Al-Kahf
Encyclopedia
Sura
al-Kahf "The Cave" is the 18th surah of the Qur'an
with 110 ayat. It is a Meccan sura
.
(Ashabu Al-Kahf). Some number of young monotheistic men lived in a time where they were persecuted. They fled the city together, and took refuge in a cave where they fell asleep. God caused them to remain sleeping for 300 solar years, or 309 lunar years, and when they woke the surrounding area had become monotheistic as well.
, or soul/spirit in verse 28.
Wrong quotation: Verse 28 does not mention the Ruh/ the soul:
The verse that mentions the Ruuh/ the Soul is Verse # 85 In Surat Al Israa'
At the end of the parable God destroys what he had given the man.
The third main story within the chapter (verses 60 – 82) is that of Moses
traveling to gain knowledge from another servant of God who is never mentioned by name, but according to the tafsir of ibn Kathir
is called Al-Khidr
.
.
, reported in his book Sira that the eighteenth chapter of the Qur'an (which includes the story of Dhu l-Qarnayn) was revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad
by Allah on account of some questions posed by rabbi
s residing in the city of Medina
– the verse was revealed during the Meccan period of Muhammad's life. According to Ibn Ishaq, Muhammad's tribe, the powerful Quraysh, were greatly concerned about their tribesman who had started claiming prophethood and wished to consult rabbis about the matter. The Quraysh sent two men to the rabbis of Medina, reasoning that they had superior knowledge of the scriptures and about the prophets of God. The two Quraysh men described their tribesman, Muhammad, to the rabbis.
The rabbis told the men to ask Muhammad three questions:
According to Ibn Ishaq, when Muhammad was informed of the three questions from the rabbis, he said that he would have the answers in the morning but did not say "if God wills it". For fifteen days, Muhammad awaited eagerly for the revelation. Muhammad did not answer the question until then. Doubt in Muhammad began to grow amongst the people of Mecca
. Then, after fifteen days, Muhammad received the revelation of al-Kahf as an answer to the questions.
that states that Muhammad
said:
Sura
A sura is a division of the Qur'an, often referred to as a chapter. The term chapter is sometimes avoided, as the suras are of unequal length; the shortest sura has only three ayat while the longest contains 286 ayat...
al-Kahf "The Cave" is the 18th surah of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
with 110 ayat. It is a Meccan sura
Meccan sura
The Meccan suras are the chronologically earlier suras of the Qur'an that were, according to Islamic tradition, revealed anytime before the Hijrah . The other type of sura is the Madinan sura....
.
People of the Cave
Verses 9 – 26 of the chapter tell the story of the People of the CaveSeven Sleepers
The Seven Sleepers, commonly called the "Seven Sleepers of Ephesus", refers to a group of Christian youths who hid inside a cave outside the city of Ephesus around 250 AD, to escape a persecution of Christians being conducted during the reign of the Roman emperor Decius...
(Ashabu Al-Kahf). Some number of young monotheistic men lived in a time where they were persecuted. They fled the city together, and took refuge in a cave where they fell asleep. God caused them to remain sleeping for 300 solar years, or 309 lunar years, and when they woke the surrounding area had become monotheistic as well.
The spirit
Surah al-Kahf also mentions the ruhRuh
Rūḥ is an Arabic word meaning spirit. It is the third among the six purities or Lataif-e-sitta-Thirteen stages of taming ruh:To attend Tajalliy-e-Ruh, the Salik needs to achieve the following thirteen.#Iradah or Commitment with God...
, or soul/spirit in verse 28.
Wrong quotation: Verse 28 does not mention the Ruh/ the soul:
The verse that mentions the Ruuh/ the Soul is Verse # 85 In Surat Al Israa'
The story of the rich and the poor
In verses 32 – 44 the surah discusses a Parable of two men, who one of them had been given blessings from God and the other was poor. The rich one wronged his soul and started showing off with his wealth and noble lineage.At the end of the parable God destroys what he had given the man.
Moses and Al-Khidr
The third main story within the chapter (verses 60 – 82) is that of Moses
Islamic view of Moses
Musa , known as Moses in the Old Testament, is considered an Islamic prophet, messenger, lawgiver and leader in Islam. Moses is mentioned more in the Quran than any other individual, and his life is narrated and recounted more than that any other prophet...
traveling to gain knowledge from another servant of God who is never mentioned by name, but according to the tafsir of ibn Kathir
Tafsir ibn Kathir
Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim, popularly Tafsir ibn Kathir , is a classic Sunni Islam tafsir by Ibn Kathir....
is called Al-Khidr
Al-Khidr
Khidr or Al-Khidr is a revered figure in Islam, whom the Qur'an describes as a righteous servant of God, who possessed great wisdom or mystic knowledge, represented iconically by a fish...
.
Dhul-Qarnayn
Finally, the surah mentions in verses 83 – 98 a man who traveled a great deal and reached the east and the west of the earth – namely, Dhul-QarnaynDhul-Qarnayn
Dhul-Qarnayn , literally "He of the Two Horns" or "He of the two centuries" is a figure mentioned in the Qur'an, the sacred scripture of Islam, where he is described as a great and righteous ruler who built a long wall that keeps Gog and Magog from attacking the people who he met on his journey...
.
Circumstances of revelation
Muslim historian and hagiographer, Muhammad bin IshaqIbn Ishaq
Muḥammad ibn Isḥaq ibn Yasār ibn Khiyār was an Arab Muslim historian and hagiographer...
, reported in his book Sira that the eighteenth chapter of the Qur'an (which includes the story of Dhu l-Qarnayn) was revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
by Allah on account of some questions posed by rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
s residing in the city of Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
– the verse was revealed during the Meccan period of Muhammad's life. According to Ibn Ishaq, Muhammad's tribe, the powerful Quraysh, were greatly concerned about their tribesman who had started claiming prophethood and wished to consult rabbis about the matter. The Quraysh sent two men to the rabbis of Medina, reasoning that they had superior knowledge of the scriptures and about the prophets of God. The two Quraysh men described their tribesman, Muhammad, to the rabbis.
The rabbis told the men to ask Muhammad three questions:
According to Ibn Ishaq, when Muhammad was informed of the three questions from the rabbis, he said that he would have the answers in the morning but did not say "if God wills it". For fifteen days, Muhammad awaited eagerly for the revelation. Muhammad did not answer the question until then. Doubt in Muhammad began to grow amongst the people of Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
. Then, after fifteen days, Muhammad received the revelation of al-Kahf as an answer to the questions.
Virtues
There is a hadith in Sahih MuslimSahih Muslim
Sahih Muslim is one of the Six major collections of the hadith in Sunni Islam, oral traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. It is the second most authentic hadith collection after Sahih Al-Bukhari, and is highly acclaimed by Sunni Muslims...
that states that Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
said: