Thoughts on Surah al-Kahf
(the Cave)

In discussing the meanings embedded in the Our'an, one
should be aware of the implicit and underlying wisdom of its verses. It is not uncommon for the reader of the Our'an to miss certain meanings which Allah intended us to contemplate. This does not mean however, that one should ascribe to the words of the Our'an any meaning other than that which they actually possess. Scholars, in their attempts to keep pace with modern trends and meet the challenges they face from science and sceptical doctrines, may try to find a common ground between some of the spectacular new scientific theories and the miraculous portents revealed in
the Our'an, or to try to find evidence to support the Our'an with these theories or these theories from the Our'an, The danger of such practices lies in the fact that scientific theories
are susceptible to modification and misinterpretation. Indeed, the situation would be precarious and damaging to the
whole religion if it so happened that we used one of these scientific theories to validate some Our'anic facts, only to
discover, later, that the theory was false. It is, therefore, neither wise nor desirable that our enthusiasm cause us to search the Qur'an for facts which accord with any modern scientific hypothesis or discovery. The Our'an is, in the first place, a religious scripture and not a textbook and as such should never be used as source material for explaining science. In fact, Allah explicitly defined the main purpose of the Our'an when He said:

"This is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt, a
guidance unto those who ward off evil; who believe in
the Unseen, and establish worship, and spend of that
which We have bestowed upon them."
(al-Baqarah 2:2-3)

In these few words, Allah defines the whole purpose of the Our'an as being a guidance for believers. As has already been mentioned, those who study the Qur'an should be sensitive to the meanings implicit in the Revelation. For Allah has placed within the Our'an many signs that are worthy of profound contemplation and thought. Siirah al-Kahf serves as a great indication of this because of the many mystical facts it contains and the challenge it offers to the inquisitive mind. As we all know, a cave, or kahf in Arabic, from which the Siirah derives its name, is a cavity found on the side of a mountain. Allah has created these caves in nature so that we can discover for ourselves how they look and what impression they make upon our senses. No one can truly know how impressive a cave is unless he has had the opportunity to explore one. Therefore the title of the passage should not pass without some thought. If we do skim over it, we will soon come to realise that the passage abounds with moral caves, or things which reveal many of the mystic facts about events which take place in this
universe. This is exemplified in the story of Moses and the good slave (al-Kahf 18:65) (a man whom Allah favoured with unlimited knowledge). The true meaning of this is that we should not judge things according to their external features. The scuttling of the boat (18:71) that was owned by poor people, which Moses judged as an evil act, was in actual fact a good deed, because it saved those who owned it from an unjust tyrant king who had planned to seize the boat. Likewise, the slaying of the young lad (18:74) appeared, on the surface, to be a wicked sin, but this deed had behind
it the good motive of saving his virtuous parents and rewarding them with new offspring free from evil. So was the building of the wall (18:77) for the inhospitable villagers who refused to give them food or hospitality. Although it did not
appeal to logic as a good deed, the truth behind it is that it
was built to protect a treasure which was left to two orphaned
children by their dead father. If the wall had been left to collapse, the villagers would have taken the treasure and deprived the children of receiving it when they reached adulthood. These parables cannot be summed up in a few lines, but at least give an indication of just how significant the word 'cave' actually is. Allah wishes to impress on us in this surah certain facts which are mostly implied and not easily accessible to human comprehension. This also serves to remind us not to take things at their face value or be deceived by superficiality, for what is sometimes interpreted as wicked and evil can in actual fact be a blessing in disguise.

The Meaning of the Cave:

The cave which Allah mentions in this Surah was an actual
cave in which seven Christian youths, who firmly believed
in Allah, once hid. They fell asleep and remained asleep for
some generations. The cave is, in fact, the symbol of a sanctuary where faith is protected from the tyranny of disbelief and oppression. Three parables may help to clarify some of the facts that at the time the Our'an was first revealed were mysteries to
man. The first of these parables is concerned with Dhii'l-Qar-
nayn or Alexander the Great.
The actual historical personage of Alexander - however, is not to be dwelled on here as it merely distracts from the main point of the Qur'an's teaching. This applies throughout where individuals are mentioned primarily to serve as universal symbols. All that matters is the person to whom these characteristics apply, regardless of time or place. Thus Noah's wife and Lot's wife are types which stand for every woman who betrays a good and virtuous husband. Likewise, woman who betrays a good and virtuous husband. Likewise, when Allah mentions Pharaoh's wife, He means every chaste woman who believes in Him and whose husband is a heretic. These incidents are not restricted in time or place. They recur throughout history. The only incident that has "not been, and will not be, repeated is Mary's story. This is the reason why Allah has identified her as "Mary daughter of 'Imran", her full name. It is evident, therefore that when we mention Alexander, we are in fact referring to a man whom Allah has enabled to possess all that he longed for
and has given the means to do everything. We should not
concern ourselves with Alexander's identity lest we be
distracted from the moral point that Allah wants to stress. Now let us turn our attention to the following important verse, where we are told:

"Till, when he reached the rising-place of the sun, he
found it rising on a people for whom We had appointed
no shelter therefrom." (al-Kahf 18:90)

The story ends at that point, and the Surah shifts to another
topic. In the above verse, Allah did not say more than that Alexander had reached a people whom He had not provided with protection from the sun's heat. What does Allah wish to say, and what does the sentence "for whom we had appointed no shelter therefrom" actually mean? Does it mean that this people's land was barren, without vegetation or trees to protect its dwellers from the burning sun? Does it mean that they had no homes to live in, or perhaps wore no clothes? Any of these conjectures is possible. But the sun is always present irrespective of these shelters which, although they may not protect them from the sun, cannot completely hide it or eclipse it; what actually causes the sun to disappear is darkness or nightfall. It is only at night that the sun is veiled and cannot be seen. In preceding verses it is revealed that Allah has established the duties that are binding upon anyone who is given the means to rule others. It also mentions how Alexander reached a tract between two mountains where he found people who did not understand a word he said to them, and how he taught them to defend themselves against the attacks of Gog and Magog.

The inquisitive reader of the Surah may wonder that although Allah has told us about the work that Alexander carried out on his arrival at "the setting-place of the sun" and the work he did when he arrived at the two mountains,
He did not tell us about anything that he might have done
when he arrived at the "rising-place of the sun". All we know
is that when he arrived there he met a people for whom
Allah had denied shelter from the sun. Because every word in the Qur'an is exact and every verse has a specific meaning and a definite purpose, it is obvious
that there is some important hidden fact about the sun that
Allah wants us to discover. He did not mention Alexander's
work so that we would be distracted by it and miss the point. In fact, the important point which He wanted us to look at is that in his expeditions Alexander reached a land where
the sun set for only a very short time and did not follow the
same pattern as that of the rest of the world. It is now common knowledge in the polar regions the sun sets for nearly six months leaving the land in total darkness. Allah wanted to tell us that there are places on earth that do not follow the normal pattern of day and night experienced by the rest of the world. As mentioned before, the actual cave referred to in Siirah
al-Kahf was that used by seven Christian youths who, fearing
Roman persecution, sought refuge in it. The lesson that Allah wants to teach us is that faith in Him is always present, even when the whole world seems to be in the grip of heresy and oppression. It might be hidden from us, but in truthit is alive. In addition to this spiritual lesson, the Surah relates other miracles, which Allah wants us to reflect upon. The first miracle describes how He put the seven youths
to sleep,

"Then We sealed up their hearing in the Cave for a
number of years." (al-Kahf 18:11)

In this verse, we are told that unlike all other sense organs
the ear is the only sense organ that is always active and is ne never dormant. Our ears are constantly receptive whether
we wish to hear or not, and we cannot stop them from functioning naturally. This is not the case with the eyes, over which we have control. The important thing that Allah wants us to learn is that if we isolate the ear from the noise of the world, a person will go to sleep for a very long period of time. Thus when He wanted to put the dwellers of the cave to sleep for years, He did not shut off their sight, or slow their heartbeat, as is the case when we are in a state of normal sleep, but He simply sealed off their hearing, as the most effective way of isolating them from the world. The verse continues to tell us more about these sleepers:

"And you would have deemed them waking though
they were asleep, and We caused them to turn over to
the right and to the left ..." (al-Kahf 18:18)

Here one should pause to reflect as to why they were made to turn over to the right and to the left, and what purpose Allah has in telling us this. Every word in the Qur'an has its intrinsic meaning and purpose which is sometimes obvious and at other times remains veiled for generations. Reading this Surah, we discover that Allah has made the resurrection of these seven youths a portent to mankind, by
setting down the health rules to be observed in the case of sick persons who are forced to lie in bed for long periods of time. Such sick persons are advised nowadays to keep changing their sleeping position to avoid circulatory complications, ulceration of the skin and blood clotting in the lower region of their bodies and legs.

Allah's will

"And say not of any thing: Lo! I shall do that tomorrow, except if Allah will. And remember your Lord when you forget ..." (al-Kahf 18:23-24)

We should give deep thought to this verse because of its immense bearing on behaviour and attitudes. Not infrequently', people seem to be oblivious to their limitations and tend to take the future for granted, forgetting that they have no power over their destiny. Yet it is not uncommon to hear someone say "I'll do so and so tomorrow", thereby ascribing to himself power and knowledge that only Allah possesses. One who makes such an assertion should have
total control over variables such as time, health, transport and myriad other circumstances. In other words, if one says that he will meet a certain person tomorrow, he must have the power to stay alive until that hour. But no mortal has the power to stop death for a few minutes, let alone hours and days. The statement is inevitably false because there is no certainty as to whether they will be alive then. Life is entirely in Allah's hands. The ability to go to the meeting is also beyond one's control. There are so many unexpected circumstances that could intervene and hinder one from fulfilling plans. Even if death does not catch up with one, there is no guarantee that a meeting will take place, simply
because of the lack of control over the running of events. In
addition to all these uncontrollable circumstances, there are also myriad hazards that can jeopardize one's plans.
The important thing to remember is that mortals are in no position to impose their wills on the future. It is only Allah Who has the power to say unto a thing "Be" and it is. He is Eternal and nothing distracts His attention or stands against His will and decrees. There is no other power that can obstruct, halt, adjourn, delay or advance what He commands or ordains. He alone has the power and freedom of action and fulfilment. It follows, therefore, that anything one plans must hinge on His will, and that actions achieve their end only if they are in line with His will. The second part of the verse reminds one not to forget Allah. ". . . And remember your Lord when you forget" (18:24). Here Allah wants to stress the fact that He alone is
the Efficient, and man, being created of dust, cannot do
much. In other words, Allah wants man to realise his
inferiority and not become deluded by vanity.

It is Allah Who has granted man the power to do things.
He has created this universe and enabled man to harness its
elements and tap its wealth. He has granted all this to a creature made of a handful of dust. In his own creation there are lessons for him to reflect upon. Furthermore, Allah cautions us that all we enjoy and possess in this world could not have materialized without His will, and that He can take it all back if He so desires. It is a gentle ren1inder to those persons who show no compassion for the weak and the needy that it is He Who has given them their wealth and power and Who can easily
take them back if they act as if they are lords over their
destiny and fate. The following verse sums up the whole issue:
"If only, when you entered your garden, you had said: That which Allah willeth (will come to pass)! There is no strength save in Allah! Though you see me as less
than you in wealth and children, yet it may be that my Lord will give me better than your garden . . ." (al-Kahf 18:39-40) This verse corrects the proud man's confused ideas and puts things back in their right perspective. The poor man here reminds his companion of Allah's will, which he has forgotten, and draws his attention to the fact that Allah is
the true Giver, and, were it not for His means, it would not be possible to acquire such a garden and authority. Here we should remember the moral cave mentioned earlier, for the giving here is hidden inside the cave of reality. The Giver is Allah. But this reality is hidden. This is the kind of reality that is expressed in the comment of the man with less money and offspring when he says,

"Yet it may be that my Lord will give me better than
thy garden, and will send on it a bolt from heaven, and
some morning it will be a smooth hillside, or some
morning the water thereof will be lost in the earth so
thatyou cannot make search for it." (al-Kahf 18:40-41)

Why has Allah only emphasized these two penalties? Why
did the man not say to him that Allah could strike him dead
for his arrogance or inflict him with a sickness that would
incapacitate him?
The answer is that these two main favours are more
responsible than the other favours for the productivity of this
garden and the prosperity of its owner. They also represent
two divine acts and refer to powers that are totally beyond
man's control. Therefore the arrogant man cannot claim that
the flourishing of his crop and the productivity of the land
were entirely due to his own labour and plans. Here Allah
reminds us of His power which, though hidden from us, is
responsible for all our prosperity. The water which irrigated this garden was not initially created by the ungrateful man, nor was it provided by him. It was Allah Who made it available to him. Indeed, after fourteen centuries and sincethe revelation of this verse, mankind has not been able to make one glass of water by using materials other than those which were originally created by Allah. One finds a good example in the vast deserts of the world. If man had been able to create water, he could have turned these deserts into fruitful green lands. Yet man, with all his knowledge, could not make one single river, but Allah's power has provided this earth with thousands of rivers, sufficient for the needs of man, animals and plants. Allah's providence does not end there, for He also protects plants and crops from all natural hazards such as floods, gales and pests which could destroy them. Water is, therefore, the main source of all productivity and the welfare of man, and only Allah can provide it in such abundance.
Then Allah tells us what the poor man said, "Or some morning the water thereof will be lost in the
earth so that you cannot make search for it." (18:41) Here we are informed that the availability of water is not in itself a guarantee that gardens or plants will grow and become fruitful, but that they also need protection from floods, gales and pests over which man has no control.

But Allah can also withhold His favours from one person
or another if He so desires, and man has no power to intervene or prevent His decision or alter its course once it has been made.
From the above discussion it is clear that Allah wants to
emphasize two realities which are sometimes overlooked.
The first is that it is He Who provides to this green land in
which we live water, which is the main source of all human
and plant life; and the second is that He protects it from
destruction. Because both actions are beyond his power,
man cannot pretend that his prosperity is entirely of his own
making. Although man may sow the seeds and water the
soil, it is Allah's will that causes the seed to germinate and
grow into a plant and the soil to become fertile, and it is He
who protects the crop from disaster. The lesson continues in the next verse wherein we are told
that:

"And his fruit was beset (with destruction). Then began
he to wring his hands for all that he had spent upon it,
when (now) it was all ruined on its trellises, and to say:
Would that I had ascribed no partner to my Lord!"
(al-Kahf 18:42)

It is obvious that Allah had destroyed this man's crop to
teach him how powerless and weak he was, and that his wealth
and his men whom he thought provided him with all the safety
and power he needed in this world could do him neither
good nor harm, nor was there any human or material power
capable of halting Allah's design once it had been ordained.
He had been given his garden by the will of Allah; but when
he became oblivious of this fact and put his trust in his wealth
and his offspring Allah took back His favours, leaving him
destitute, so that he would learn of his own arrogance.
Then suddenly he realized how foolish he was, and looked
around for support, but found none,

"And he had no troop of men to help him against Allah,
nor could he save himself." (al-Kahf 18:43)

Even if he had found such support, it would have proved
powerless against Allah's will.
Finally, at the moment of truth, he is overcome with
feelings of remorse and guilt; saying:

"Would that I had ascribed no partner to my Lord."
(al-Kahf 18:43)

He is in no doubt about his dilemma. He knows that all
he owned in this world was from Allah, and that the Giver
has punished him by taking it back.

Extracted from : The miracles of the Quran by Shaykh Muhammad and Mitwalli Al-sharawi.