18-23 And say not of anything: I will do that tomorrow,
وَلَا تَقُولَنَّ لِشَا۟ىْءٍ إِنِّى فَاعِلٌۭ ذَٰلِكَ غَدًا (۲۳)
18-24 Unless Allah please. And remember thy Lord when thou forgettest and say: Maybe my Lord will guide me to a nearer course to the right than this.a
إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ وَٱذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ وَقُلْ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّى لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَـٰذَا رَشَدًۭا (۲۴)
18-24a: غَدًا – غَدا is actually غَدۡد and it means tomorrow. In a hadith about Abdul Muttalib, it is stated: لا یَغۡلِبَنّ صَلِیۡبُہم ۔ و مِحا لُھم غَدۡواً مِمالك where غَدۡواً does not mean tomorrow but a near period. Sometimes it is used in the sense of end times, as in سَيَعْلَمُونَ غَدًۭا مَّنِ ٱلْكَذَّابُ ٱلْأَشِرُ : Tomorrow they will know who is the liar, the insolent one (54:26) referring to the Resurrection or the Day of Judgment (LA). Also see 3-117a.
رَشَد – رَشۡد and رُشد have the same meaning. According to some رَشۡد is used only for goodness in the next world and رُشد for goodness both in this world and the next (R).
It is related regarding the revelation of these verses that the Quraish consulted with the Jews of Madinah about the Holy Prophet. The Jews said that the Holy Prophet should be asked about theأَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ Dwellers of the Cave, روح spirit and Dhul-qarnain and if he is unable to give an answer, then he is a liar. When the Holy Prophet was asked, he promised to give them the answer on the morrow, but for fifteen days there was no revelation. This narration attributed to Ibn Abbas is doubtful because the Jews had no connection with the أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ .
For a correct understanding of these verses, it is necessary to establish their relationship with the previous verses. Recall that Allah has recounted the difficulties that the أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ had to go through to deliver the message of truth and they had to spend a long period living in a Cave. Finally, they were able to find a way to effectively deliver the truth. By implication there is a mention of the Christian religion in this narrative and how for a long period extending over three hundred years Christianity was not able to deliver its message openly. Islam is brought in for comparison as is apparent from لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَـٰذَا رَشَدًۭا : to a nearer course to the right than this, and the implication is that Allah will prepare the followers of the Holy Prophet to deliver the truth in a much shorter time span. Spreading the message of Divine Unity in the world is a task that Allah desires. Even so, it is stated that it should not be said even for such a noble deed that we will do this tomorrow or in a short period. Although the statement here is general, the real recipients are the ones calling people to the truth because that is the topic in the preceding verses.
An exception is created to the general statement by adding, unless Allah please. This has been interpreted in a couple of ways. One way is that one should not say, I will do this tomorrow without adding if Allah desires, or in other words, even for something that Allah looks favorably on, one cannot accomplish it by one’s own strength and effort unless Allah wills. The sound strategy is to turn everything over to Allah while striving hard in the matter. The other interpretation is that one should not say anything unless Allah wills, and Allah’s will is the coming of revelation. This means that one should not make claims about spreading Allah’s name in the world, rather one should simply convey what Allah has revealed.
In وَٱذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ : And remember thy Lord when you forgettest, every caller to the truth is advised to remember his Lord much and not to be negligent and forgetful. The emphasis on رَّبَّكَ is because Allah’s attribute of giving spiritual nourishment desires that His name spread throughout the world. The statement عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّى لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَـٰذَا رَشَدًۭا : Maybe my Lord will guide me to a nearer course to the right than this conveys that in the propagation of Islam there will not be as many difficulties as there were in the spread of Christianity. Accordingly, the early propagation history of Islam and Christianity shows a world of difference. In a period of three hundred years, Christianity, operating within just the Byzantine Empire, barely converted one eighth of the population to its faith. By comparison, Islam in the same period spread throughout much of the civilized world. There can also be a reference to the stay of the Holy Prophet in the cave, which was only for three days as compared to the several years that the أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ had to stay. Even in the present time, one can see the power of Allah at work. Christianity, despite spending millions of dollars and employing thousands of missionaries, is not as successful as Islam which is making rapid progress despite its paucity of resources. In Africa, if we compare the progress of Islam and Christianity, one can clearly see لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَـٰذَا رَشَدًۭا : nearer course to the right than this at work. If a single Islamic mission opens in a Christian country, the results that it produces is better than the results of a hundred Christian missions in an Islamic country. Unfortunately, despite this great advantage, Muslims are showing the greatest negligence in this work. Immediately after the comparison of both faiths, attention is drawn to the period of Christianity when it had to survive by hiding in caves. This comparison of the past of Christianity and Islam is the subject of this fourth section.
18-25 And they remained in their cave three hundred years, and they add nine.
وَلَبِثُوا۟ فِى كَهْفِهِمْ ثَلَـٰثَ مِا۟ئَةٍۢ سِنِينَ وَٱزْدَادُوا۟ تِسْعًۭا (۲۵)
18-26 Say: Allah knows best how long they remained.a His is the unseen of the heavens and the earth. How clear His sight and His hearing! There is no guardian for them beside Him, and He associates none in His judgment.b
قُلِ ٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثُوا۟ ۖ لَهُۥ غَيْبُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ أَبْصِرْ بِهِۦ وَأَسْمِعْ ۚ مَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ مِن وَلِىٍّۢ وَلَا يُشْرِكُ فِى حُكْمِهِۦٓ أَحَدًۭا (۲۶)
18-26a: Christianity stayed in in a state of hardship for three hundred years: On the face of it, the two statements: they remained in the Cave for three hundred years, and Allah best knows how long they stayed, appear contradictory. Some commentators have attempted abstruse explanations. One such explanation holds that since the nine in “and they add nine” is undefined with regards to whether it is years, months, days or periods, hence it is stated that Allah knows best how long they remained. One popular explanation is كَهْفِهِمْ ثَلَـٰثَ : in their Cave three hundred years is a connective phrase or conjunction with سیقولون They say, though not stated, but understood to start verse 18:25. This essentially makes the statement of remaining three hundred years something people said, instead that of Allah and is attributed to Ibn Abbas. However, there is no narration that states that the أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ stayed in the Cave for three-hundred or three hundred nine years. Also, if it is admitted that قالو is omitted, this weakens confidence in the words of the verse. Some commentators have interpreted that by ٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثُوا : Allah knows best how long they remained is meant the period that passed from the time that the أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ were discovered to the advent of the Holy Prophet (RM). Indeed there is no contradiction in the Quran.
Every word of the Quran is based on wisdom: In the first verse, it is stated that they remained in their Cave for three hundred years. In the second verse, the word كَهْفِهِمْ their Cave is not used and the word لَبِثُوا۟ how long they remained is not qualified but there is an addition of لَهُۥ غَيْبُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ : His is the unseen of the heavens and the earth which conveys that this information is about the future. Actually this verse not about the أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ but Christianity itself. What is being described here are the two conditions through which Christianity has passed. One is the condition of the Cave, and the other is the condition of dominance in which Christianity became the state religion, and diverged greatly from its original purity. The first period extended over three hundred and nine years, but about their second period, it is stated that only Allah knows how long their dominance will last because this is a matter of the future and only Allah has knowledge of it. It is obvious that the first period is not unknown, because it happened in the past. The second period has some limiting words added to remind us that there is no guardian for them besides Allah and He associates none in His judgment. This is added to convey that finally their dominance will come to an end.
Three hundred and nine years and Quran’s miraculous knowledge of the unseen: Reflecting on the precision with which the period three hundred and nine years is stated shows that it is one of the great miracles of the Quran. The Holy Prophet was unlettered, and the Arabs were not conversant with the history of Christianity. The Christians of the time were ignorant of the finer details of their own history. The Quran gives the reason for some people seeking refuge in the Cave as their refusal to accept any deity besides Allah. So, the period in which Christianity was in the Cave is when the polytheistic doctrine of Trinity had not found widespread acceptance. Historically it appears that it was only in 325 AD when the Roman Emperor Constantine converted that the doctrine of Trinity became the accepted Christian theology and the royal religion. As a result, while Christianity moved from a state of oppression to become the dominant religion, it also became far removed from the concept of Divine Unity.
The question remains why the Quran speaks of this event happening after three hundred and nine years instead of three hundred and twenty-five years. This is where one must acknowledge the Quran’s remarkable foretelling of the future. The start of the Christian era is off by six years since it starts from the birth of Prophet Jesus, who was actually born six years before the modern calendar starts dating the years. So, the year 325 AD is actually the year 330 or 331 after the birth of Prophet Jesus. According to the history of Christianity, Prophet Jesus made his claim to prophet hood at the age of thirty. Hence the time period from Prophet Jesus’ claim till the Trinity became the official theology of Christianity was three hundred years. The additional nine years that the Quran has stated separately has been explained by the commentators as being due to switching from solar to lunar years. The solar century has one hundred and three lunar years and so three solar centuries become three hundred and nine lunar years, leading to an addition of nine years. By separating the nine years from the three hundred years, the Quran has conveyed that the actual period in which Christianity stayed in the Cave was three hundred years but from a lunar perspective there are nine additional years. The precision with which the Quran has conveyed this information in the light of historical events only recently revealed, shows that every word of the Quran is true, and that it is the word of God, Knower of the Unseen, unchanged by humans.
18-26b: أَبْصِرْ بِهِۦ وَأَسْمِعْ – The pronoun in بِهِ stands for Allah and this is to expand the praise. Its effect is as if to say: ما ابصرہ و اسمعه How wonderful is Allah’s seeing and how wonderful is His hearing that there is nothing hidden from Him (IJ).
مَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ مِن وَلِىٍّۢ – The possessive pronoun stands for the Christians who have been mentioned before to indicate that when they exceed the limits while in power, they will realize that no one can help them besides Allah and no one has the power to judge but Him. The powers and kingship granted to a nation are not a partnership with the power of Allah, and they cannot maintain it on their own. Allah gives nations the power to rule as part of His plan, and the overarching control is Allah’s who can take away the dominion he bestowed. This does not mean that Allah never grants the power to rule, rather it implies that worldly rulers are not sharing Allah’s sovereignty. They are subservient to Him
18-27 And recite that which has been revealed to thee of the Book of thy Lord. There is none who can alter His words. And thou wilt find no refuge beside Him.a
وَٱتْلُ مَآ أُوحِىَ إِلَيْكَ مِن كِتَابِ رَبِّكَ ۖ لَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِهِۦ وَلَن تَجِدَ مِن دُونِهِۦ مُلْتَحَدًۭا (۲۷)
18-27a: مُلْتَحَدًۭالحد – is a pit that leans to one side in its dimensions. For الحاد see 7-180a and 16-103a, and the meaning of اِلۡتحد is to lean towards. So, the meaning of مُلتحد is finding refuge or a place of refuge (R).
By giving the command to recite the Book, we are told that people should be called to the truth because this Book has been revealed by Allah for their spiritual nurturing. لَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِهِۦ there is none who can alter His words, shows that the prophecy of the ultimate triumph of truth cannot be averted, and the temporary worldly comforts that people keep seeking will cease to exist and Allah be the only refuge.
18-28 And keep thyself with those who call on their Lord morning and evening desiring His goodwill, and let not thine eyes pass from them, desiring the beauties of this world’s life. And follow not him whose heart We have made unmindful of Our remembrance, and he follows his low desires and his case exceeds due bounds.a
وَٱصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِٱلْغَدَوٰةِ وَٱلْعَشِىِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُۥ ۖ وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُۥ عَن ذِكْرِنَا وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُۥ فُرُطًۭا (۲۸)
18-28a: وجه – For وجه see 2-112a and 2-144a. When the word وجه is related to Allah, it means metaphorically Allah’s pleasure because one is pleased with someone he turns to him and pays attention (RM).
تَعْدُ – The literal meaning of عدو is to transgress (R) and the meaning of عَدَوتُه‘ عن الامر is صرفته عنه turned him away from this affair (LA).
فرط – For فرط see 6-31a, and فُرُط means to waste and squander (R). This meaning has been supported by Ibn Jarir. Christianity and Islam have been compared again in this verse. On one hand there are people who call upon Allah morning and evening, constantly remembering, and desiring only the pleasure of Allah, and on the other are those who pursue the adornments of this world to the extent that their hearts become negligent of the remembrance of Allah. Their primary concern is to satisfy their greed and base human desires. Hence the Holy Prophet and all callers to truth are commanded to seek the pleasure of Allah as the only objective they should steadfastly pursue, not being distracted by the adornments and beauty of this world.
18-29 And say: The Truth is from your Lord; so let him who please believe, and let him who please disbelieve. Surely We have prepared for the iniquitous a Fire, an enclosure of which will encompass them. And if they cry for water, they are given water like molten brass, scalding their faces. Evil the drink! And ill the resting-place!a
وَقُلِ ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ فَمَن شَآءَ فَلْيُؤْمِن وَمَن شَآءَ فَلْيَكْفُرْ ۚ إِنَّآ أَعْتَدْنَا لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ نَارًا أَحَاطَ بِهِمْ سُرَادِقُهَا ۚ وَإِن يَسْتَغِيثُوا۟ يُغَاثُوا۟ بِمَآءٍۢ كَٱلْمُهْلِ يَشْوِى ٱلْوُجُوهَ ۚ بِئْسَ ٱلشَّرَابُ وَسَآءَتْ مُرْتَفَقًا (۲۹)
18-29a: سُرَادِقُ – is the cloth screen of a tent with which an enclosure is formed or an enclosing wall. Its plural is سرادقات (LA).
مُهْلِ – مَھۡل is slowness or to stop, from which a derived meaning is leisure and another respite, as in: فَمَهِّلِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْدًۢا :So grant the disbelievers a respite – let them alone for a little while (86:17); مُهْلِ also means sediment, dregs, residue, remains (R). This meaning is traced to the Holy Prophet in a reliable hadith (RM). It is also use for molten brass with a very high temperature (IJ).
يَشْوِى – شَوَی اللّحَم is roasted meat, and شَوَی means extremities such as hands and feet, as in نَزَّاعَةًۭ لِّلشَّوَىٰ Plucking out the extremities (70:16) (R).
مُرْتَفَقً – For رِفق and مِرفق see 5-6a and ارتفق means to lean on, rest on (LA) and hence also the meaning to rest or repose. Its usage here indicates that for the iniquitous the place of rest and repose is a fire.
This verse clearly states that this is the truth presented: ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ The Truth is from your Lord. To believe or not to believe is left to the discretion of a person. Allah neither forces a person to believe nor disbelieve. Subsequently their punishment is matched with their deeds. Just as worldly greed has completely surrounded them, it will transform into the fire that will surround them in the next world, and just as their thirst for the love of this world was unquenchable, there will be no means to quench it there.
18-30 As for those who believe and do good, We waste not the reward of him who does a good work.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ إِنَّا لَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ مَنْ أَحْسَنَ عَمَلًا (۳۰)
18-31 These it is for whom are Gardens of perpetuity wherein flow rivers; they are adorned therein with bracelets of gold, and they wear green robes of fine silk and thick brocade, reclining therein on raised couches. Excellent the recompense! And goodly the resting-place!a
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتُ عَدْنٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهِمُ ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ يُحَلَّوْنَ فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٍۢ وَيَلْبَسُونَ ثِيَابًا خُضْرًۭا مِّن سُندُسٍۢ is وَإِسْتَبْرَقٍۢ مُّتَّكِـِٔينَ فِيهَا عَلَى ٱلْأَرَآئِكِ ۚ نِعْمَ ٱلثَّوَابُ وَحَسُنَتْ مُرْتَفَقًۭا (۳۱)
18-31a: أَسَاوِرَ – This along with اَسوِرۃ are the plural of سوار, as in: أَسْوِرَةٌۭ مِّن ذَهَبٍ bracelets of gold (43:53). See 2-23a.
سُندُسٍۢ – is fine silk while استبرق is thick silk (LA).
أَرَآئِكِ – It is the plural of اَرِیکة and the meaning of اَرَكَ is staying in a house. اَراك is a particular type of tree and the meaning of اَرِیکة is حَجَلَةٌ علی سریر, a throne or bed with a canopy (R).
What is meant by gold bracelets, silk clothes, and thrones: It has repeatedly been stated that the blessings of paradise are such that ما لا عین رأت No eye has ever seen. So, naming worldly riches does not mean they will actually be the blessings of paradise because according to a hadith in Bukhari the blessings of paradise are such that no human brain has conceived. Silk, brocade, and gold bracelets are things that the eyes can see or the ears can hear and are within the conception of humans. It is also erroneous to assume that this is a rejection of the Quranic statement promising these things. What is intended by mentioning the names of these luxuries is that the purpose for which these things are sought in this world, will be fulfilled in paradise. Gold bracelets, sitting on thrones, and magnificent clothes are all symbols of beauty and power. The context is one of comparing the blessings of the Christians versus that of the Muslims, hence specifically those blessings are mentioned which are considered by the Christian nations to be their prerogative in this world. The heavenly blessings signify that real power is for those who seek the pleasure of Allah. The power of this world is temporary and quickly comes to an end. The attire of the people of paradise is described as being green because green is a color soothing to the eyes. This is why in a hadith about the souls of martyrs in the paradise it is said: فی حواصل طیور خضر یا فی صور طیر خضر , in paradise their souls will be inside green birds nesting in chandeliers or like green birds (Muslim). Both these examples manifest the same point.
It is true that in these blessings of paradise, there is a subtle reference to worldly conquests as well and we know this from the words of the Holy Prophet. When he was migrating from Makkah to Madinah with only Abu Bakr as his companion, a Makkan by the name of Suraqah was in his pursuit. Before he could reach the Holy Prophet, he witnessed signs that convinced him that the Prophet was true. He humbly presented himself to the Holy Prophet and asked for forgiveness. During this brief encounter, the Holy Prophet said that he could see the gold bracelets of the King of Persia on his wrists. Uttered in a condition of dire distress when his own life was in danger, this statement that the treasures of Persia will fall into the hands of Muslims was fulfilled forty years later. This shows that in these promises of the Quran there is also a subtle hint of future worldly Muslim conquests.
Bayan-ul-Quran 