النص المفهرس

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Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 96 - 100
Say, "Allah is sufficient as witness between me and you.
Surely, about His servants, He is All-Aware, All-Watch-
ful." [96]
And the one whom Allah guides is the guided one. And
whom He lets go astray, you will never find for them
any helpers other than Him. And We shall gather them
on the Day of Judgment their faces down - blind, dumb
and deaf. Their abode is the Fire. Whenever it calms
down, We increase the flames for them. [97]
That is their punishment, because they rejected Our
signs and said, "What! Once we are reduced to bones and
dust, is it, then, that we shall be raised, created anew?"
[98]
Have they not seen that Allah who has created the heav-
ens and the earth has the power to create them as they
were? And (for this) He has appointed a time in which
there is no doubt. Still, the wrongdoers refused to do
anything but reject. [99]
Say, "If you were to own the treasures of my Lord's bless-
ing, even then you would certainly hold them back, lest
it should be spent. And man is so niggardly. [100]
Commentary
The truth of the matter about what has been said in the last verse
(100) is that the treasures of the mercy of Allah are limit-less and
end-less. They are never going to end, but man is by nature nar-
row-minded, short on courage. When it comes to giving, he is not motivat-
ed enough to share what he has with others.
Commentators generally take the expression 'the treasures of the
Lord's blessing or mercy' to mean the treasures of wealth. This has its
link with previous verses (90,91) where the disbelievers of Makkah had
demanded that the Holy Prophet
should - if he was really a prophet
in truth - make rivers flow in the barren desert of Makkah and trans-
form it into lush green farms, like the land of Syria. The answer to this
was given right there (93), saying in effect: This is as if you have taken
me to be nothing short of God whose authority you want me to exercise.
As for me, I am only a messenger of Allah, not Allah. I cannot do what I
will. If we see this verse in this context, it would mean: If you are asking
me to turn this desert land of Makkah into a green land to test my verac-

557
Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 101 - 109
ity as prophet and messenger, then, the miracle of the eloquence of the
Qur'an is sufficient to prove that. There is no need for any other de-
mands. And if this is to meet the needs of your country and people, re-
member that, even if you are given everything you demand for the land
of Makkah, and all sorts of treasures with it, it would not result in the
prosperity of the masses of your country. In fact, human nature will take
its course and whoever gets hold of these treasures will sit on them like
legendary serpents. Tell them to spend it on the people and you will see
them all consumed by the fear that it will go out of their hands. In a situ-
ation like this, if a few rich men of Makkah get to be richer and opulent,
what are the masses of people going to get out of it? Most commentators
have declared this to be the sense of the verse.
My master and mentor, Hadrat Thanavi, in his Bayan al-Qur'an, has
interpreted 'my Lord's mercy' as the station of prophet-hood and messen-
ger-ship, and 'the treasures of mercy' as the varied perfection of proph-
et-hood. Given this Tafsir, this verse will be linked with previous verses
by saying: The outcome of all those absurd demands you are making
against my status as a prophet and messenger of Allah is that you just
do not want to believe in it. Do you, then, want that the function of
prophet-hood should be entrusted in your hands, so that you can make
anyone a prophet at your sweet will? If such a wish were to be granted,
the consequence would be that you would never give prophet-hood or
messenger-ship to anyone, sitting over it like misers. After having given
this explanation, he has added that this Tafsir is something that comes
as one of the many divine gifts. It fits the occasion. Interpreting proph-
et-hood in this setting with mercy would be similar to its interpretation
in the verse of Surah az-Zukhruf. It was said: ◌َآهُمُ يَقُسِمُونَ رَحُمَةَ رَبّك (Do they
distribute the mercy of your Lord? - 43:32). Here, 'rahmah' (mercy) means
nothing but 'nubuwwah' (prophet-hood) - and there is a consensus on it.
Allah knows best.
Verses 101 - 109
وَلَقَدُ أَتَيْنَا مُوسَى تِسُعَ أيْتٍ ، بَيِّنْتٍ فَسُثَلُ بَنِىٌّ إِسْرَآءٍ يُلَ إِذْ جَاءَ هُمُ
فَقَالَ لَهُ فِرُعَوْنُ إِنِّىُ لَاَظُنُّكَ يُمُوسَى مَسُحُورًا ﴿١٠١﴾ قَالَ لَقَدُ

558
Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 101 - 109
عَلِمُتَ مَآ أَنْزَلَ هَؤُلاءِ إِلَّ رَبُّ السَّمُوْتِ وَالْأَرْضِ بَصَابِرَ وَ إِنِّىُ
لَظُنُّكَ يُفِرُعَوْنُ مَتَّبُوُرًا ﴿١٠٢)﴾ فَرَادَانُ يَّسْتَفِزَّهُمُ مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ فَاغْرَقْتُهُ
وَمَنُ مَّعَهُ جَمِيْعًا ﴿١٢﴾ وَقُلْنَا مِنْ بَعُدِهِ لِبَنِىَّ اِسُرَآءِيُلَ اسُكُنُوا
الْأَرْضَ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعُدُ الْآخِرَةِ جِئْنَابِكُمْ لَفِيْفًا ﴿١٨٤) وَبِالْحَقِّ انْزَلْنُهُ
وَبِالْحَقِّ نَزَلَ ، وَمَآ أَرْسَلُّنْكَ إِلاَّ مُبَشِّرًا وَّنَذِيْرًا ﴿هُ﴾ وَقُرَانًا فَرَقُّنُهُ
لِتَقْرَآهُ عَلَى النَّاسِ عَلَى مُكْثٍ وَّنَزَِّنْهُ تَنْزِيُّلاً ﴿١٠٦) قُلُ أَمِنُوا بِهِ أَوْلاً
تُؤْمِنُوا﴿ إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ أُوْتُوا الْعِلْمَ مِنْ قَبْلِهَ إِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمُ يَخِرُوُنَ
لِلْأَذْقَانِ سُخَّدًا ﴿١٤)﴾ وَيَقُوْلُوُنَ سُبُحْنَ رَبَّا إِنْ كَانَ وَعُدُ رَِّا
لَمَفْعُوْلاً ﴿١٨)﴾ وَيَخِرُونَ لِلْأَذْقَانِ يَبْكُوُنَ وَيَزِيْدُهُمُ خُشُوْعًا
السجدة
$1.97
And surely we gave Musa nine clear signs. So, ask the
children of Isra'il, when he came to them, the Pharaoh
said to him, "I am afraid, O Musa, you are under the
spell of magic." [101] He said, "You know well that these
(signs) are sent down by none but by the Lord of the
heavens and the earth as eye-openers. And, I am afraid
O Pharaoh, you are going to be destroyed." [102]
Then he (the Pharaoh) tried to harass him out of the
land, so We drowned him and those with him altogether,
[103] and thereafter We said to the children of Isra'il,
"Live in the land. So, when the appointed time of the
Hereafter will come, We shall bring you all joined togeth-
er." [104]
And with truth We have sent it down and with truth it
descended. And We did not send you but as a bearer of
good tidings and as a warner. [105]
And We have divided the Qur'an in portions, so that you
may recite it to the people gradually, and We have re-
vealed it little by little. [106]
Say, "Believe it or do not believe it; when it is recited to
those who were given knowledge before it, they fall
down on their faces in prostration [107] and say, "Pure is

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Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 101 - 109
our Lord. Certainly, the word of our Lord is sure to be
done." [108] And they fall down on their faces weeping
and it increases them in the humbleness of heart. [109]
Commentary
The first verse (101) :ٍوَلَقَدُ اتَيْنَا مُوسَى تِسُعَ أيْت mentions the bestowal of nine
clear signs on Sayyidna Musa Med. The word: al ('ayah) carries the
meaning of miracle or sign as well as that of the !: ayat or verses of the
Qur'an, that is, the divine injunctions. At this place, the probability of
both meanings exists. Therefore, a number of commentators have taken
the word 'ayat' to mean miracles - and the number nine does not make it
necessary that they will not be more than nine - but, at this place, the
figure 'nine' has been mentioned on the basis of some particular impor-
tance it has. Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas dee has enumerated these
miracles as follows:
1. The staff of Sayyidna Musa deal which turned into a huge snake.
2. The hand that emitted light when placed under and taken out of the
armpit.
3. The removal of stammering from his tongue.
4. The splitting of the water barrier in two sections to give safe passage
to the Bani Isra'il to cross it.
5. The sending of the punishment through locusts in unusual circum-
stances.
6. The sending of the storm.
7. The clothes on their bodies were infested with countless lice they had
no escape from.
8. The punishment of frogs was released on them when frogs would ap-
pear in everything they ate or drank.
9. The punishment of blood was sent that filled every utensil and min-
gled with whatever they ate or drank.
And a Sahih Hadith tells us that the word 'ayat' used here means di-
vine injunctions. This Hadith has been reported in Abu Dawud,
an-Nasa'i, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah on the authority of Sayyidna Safwan

Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 101 - 109
560
ibn al-'Aththal 4g. He says that a Jew asked one of his friends to take
him to 'that' prophet. The friend said, 'do not call him a prophet. If he
finds out that we too call him a prophet, he will have four eyes on him
(that is, he will have an opportunity to wallow in his pride and glee).'
Then they came to the Holy Prophet
É and asked him as to what were
the nine clear signs given to Sayyidna Musa Scal. He said:
1. Do not ascribe any partners to Allah.
2. Do not steal.
3. Do not fornicate.
4. Do not unjustly take the life of the one whose killing has been
forbidden by Allah.
5. Do not falsely impute anyone innocent with charges liable to the
sentence of death or any other punishment.
6. Do not practice magic.
7. Do not devour interest.
8. Do not level a false accusation of fornication on a chaste woman.
9. Do not desert the battlefield in Jihad for fear of being killed.
And he also said, 'O Jews, it has also been specially enjoined on you
that you shall not contravene the particular injunctions of the obser-
vance of the day of Sabbath (Saturday) given to you.'
Hearing what the Holy Prophet & said, they both kissed his hands
and feet and declared, 'We bear witness that you are the prophet of Al-
lah.' He said, 'What is it, then, that stops you from following me?' They
said that Sayyidna Dawud Meel had prayed to his Lord for prophets to al-
ways keep appearing from among his progeny - 'and we are scared that
the Jews will kill us if we started following you.'
Since this explanation of the verse stands proved on the authority of
Şahin Hadith, therefore, this is what many commentators have pre-
ferred to go by.
About the last sentence : يَبْكُوُنَ وَيَزِيُدُهُمُ خُشُوُعًا (And they fall down on their
faces weeping and it increases them in the humbleness of heart -109), it

561
Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 110 - 111
appears in Tafsir Mazhari that being in tears while reciting the Qur'an
stands as a highly recommended and reward worthy act (mustahabb).
Sayyidna Abu Hurairah 4
e narrates that the Holy Prophet
É said, 'a
person who wept in fear of Allah shall not go to Hell until milk is
returned to the udder after having been milked. (It means, as it is not
possible to put milk once milked back into the udder, very similarly, it is
also not possible that a person who weeps in fear of Allah were to go to
Hell). And says another report, 'Allah Ta'ala has forbidden the fire of
Hell on two eyes - the eye that weeps in fear of Allah, and the eye that
stays awake at nights guarding the Islamic frontiers. (Baihaqi, and Hakim).
And Sayyidna Nadr ibn Sa'd 4% reports that the Holy Prophet & said,
'a people, among whom there is someone who weeps in fear of Allah, will
be delivered from the fire of Hell because of him.' (Ruh al- Ma'ani from
Tirmidhi)
The reason for the big trouble Muslims are in today is no other but
that there are very few left among them who would weep fearing Allah.
After reporting the Ahadith showing the merits of weeping in fear of
وينبغى ان يكون ذلك حال :Allah at this point, the author of Ruh al-Ma'ani says
¿LaWI (And that is the state the 'Ulama' should be in) - because, Ibn Jarir,
Ibn al-Mundhir and others have quoted the following saying of 'Abd
al-A'la Taimi:
A person who has received the kind of knowledge that does not make
him cry [because of having realized the reality of things] should be
enough to make you understand that he has not been given the knowl-
edge that brings benefits.
Verses 110 - 111
قُلِ ادْعُوا اللّهَ أَوِادْعُوا الرَّحُمُنَ * أَيَّامًّا تَدُعُوا فَلَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسُنى ◌ٌ
وَلاَ تَجُهَرُ بِصَلاَتِكَ وَلاَتُخَافِتُ بِهَا وَابْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ سَبِيلاً ﴿ ١١٠﴾
وَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِىُ لَمْ يَتَّخِذُ وَلَدًا وَّلَمْ يَكُنُ لَّه، شَرِيْكٌ فِى الْمُلْكِ
وَلَمُ يَكُنُ لَّهُ، وَلِىٌّ مِّنَ الذُّلِّ وَكَبِرُهُ تَكْبِيرًا ﴿١٢١﴾
Say, "Call (Him by the name of) Allah or Ar-Rahman, in
whichever way you call, His are the best names." And do

562
Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 110 - 111
not be (too) loud in your Salah nor be (too) low in it, and
seek a way in between. [110]
And say, "Praise belongs to Allah who has neither taken
to Him a son, nor is there any partner to Him in His
kingdom, nor is anyone (needed) to protect Him because
of (any) weakness. And proclaim His greatness, an open
proclamation. [111]
Commentary
These are the last verses of Surah Bani Isra'il (Al-'Isra'). The Surah
began with a declaration of the purity and oneness of Allah Ta'ala, and
this is how it is being concluded. The revelation of these verses was
based on some events. The first one came to pass on a certain day when
the Holy Prophet g, during his supplication, said 'Ya Allah' and 'Ya
Rahman.' The Mushriks thought that he was calling two Gods. They
said, 'he forbids us to call anyone else other than the One while he him-
self calls two deities.' The answer to this comment was given in the first
part of the verse by saying that the most exalted Allah does not have a
mere two names. He has many more names and all of them are the best
of names. Call Him by any of these and it means the One and Only Al-
lah. So, it was made clear that their apprehensions on that count were
wrong.
As for the second incident, when the Holy Prophet
would recite
the Qur'an loudly during Salah, the Mushriks made fun of him and
passed audacious remarks berating the Qur'an, archangel Jibra'il, even
Allah Ta'ala. In response to that, the last part of this very verse was re-
vealed where he has been advised to take to a middle course between the
loud and the low, as the average voice took care of the functional neces-
sity. And as for the opportunity the Mushriks had to cause pain to them
over the loud pitch of the voice, they would be relieved of that too.
The third problem was that the Jews and Christians proposed chil-
dren for Allah Ta'ala and the pagan Arabs said that idols were partners
of Allah. The Sabians and the Magians used to hold that not being partic-
ularly close to Allah amounted to a personal loss of worth and honor. In
answer to these three religious groups, the last verse was revealed
where their three notions have been refuted.
It will be noted that, in this world, the one from whom strength and

563
Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 110 - 111
support is received is sometimes younger than one, like children, and
sometimes an equal, like a partner, and sometimes older than one, like a
supporter and helper. Here, in this verse, Allah Ta'ala has refuted all
three in the same order.
Ruling
The etiquette of recitation in Salah as given in verse 110 is that it
should not be in a voice raised very high, nor should it be in a voice so
lowered that those standing behind in the congregation cannot hear it.
This injunction, as obvious, is particular with prayers wherein the recita-
tion is voiced. As for the prayers of Zuhr and 'Asr, the recitation therein
is totally unvoiced as proved from uninterrupted Sunnah.
In prayers with voiced recitation, included there are the Fard of
Maghrib, 'Isha' and Fajr, as well as the prayer of Tahajjud - as in a
Hadith which says: Once the Holy Prophet;
passed by Sayyidna Abu
Bakr and Sayyidna 'Umar 5 at the time of Tahajjud. Sayyidna Abu
Bakr was reciting in a lowered voice while Sayyidna 'Umar 4
e was
reciting in a loud voice. The Holy Prophet & said to Sayyidna Abu Bakr,
why would you recite in such a lowered voice?' Sayyidna Abu Bakr said,
'the One I wanted to talk to in secret, Him I have made to hear, because
Allah Ta'ala hears every voice, even the lowest of the low.' The Holy
Prophet % said, 'recite somewhat loudly.' Then he said to Sayyidna
'Umar, 'why do you recite in such a loud voice?' Sayyidna 'Umar dee said,
'I recite loudly to wake up the drowsy, and satan.' He ordered him too,
'you should recite in a voice somewhat lowered.' (Tirmidhi as quoted
Mazharī)
Problems and their solutions relating to the loud or lowered render-
ing of the recitation of the Qur'an in Salah, or on occasions other than it,
have been already explained in Surah al-A'raf (see commentary under Verse
55, Volume III). About the last verse beginning with: ◌ِقُل الحَمْدُ لِلَّه (say, 'alham
dulillah: praise belongs to Allah'), the Hadith says that this is the 'ayah'
(verse) of "izzah' (power and glory). [The reference is to the efficacy of the
verse in seeking the help of Allah to overcome weaknesses and difficul-
ties]. (Reported by Ahmad and at-Tabarani on the authority of Sayyidna Mu'adh
al-Juhaniyy as in Mazharī) This verse also provides an essential guidance.
The drive of the meaning is that it does not matter how much one de-
votes to the worship of Allah, one is still obligated to take his or her deed

564
Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 110 - 111
to be deficient as compared with His due right and confess to the likely
shortfall in performing it. (Mazhari)
And Sayyidna Anas 4ee has said that a child from the tribe of Bani
'Abd al-Muttalib, when able to say meaningful words, was taught to re-
cite this verse by the Holy Prophet
Then he recited the verse:
وَقُلِ الْحَمُدُ لِلْهِ الَّذِىُ لَمْ يَتَّخِذُ وَلَدًا وَّلَمُ يَكُنُ لَّه، شَرِيُكْ فِى الْمُلْكِ وَلَمُ يَكُنُ لَّه، وَلِيٌّ
مِّنَ الدُّلِّ وَكَبِرُهُ تَكْبِيرًا - (١٧:١١١)
And say, "Praise belongs to Allah who has neither taken to
Him a son, nor is there any partner to Him in His kingdom,
nor is anyone [needed] to protect Him because of [any] weak-
ness. And proclaim His greatness, an open proclamation" -
111). (Mazharī)
And Sayyidna Abu Hurairah
has said that once he went out with
the Holy Prophet g, in a manner that his hand was in Holy Prophet's
hands. He passed by a person who was disheveled and worried. He
asked, 'what brought you to this condition?' That person said, 'sickness
and poverty have done this to me.' He said, 'I am going to tell you a few
words. If you recite these, your sickness and poverty will go away. The
words were:
تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى الْحَيّ الَّذِىُ لاَيَمُوتُ الْحَمْدُ لِلْهِ الَّذِىُ لَمْ يَنَّخِذُ وَلَدًا وَّلَمُ يَكُنُ لَّهُ شَرِيُكٌ
فِى الْمُلْكِ وَلَمْ يَكُنُ لَّهِ، وَلِىٌّ مِّنَ الذُّلِّ وَكَبِرُهُ تَكْبِيُرًا.
I place my trust in the Ever Living who is not to die. Praise be-
longs to Allah who has neither taken to Him a son, nor is there
any partner to Him in His kingdom, nor is anyone (needed) to
protect Him because of (any) weakness. And proclaim His
greatness, an open proclamation. (17:111)
After the passage of some time, when he went that way, he found his
condition good and showed his pleasure about it. That person told him,
'since the time you taught me these words, I recite them punctually.'
(Abu Ya'la and Ibn al-Sunni, as quoted by Mazhari)
The Tafsir of Surah Bani Isra'il ends here
With the help of Allah
After al-'Isha', Jumada I, 1390 Hijrah
Praised be Allah, from the beginning to the end.

565
Sūrah Bani Isra'll : 17 : 110 - 111
A personal postscript by the author
... While writing these lines, this humble servant of Allah has com-
pleted full seventy five years of his age on 21 Sha'ban, 1390 Hijrah. Year
seventy-six opens amidst diseases of different kinds including the natu-
ral weakness that sets in at this age. Then there is the mass of things to
do and problems to resolve. Who can look forward to the task of writing
beyond this point for it would be hoping against hope. But, when it
comes to the service of the Qur'an things become different. When some-
one does something in the name of the Qur'an, no matter how insignifi-
cant, it becomes for a servant of Allah a matter of good fortune and hon-
our. This thought led me to begin the Tafsir of Surah al-Kahf with the
name of Allah. The idea was to take whatever it was possible to do dur-
ing the years of life left as sufficient and good enough, because the pur-
pose is not to finish the Qur'an, the purpose is to consume one's years
and energy into the Qur'an. And Allah is the giver of ability and the help-
er of the effort made in His way.
(Abridged from the detailed note)
End of Sürah Bani Isra'il

569
Surah Al-Kahf : 18 : 1 - 8
Surah Al-Kahf
(The Cave)
Surah al-Kahf is Makki. It has 110 verses and 12 sections
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
With the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the Very-Merciful
Verses 1 - 8
اَلْحَمُدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِيِّ أَنْزَلَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ الْكِتْبَ وَلَمُ يَجُعَلُ لَّهُ عِوَجًا ﴿1﴾
قَيّمًا لِيُنْذِرَ بَأْسًا شَدِيْدًا مِّنُ لَّدُنُهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ الَّذِيْنَ يَعُمَلُونَ
الصَّلِحْتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجُرًّا حَسَنًا ﴿ٌ﴾ مَّا كِثِيْنَ فِيْهِ أَبَدًّا ﴿ٌ﴾ وَيُنُذِرَالَّذِيْنَ
قَالُوا أَتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ وَلَدًا(٢ْ﴾ مَالَهُمُ بِهِ مِنْ عِلَمٍ وَلاَ لِأَبَائِهِمُ + كَبِرَتُ
كَلِمَةً تَخْرُجُ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمُ + اِنْ يَّقُوْلُوُنَ إِلَّ كَذِبًا ﴿﴿ فَلَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ
نَّفْسَكَ عَلَىّ ◌َّارِهِمْ إِنُ لَّمْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَذَا الْحَدِيْثِ آَسَفًا ﴿﴿ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا
مَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ زِيْنَةً لَّهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمُ أَيُّهُمْ آَحُسَنُ عَمَلاً ﴿﴾ وَإِنَّا
لَجْعِلُونَ مَا عَلَيْهَا صَعِيدًا جُرُزًا ﴿1﴾
Praise belongs to Allah who has sent down to His ser-
vant the Book and allowed no crookedness in it, [1] a
straightforward Book to warn of a severe punishment
from Him, and to give glad tidings to the believers who
do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward
(Paradise) [2] where they will dwell for ever, [3] and to
warn those who have said that Allah has taken to Him-
self a son, [4] while they have no knowledge of it, nor
had their fathers. Grave is the word that comes out of
their mouths. They say nothing but a lie. [5]

570
Surah Al-Kahf : 18 : 1 - 8
So, perhaps you are going to kill yourself after them out
of grief if they do not believe in this message. [6]
Surely, We have made what is on earth an adornment
for it so that We test them as to who among them is bet-
ter in deed. [7] And surely, We are going to turn what is
thereon into a barren land. [8]
The properties and merits of Surah al-Kahf
According to a narration of Sayyidna Abu al-Darda' 4
é appearing in
Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i and the Musnad of Ahmad, one
who has memorized the first ten verses of Surah al-Kahf will remain pro-
tected from the ill effects of Dajjal (imposter). In another report in the
same books and from the same authority, the same thing has been said
about having memorized the last ten verses of Surah al-Kahf.
And it has been reported in the Musnad of Ahmad on the authority
of Sayyidna Sahl ibn Mu'adh 4
that the Holy Prophet
said, "One
who recites the first and the last verses of Surah al-Kahf, for him there
is light from his feet up to his head. And the one who were to recite the
whole Surah, then, for him there is light from the earth up to the sky."
And it appears in some narratives that a person who recites Surah
al-Kahf on the day of Jumu'ah will have light from his feet up to the sky.
This light will serve him well on the day of Qiyamah, and every sin com-
mitted by him between the past and the present Jumu'ah will be forgiv-
en." (Imam Ibn Kathir has declared this report to be mawquf (a Hadith the
narration of which stops at a Sahabi and does not ascend to the Holy Prophet ).
And Hafiz Zya' al-Maqdisi, in his book Al-Mukhtarah, has reported
on the authority of Sayyidna 'Ali see that the Holy Prophet 5 said, "One
who recites Surah al-Kahf on the day of Jumu'ah will remain protected
from every fitnah. And if Dajjal appears, he will stay safe against the try-
ing challenges released by him as well." (All these narrative reports have been
taken from Tafsir ibn Kathir)
According to a report from Dailami on the authority of Sayyidna
Anas 4
appearing in Ruh al-Ma'ani, the Holy Prophet
said, "The en-
tire Surah al-Kahf was revealed at one time and seventy thousand an-
gels came with it" - which shows its majesty.
The cause of revelation
Imam ibn Jarir al-Țabari has reported from Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn

571
Surah Al-Kahf : 18 : 1 - 8
'Abbas 4% that the Quraysh of Makkah (disturbed by the rising
influence of the Holy Prophet
as a prophet) sent two of their men,
Nadr ibn Harith and 'Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt, to the Jewish scholars of
Madinah. Their mission was to find out what they said about him as
they were learned in past scriptures of the Torah and Injil. The Jewish
scholars told them, "put three questions before him. If he answers these
correctly,* you should know that he is a prophet and messenger of Allah,
and if he fails to do that, you should know that he is a pretender and not
a messenger. Firstly, ask him about the young men who had left their
city in the distant past and what had happened to them, for this is a
unique event. Secondly, ask him about the person who had traveled
through the East and West of the Earth and what had happened to him.
Thirdly, ask him about the Ruh (soul, spirit) as to what it was?"
The two Quraysh emissaries returned to Makkah al-Mukarramah, in-
formed their tribesmen that they had come back with a decisive plan of
action and told them all about their encounter with the Jewish scholars
of Madinah. Then, these people took these questions to the Holy Prophet
3. He heard the questions and said that he will answer them tomorrow.
But, he forgot to say 'insha'Allah' at that time. These people went back
and the Holy Prophet
kept waiting for the Divine revelation in the
hope that he will be told about answers to these questions through
wahy. But, no wahy came until the next day as promised. In fact, fifteen
days went by and things stood as they were, neither did Sayyidna
Jibra'il come nor did the revelation. The Quraysh of Makkah started
throwing taunts which caused real pain to the Holy Prophet .
After fifteen days, came angel Jibra'il with Surah al-Kahf (wherein
the delay caused has also been explained by saying that one should say
'insha'Allah' when promising to do something in the future. Since, this
was not done in the event concerned, therefore, revelation was delayed
as a measure of reminder. In this Surah, verses relating to this matter
such as: ◌ُ18:23,24) وَلاَ تَقُوُلَنَّ لِشَائُءٍ إِنِّىُ فَاعِلٌ ذَلِكَ غَدًا إِلاَّ أَن يَّشَآءَ اللَّه) will be appearing
later). Also related in this Surah there was the event about the young
* That is, he gives the answer he should give (and his correct answer to the question
about 'Ruh' will be that Allah Ta'ala knows its reality best). So, this report which
appears in Tafsir al-Țabari, p. 191, v. 15 is not contrary to the report which has ap-
peared on pages 544-47 of this volume under the commentary on verse 85 of Surah
Bani Isra'il - Muhammad Taqi Usmani.

572
Surah Al-Kahf : 18 : 1 - 8
men known as Ashab al-Kahf or the People of the Cave, and the event
concerning the travel of Dhul-Qarnain from the East to the West. Also
included therein was the answer to the question asked about 'Ruh'
(Qurtubi and Mazhari with reference to Ibn Jarir). But, answering the question
about Ruh (soul, spirit) briefly was as dictated by wisdom. This was
taken up separately at the end of Sūrah Bani Isra'il (17:85) and this is
the reason why Surah al-Kahf has been placed after Surah Bani Isra'il
[al-Isra'] - as mentioned by Al-Suyuți.
Commentary
The word: عِوَج (iwaj) in :وَلَمْ يَجْعَلَ لَّهُ عِوَجًا قَيِّمًا (and allowed no crooked-
ness in it - 1) means crookedness of any kind, or inclination towards one
side or deviation from the norms of rectitude. The Holy Qur'an remains
pure and free of all that in terms of the perfection of its words and mean-
ings. It simply admits of no distortion anywhere, either in eloquence or
in knowledge and wisdom. The sense which has been conveyed in a nega-
tive or eliminative form through: وَلَمُ يَجُعَلُ لَّهُ عِوَجًا (and allowed no crooked-
ness in it) has been fortified positively through the word: 3 (qayyima)
which follows immediately for emphasis. The reason is that this word
carries the sense of: Les (mustaqima) and that which is: w. (musta-
qim: straightforward, straight, upright) will not have the least crooked-
ness or tilt towards any side. However, -$ (qayyim) can also have anoth-
er sense, that of caretaker, custodian and protector. Given this
probability, the sense of the expression would be that the Qur'an, while
perfect in itself as free from all kinds of excess, deficiency and crooked-
ness, keeps others upright, firm and unflinching and protects the inter-
ests and advantages of all servants of Allah. Thus the gist of the two ex-
pressions would be that the Holy Qur'an stands perfect in itself and has
the ability to make men and women created by Allah become equally per-
fect. (Mazhari)
It was said in verse 7:إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ زِيْنَةٌ لَّهَا (Surely, We have made
what is on earth an adornment for it) with reference to all living forms,
vegetation, mountains, minerals and everything else present on the
earth. They are its embellishment. That there are snakes, scorpions,
beasts and many harmful and fatal things may lead someone to doubt as
to how can they be called 'an adornment for it.' This doubt is unfounded
because everything in this world considered harmful, fatal or plain bad

573
Surah Al-Kahf : 18 : 9 - 12
may be so in a restricted sense but, in terms of the totality of creation,
nothing is bad. Everything, no matter how bad, has been invested with
many benefits by Allah Ta'ala on other counts. The medical use of poison-
ous and fatal life forms in the interest of human beings is an example.
Therefore, things that are considered even bad are not that bad in terms
of the function of this entire universe.
Verses 9 - 12
آَمُ حَسِبُتَ أَنَّ أَصْحُبَ الْكَهُفِ وَالرَّقِيْمِ كَانُوا مِنْ انْتِنَا عَجَبًا ﴿٩﴾ ◌ِذُ
آوَى الْفِيَةُ إِلَى الْكَهُفِ فَقَالُوا رَبََّآَ اتِنَا مِنْ لَّدُنُكَ رَحُمَةً وَّهَيِّئُ لَنَا
مِنْ آَمُرِنَا رَشَدًا ﴿١٠﴾ فَضَرَبْنَا عَلَى أَذَانِهِمُ فِى الْكَهُفِ سِنِيْنَ عَدِّدًا
﴿٢)) ثُمَّ بَعَثْنُهُمْ لِنَعْلَمَ أَىُّ الْحِزْبَيْنَ أَحُصِى لِمَا لَبِثُوّا آَمَدًا ﴿٢﴾﴾
Do you think that the People of Kahf (the Cave) and
Raqim (inscription*) were unusual out of Our signs? [9]
When the young men took refuge in the Cave and said,
"Our Lord, bless us with mercy from Your own and pro-
vide us with guidance in our matters." [10] So, We veiled
their hearing (putting them to sleep) in the Cave for a
number of years. [11] Thereafter We raised them up, so
that We know which of the two groups had best calculat-
ed the period they remained (sleeping). [12]
Lexical Explanation
Kahf is a large mountainous cave or cavern. If not large, it will be a
ghar. The word : الرَقِيم (al-raqim) literally denotes : المرقوم (al-marqum) that
is, something written. What does it mean at this place? The sayings of
commentators differ about it. Dahhak, Sudiyy and Ibn Jubayr following
the authority of Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbase declare it to mean a
written tablet on which the ruler of the time had inscribed the names of
the People of Kahf and had it fixed on the entrance to the Cave. For this
reason, the People of Kahf are also called the People of al-Raqim (the in-
scribed ones). Qatadah, 'Atiyyah, 'Awfi and Mujahid have said that
Raqim is the name of the valley adjoining the mountain in which the hol-
*
The word Raqim has been interpreted differently. Most of the commentators
have preferred 'inscription' while others have taken it to be a mountain, a val-
ley or a specific town.

574
Surah Al-Kahf : 18 : 9 - 12
low cavern of the People of Kahf was located. Some others have iden-
tified this mountain itself as the Raqim. 'Ikrimah J dn , says, "I
have heard Sayyidna ibn 'Abbas 4
saying - I do not know whether
Raqim is the name of some inscribed tablet or some town." Ka'b al-Ah-
bar and Wahb ibn Munabbih report from Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas that
Raqim is the name of a town near Ailah, that is, 'Aqabah, situated in the
kingdom of the Romans.
Fityah () in verse 10 is the plural of: % fata, which means a young
man.
The expression: ◌ْفَضَرَبُنَا عَلىّ اذَانِهم (translated as 'so, We veiled their hear-
ing [putting them to sleep]' - 11) literally means to plug ears to prevent
someone from hearing. It is used to convey the sense of deep sleep. When
sleeping, eyes close first but ears remain active. Sounds are heard. When
sleep takes over completely, ears stop functioning. Later, when awake,
ears resume their function first for sound startles the person sleeping
who then comes out of his sleep.
Commentary
The story of the People of Kahf and Raqim
There are a few subjects of study in this story. First of all, it needs to
be determined whether People of Kahf and People of Ragim are two
names of the same group, or these are two separate groups. Though, no
clarification of this appears in any Sahih Hadith, but Imam al-Bukhari,
in his Şahih, has given two separate chapter headings - Aşhab al-Kahf
and Ashab al-Raqim. Then, under Ashab al-Raqim, he mentions the
well-known story of three persons being locked shut into a cave with no
way out, which opened later through prayers, and which is there in de-
tails in all books of Hadith. From this innovative device of Imam al-Buk-
hari, it is gathered that, according to him, the People of Kahf are one
group, and the appellation of the People of Raqim has been used for
those three persons who had taken shelter in the cave at some earlier
time. Then a huge rock from the mountain fell on the entrance to the
cave and blocked it totally, making it impossible for them to come out. At
that moment, it was with reference to whatever righteous deeds they
each had done in life that the three of them supplicated before Allah:
Our Lord, if we had done this thing for Your good pleasure, please open
the passage for us. Following the prayer of the first person, the rock

575
Surah Al-Kahf : 18 : 9 - 12
moved a little and light started coming in. By the prayer of the second
one, it moved a little more. Then, by the prayer of the third one, the pas-
sage opened up fully.
But, Hafiz ibn Hajar has made it clear in Sharp al-Bukhari that, in
the light of Hadith reports, there is no clear-cut proof about the People of
Raqim being the name for the three persons referred to above. What has
happened here is that some narrators have added to the report of
Sayyidna Nu'man ibn Bashir de, a reporter of the incident of the cave,
by saying that Sayyidna Nu'man ibn Bashir
while mentioning the
story of the cave said, 'I heard the Holy Prophet
mentioning Raqim.
He was relating the story of the three who got shut into the cave.' This
addition appears in the report of al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani as quoted by
Fath-al-Bari. But, to begin with, none of the reports from the usual
narrators of this Hadith which are available in details in the six Sahihs
and other books of Hadith have included this sentence of Sayyidna
Nu'man ibn Bashir 4%. Even the report of al-Bukhari itself does not
have this sentence in it. Then, even within this sentence, it has not been
made clear whether or not the Holy Prophet @ had called those three
persons who got shut into the cave by the name of the People of Raqim.
In fact, the words are: 'he was mentioning Raqim.' Those three were
mentioned as a corollary to this statement. As for the difference in the
sayings of the Şahabah, Tabi'in and commentators in general concerning
the meaning of Raqim, it is by itself a proof that there was no Hadith
reported from the Holy Prophet af about the meaning of Raqim as
determined by him. Otherwise, how was it possible that once the Holy
Prophet
himself determines the meaning of a word, the Şahabah,
Tabi'in and other commentators opt for some other saying contrary to it?
Therefore, Hafiz ibn Hajar, the commentator of al-Bukhari, denies that
the People of Kahf and the People of Raqim are two separate groups.
According to him, the correct position is that both these names apply to
one single group. The mention of three persons getting shut into a cave
could have been made with the mention of Raqim. It does not necessarily
follow from it that these very three persons were 'the Ashab al-Raqim'
(the People of Raqim).
Hafiz ibn Hajar has also clarified at this place that the very context
of the story of the People of Kahf as described by the Qur'an tells us that

576
Surah Al-Kahf : 18 : 9 - 12
the People of Kahf and Raqim are but one group. This is why the major-
ity of commentators and Hadith experts agree that they both are one
and the same.
The second issue to be determined here is that of the details of the
story. It has two parts. Part one is the spirit of the story, and the real ob-
jective. It provides an answer to the question asked by the Jews, and
guidance and good counsel for Muslims as well. The second part deals
with the historical and geographical aspects of the story. As for the delin-
eation of the objective, it plays no role there, for instance: When and
where did this event come to pass, who was the infidel king these people
ran from and hid in the cave? What were his beliefs, what did he actual-
ly do to them because of which they were compelled to run and hide in
the cave? How many were they? Exactly how long did they remain
asleep? Are they still alive or are they dead?
The Holy Qur'an, under its wise principles and unique methodology,
has not related any story in all its detail and order throughout the
Qur'an (with the sole exception of the story of Sayyidna Yusuf el) - a
common method used in books of history. Instead, it has introduced only
a part of each story that was appropriate to the occasion and was partic-
ularly related to guiding and teaching human beings. (The reason for exclud-
ing the story of Sayyidna Yusuf SE from the parameter of this method appears in the
Tafsir of Surah Yusuf included in Volume V, pages 24, 25)
The same method was used in relating the story of the People of
Kahf. Here, the Qur'an has described its particular parts that were rele-
vant to the real objective. No mention was made of the remaining parts
that were purely historical or geographical. Of course, mention was
made of the number of the People of Kahf. The questions regarding the
period of time they remained asleep were certainly alluded to, even an in-
dication was released towards the answer but, along with it, an instruc-
tion was also given that it was not appropriate to investigate and debate
such issues. These should be entrusted with Allah Ta'ala. This is the rea-
son why the Holy Prophet
who was duty-bound to explain the mean-"
ings of the Holy Qur'an never related those parts of the story in any
Hadith. It is on the grounds of this Qur'anic methodology that great men
among the Sahabah and Tabi'in have declared the essential policy guide-
line in such matters by saying:

577
Surah Al-Kahf : 18 : 9 - 12
آَبُهِمُوا مَآ أَبُهَمَهُ اللَّهُ (الاتقان للسيوطي)
What Allah has left undetermined, you too leave it undeter-
mined. (al-Itqan li-Suyuți)
This approach and conduct of leading Sahabah and Tabi'in required
that, in this Tafsir too, those parts of the story should be ignored as ig-
nored by the Qur'an and Hadith. But, this is a time when historical and
geographical breakthroughs are taken as great achievements. Therefore,
later day scholars of Tafsir have described those parts as well in varying
lengths. As far as Tafsir Ma'ariful-Qur'an is concerned, the parts of the
story that have already been mentioned in the Qur'an will be covered
under the explanation of its verses. The remaining historical and geo-
graphical parts of the story are being described here within the limits of
their need. However, the truth of the matter is that, even after this de-
scription, the end result will remain the same - that is, it is impossible to
arrive at a categorical decision in these matters. The reason is that writ-
ings in Islamic, and then Christian history, relating to this subject are so
different, even contradictory, that one writer determines something in
the light of his investigation, opinion and evidence while the other pre-
fers something else.
Events relating to hiding in caves to protect faith have been
many and widespread
One major reason for differences existing among historians lies in
the great importance attached to monasticism by adherents to the faith
brought by Sayyidna 'Isa call. As a result, there were several instances
spread around different regions and countries of the world where some
people took shelter in caves to devote themselves to the worship of Allah
Ta'ala living there for the rest of their lives. Now, where so ever some
such event has occurred, it was not so far out for a historian to suspect it
to be that of the People of Kahf.
People of Kahf: Place and Period
Tafsir authority al-Qurțubi of al-Andulus (Spain) has reported some
events at this juncture in his Tafsir. Some of these events, that belong to
different cities, he had heard or seen himself. First of all, he says on the
basis of a report from Dahhak that al-Raqim is the name of a town in
Rum (the Greco-Roman territory) where twenty-one men are lying in a

578
Surah Al-Kahf : 18 : 9 - 12
cave as if they are sleeping. Then, he reports from Tafsir authority, Ibn
'Atiyyah that he had heard from many people that there was a cave in
Sham (Syria) which had some dead bodies in it. Attendants said that
they were the ones called the People of Kahf. And adjacent to the cave,
there was the structure of a mosque and residential house called Raqim.
In addition to the dead bodies, the skeleton of a dead dog was also pre-
sent there.
Then, al-Qurtubi writes about another event relating to
al-Gharnațah (Granada) in al-Andulus (Spain), again reporting from Ibn
'Ațiyyah who says, 'there is a cave in Lawshah (Lojah), a village outside
al-Gharnatah. It has some dead bodies and along with these there is the
skeleton of a dead dog as well. Most of the dead bodies have no flesh left
reducing them to bare skeletons. However, some do have signs of flesh
and skin still being there. Centuries have passed over this. But, nothing
is known about them authentically. Some people say that they were the
People of Kahf. Ibn 'Atiyyah further says, 'when I heard this news, I per-
sonally went there in the Hijrah year 504. On arrival there, I really
found those bodies in the same state. Close by there is a mosque and a
structure of the Roman period called Raqim. It seems to have been some
palace from the remains of several walls still there. This thing is located
in an unpopulated area with wild growth around. He also said, 'remains
of an old city are found in the area characterized by higher altitudes in
al-Gharnatah. It is Roman in style. The name of the city is said to be
Raqyus. We have seen many graves and strange things in its ruins.'
From what has been said here it will be realized that al-Qurtubi who
lived in Spain avoids calling anyone as the People of Kahf definitely, de-
spite that he has described these events as reported. Then, there is the
case of Ibn 'Atiyyah who, despite his personal observation, did not claim
that they were the People of Kahf. He rather limits himself to reporting
what was popular. But, Abu Hayyan, the seventh century commentator
from al-Andulus (Spain) was born in al-Gharnatah itself in Hijrah year
654. There he was raised and there he lived. He too mentions the cave of
al-Gharnatah in his Tafsir, al-Bahr al-Muhit, very much like al-Qurțubi
has done. After having written about the eye witness account of Ibn
'Ațiyyah, he says, 'when I was in al-Andulus (that is, before shifting to
Cairo), many people went to see this cave. They used to say that, despite