18-13 We relate to thee their story with truth. Surely they were youths who believed in their Lord and We increased them in guidance.a
نَّحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ نَبَأَهُم بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِرَبِّهِمْ وَزِدْنَـٰهُمْ هُدًۭى (۱۳)
18-13a: What is stated in 18:10 is restated here in somewhat greater detail. We are not told who the Dwellers were, where they lived, or what their names were because these details are superfluous. The details given are the ones that matter. They were believers, but not simply ones who profess faith, rather they were guided to higher levels of spiritual progress. Only elevated people can leave worldly matters and devote their lives to spreading the word of Allah. The use of the word بِٱلْحَقِّ conveys that the stories that were known about them were not correct and that includes the fable that they slept for an extended period.
18-14 And We strengthened their hearts when they stood up and said: Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth; we call upon no god beside Him, for then indeed we should utter an enormity.a
وَرَبَطْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ إِذْ قَامُوا۟ فَقَالُوا۟ رَبُّنَا رَبُّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَن نَّدْعُوَا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ إِلَـٰهًۭا ۖ لَّقَدْ قُلْنَآ إِذًۭا شَطَطًا (۱۴)
18-14a: رَبَطْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ – See 8-11b. ربط اللّٰہ علی قلبه بالصبر means Allah instilled patience in his heart and made him firm and strong (LA).
شَطَط – is الِا فراطُ فی البُعدِ going too far. The word شَطَط here means words that are far from the truth (R).
The prayer of the Dwellers of the Cave correctly reflects the religion of the early Christians. Calling on others besides Allah is very far from the truth, be it the son of God or something else. The teachings of modern Christianity are totally opposed to the teachings of Prophet Jesus and it is from this perspective that these teachings are called the teachings of Masih ud Dajjal.
18-15 These our people have taken gods beside Him. Why do they not bring clear authority for them? Who is then more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah?
هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ قَوْمُنَا ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ ءَالِهَةًۭ ۖ لَّوْلَا يَأْتُونَ عَلَيْهِم بِسُلْطَـٰنٍۭ بَيِّنٍۢ ۖ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًۭا (۱۵)
18-16 And when you withdraw from them and what they worship save Allah, take refuge in the Cave; your Lord will spread forth for you of His mercy, and provide for you a profitable course in your affair.a
وَإِذِ ٱعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ فَأْوُۥٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلْكَهْفِ يَنشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّن رَّحْمَتِهِۦ وَيُهَيِّئْ لَكُم مِّنْ أَمْرِكُم مِّرْفَقًۭا (۱۶)
18-16a: يَنشُرْ – نشر means to spread: a cloth, paper, blessing or a matter. نشور means resurrection. For example: وَإِذَا ٱلصُّحُفُ نُشِرَتْ : And when the books are spread (81:10); وَٱلنَّـٰشِرَٰتِ نَشْرًۭا : And those spreading (goodness) far and wide (77:3); وَإِلَيْهِ ٱلنُّشُورُ : and to Him is the rising (after death) (67:15).
يُهَيِّئْ – ھَیۡئَةis a condition that can be perceived physically or intellectually, as in: كَهَيْـَٔةِ ٱلطَّيْرِ a thing like the form of a bird (5:110) (R). تھیئة is to make the exterior form and it is also spoken for making something non-existent, invisible or hidden and also for making something easy (RM).
مِرْفَق – See 5-6a.
This verse shows that the Dwellers took refuge in the Cave for a limited time and their supplication was that Allah may open another way that would be beneficial for them, as is apparent from the use of the wordمِرْفَق . Thus, every word provides testimony that the Dwellers of the Cave had some grand objective before them.
18-17 And thou mightest see the sun, when it rose, decline from their Cave to the right, and when it set leave them behind on the left, while they were in a wide space thereof. This is of the signs of Allah. He whom Allah guides, he is on the right way; and whom He leaves in error, thou wilt not find for him a friend to guide aright.a
وَتَرَى ٱلشَّمْسَ إِذَا طَلَعَت تَّزَٰوَرُ عَن كَهْفِهِمْ ذَاتَ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَإِذَا غَرَبَت تَّقْرِضُهُمْ ذَاتَ ٱلشِّمَالِ وَهُمْ فِى فَجْوَةٍۢ مِّنْهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ مَن يَهْدِ ٱللَّهُ فَهُوَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِ ۖ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُۥ وَلِيًّۭا مُّرْشِدًۭا (۱۷)
18-17a: تَزٰوَرُ – زَارَہ means paid a visit and met and زَوۡر means to incline, slant or slope. تَزٰوَرُ is in fact تَتزٰوَرُ and it means تمیل bent, inclined towards. زُور is falsehood, untruth, lie because it is inclining away from the truth. Example: ظُلْمًۭا وَزُورًۭا : iniquity and a falsehood (25:4); قَوْلَ ٱلزُّورِ : false words (22:30) (R).
تَّقْرِضُ – قَرۡض means to sever, cut off and is also used for slipping away unobtrusively (R).
فَجْوَة – is derived from فجا . The wide-open space between two things is called فَجْوَة (R).
What is meant by the turning back of the sun from the Cave: The first part of the verse simply means that these people were at a place where they were not troubled by the heat of the sun and the narrowness of the Cave. According to some, this was so because the mouth of the Cave was opposite the constellation of the Greater or Lesser Bear, and some others have opined that Allah, contrary to the laws of nature, used to turn back the sun from their Cave, and according to Garda Thani the statement مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِ ٱللَّه this is of the signs of Allah supports this view (RM). According to Ibn Kathir, the wording shows that the mouth of the Cave faced north because if it faced east, west, or south, the description given in the verse could not be reconciled with the movement of the sun and this is called مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِ ٱللَّه because Allah guided them to such a Cave (T).
The Cave and its location: The opinion of Ibn Kathir is correct because in the northern hemisphere, houses that face north do not get much sunshine and this is especially true as one moves further north from the equator. Commentators’ opinions about the location of the Cave differ greatly. The locations suggested include the Cave being near the city of Eilat, or near the city of Nineveh, or in the Byzantine empire, or in Balqa. Just as the description in the verse indicates a north facing Cave, it also indicates that this Cave was in some northern country because in the northern countries the sun does not come overhead and remains inclined. From dawn till noon, the sun hangs low on the right and from noon to sunset, it hangs low on the left. In such countries, the heat from the sun is not very intense. The description fits the countries in northern Europe perfectly. There is no doubt that Christianity first spread in the direction of the north. According to some traditions which are narrated in the Encyclopedia Britanica, Joseph Arimathea, a wealthy disciple of Jesus, along with some companions came to England. In the Encyclopedia essay on Joseph Arimathea, it is written that Saint Philip sent Joseph Arimathea to England, and he came and lived on a small island in Somersetshire. It is stated in the tenth edition of this Encyclopedia that in 63 AD Joseph Arimathea reached Britain after visiting several other countries. There are other traditions as well which when combined with this historical fact reveal that the name of Joseph Arimathea is not found in the names of the disciples who were active in this country after Prophet Jesus. It seems certain that Joseph Arimathea then went somewhere else but probably some of those who accompanied him stayed on in Britain. The persecution of the early Christians was very common, and it is possible that by كَهْفِ is meant the country of England. There are several other possibilities as well. It may be some other European country, and it is also possible that كَهْفِ is some north facing Cave located elsewhere.
Bayan-ul-Quran 