

18:18 And you would have thought they were awake, though they were asleep. We turned them over, to the right and left, while their dog stretched his forelegs at the entrance. Had you looked at them, you would have certainly fled away from them, filled with horror.

18:19 Likewise, We awakened them (from their long deep sleep) that they might question one another. A speaker from among them said: "How long have you stayed (here)?" They said: "We have stayed (perhaps) a day or part of a day." They said: "Your Lord (Alone) knows best how long you have stayed (here). So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the town, and let him find out which is the good lawful food, and bring some of that to you. And let him be careful and let no man know of you.

18:20"For if they come to know of you, they will stone you (to death or abuse and harm you) or turn you back to their religion, and in that case you will never be successful."

18:21 And thus We made their case known to the people, that they might know that the Promise of Allah is true, and that there can be no doubt about the Hour. (Remember) when they (the people of the city) disputed among themselves about their case, they said: "Construct a building over them, their Lord knows best about them," (then) those who won their point said (most probably the disbelievers): "We verily shall build a place of worship over them."

18:22 (Some) say they were three, the dog being the fourth among them; (others) say they were five, the dog being the sixth, guessing at the unseen; (yet others) say they were seven, the dog being the eighth. Say (O Muhammad SAW): "My Lord knows best their number; none knows them but a few." So debate not except with the clear proof (which We have revealed to you). And consult not any of them (people of the Scripture, Jews and Christians) about (the affair of) the people of the Cave.

IMPORTANCE OF SAYING “INSHALLAH”

18:23 And never say of anything, “I will definitely do this tomorrow,”

18:24 Except (with the saying), "If Allah will!" And remember your Lord when you forget and say:“I trust my Lord will guide me to what is more right than this.”

18:25 And they stayed in their Cave three hundred (solar) years, and add nine (for lunar years).

18:26 Say: "Allah knows best how long they stayed. With Him is (the knowledge of) the unseen of the heavens and the earth. How clearly He sees, and hears (everything)! They have no Wali other than Him and He shares His command with none.”

18:27 Read whatever is revealed to you from the Book of your Lord. No one can change His words and you can never find any refuge other than Him.

18:28 Be patient with those who worship their Lord in the mornings and evenings to seek His pleasure. Do not overlook them to seek worldly pleasures. Do not obey those whom We have caused to neglect Us and instead follow their own desires beyond all limits.

18:29 And say: "The truth is from your Lord." Then whosoever wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve. Verily, We have prepared for the Zalimun , a Fire whose walls will be surrounding them. And if they ask for help (relief, water, etc.) they will be granted water like boiling oil, that will scald their faces. Terrible the drink, and an evil resting place.

18:30The righteously striving believers should know that We do not neglect the reward of those who do good deeds.

18:31 These! For them will be 'Adn (Eden) Paradise (everlasting Gardens); wherein rivers flow underneath them, therein they will be adorned with bracelets of gold, and they will wear green garments of fine and thick silk. They will recline therein on raised thrones. How good is the reward, and what an excellent Murtafaqa (dwelling, resting place, etc.)!

PEOPLE OF THE GARDENS

18:32 Give them ˹O Prophet˺ an example of two men. To ˹the disbelieving˺ one We gave two gardens of grapevines, which We surrounded with palm trees and placed ˹various˺ crops in between.

18:33 Each garden yielded ˹all˺ its produce, never falling short. And We caused a river to flow between them.

18:34 Both gardens would yield fruits to their fullest capacity. Whatever was produced belonged to him. To his friend he exclaimed, "I have more wealth and greater man-power than you."

18:35 He unjustly entered his garden and said, "I do not think this (property) will ever perish

18:36. “And I think not the Hour will ever come, and if indeed I am brought back to my Lord, (on the Day of Resurrection), I surely shall find better than this when I return to Him.”

18:37. His companion said to him, during the talk with him: “Do you disbelieve in Him Who created you out of dust (i.e. your father Adam), then out of Nutfah (mixed semen drops of male and female discharge), then fashioned you into a man?

18:38. “But as for my part (I believe) that He is Allah, my Lord and none shall I associate as partner with my Lord.

18:39. It was better for you to say, when you entered your garden: ‘That which Allah wills (will come to pass)! There is no power but with Allah ‘. If you see me less than you in wealth, and children.

18:40. “It may be that my Lord will give me something better than your garden, and will send on it Husban (torment, bolt, etc.) from the sky, then it will be a slippery earth.

18:41. “Or the water thereof (of the gardens) becomes deep-sunken (underground) so that you will never be able to seek it.”

18:42. So his fruits were encircled (with ruin). And he remained clapping his hands with sorrow over what he had spent upon it, while it was all destroyed on its trellises, he could only say: “Would I had ascribed no partners to my Lord!” [Tafsir Ibn Kathir]

18:43. And he had no group of men to help him against Allah, nor could he defend or save himself.

18:44 There (on the Day of Resurrection), Al-Walayah ( authority and kingdom) will be for Allah, the True God. He (Allah) is the Best for reward and the Best for the final end. 

18:45 And put forward to them the example of the life of this world, it is like the water (rain) which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it, and becomes fresh and green. But (later) it becomes dry and broken pieces, which the winds scatter. And Allah is Able to do everything.

18:46 Wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world. But the good righteous deeds that last, are better with your Lord for rewards and better in respect of hope.

18:47 And [warn of] the Day when We will remove the mountains and you will see the earth leveled and We will gather them and not leave behind from them anyone.

18:48 They will all be lined up in the presence of your Lord who will tell them, "Despite your belief that there would never be a Day of Judgment, all of you are brought in Our presence just as though We had created you for the first time. You believed that our promise could never come true."

18:49 When the record of every one's deeds is placed before him, you will see the criminals terrified from what the record contains. They will say, "Woe to us! What kind of record is this that has missed nothing small or great?" They will find whatever they have done right before their very eyes. Your Lord is not unjust to any one.

18:50 And (remember) when We said to the angels;"Prostrate to Adam." So they prostrated except Iblis (Shaitan). He was one of the jinns; he disobeyed the Command of his Lord. Will you then take him (Iblis) and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than Me while they are enemies to you? What an evil is the exchange for the Zalimun

18:51 I (Allah) made them (Iblis and his offspring) not to witness (nor took their help in) the creation of the heavens and the earth and not (even) their own creation, nor was I (Allah) to take the misleaders as helpers

18:52 And ˹beware of˺ the Day He will say, “Call upon those you claimed were My associate-gods.” So they will call them, but will receive no response. And We will make them ˹all˺ share in the same doom.

18:53 And the Mujrimun, shall see the Fire and realize that they have to fall therein. And they will find no way of escape from there.

18:54 We have given various examples in this Quran for people to learn a lesson, but the human being is the most argumentative of all beings.

18:55 And nothing prevents men from believing, now when the guidance (the Quran) has come to them, and from asking Forgiveness of their Lord, except that the ways of the ancients be repeated with them (i.e. their destruction decreed by Allah), or the torment be brought to them face to face?

REASON TO SEND MESSENGERS

18:56 The only reason for Our sending the Messengers is to give the human being the glad news of Our mercy and to warn him about Our wrath. The disbelievers argue by false means to refute the Truth. They mock My miracles and warnings.

VEILS OVER THEIR HEARTS WHO DISBELIEVES

18:57 And who does more wrong than those who, when reminded of their Lord’s revelations, turn away from them and forget what their own hands have done? We have certainly cast veils over their hearts—leaving them unable to comprehend this ˹Quran˺—and deafness in their ears. And if you ˹O Prophet˺ invite them to ˹true˺ guidance, they will never be ˹rightly˺ guided.

18:58 And your Lord is Most Forgiving, Owner of Mercy. Were He to call them to account for what they have earned, then surely, He would have hastened their punishment. But they have their appointed time, beyond which they will find no escape.

18:59 And these towns (population, 'Ad, Thamud, etc.) We destroyed when they did wrong. And We appointed a fixed time for their destruction.

STORY OF MUSA AND KHIDR

18:60 And (remember) when Musa (Moses) said to his boy-servant: "I will not give up (traveling) until I reach the junction of the two seas or (until) I spend years and years traveling."

18:61 When they reached the junction of the two seas they found out that they had forgotten all about the fish (which they had carried for food). The fish found its way into the sea.

18:62 Moses asked his young companion when they crossed this point, "Bring us our food; the journey has made us tired."

18:63 His companion replied, "Do you remember the rock on which we took rest? Satan made me forget to mention to you the story of the fish and how it miraculously made its way into the sea.

18:64 Moses said, "That is exactly what we are seeking. They followed their own foot prints back (to the rock)."

18:65 Then they found one of Our slaves (al-Khidr) unto whom We had bestowed mercy from Us, and whom We had taught knowledge from Us.

18:66 Musa (Moses) said to him (Khidr) "May I follow you so that you teach me something of that knowledge (guidance and true path) which you have been taught (by Allah)?"

18:67 He said, “You certainly cannot be patient ˹enough˺ with me.

18:68 "How can you remain patient with that which you do not fully understand?"

18:69 Moses assured ˹him˺, “You will find me patient, Allah willing, and I will not disobey any of your orders.”

18:70 He responded, “Then if you follow me, do not question me about anything until I ˹myself˺ clarify it for you.”

18:71 So they set out, but after they had boarded a ship, the man made a hole in it. Moses protested, “Have you done this to drown its people? You have certainly done a terrible thing!”

18:72 He replied, “Did I not say that you cannot have patience with me?”

18:73 Moses pleaded, “Excuse me for forgetting, and do not be hard on me.”

18:74 So they proceeded until they came across a boy, and the man killed him. Moses protested, “Have you killed an innocent soul, who killed no one? You have certainly done a horrible thing.”

18:75 He answered, “Did I not tell you that you cannot have patience with me?”

18:76 Moses replied, “If I ever question you about anything after this, then do not keep me in your company, for by then I would have given you enough of an excuse.”

18:77 So they moved on until they came to the people of a town. They asked them for food, but the people refused to give them hospitality. There they found a wall ready to collapse, so the man set it right. Moses protested, “If you wanted, you could have demanded a fee for this.”

18:78 He replied, “This is the parting of our ways. I will explain to you what you could not bear patiently.

18:79 “As for the ship, it belonged to some poor people, working at sea. So I intended to damage it, for there was a ˹tyrant˺ king ahead of them who seizes every ˹good˺ ship by force.

18:80 "And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief.

18:81 "So we intended that their Lord should change him for them for one better in righteousness and near to mercy.

18:82 And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and under the wall was a treasure that belonged to them, and their father had been a righteous man. So your Lord willed that these children should come of age and retrieve their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. I did not do it ˹all˺ on my own. This is the explanation of what you could not bear patiently.”

STORY OF DHUL-QARNAIN & ( YAJUG & MAJUD)

18:83 And they ask you about Dhul-Qarnain. Say: "I shall recite to you something of his story."

18:84 Verily, We established him in the earth, and We gave him the means of everything.

18:85 So he traveled a course,

18:86 Until, when he reached the setting place of the sun, he found it setting in a spring of black muddy (or hot) water. And he found near it a people. We (Allah) said (by inspiration): "O Dhul-Qarnain! Either you punish them, or treat them with kindness."

18:87 He responded, “Whoever does wrong will be punished by me, then will be returned to their Lord, Who will punish them with a horrible torment.

18:88 But as for one who believes and does righteousness, he will have a reward of Paradise, and we will speak to him from our command with ease."

18:89 Then he traveled a ˹different˺ course

18:90 Until, when he came to the rising place of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We (Allah) had provided no shelter against the sun.

18:91 This indeed was true. And We knew all about him (Dhul-Qarnain).

18:92 Then he traveled a ˹third˺ course

18:93 until he reached ˹a pass˺ between two mountains. He found in front of them a people who could hardly understand ˹his˺ language.

18:94 They said: "O Dhul-Qarnain! Verily! Ya'juj and Ma'juj are doing great mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you build a wall between us and them?”

18:95 He said: "That (wealth, authority and power) in which my Lord had established me is better (than your tribute). So help me with strength (of men), I will erect between you and them a barrier.

18:96 Bring me blocks of iron!” Then, when he had filled up ˹the gap˺ between the two mountains, he ordered, “Blow!” When the iron became red hot, he said, “Bring me molten copper to pour over it.”

18:97 And so neither Ya'juj and Ma'juj  were able to climb nor were they able to dig a tunnel through the iron and brass barrier.

18:98 Dhu l-Qarnayn said, "This barrier is a blessing from my Lord but when His promise comes to pass He will level it to the ground; His promise always comes true."

18:99 And on that Day [i.e. the Day Ya'juj and Ma'juj will come out], We shall leave them to surge like waves on one another, and the Trumpet will be blown, and We will gather all ˹people˺ together.

18:100 On that Day We will display Hell clearly for the disbelievers,

18:101 (To) Those whose eyes had been under a covering from My Reminder (this Quran), and who were not able to hear (its recitation).

18:102   Do then those who disbelieve think that they can take My slaves [i.e., the angels,   'Isa (Jesus),  etc.] as Auliya' (lords) besides Me? Verily, We have prepared Hell as an entertainment for the disbelievers.

18:103 Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Shall we inform you of who will lose the most deeds?

18:104 "Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds!

18:105 "They are those who deny the Ayat of their Lord and the Meeting with Him . So their works are in vain, and on the Day of Resurrection, We shall not give them any weight.

18:106 For their disbelief and their mocking Our revelations and Messengers, their recompense will be Hell.

18:107 Indeed, those who believe and do good will have the Gardens of Paradise as an accommodation,

18:108 where they will be forever, never desiring anywhere else.

18:109 Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “If the ocean were ink for ˹writing˺ the Words of my Lord, it would certainly run out before the Words of my Lord were finished, even if We refilled it with its equal.”    

18:110 Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “I am only a man like you, ˹but˺ it has been revealed to me that your God is only One God. So whoever hopes for the meeting with their Lord, let them do good deeds and associate none in the worship of their Lord.”

Online Sources: Citations

https://quran.com/1

https://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=1&verse=1

https://noblequran.com/