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Day 36: Tafsir Part 31

SURAH KAHF COHERENCE & THEMATIC FLOW IN AYAHS 9-18

Description
This video discusses the coherence and thematic flow in ayahs 9 to 18.

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We begin with the 9th ayah because of its connection to the ayahs before
It is also the starting point for the narrative of the people of the cave.
Given the length of the passage, we will break it up into sections even though the inter-textuality of the passage
(ayahs 9-26 includes entirety of story) will leave us no choice but to make references to elements from one
section while we are in another
Ayah 9-11 : Paraphrasing of the meaning and flow of the passage
Did you think that they were so strange from within our grand arsenal of miracles that you are in receipt of, unlike any
other prophet before you? Did you think they were so strange given the fact that they turned to their Master in prayer.
It is no surprise then that as a result of their prayer, we made them sleep in their cave for years of some number and
eventually we resurrected them.

In ayah 10 there is a duaa, and in ayah 11 there is a , which is a , which means therefore as a result
of their prayer We put them down to sleep.

Before going further, from our perception they were resurrected as a miraculous sign. Why were they resurrected?
1. To display a miracle
2. As an act of protecting them from tyranny of the king that was after them and trying to kill them
3. To prove resurrection, i.e. when they wake up the people around them are going to be in doubt about
resurrection and this is going to give them complete conviction that resurrection is real.
4. While all these reasons might be true, it is incredibly curious to note that the first rationale offered for their
resurrection is in ayah 12

What does
mean? In order or so that.
is for a rationale. Why did We raise them? The first reason offered is,
so We could see for ourselves which of the two groups is more precise in its count of the stay.
Though a number of diverse opinions are found in tafsir literature about the ambiguous two groups and
who they are, the most inclined view says that this is a comment specifically about the companions of
the cave themselves, broken up into two, who ended up postulating in response to the coming question.

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When they woke up they said (in ayah 19), , how long did you stay? The use of the identical

verb mimicking
, is itself enough of an indicator that what is being made reference
to multiple times,
its repeated over
and over again within the same ayah

the answer was,

makes something infinitive and turns it into an idea/
o together is like a
/idea, meaning their stay
o

Translated: Which of the two groups has a more accurate understanding about their stay

Because a is inclusive of the entire act, it actually includes everything about their stay
How they stayed, where they stayed, why they stayed, how long they stayed

When you say a it is all things related to the act

The question in the ayah was, which of the two groups had a more precise
understanding of their stay? And it can be anything about their stay

When you use the word then you have made the subject matter all things related to the
word

So it has to be made specific by and the conversation got restricted to duration

When the youth wake up later on in the story, the question that is asked is
o
o
o

He doesnt say he says

By using then you have specifically asked a question about how long did you stay
If you were to answer the question of , the answer should also have

But it is qualified by the word at the end of the ayah which means duration.
This specifies exactly what the question means

But the answer is

And when is used, it is open ended and is a and was restricted by the
word

But when they answered they said and they left it open-ended
The response is Allah knows everything about the stay
They are saying that all detailed conversations about our stay are fruitless and
not just this question about duration
The answer they gave plugs the hole for the possibility of other distracting and
ridiculous questions and did not just answer the question of how long they
stayed

The use of the identical verb mimicking is itself enough of an indicator that what is being made

reference to multiple times within the same ayah, and even with the the same
expression that was used before that these two are referring to the same exact thing.
o The text itself is screaming at you telling you which two groups they are. They are using the
same exact very over and over. It is not accidental.
In ayah 12, Allah asks His questions using the phrase and the companions use the phrase . If you accept
this premise it leads to several implications:
1. The most accurate response which is what Allah wanted to test in this question
is actually

. That was the answer He was seeking. That is the best answer and precise answer He is looking for

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2. That Allah places more value on their internal conversation, which might even seem trivial at first glance. As His
demonstration of closeness to them, everything said by Allah is memorable in comparison to them being a
miracle or them being a powerful reminder of resurrection, or them being a great source of inspiration for the
Ummah of Muhammad (pbuh), the rationale for their resurrection that is given priority, is the fact that Allah
wanted to hear their back and forth. There is a powerful authoritative God that has sent revelation and warned
of war (referring to Dajjal in ayah 2
) on the one hand, and a loving friend who
wants to enjoy the spectacle of their curious argument with the other before He tells you that He resurrected
them for themselves or anyone elses benefit, He tells us that He raised them for His own joy.

3. The phrase it is not about Allah the All-Knowing discovering something about this conversation
a. Its usage here highlights the role of a mentor or teacher who poses a question like, lets see, for the
benefit of the mentor
b. They rise to their occasion and become worthy of the appreciation of their Master. Thus the phrase, so
that We would know, is actually about them making Allah proud with the right answer than being about
Him getting to know someone.
c. Allahs friendship and closeness to them is going to set one of the most important tones for the rest of
this narrative
These young men, in their lonely quest for the cave, turn to Allah alone in prayer. Then Allah responded directly to them
when no one else could. His love for them is manifest not just in how He put them to sleep, but also in how He was so
deeply interested in their seemingly casual conversation.
The point is, no academic, king, historian, devotee has ever been closer to them than He has. Who is
then in a position to know what really happened to them?
o

! We are in a position to tell you what happened with them and what their story is

has 3 meanings

o
o
o

Were going to tell it accurately

He will tell it purposefully (this will play a role later on)
Rightfully - He is the only one who has the right to tell the story
By saying rightfully, He is claiming the story and snatching it from any who plagiarized or
contaminated it with their conditions

There was no doubt that they were young men in the cave. Even the Christians believe that they were youth. And the
people of Quraish that came and asked the question didnt have any doubt that they were young either.

is used when there is doubt and you want to use it to get rid of doubt.

They came for sure they came

The question arises, what is the rationale and purpose of ? The purpose of it is to talk to somebody who is
not sure and to give them assurance
o This is much is agreed upon by the Christians

who believed in their Rabb

o
o
o

This is not agreed upon

When the Christians hear they believe in their Lord, they might interpret this as their faith in Jesus
But given the powerful introduction weve already covered in ayahs 4-5 that says,

There is no room in the interpretation of these ayahs to corroborate what the Christians think.

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Allah is claiming this youth and giving them to the Ummah of the Prophet (pbuh) as an
inspiration

The use of begins with a premise that the Christians agree with but then immediately ties it
to clause that contradicts their beliefs making the 2 inseparable

Just as it is agreed upon that they are young, it must not be agreed upon that they are believers
in Allah.

Speaking about the ayah about the false creed

o
o

It is wonderful to note that Allah says their ancestors have no knowledge either

Their elders basically had no knowledge this is counter intuitive because you would think that the
elders at least would no better. But in contrast, you have young men who held on to their faith.
Old monks and priests have turned their story into the stuff of Christian legend. Yet the ones
they speak of were young men who allowed no contamination in their pure faith

Final intro comment

o We enhanced them in guidance
o This is actually a claim that will be demonstrated throughout the story and is in some sense the thesis of
their story

By ayah 13, The take away above all is

the introduction to the story has come to
an end
Before depicting the account in some detail, the Quran provides an overview of the story and summarizes the essence of
the story, which can be illustrated as follows:
1. Their account is not that strange given that the sincere prayer of the true believer does not go unanswered
2. Their prayer is a direct cause for the miraculous events in the cave
3. Their resurrection was a divine manifestation of their closeness to Him and this is why Allah (swt) raised them
In ayah 13,
, we are actually seeing a direct connection with what preceded and
what follows.
This is the beauty of coherence

Their prayer is: rabbana 2aatinaa min ladonka rahma w hayyi2 rashada
The next ayah : fa darabna 3ala 2aathaanihim fil kahf 3adada
Their prayer was a manifestion of
people who make duaa are those that are believers in Allah swt. The
essence of iman is duaa.
And then being guided to a cave, being kept in Allahs complete care all they went through was Allah
increasing them in guidance

One ayah was about

and the other ayah was

The first section of the story is the overview

Section 2: The Youth Speak Out.
This section is made up of only 2 ayahs, 14 and 15

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Ayah 14 (



) we reinforced and held strong their hearts when they stood then spoke out and said, Our

Master is the Master of the skies and the Earth, we will not call anyone to worship or obey besides Him. Had we
said other than that we would have said something ridiculous
o
o

o
o

This ayah is a mirror image of its preceding ayah 13

In ayah 14 , Allah demonstrates w

in in this ayah He increased
them in guidance by strengthening their hearts. That was the last thing mention in ayah 13. So what was
last in the previous ayah is now the first thing in this ayah 14.
The first thing Allah told us about them in ayah 13 is that they were youth and they had iman and belief.
In this ayah, they proclaimed and demonstrated that iman. It is captured in them getting up and

speaking out
So the last thing mentioned in this ayah was the first thing mentioned previously. It is the opposite
order.
Their speech is preceded by Allahs intervention of strengthening their nerve.
i.e. before they spoke out, Allah said He strengthened their nerve-wrecked hearts that were tied
together
On the one hand this suggests that they were each divinely inspired by courage. And on
the other hand it suggests that their hearts were tied to each other. They became an
inseparable bunch.
o One can easily imagine young people on trial being broken up. And attempts
being made to pit one against the other. It is just as easily imaginable that some
of them may have had hesitations about speaking out as opposed to others. All
of that would have been a normal and even expected social and psychological
scenario for a group of teens on trial.
o Yet, the ayah beautifully illustrates how not one of them faltered and begged
for clemency as they spoke as one in unison and with the same conviction.
o Against this backdrop, you can appreciate the strength of their loyalty to their
true Master and the intensity of their defiance against the powers that be.
o Endowed with this courage from Allah, they take the stand

this is significant because in the figurative sense it suggests resolve and

commitment that they wont be deterred from their stance

o In a literal sense also because they had to stand in trial facing the king and his
authority.
o Theres also the large community and family who came to watch the
proceedings
o

The
, tying and strengthening, on their hearts fortified them on two fronts.
To stand tall against the threat of punishment from the king they had
to get over their fear
To stand tall despite the loving advice of parents, elders and the
concerned community that offers them the road back to shirk as
something that is in their own best interest.
One would have to have iron will to stand up to both of those pressures
at the same time. Yet they stood and declared the source of their
strength , the motivation behind their defiance and where their true

loyalties lie.



When they say rabb, they are letting us know that that the reason they
are standing is because they will only have loyalty to Allah swt.

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The power we have

declared our Master, is Master over all things. We wont be speaking

out in defiance of Him calling anyone or anything in worship besides
Him. How stupid would that be!
The irony is obvious. They are in trouble for defiance against a king. And
their bold opening statement tells the king, and everyone else, that they
are on to something. We are willing to be in defiance to you and your
false god as we cannot afford defiance to the Ultimate King and One
True God. While you think our actions are foolish and senseless,
complying with you and offending our Rabb is really outrageous and

) .
foolish and senseless (

CONNECTION: This manner of speech is not possible without

you could not speak like that unless your hearts are
toughened up, which is only a manifestation of

because that rab6 of the hearts came from Allah enhancing them in

and they had iman in Allah

The strength of their heart is a result of Allah increasing them in

guidance which is a results of their own belief

Ayah 15

Translation: These are our people/nation and theyve taken other gods besides Him. How come they dont bring
forward any clear authoritative proof or evidence for them (those gods)? Who would be more wrong than someone who
makes up out of nothing a lie against Allah

The use of
is suggesting that the whole town is witness to the trial
Fingers are supposed to be pointed at the defendants, yet they turn and point fingers at the congregation using

Suggests that regardless of their false loyalties, that they are their people. This furthers the idea that they

the pointer

had to stand tall not just against fear but also against misguided love
o Though they are their people, their advice is disqualified from being heeded because they took other
gods besides Allah
o Though we are the ones on trial and we should be the ones explaining ourselves, they are the ones that
should be on trial and explaining themselves

o
o

how come they dont being forward any evidence

The use of sultan has a duality in meaning. It means authoritative and conclusive evidence but it also
means a king/ruler.
How come they dont bring forward any clear evidence or any clear authority. They have taken
an aggressive stance of rebellion against the king who they stand before in trial.

Their final statement

hammers the final nail in the coffin.
It incriminates not only the nation that falsely attributes partners to Allah, but also the king who
propagates these false beliefs.
They youth place their king and their people on trial in these few words. Theyve also charged
them as criminals that could not have committed a worse crime.

This shows us how powerfully

works.

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Section 3: As they head to the Cave (Ayah 16)

Translation: Now that you have detached yourselves and come into seclusion from them, while they were worshipping
none besides Allah, then seek refuge in the cave, your Master is going to shower on you from His loving Mercy and He
will transform or facilitate for you about your decision or because of your decision peace and comfort.
There is a quick transition in the story where the youth are fleeing from the prison
It should be obvious to any reader that after the speech they made in ayahs 14-16, they were sentenced to
prison and were to be executed
o This is also verified by the Christian account
Interestingly, the secret act of their escape is kept secret and unmentioned in the Qurans text
o As they escape and run away from prison, we might interpret their flight as cowardice.

But Allah intervenes and clarifies on their behalf with an interjectory statement,
,
Allah says they are worshipping none but Allah
o Other interpretations of this ayah exist but this view of the definition is most fitting as an interjected
statement and it is not what they are saying but what Allah included in this statement
When you get far away from the people/king, take refuge in the cave
o This suggests that they took whichever direction they could find and once they reached as far away
isolation as possible they set out for the cave
o The use of the verbs suggests that it is important to plan ones escape from oppression wisely.
This is reminiscent of the Prophets escape from oppression in Mecca how it was more than one
route and how their were multiple layers in his place
o

Interestingly enough, if you say

The use of in
suggests that the cave is a known place to these young men but is an unchartered
territory that they perhaps may have discovered earlier
o It must be noted though that if this is an unchartered location then it must be a place that is difficult to
access and also replete with unknown dangers
o Some mufassiroon say that people used to go worship there all the time in that cave
This isnt the most convincing because if it became a popular place then it would make no sense
to hide there from the authorities. It had to be a place that was only known to these youth
o While thinking as the cave as a refuge, one would have a hard time conjuring up the images of readily
available comforts and amenities.
Anyone who is embarking on such a journey must worry about the limited food supplies, the
shelter, the safety
But they were so confident in their journey and belief and they were literally talking about
comfort and mercy as they were headed towards this treacherous mountain path up the
mountain and heading into the cave
But every step they took, they walked away from a life of youthful enjoyment and familial
support that they once knew. They walked towards an abandoned cave with unknown dangers.
And the only thing they knew was that it had nothing to offer them that their old life did
Even if they hide out there, how long would it last?
Especially for you guys who have made such a great sacrifice for the sake of your Master, He will
spread out for you especially all manner of care and mercy

The words
could be looked at a number of ways
o

One could argue that the is of , i.e. because of

If looked at like that then it would mean because of Allahs love, care and mercy directed
towards the youth, He will shower them with blessings

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Another approach is that is conciliatory this creates the meaning of varying something
Meaning any kind of mercy Allah decides
Another possible translation is that He will shower you of some things from within His grand
vaults of love and mercy, i.e. whatever He decides to shower down on you will be an expression
of His love and care so you dont have to worry about whether it will suffice

in the second person

The use of
o A scene is being painted of them talking to each other, encouraging each other, and even
complimenting each other on making the correct decisions and they are backing each other up.

But technically it the object of the verb is not mentioned he will shower on you what?
It leaves the question open
The other meanings mean hell shower mercy upon you
It is as though the youth are telling each other that Allah will shower them with what cant even
be quantified in words.
It also suggests that they cant imagine how they would be taken care of in an impossible home
like a cave, so theyll leave it up to Allah to decide what He will shower them with

That is yet another powerful example of

Their hearts are tied to each other so they are comforting each other

There is a beautiful contrast between the image of the depravity of a cave with the hope found in

o

The root for

has only been used in one other context in the Quran that is when Jesus alayhi
alsalam takes the shape ( )of a bird and blows into it by Allahs permission turning it into an actual
living bird
The connection is on the one hand historical, as they young men are true followers of Jesus alayhi
alsalam, believing in his original message of , but also in theme
Just as the or shape of a dead bird came to life by Allahs permission, He can mold their
situation, which seems at face value to be certain death, into life. As a matter of fact, they are
hoping for more than just survival.
But they have this with Allah. They dont just want Allah to help them survive; they
want Him to help them live comfortably. And we know this because they didnt just ask for

survival, they asked for

They asked Allah to mold their reality because of their decision into a means of comfort.

because of their decision Allah will give them comfort

This meaning yields the most powerful interpretation

The word is also a really beautiful bit of foreshadowing

It literally refers to something that you lean on, hence to sleep
Perhaps they didnt even know the implication of their own words and perhaps these words
were inspired to them from Allah
Perhaps even in our lives when we become believers of sincere counsel to one another,
supporting each other on the road that leads away from comfort to a road that is taken only to
please Allah, He will inspire us with counsel far beyond the scope of our own imagination

necessarily takes our minds back to ayah 10

o
o
o

In ayah 10 this statement was a duaa directed to Allah swt

In contrast, this ayah has words of encouragement that are directed towards each other
The lesson is powerful: sometimes people pray in times of desperation, but deep down inside their
psyche they know that their prayer is just a last resort and reality will not change as a result of it

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These youth pray on the one hand and remind each other that the hope in Allah is something very very
real
In the minds of people duaa is the last resort
These youth of the cave, on one hand they pray and on the other hand they talk about it as if it
is reality and that duaa is the real thing to rely on. It is a very different mental shift to have

Section 4: Imagine, Messenger (scene of what is happening inside the cave; Ayahs 17-18)

Translation: And you see the sun when it rises, it leans over/ it is biased away from their cave towards the right and
when it sets it cuts across them to the left while they are in an open space within it. That is from the miraculous signs of
Allah. Whomever Allah might guide, then he is the one committed to guidance. And whomever Allah might mislead,
then you will not find for him a protecting friend and a guide.

Translation: And you imagine them to be awake while they are asleep. And we turn them continually towards the right
and towards the left. And their dog is stretching out both its paws right by the mouth of the cave. If you were to climb
up to them and see them you would turn away and flee and you would turn others away from them and you would be
filled because of them with terror

The messenger (pbuh) is being asked to visualize the scene as if he was there

The use of
furthers the notion of the Prophet (pbuh) emplohying his imagination that was first introduced

to us with the opening words of the story in ayah 9

did you wonder, imagine, think or assume
In any case, the Quran now begins to elaborate on the part of the story that makes it miraculous
o On the one hand, as per the intro ayah of the story, this shouldnt be considered of the strange miracles
of Allah
o

did you really think that was that
strange?

But even though what transpired with the youth isnt 3ajaban, it is still from within the ayaat

Hence you have here

this reinforces the idea that though miraculous, it
isnt in the same league as

The Quran uses

with the Quran (in Surah Jinn)
The sun as it rises, side steps them to the right. And as it sets it lends them a favor as keeping to the left. In
doing so, they arent hit directly to sun light and thus exposed despite the fact that they are in a wide open
space which should under normal circumstances be struck by the suns beams directly.
o This is truly from the ayaat of Allah. Laws of nature have been compromised at the service of these
young men who asked their Master for comfort.
In sleep, the sun hitting you directly would be an uncomfortable wake up and so Allah is meeting
their hopes and exceeding them in ways they couldnt have imagined
After all, they dont even know how Allah was bending the light around them as they slept

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These ayahs are an incredible source of inspiration to young people until the day of judgment. Allah going out of
His way to avoid them getting hit by the sun.
o These youth enslave themselves in the service of Allah and Allah enslaves the universe in their service
o Wealth, political influence, social standing or any other imaginable worldly resource may be in the hands
of their enemies but that is utterly meaningless in comparison to Allah turning the sun into their servant
if needed
o The youth abide by Allahs law so they are granted the gift that defies the laws of nature
o What will young people of this ummah complain about after knowing this truth? Who will have the
energy to whine about the media, or government or the corrupt wealthy elite?

o In most cases, the expression of

is about phenomena that we have come to accept
as typical in the course of our lives (many ayahs in the Quran to demonstrate this)

What Allah did for the youth is no more miraculous than everything mentioned in the ayaat that use the same
word in the Quran
o Whomever Allah guides has to be committed to guidance to begin with
o Allah guided the youth to the exact cave, to the exact position, and location where they can avoid the
sun
o Allah even guided them in their sleep which we will see in the next ayah
Allah will then have the Prophet (pbuh) imagine what happened inside the cave
o You would imagine that they were awake while they were deep asleep. And perhaps you would imagine
them to be awake because Allah made them to turn to the left and the right continuously
This can also suggest that their eyes may have been open as well
o All of this is happening while their dog is stretching out and taking the attack position
o

the act of participle might indicate the immediacy of the act of outstretched paws

So if someone was to stumble upon the cave they would see not outstretched paws but ones
that happened immediately. So the dog would appear to be taking that position at that moment
This may also suggest that the paws are the only thing visible at the mouth of the cave while the
rest of the animal is hidden in the shadow.
This may appear to be frightening especially if you add to it the silhouette of a large
group of people in the background that appear to be awake, in an abandoned area if
you climbed up and stumbled upon them, it is no surprise that you may make a run for it
yourself and turned anyone else from that path

Gives the verb transitivity and intransitivity all at the same time
o
to turn around
o
to turn around and to turn others around
has a connotation of running out of fear

The final phrase seems to illustrate a strange picture of a terrified soul who cant get the thought of them out
of their head and cant get over their fear
o The youth originally ran from the town for fear of their lives and Allah made them a source of endless
fear for anyone who approached them
o If they would have been awake they would have been terrified.
But Allah transformed that reality for them and it is everyone else who is terrified of them while
they are in constant comfort and tranquility
The sequence


o Shouldnt you be filled with fear first and then run scared?
o They ayah says, if you came across them says you would run scared and then you would be filled with
fear

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The most convincing reason is that the sequence suggests that even months after you ran off,
even the thought of going back fills you of terror anew. It wasnt just terror at the time you ran
away.
If you have gotten fearful first and then ran off, it would have suggested a short termed
fear
But mentioning fear later, makes it a terrible fear that fills you and gives you nightmare
VISUAL TRANSITION
o The sun on the one side is shifted on the outside and they are shifting on the inside
o This is then followed up by the dog at the mouth of the cave, which is the point where the inside and the
outside intersect
o

Also, as the sun climbs, the verb that is used is

and turns away from them. And if someone was

to climb up to them the same verb is used

you would also turn away from them
Use of the same word in its more emphatic form indicates the amount of effort it would take to
get up that high
A comparison is made between you and the sun
The sun is protecting them while it rises, while you run to protection from them because
of your rise

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