Sūrah Al-Kahf

āyāt 3–5

The āyāt continue to describe the reward for good deeds, which is an eternal dwelling in Paradise. They also serve as a warning to those who claim that Allāh has taken a son. This claim, the āyāt emphasize, is made without any knowledge, neither by them nor by their forefathers, and it is a grave falsehood coming out of their mouths, for they speak nothing but lies.

āyāt 6–8

This passage first addresses the Prophet ﷺ, mentioning that he might grieve himself to death over those who refuse to believe in this message. It then explains that everything beautiful and attractive on Earth has been placed there to test people, to see who among them will do the best deeds. Finally, it states that in the end, God will turn everything on the Earth into barren ground.

āyāt 9

This āyah asks if one truly believes that the story of the companions of the cave and the inscription is an exceptionally astonishing event among all of God's many signs.

āyāt 11–13

God caused the youths in the cave to fall into a deep sleep for many years. Afterward, God woke them up to show which of the two groups among them had the best understanding of how long they had stayed there. God recounts their story to the Prophet ﷺ in truth, as they were young men who believed in their Lord, and God increased them in guidance.

āyāt 14–16

God strengthened the hearts of these youths when they stood up and declared that their Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, vowing never to worship anyone else, calling such an act a terrible lie. They pointed out that their people had taken other deities besides God, and wondered why they didn't present clear proof for this worship, concluding that no one is more unjust than someone who invents lies about God. The youths then told each other that since they had withdrawn from their people and what they worshipped instead of God, they should retreat to the cave where their Lord would extend His mercy to them and make their situation easy.

āyāt 17–19

You would have seen the sun rise, moving away from the cave's right, and set, passing them on the left, as they lay in an open part of it. This was one of God's signs; whoever God guides is truly guided, but for one He allows to go astray, you will find no protecting guide. You might have thought they were awake, though they were asleep, and God turned them from side to side, while their dog lay at the entrance with paws outstretched. Had you seen them, you would have fled in terror. In the same way, God woke them so they could ask each other how long they had been there. Some wondered if it was a day or part of a day, but then agreed that their Lord knew best. They decided to send one of them to the city with their silver coin to find the best food and bring provisions discreetly, ensuring no one would notice him.

āyāt 20–22

The youths were warned that if their people found them, they would stone them or force them back to their religion, and then they would never succeed. Allāh caused them to be discovered so that people would know that Allāh’s promise is true and there is no doubt about the Hour; this happened when people debated what to do with them, some suggesting a structure over them, while those who prevailed decided to build a place of worship over them. People will speculate about the number of youths, saying three, five, or seven, each time including their dog, but the Prophet ﷺ is told that his Lord knows their true number, and only a few truly know it. He ﷺ is instructed not to argue about them except with clear evidence and not to ask others for details about them.

āyāt 25–26

The āyāt tell us that the youths remained in their cave for three hundred years, and nine more. It then instructs the Prophet ﷺ to say that Allāh knows best how long they stayed there, because He has knowledge of all that is unseen in the heavens and the earth. Allāh is perfectly Hearing and perfectly Seeing, and there is no protector for them besides Him. He does not share His authority or His rulings with anyone.

āyāt 27–29

The Prophet ﷺ is instructed to recite what has been revealed to him from his Lord's Book, for no one can change His words, and there is no refuge other than Him. He is also told to patiently stay with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His pleasure, and not to let his eyes turn away from them towards worldly adornments, nor obey those heedless of God and engrossed in their desires. Then, the Prophet ﷺ is to declare that the truth comes from the Lord, so whoever wishes may believe and whoever wishes may disbelieve, warning that God has prepared for the wrongdoers a surrounding fire, where their only relief will be a drink like murky oil that scalds faces—a dreadful drink and an evil resting place.

āyāt 30–31

This stretch of āyāt promises that for those who believe and do good deeds, God will certainly not let their reward be lost. Instead, they will have Gardens where they will live forever, with rivers flowing beneath them. There, they will be adorned with gold bracelets and wear fine green silk garments, reclining on beautiful couches, a truly excellent reward and a beautiful resting place.

āyāt 32–34

Allāh presents an example of two men: one of them was blessed by Allāh with two gardens of grapevines, surrounded by palm trees, with crops growing between them. Both gardens yielded abundant fruit without fail, and Allāh caused a river to flow through them. The man with the gardens, possessing ample produce, boasted to his companion that he was richer and had more people at his disposal.

āyāt 35–37

The man entered his garden, having dealt unjustly with his own soul. He confidently declared that he didn't believe his garden would ever be destroyed. He further stated that he did not think the Day of Judgement would ever happen, but even if it did, he was sure he would receive something better in return from his Lord. His companion, while speaking with him, challenged his belief, asking if he disbelieved in the One who created him from dust, then from a drop of fluid, and then fashioned him into a complete man.

āyāt 38–40

The man of faith declares that for him, God is Allāh, his Lord, and he associates no partner with Him. He then questions his companion, asking why he didn't acknowledge God's will and power upon entering his garden. The man of faith expresses hope that his Lord may grant him something better than the garden, even though he has less wealth and children, and warns that a disaster might be sent from the sky upon the other's garden, turning it into barren, dusty ground.

āyāt 41–43

The wealthy man's companion warns him that his water might sink deep into the earth, leaving him unable to reach it. Soon after, all the fruits of the wealthy man's garden are destroyed, causing him immense regret over all his spending and wishing he had not associated anyone with his Lord. At that moment, he had no one to help him against God, nor could he defend himself.

āyāt 44–46

Here, it is declared that all authority belongs truly to Allāh alone, and He is the best to reward and brings about the best outcome. Allāh then presents an example of this worldly life, describing it like rain sent down from the sky that causes the earth's plants to flourish, only for them to later become dry, scattered remnants. He explains that wealth and children are merely fleeting decorations of this life, but lasting good deeds are far superior in the sight of your Lord, both for their reward and for one's hopes.

āyāt 47–49

This passage describes the Day of Judgment. On that Day, the mountains will be removed, the earth will be laid bare, and everyone will be gathered. People will be presented before their Lord in rows, and He will remind them that they have returned to Him just as they were first created, despite their disbelief in this Day. Then, the record of deeds will be opened, causing criminals to fear what it contains, for it will enumerate everything they ever did, small or great, and they will find all their actions present before them, and their Lord wrongs no one.

āyāt 50–52

This passage reminds us of when God commanded the angels to prostrate to Adam عليه السلام, and they all obeyed except for Iblīs, who was a jinn and disobeyed God's command. God then questions why anyone would choose Iblīs and his offspring as protectors instead of Him, especially since they are enemies. God declares that He did not make Iblīs or his descendants witnesses to the creation of the heavens and the earth, or even their own creation, and He would never take those who lead astray as helpers. The passage then warns of a Day when God will tell people to call on those whom they claimed were His partners. They will call upon them, but these so-called partners will not respond, and God will place a destructive barrier between them.

āyāt 53–55

On the Day of Judgement, those who committed crimes will clearly see the Fire and know for certain that they are about to enter it, with no escape. This Qur'ān presents all sorts of examples for people, explaining things in many different ways, yet humanity is often inclined to dispute and argue. What stops people from believing when guidance comes to them, and from seeking their Lord's forgiveness, is only that they are waiting for the same fate that befell previous nations, or for punishment to come directly upon them.

āyāt 56–58

Messengers are sent only to deliver good news and warnings. Yet, those who reject faith argue with falsehood to undermine the truth, and they mock God's signs and what they are warned about. No one is more unjust than a person who is reminded of their Lord's signs but turns away and forgets their own deeds; such people have hearts covered and ears deafened so they cannot understand, and they will never be guided even if invited to it. Your Lord is All-Forgiving and Merciful, and if He were to immediately punish people for their actions, He would do so swiftly; instead, He has set a time for them from which they will find no escape.

āyāt 59

These cities were destroyed because their people committed wrongdoing. For each of them, a specific time had been set for their destruction.

āyāt 99–101

On that Day, people will surge over each other before a trumpet blast gathers everyone together for the assembly. Hell will be displayed clearly to those who disbelieved. These are the ones whose eyes were veiled from God's remembrance, and they were unable to hear the truth.

āyāt 102–104

The divine message questions whether those who deny the truth believe they can take others as protectors instead of God Himself, stating that Hell is certainly prepared for such disbelievers. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is then instructed to ask if we should inform about those who are the greatest losers in their deeds. These are identified as people whose efforts are wasted in this worldly life, even though they sincerely believe they are doing good work.

āyāt 105–107

These verses speak about those who deny their Lord's signs and their eventual meeting with Him; their deeds become worthless, and on the Day of Resurrection, they will have no importance. Their reward for denying God's signs and ridiculing His messengers will be Hell. In contrast, those who believe and do good deeds will have the Gardens of Paradise as a place to stay.

āyāt 108–109

Those who do good will live in Paradise forever and will never want to leave it. The words and wisdom of God are so vast that if the sea were ink for writing them, the sea would run out before God's words were exhausted, even if another sea like it were added to replenish it.

āyāt 60–62

This passage begins with Prophet Mūsā عليه السلام telling his servant that he will not stop traveling until he reaches the meeting point of two seas, even if it takes a very long time. When they finally arrived at this junction, they forgot about their fish, which then found its way into the sea and slipped away. After they had gone past that point, Prophet Mūsā عليه السلام asked his servant to bring their meal, noting that their journey had made them very tired.

āyāt 63–65

The companion tells Mūsā عليه السلام that he forgot about the fish when they stopped by the rock, and he blames Satan for making him forget to tell Mūsā عليه السلام about it, noting how the fish then went into the sea in a wondrous manner. Mūsā عليه السلام declares that this is precisely what they were looking for, so they turned back, retracing their steps. There, they found a special servant of God, to whom God had shown great mercy and taught a unique form of knowledge.

āyāt 66–68

Prophet Mūsā عليه السلام asked a man if he could follow him, hoping to learn some of the wisdom he had been taught. The man replied that Mūsā عليه السلام would not be able to be patient with him. He then asked how Mūsā عليه السلام could be patient with things whose true nature he did not know.

āyāt 69–71

Mūsā عليه السلام promised that he would be patient and obey, if Allāh wills it. The other man then told him that if he were to follow him, he must not ask about anything until he himself provides an explanation. So, they continued their journey. When they boarded a ship, the other man damaged it. Mūsā عليه السلام immediately asked if he had done so to drown its people, calling it a truly terrible act.

āyāt 72–74

The previous teacher, al-Khiḍr, reminded Mūsā عليه السلام that he would not be able to be patient with him. Mūsā عليه السلام responded by asking al-Khiḍr not to blame him for what he forgot, nor to make his journey too difficult. They continued their journey, and when they encountered a young boy, al-Khiḍr killed him. Mūsā عليه السلام was dismayed, asking how al-Khiḍr could kill an innocent soul who had not killed anyone, calling it a truly evil act.

āyāt 75–77

Al-Khiḍr reminded Mūsā عليه السلام that he had warned him about not being able to have patience with him. Mūsā عليه السلام then pledged that if he questioned anything further, Al-Khiḍr should no longer keep him as a companion, as he would then have a clear excuse to part ways. They continued their journey until they reached a town where the people refused to host them. There, Al-Khiḍr found a wall that was about to collapse and repaired it. Mūsā عليه السلام then suggested that Al-Khiḍr could have taken payment for this work.

āyāt 78–80

Al-Khiḍr then stated that their journey together was coming to an end. He promised to explain the meaning of the events Mūsā عليه السلام could not be patient with. First, regarding the ship, he explained that it belonged to poor people working at sea, and he deliberately damaged it because a king was coming who would forcibly seize every sound ship. Second, concerning the young boy, Al-Khiḍr said that his parents were believers, and there was a concern that the boy would grow up to burden them with his disobedience and disbelief.

āyāt 81–82

Here, it is explained that the young man was taken because Allah intended to give the parents a child better in purity and closer to mercy. Then, regarding the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and a treasure for them was hidden beneath it. Their father had been a righteous man, so Allah intended for them to grow up and retrieve their treasure, as a mercy from Him. The speaker concludes by saying that he did not do any of these things of his own accord, and this is the explanation for the actions Mūsā عليه السلام could not bear with patience.

āyāt 83–85

People will ask the Prophet ﷺ about Dhul-Qarnayn, and he is told to say that he will relate a story about him. Indeed, God established Dhul-Qarnayn on earth and provided him with means to achieve everything. So, Dhul-Qarnayn pursued a certain path.

āyāt 86–88

When Dhul-Qarnayn reached the westernmost point, he found the sun appearing to set into a dark body of water, and he encountered a people there. Allāh gave him a choice: either punish them or treat them kindly. Dhul-Qarnayn responded that he would punish those who do wrong, and they would then return to their Lord to face a terrible punishment. However, for those who believe and do good deeds, they would receive the best reward, and he would speak to them gently.

āyāt 89–91

Dhul-Qarnayn then followed another path until he reached the place where the sun rises. There, he found people living without any natural or artificial shelter from the sun's direct rays. This account is presented by Allah, Who is fully aware of all Dhul-Qarnayn's affairs.

āyāt 92–94

Then Dhul-Qarnayn set out on another journey. He continued until he arrived at a place between two mountains, where he found a people whose language was very difficult to understand. These people appealed to Dhul-Qarnayn, saying that Gog and Magog were spreading great corruption in their land, and they offered to pay him if he could build a barrier between them and these destructive forces.

āyāt 95–97

Dhul-Qarnayn declared that what his Lord had given him was superior, but he asked the people to provide manpower so he could construct a barrier between them and their enemies. He then instructed them to bring him large blocks of iron, which he had them arrange between two mountain walls. He told them to blow on it until the iron became like fire, then asked for molten copper to be poured over it. As a result, the destructive people of Gog and Magog could not climb over this barrier nor make any hole through it.

āyāt 98

Dhul-Qarnayn declared that what he had accomplished was a mercy from his Lord. He then foretold that when the promise of his Lord approaches, it will level everything, and indeed, his Lord's promise is always true.