The stories in Surah Al Kahf

Surah Al Kahf, the 18^th chapter of the Qur’an, is the first of those surahs which were revealed in the third stage (from the fifth to the tenth year) of Prophethood at Makkah[1]. The persecution of Muslims was severe but migration to Abysinnia had not yet taken place.

During this stage the Quraish resorted to ridiculing, scoffing, threatening, tempting, raising objections and making false propaganda against the Holy Prophet and his followers in order to suppress the growth of Islam. Now in the third stage they employed the weapons of persecution, man handling and economic pressure for the same purpose. It was at this stage that the Prophet was feeling very down and Allah sent him these four stories to up lift the spirits of the Prophet and his followers. And each story has a unique moral/lesson that the Prophet, companions and believers today require to remain strong and steadfast upon Islam, especially in difficult circumstances. Let us, in this Islamic course, look at each story and draw parallels from them to the life of the Prophet.

The Surah contains 110 verses and its title is derived from the first of the four stories mentioned, the people of the Cave[2]. A Tafseer of Surah Kahf expounds on each story.

1. The Story of the People of the Cave

This is an amazing story of faith.  The ‘Sleepers of the Cave’ believed in Tawhid in a society of idolatry. They stood out adhering to Tawhid under the huge social and political pressures forcing them to renounce their faith. This was very similar if not identical to the believers in Meccah who were surrounding by hostile pagans. Not just that but these youth were being treated in the same way the Prophet was.  This story teaches us that even a believer today who may face persecution by a cruel society should never give up their faith, even if that means moving away from that society to protect his faith. This first story further refutes the claims of the disbelievers who denied resurrection yet these youth were asleep for 309 lunar years, and Allah brought them back to life.

2. The story of the two man and their two gardens

This story teaches us about the trails of wealth. Two men whom Allah had blessed with a garden each yet one was thankful while the other was arrogant and boastful, attributed all his wealth to himself and his hard work, neglecting Allah and his bounties. Eventually, Allah destroys the garden of the arrogant one. This story served as a reminder to the pagans who are rejecting Islam due to their wealth and positions in society. Allah reminds us that wealth is in his control, so believe before your worldly pleasures come to an end and you’ll be left with no wealth and no faith.

3. The story of Musa and Al-Khidr

An amazing story of the continual pursuit of knowledge. When Mosa was asked who is the most knowledgeable person, he responded with “I am the most knowledge”, so Allah wanted to teach him, teach all people that there is always someone more knowledgeable than yourself so don’t allow your knowledge to make you arrogant and deny the truth.

“….and above everyone who has knowledge there is the One who is all knowing.”[3]

 In this story we also come to learn that Allah instructs us with that which is good and forbids us from that which is harmful, and we may not see the wisdom in much of these instructions but for sure we accept that they are full of guidance. Mosa is described as the first to travel in order to seek knowledge.  

4. The story of Dhul Qarnayn ( A righteous king)

This story teaches us a great lesson with regards to power and rulership. Power in most cases corrupts, but we do see some cases where power actually makes the ruler and his people more God fearing.  Dhul Qarnian was a righteous a just king, who travelled the lands from West to East. The Quran mentions three journeys. On his last journey, he reaches a place between two Mountains where he met a tribe of people. They asked him to build a wall between them and the people of Gog and Magoog “Ya’juj and Ma’juj” who were causing mischief in the land. Dhul Qarnian agreed to do so. Dhul Qarnayn was not arrogant of his achievements, in fact, the Quran mentions that after he built that great wall,

“and he said, ‘This is a mercy from my Lord”.[4]

Allah teaches the elite of the pagans and the rulers of today, to fear him. And to remember that power on this earth is from Allah. He can remove it whenever he wants and he can honour and disgrace people through it whenever he wants. So, obey Allah and be grateful for your luxuries and support the Prophet in his mission.

To Summarise:

1. The story of the Companions of the cave teaches us how to remain steadfast on our faith in very difficult challenging times.
2. The story of the two men with gardens teaches us that people’s wealth is on different levels, and you are wealthy also be grateful to Allah.
3. The Story of Mosa and Khidr teaches us to remain humble when it comes to knowledge as there’s always someone more knowledgeable than you and constantly remain active in seeking knowledge.
4. The story of Dhul Qarnayn teaches the powerful, how to judge by the commandments of Allah.

How to Protect yourself from the Dajjal

We pray that we all learn about these valuable lessons and we memorise this chapter to in order to be protected from evil, from the evil of the Dajjal.

The Messenger of Allah said:

 “Whoever commits to memory the first ten Ayat of Surat Al-Kahf, will be protected from (the trail of) Ad-Dajjal (Anitchrist).”[5]

[1] Sayyid Quttb. In the shade of the Qur’an, The Islamic Foundation 2003, Vol 11, P182-188.

[2] Sharif H. Banna. Journey through the Qur’an, Claritas Books 2020, P129

[3] M.A.S.Abdel Haleem, The Quran, Oxford, 2016, Chapter 12:76

[4] Ibid., 18:98

[5] Sahih Muslim