Tag: religion

19-51   And mention Moses in the Book. Surely he was one purified, and was a messenger, a prophet.^a

وَٱذْكُرْ فِى ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ مُوسَىٰٓ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ مُخْلَصًۭا وَكَانَ رَسُولًۭا نَّبِيًّۭا (۵۱)

19-51a: مُخْلَص – اَخۡلَصَه‘ اَمۡحَضَه‘ (LA). اُخۡلَصَ means is to remove all adulteration from something, or to keep it very pure. Hence مُخْلِص is one that Allah keeps free from all kinds of impurity and defect. مُخْلَص is one who keeps the Unity of Allah pure and free from all kinds of corruption. This is why the chapter قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ : Say: He Allah is One is called سورۃ الاخلاص because in it the Unity of Allah is purified from every association (LA).

Because the real purpose of this chapter is to furnish proofs against the Christian doctrines, hence after Prophet Abraham, that great prophet is mentioned who is the founder of the Israelite dispensation while leaving out the other intermediate prophets. However, Prophet Aaron does find mention in order to draw attention to the matter that is mentioned in 19-16a. Because the Christians lay great stress on the sinlessness of Prophet Jesus, this verse calls Prophet Moses as مُخْلَص , one who was free from all kinds of impurities and defects. No greater purity can be imagined. In this verse, Prophet Moses is called a messenger and a prophet. In the terminology of the sharia, all messengers are prophets and all prophets are messengers. Hence someone may be called a messenger in one place and a prophet at another place. For example, Prophet Jesus is mentioned in 19:30 as وَجَعَلَنِى نَبِيًّۭا :and made me a prophet and in 3:49 he is called وَرَسُولًا إِلَىٰ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ :And (made him) a messenger to the Children of Israel.  Using both names means that the words are being used in their literal sense. For رَسُول messenger refer to 2-87a. رَسُول is one who is sent with a message and for نَبِي prophet refer to 2-61c. نَبِي is one to whom Allah gives the news of His Oneness and informs him about things that are hidden. Because the word messenger can be used generally to apply to anyone carrying a message, and is not specific to bringing Divine communication, the word prophet has been added after it.

19-52   And We called to him from the blessed side of the mountain, and We made him draw nigh in communion.^a

 وَنَـٰدَيْنَـٰهُ مِن جَانِبِ ٱلطُّورِ ٱلْأَيْمَنِ وَقَرَّبْنَـٰهُ نَجِيًّۭا (۵۲)

19-52a: أَيْمَن – The meaning of یُمۡن is blessing and that of أَيْمَنِ one who is blessed (LA). It also means the right side but in the context of a mountain, that would not apply. The mountain is called blessed because of the blessings bestowed on Prophet Moses there. Here أَيْمَنِ blessed can refer to one side of the mountain or to mount Sinai itself.

نَجِيّ – For نجاۃ refer to 2-49a and the meaning of ناجَیۡتُه‘ is سارَرۡتُ, made him a confidant. It is derived from نجاۃ  to help someone in a way that leads to his salvation (R) and نَجِيّ is a confidant (R) to whom one reveals one’s secrets.

19-53   And We gave him out of Our mercy his brother Aaron, a prophet.

وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُۥ مِن رَّحْمَتِنَآ أَخَاهُ هَـٰرُونَ نَبِيًّۭا (۵۳)

19-54   And mention Ishmael in the Book. Surely he was truthful in promise, and he was a messenger, a prophet.^a

وَٱذْكُرْ فِى ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ إِسْمَـٰعِيلَ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ صَادِقَ ٱلْوَعْدِ وَكَانَ رَسُولًۭا نَّبِيًّۭا (۵۴)

19-54a: Prophet Ishmael’s mission as a prophet : Prophet Ishmael is mentioned after Prophet Moses because the end of the Israelite prophetic lineage marked the beginning of the Ishmaelite lineage and prophethood was transferred from the Israelites to the Holy Prophet Muhammad. The description of Prophet Ishmael as صَادِقَ ٱلْوَعْدِ truthful in promise is to refute the Biblical version that he was a wild man (Genesis 16:12). This trait of صَادِقَ ٱلْوَعْدِ truthful in promise was also perfected in our Holy Prophet and being truthful in promise has also been a prominent feature of his followers as compared to other nations, who have no qualms in breaking their promises. Prophet Ishmael was sent as a prophet to the tribe of Jurham (RM) because Makkah was not populated at that time. The Bible has no mention of his mission.

19-55   And he enjoined on his people prayer and almsgiving, and was one in whom his Lord was well pleased.

وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَهْلَهُۥ بِٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَٱلزَّكَوٰةِ وَكَانَ عِندَ رَبِّهِۦ مَرْضِيًّۭا (۵۵)

19-55a: Prophet Ishmael’s integrity: Enjoining prayer and charity is common to the teachings of all the prophets and these two foundational principles have always been at the core of religion since the beginning. Prophet Jesus was enjoined to preach the same and Prophet Ishmael also urged his followers to walk on this path. In describing Prophet Ishmael as مَرْضِي  or as one with whom Allah was well pleased, it is conveyed that he never committed any act that was against the wishes of Allah and this is the station of chastity and integrity.  

19-56   And mention Idris in the Book. Surely he was a truthful man, a prophet,

وَٱذْكُرْ فِى ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ إِدْرِيسَ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ صِدِّيقًۭا نَّبِيًّۭا (۵۶)

19-57   And We raised him to an elevated state.^a

 وَرَفَعْنَـٰهُ مَكَانًا عَلِيًّا (۵۷)

19-57a:  Raising of Prophet Idris: The Biblical name of Prophet Idris is Enoch and he preceded Prophet Noah. According to some there is a period of one thousand years between him and Prophet Noah, just as there is a period of one thousand years between Prophet Noah and Prophet Abraham. It is also said that he was the first Messenger after Prophet Adam. The Biblical reference to him states: And Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him (Genesis 5:24). Paul says: By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death (Hebrews 11:5). That is why some Muslim commentators have also written that Prophet Idris was raised alive to heaven, and he is in the fourth or sixth level of heaven. Some have said that his soul was taken in the fourth heaven. There stories have no credible source in either the Quran or the authentic hadith. There is a story narrated by Ka‘b al Ahbar, a seventh century Jewish convert to Islam, that an angel who was a friend of Enoch took him to the fourth heaven where the angel of death caused him to die by taking his soul. Ibn Kathir says this story is a reflection of Kaab’s Jewish heritage and contains some things that cannot be accepted. Hassan’s commentary on رَفَعْنَـٰهُ مَكَانًا عَلِيًّا : We raised him to an elevated state is: ھو شرف النبوۃ و الزلفیٰ عند اللّٰہ تعالیٰ It means the honor of prophethood and nearness to Allah (RM), and then he quotes several narrations to show that if by an elevated state is meant high in dignity and rank then it is a compliment, but simply taking someone physically to a high place is not meritorious (RM). By mentioning the raising of Prophet Enoch, it is conveyed that being elevated is not specific to Prophet Jesus, rather all prophets were elevated.

Wisdom in the non-chronological mention of prophets: In this chapter, prophets are not mentioned in chronological order, but there are special reasons for the arrangement. First Prophet John is mentioned as a preamble to the discussion of Prophet Jesus, who is mentioned next since he is the central theme. He is followed by Prophet Abraham who is the progenitor of a grand series of prophets. Then, one branch of the series of prophets originating from him is mentioned and the narration begins with Prophet Isaac and Prophet Jacob who are at the beginning of the branch, and ends with the mention of Prophet Moses and Prophet Aaron who are the founders of the Israelite branch. Only Prophet Ishmael is mentioned from the second branch because he is the first in this branch and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the last. Finally, Prophet Enoch is mentioned to bring home the point that the system of prophets did not begin with Prophet Abraham but rather, it dates back to the origin of humans. This sequence of prophets is specific to this chapter because it gives conclusive proofs against the Christian doctrines.

19-58   These are they on whom Allah bestowed favors, from among the prophets, of the seed of Adam, and of those whom We carried with Noah, and of the seed of Abraham and Israel, and of those whom We guided and chose. When the messages of the Beneficent were recited to them, they fell down in submission, weeping.^a

أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ مِن ذُرِّيَّةِ ءَادَمَ وَمِمَّنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍۢ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّةِ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَإِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ وَمِمَّنْ هَدَيْنَا وَٱجْتَبَيْنَآ ۚ إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتُ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ خَرُّوا۟ سُجَّدًۭا وَبُكِيًّۭا ۩ (۵۸)

(PROSTRATION)

19-58a: While all humans are the descendants of Prophet Adam, in this verse the closest ancestor is mentioned: Prophet Enoch is a descendant of Prophet Adam, Prophet Abraham is a descendant of Prophet Noah, Prophet Isaac and Prophet Ishmael are descendants of Prophet Abraham, and Prophet Moses, Prophet Aaron, Prophet Jesus and Prophet John are descendants of Prophet Jacob. By including Prophet Jesus as a descendant of Prophet Jacob, the commentators have been forced to concede that lineage is also from the mother’s side. By mentioning the guidance and selection of all these prophets, the alleged uniqueness of Prophet Jesus is refuted

19-59   But there came after them an evil generation, who wasted prayers and followed lusts, so they will meet perdition,^a

فَخَلَفَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَٱتَّبَعُوا۟ ٱلشَّهَوَٰتِ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا (ؕ۵۹)

19-59a: غَيّ – Raghib has taken غَيّ  to chastisement in this verse, however also refer to 7:16a اغویتنی اھلکتنی (IJ) shows the meaning of غَيّ to include destruction.

أَضَاعُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ – What are wasted prayers? It can mean to stop praying, or to maintain the outward form but to be unaware of its real purpose, or to not pray at the proper times. While the words are generally applicable, the Christians in particular have abandoned praying, considering prayer to be against their doctrine of atonement and they lead the way in following their desires exceeding all other nations. Currently, Muslims are also wasting prayers.

19-60   Except those who repent and believe and do good — such will enter the Garden, and they will not be wronged in aught:

إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَـٰلِحًۭا فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يَدْخُلُونَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ شَيْـًۭٔا (۶۰)

19-61   Gardens of perpetuity which the Beneficent has promised to His servants in the Unseen. Surely His promise ever comes to pass.^a

جَنَّـٰتِ عَدْنٍ ٱلَّتِى وَعَدَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ عِبَادَهُۥ بِٱلْغَيْبِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ وَعْدُهُۥ مَأْتِيًّۭا (۶۱)

19-61a: بِٱلْغَيْبِ – The با in بِٱلْغَيْبِ indicates a mixing together, since Allah has promised them Gardens of perpetuity, but the decree is about something that is unseen (RM) because it is not visible to the physical eyes, and is known through other senses.

مَأْتِيًّۭا – اتیان (اَتَی) It means to come easily, and here ماتی is used in the sense of اٰتی since the object is the same as the subject and مَأْتِيًّۭا means it will definitely come.

19-62   They will hear therein no vain discourse, but only, Peace! And they have their sustenance therein, morning and evening.^a

لَّا يَسْمَعُونَ فِيهَا لَغْوًا إِلَّا سَلَـٰمًۭا ۖ وَلَهُمْ رِزْقُهُمْ فِيهَا بُكْرَةًۭ وَعَشِيًّۭا (۶۲)

19-62a: There is no nightfall in heaven so there are no mornings and evenings. When the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about this, he replied: These are the hours in which prayer used to be offered (RM). Thus, their sustenance in heaven is the fruit of their prayer and by morning and evening can also mean continually and perpetually, in all conditions and at all times. Peace in paradise means to be safe from all problems and difficulties. Hearing peace in paradise means mutual peace, as in تَحِيَّتُهُمْ فِيهَا سَلَـٰمٌ  : Their greeting therein is peace (14:23) and secondly, the angels sending peace to them  سَلَـٰمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ طِبْتُمْ : Peace be to you! You led pure lives; so enter to abide (34:75).

19-63   This is the Garden which We cause those of Our servants to inherit who keep their duty.

تِلْكَ ٱلْجَنَّةُ ٱلَّتِى نُورِثُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا مَن كَانَ تَقِيًّۭا (۶۳)

19-64   And we descend not but by the command of thy Lord. To Him belongs what is before us and what is behind us and what is between these, and thy Lord is never forgetful.^a

وَمَا نَتَنَزَّلُ إِلَّا بِأَمْرِ رَبِّكَ ۖ لَهُۥ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِينَا وَمَا خَلْفَنَا وَمَا بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ ۚ وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيًّۭا (۶۴)

19-64a: On the basis of a single hadith which is about the اصحاب کہف Dwellers of the Cave it is thought this is the speech of Angel Gabriel in which he explains why revelation had stopped. A Bukhari hadith by Ibn Abbas only states that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) asked Angel Gabriel why he does not descend more often, and his reply forms the text of this verse. However, based on the wording of the verse the explanation that seems rational and appealing is that the coming of blessed prophets is meant. Even if the reference is to the coming of angels, what is really meant is the revelation of the Quran because the angels descend in the Night of Majestyلیلة القدر  in which the Quran was revealed. So, either the reference is generally to the coming of the prophets, who only come in accordance with the command of Allah, or more specifically it is a reference to the revelation of the Quran indicating that the revelation that has come now is by the command of Allah. مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِينَا what is before us means the future, مَا خَلْفَنَا what is behind is the past and مَا بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ what is between these means the present. The meaning of مَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيًّۭا thy Lord is never forgetful, is either that Allah could not forget the covenants that He has made with all His prophets about sending His final messenger, or that Allah could not leave people in their state of ignorance. Some have understood the words to mean Allah could not leave His prophets, so He will help them.

19-65   Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, so serve Him and be patient in His service. Knowest thou any one equal to Him?^a

رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فَٱعْبُدْهُ وَٱصْطَبِرْ لِعِبَـٰدَتِهِۦ ۚ هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُۥ سَمِيًّۭا (۶۵)

19-65a: ٱصْطَبِرْ – اِصطبار – It is from صبر conjugated according to the principle of باب افتعال. The meaning of ٱصْطَبِرْ is تَحَمَّلِ الصبَر بِجَھۡدِك to maintain patience through one’s striving (R).

سَمِيّ  – For سَمِيّ refer to 13-33a. It means There is none like Him. It refutes sonship.

18-83   And they ask thee about Dhu-l-qarnain. Say: I will recite to you an account of him.^a

وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَن ذِى ٱلْقَرْنَيْنِ ۖ قُلْ سَأَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْهُ ذِكْرًا (۸۳)

18-83a:  ذوٱلْقَرْنَيْنِ – قَرۡن means lineage or pedigree, refer to 6-6a and قَرۡن also means horns. There are several narrations about how the name ذوٱلْقَرْنَيْنِ came about. Ibn Jarir writes that the Ahle Kitab have different opinions about it. Some say that he was the emperor of two kingdoms, both Rome and Persia. Another opinion is that he had two horn-like protrusions on his head. Some say that both sides of his head were made of copper. Who was he really? Some commentators even considered him to be an angel. Most consider him to be a pious servant of Allah to whom Allah had granted a kingdom and knowledge, wisdom, majesty and grandeur. Some are convinced that he was a prophet. However, no one has identified him with a historical figure. The solution to this mystery is in the Bible where in the vision of Daniel there is a mention of a two-horned ram and its interpretation is given as: The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia (Daniel 8:20). The king of Media and Persia that fits the description of ذوٱلْقَرْنَيْنِ given in the Quran is Darius I who lived from 521-485 B.C. The Jewish Encyclopedia writes about him: “Darius was the organizer of the Persian Empire. His conquests served to round out the boundaries of his realm in Armenia, the Caucasus, and India, and along the Turanian steppes and the highlands of Central Asia”. The Encyclopedia Brittanica states about him: “The religious beliefs of Darius himself, as reflected in his inscriptions, show the influence of the teachings of Zoroaster. But he was also a great statesman and organizer. The time of conquests had come to an end; the wars which Darius undertook, like that of Augustus, only served the purpose of gaining strong natural frontiers for the empire and keeping down the barbarous tribes on its borders. Thus, Darius subjugated the wild nations of the Pontic and Armenian mountains and extended the Persian dominion to the Caucasus; for the same reason he fought against the Sacae and other Turanian tribes”. If the facts mentioned here are compared with what is stated in the Quran, it is clearly seen that the person the Quran has described as Dhu-l-qarnain, which is his name based on the vision of Daniel, is a recounting of Darius I. This is evidence of the perfect knowledge of the Quran.

The reason for the mention of Dhu-l-qarnain in this chapter: One of the reasons for this mention of Dhu-l-qarnain seems to be that he was a national prophet, and it is thus conveyed to the Jews and Christians that prophethood is not limited to their nations. It may also be possible that the narrations of the prophets of other nations are meant to address the criticism by the Jews and Christians regarding the Arab ethnicity of the last prophet, by showing that prophethood is a blessing of Allah which is not limited to Bani Israel. Also, the narration of Dhu-l-qarnain ends with a mention of Gog and Magog, then immediately the sallying forth of Gog and Magog in the end times is stated. Since Gog and Magog are identified as Christian nations, this narration has a special relevance to this chapter, which is about Christian nations.

18-84   Truly We established him in the land and granted him means of access to everything;^a

إِنَّا مَكَّنَّا لَهُۥ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَءَاتَيْنَـٰهُ مِن كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ سَبَبًۭا (۸۴)

18-84a: سَبَب – is the resources needed to achieve other things. Refer to 2-166a. Raghib has taken the meaning as a deeper understanding of all matters and related resources. Ibn Jarir’s interpretation is knowledge. In the next verse, سَبَب is either means or resources and it includes necessities of travel, or it can refer to a desired goal and the way to get there (IJ) because the journey is a means of reaching a destination. By everything is meant everything Dhu-l-qarnain needed to strengthen his country.

مَكَّنَّا لَهُۥ – Refer to 6-6a.

18-85   So he followed a course.

 فَأَتْبَعَ سَبَبًا (۸۵)

18-86   Until, when he reached the setting-place of the sun, he found it going down into a black sea, and found by it a people. We said: O Dhu-l-qarnain, either punish them or do them a benefit.^a

حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ مَغْرِبَ ٱلشَّمْسِ وَجَدَهَا تَغْرُبُ فِى عَيْنٍ حَمِئَةٍۢ وَوَجَدَ عِندَهَا قَوْمًۭا ۗ قُلْنَا يَـٰذَا ٱلْقَرْنَيْنِ إِمَّآ أَن تُعَذِّبَ وَإِمَّآ أَن تَتَّخِذَ فِيهِمْ حُسْنًۭا (۸۶)

18-86a: مَغْرِبَ ٱلشَّمْسِ –  has been translated as: منتھی الارض من جھة المغرب the farthest reach of the earth towards the west. Taking the meaning of الارض as the entirety of the Earth is an error. الارض is frequently used to mean a particular country, so it is used for his country, and this usage is met in the Quran as in: أَنَّ ٱلْأَرْضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِىَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحُونَ : My righteous servants will inherit the land (21:105). The meaning of مَغْرِبَ ٱلشَّمْسِ is simply the western frontier of his country, because this is the farthest he could go.

عَيْنٍ حَمِئَة – عَيْنٍ is an abundance of water or a place where water collects (T) and حَمِئَة is black mud. See 15:26a. عَيْنٍ حَمِئَة black, muddy water is the Black Sea whose name is derived because of the black color of its water due to its black mud. It is proven that the rule of Darius I extended up to the Black Sea.

Dhu-l-qarnain’s western travel: The Quran has first mentioned the western expedition of Dhu-l-qarnain that reached up to the Black Sea, followed by the eastern expedition and then the northern expedition that was towards the Caucasus Mountains. The Quran has not stated here that the sun was actually going down into black water, rather it appeared to Dhu-l-qarnain as such because when he reached the shores of the Black Sea there was only water in front of him and it appeared to him that the sun was setting into the sea. There is a similar verse that mentions وَجَدَهَا تَطْلُعُ عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍۢ : he found it rising on a people… (18:90). It does not mean that the sun actually rose out of these people. Hence this verse does not mean that the sun actually went down into the black water. Moreover, the meaning of غَرۡب or مَغۡرِب is not to drown but to disappear or to vanish from sight and go far away. See 5-31a. The idea that the sun would drown in the sea is completely erroneous.

The last part of the verse seems to give several reasons to support the idea that Dhu-l-qarnain was a prophet. Allah addresses him and gives him authority to punish and reward, which shows that he received revelation, and supports the idea that he was a prophet. There is also mention of his confrontation with a nation and he says about those who oppose him, that whoever is unjust will be punished in this world and in the next. Such a statement can only be made by a prophet. The authority given to punish them or to benefit them means that different kinds of treatment may be meted out to different people in accordance with their actions. The reason for this is explained in the next verse. By حُسْنًۭا is meant امراً ذاحُسۡنٍ a beneficial act, and it refers to doing them a favor and forgiving them.

18-87   He said: As for him who is unjust, we shall chastise him, then he will be returned to his Lord, and He will chastise him with an exemplary chastisement.

قَالَ أَمَّا مَن ظَلَمَ فَسَوْفَ نُعَذِّبُهُۥ ثُمَّ يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِۦ فَيُعَذِّبُهُۥ عَذَابًۭا نُّكْرًۭا (۸۷)

18-88   And as for him who believes and does good, for him is a good reward, and We shall speak to him an easy word of Our command.^a

وَأَمَّا مَنْ ءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَـٰلِحًۭا فَلَهُۥ جَزَآءً ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۖ وَسَنَقُولُ لَهُۥ مِنْ أَمْرِنَا يُسْرًۭا (۸۸)

18-88a: In this verse, two groups are mentioned which frequently are formed in response to the advent of prophets. One group is of people who believe and do good deeds, and the other group is of people who not only reject, but who oppose the truth and are unjust towards those who have accepted the truth. These are called مَن ظَلَمَ who is unjust not simply for associating others with Allah, but it appears that this is a nation that had previously acted unjustly and that is why in the previous words, Allah first proclaims إِمَّآ أَن تُعَذِّبَ : either punish them. Dhu-l-qarnain also speaks first about punishment to those who are unjust. This expedition was to punish this nation but since prophets are not about punishment, this nation is given a second chance with the offer that those among them who believe will not be treated harshly, as stated in: سَنَقُولُ لَهُۥ مِنْ أَمْرِنَا يُسْرًۭا : We shall speak to them an easy word of Our command. However, those who do not desist from injustice and opposition are to be punished even in this world. Most commentators have taken فَسَوْفَ نُعَذِّبُهُ we shall chastise them to mean only capital punishment, although the Quran has not mentioned killing, and so what is meant is a suitable punishment that fits the crime. يُسْرًۭا means ذایسر they will be treated gently. Some have taken the word حُسْن in verse 18:86 to imply imprisonment because it is a better outcome than getting killed, but the word itself gives the lie to this idea because احسان favor gives rise to forgiveness and the words جَزَآءً ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ the best reward further reject imprisonment as an interpretation. It is meaningless to say that those who deserve imprisonment in this world will be getting جَزَآءً ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ the best reward in the Hereafter.

18-89   Then he followed a course.

ثُمَّ أَتْبَعَ سَبَبًا (۸۹)

18-90   Until, when he reached (the land of) the rising sun, he found it rising on a people to whom We had given no shelter from it—^a

حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ مَطْلِعَ ٱلشَّمْسِ وَجَدَهَا تَطْلُعُ عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍۢ لَّمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُم مِّن دُونِهَا سِتْرًۭا (۹۰)

18-90a: مَطْلِعَ ٱلشَّمْسِ – For the meaning of طلع see 6-99a. مَطْلِعَ ٱلشَّمْسِ is described as: غایة الارض المعودۃ من جہة المشرق the last habitation towards the east (RM). As explained before, by the last habitation in the east is meant the last habitation within his realm and not the last habitation of the face of the earth.

سِتْر – The meaning of سِتُر is to cover something, and the absence of سِتْر here means the absence of buildings, as in one hadith: لم یبن حابناء قط… (RM).

This is Dhu-l-qarnain’s eastern expedition to strengthen his frontiers. The eastern extent of his rule is indicated by the presence of people who did not live in buildings, leading a nomadic life.

18-91   So it was. And We had full knowledge of what he had.^a

كَذَٰلِكَ وَقَدْ أَحَطْنَا بِمَا لَدَيْهِ خُبْرًۭا (۹۱)

18-91a: This means that Allah was aware of the army, weapons, and other resources of war that Dhu-l-qarnain had, indicating that he had sufficient resources.

18-92   Then he followed a course.

ثُمَّ أَتْبَعَ سَبَبًا (۹۲)

18-93   Until, when he reached (a place) between the two mountains, he found on that side of them a people who could hardly understand a word.^a

حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ بَيْنَ ٱلسَّدَّيْنِ وَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمَا قَوْمًۭا لَّا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ قَوْلًۭا (۹۳)

18-93a: سَّدَّيْن – For سَدّ see 4-9a. Every barrier is سَدّ (R) as in: وَجَعَلْنَا مِنۢ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ سَدًّۭا وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ سَدًّۭا : And We have set a barrier before them and a barrier behind them (36:9). A wall and a mountain is also called سَدّ (LA). As narrated by Ibn Abbas by سَّدَّيْن in this verse is meant two mountains of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

لَّا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ قَوْلًۭا – means they did not understand the language of Dhu-l-qarnain and had their own language. This is the northern expedition of Dhu-l-qarnain. The northern frontier was the one most threatened. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica: The tribes in the Zagros and the northern parts of Media were not Iranians nor Indo-Europeans, but an aboriginal population, like the early inhabitants of Armenia, perhaps connected with the numerous tribes of the Caucasus.

18-94   They said: O Dhu-l-qarnain, Gog and Magog^a do mischief in the land. May we then pay thee tribute on condition that thou raise a barrier between us and them?^b

قَالُوا۟ يَـٰذَا ٱلْقَرْنَيْنِ إِنَّ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مُفْسِدُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَهَلْ نَجْعَلُ لَكَ خَرْجًا عَلَىٰٓ أَن تَجْعَلَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمْ سَدًّۭا (۹۴)

18-94a: Origin of the name Gog and Magog: يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ are the nominative and accusative case respectively of the measure of اَجِجۡ  and اَجِجۡ is the sparking or flaring of fire. The meaning of اَجِجۡ is also اَمۡرَعَ walked fast. Gog and Magog are two tribes from the creation of Allah. ماء اُجاج is brackish water or water whose brackishness is intense (LA), as in هَـٰذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌۭ the other salt, bitter (35:12). Gog and Magog have been likened to a flaming, sparking fire and turbulent seas because of their restlessness and agitation (R).  There may be a prophecy in the derivation of their name from اَج that these nations will get a lot of work done with the use of fire. Gog and Magog are from the progeny of Adam as evidenced by narrations in Bukhari and Muslim (IK). According to some, Gog and Magog are two tribes from the progeny of Japheth, son of Noah, and the Turks are also descended from them. They were left on one side of the wall that Dhu-l-qarnain built and came to be known as Turks. According to a narration by Ka‘b al- Ahbar, Gog and Magog are Adam’s progeny but not through Eve (RM). In short, Gog and Magog belong to the human race, but some words in Hadith about them may lead to doubts that they are not humans. Those words are definitely used in a metaphorical sense, and furthermore, not all the narrations about Gog and Magog are authentic. For example, the narrations attributed to Ibn Abbas that they are only one hand span or several hand spans tall, or that when one of them dies he leaves one thousand children. Although the chain of narration of these hadith are مرفوع directly attributed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad but they are declared to be منکر worthy of rejection because of the unreliability of one or more in the chain of narrators. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia: Josephus identifies them with the Scythians, a name which among the classical writers stands for Indo-European nomadic warriors. According to Jerome of Stridon, Magog was situated beyond the Caucasus near the Caspian Sea. Encyclopedia Brittanica agrees with this view that these are Scythian nations and further opines that this word can be used for all or any one of the many northern nations.

Biblical evidence that Gog and Magog are European nations: A narration in the Bible reads: “Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophecy against him. And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into the jaws…” (Ezekiel 38:1-4). There are three names mentioned here in relation to Gog and Magog – Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. Bible scholars, alarmed by such a stark prophecy, have tried to seek these names in Asia Minor and say that Rosh does not mean Russia, because the prophecy would stand against them. [note: Bible scholars have now completely removed Rosh from the prophecy and available editions of Bible say only Magog the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal]. However, the facts are such that a denial cannot stand against them. It is an established fact that Gog and Magog are located north of Caucasus, a fact that has been accepted both by the Jewish Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia Brittanica. Searching for these names in Asia Minor is a futile attempt. North of Caucasus, both Russia, Meshech and Tubal are located. Two rivers by the name of Tobol and Moskova flow north from Caucasus and the ancient city of Moscow is situated on the latter named river, and the city of Tobolsk on the former. It is a certain fact that Magog mentioned here pertains to Russia and not to anywhere else. So, from among Gog and Magog, Gog which represents the Slavic nations are resident in Russia, but whether the Teutonic nations representing Magog reside there or not requires proof. However, for the name of Gog to fit so perfectly to one section of the European nations as proven by the Bible and the encyclopedias, does not leave any doubt that Magog is also another major part of the European nations. The presence of two statutes of Gog and Magog before the Guild Hall in London which are of ancient origin and were present even in the time of Henry V shows that the conclusion we have reached is correct. It is possible that in the beginning there was some relationship between these two nations or that they may even be two branches of the same nation.

18-94b: خَرْج – خَرْج and خَرَاج  is the set amount that people donate yearly out of their wealth or خَرَاج is the portion that is taken from the wealth of people (LA), as in أَمْ تَسْـَٔلُهُمْ خَرْجًۭا فَخَرَاجُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌۭ  : Or does thou ask them a recompense? But the recompense of thy Lord is the best (923:72). خَرْج is more expansive than خَرَاج . خَرْج is not only used for income, but also for expenditure (R).

What is meant by Gog and Magog making mischief: A statement in Ibn Kathir is: یخرج منھا یاجوج و ماجوج علی بلاد الترك فیبعثون فیھا فساد او یھلکون الحرث و النسل    From this place, Gog and Magog will launch an attack on the country of the Turks and create turmoil and destroy crops and offspring. In the Gog and Magog are said to sally forth in the end times, which is also referenced in the Quranic verses 18:98-99. Both journeys seem to be for the purpose of attacking the Turks. In the first one, the nation mentioned in the above verse that asked Dhu-l-qarnain to build the wall, appear to be Turks. The Turks may or may not be of the same ethnicity as Gog and Magog but there is no doubt that the nation left south of the wall whose construction is referenced here were the Turks and the ones to the north were Gog and Magog. This is how Allah destined it that the northern nations would attack the Turks twice – the first time as mentioned here and secondly in the end time when the Turks would be the special target of these northern nations.

History is witness to the mischief of Gog and Magog that is mentioned here. The people who inhabited the mountains between Armenia and Azerbaijan were always suffering at the hands of their northern neighbors, Gog and Magog, because of their repeated attacks. Accordingly, Encyclopedia Brittanica writes that the Scythian nations that have been determined to be Magog ruled Media for twenty-eight years. About 512 BC Darius undertook a war against the Scythians. The purpose of this war can only have been to attack the nomadic Turanian tribes in the rear and thus to secure peace on the northern frontier of the Empire. This statement supports the narration given in the Quran about the northern expedition of Dhu-l-qarnain and also that the tribes living north of the Caucasus frequently attacked the tribes living in the north of Iran near the frontier.

18-95   He said: That wherein my Lord has established me is better, so if only you help me with strength (of men), I will make a fortified barrier between you and them:^a

قَالَ مَا مَكَّنِّى فِيهِ رَبِّى خَيْرٌۭ فَأَعِينُونِى بِقُوَّةٍ أَجْعَلْ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ رَدْمًا (۹۵)

18-96a:   رَدْم – is blocking a gap with stones (R). This is more efficacious than سدّ because one thing is stacked over another (LA).

أَعِينُونِى بِقُوَّةٍ – means that Dhu-l-qarnain does not need their money but they should provide the labor for construction.

Dhu-l-qarnain’s wall: The wall that is referenced here is the famous wall at Derbent which is situated near the Caspian Sea. Muslim geographers have also mentioned this wall. Accordingly, there is mention of it in Marasid al-Ittila and Ibn al-Faqih. Encyclopedia Brittanica gives the following account of the wall: Derbent or Darband, a town of Caucasia, in the province of Dagestan, on the western shore of the Caspian…It occupies a narrow strip of land beside the sea, from which it climbs up the steep heights inland…And to the south lies the seaward extremity of the Caucasian wall (50 miles long) otherwise known as Alexander’s Wall, blocking up the narrow pass of the Iron Gate or Caspian Gate. When complete, this had a height of 29 feet and a thickness of about 10 feet, and with its iron gates and numerous watchtowers formed a valuable defense of the Persian frontier. The location of this wall which was built for defending the northern frontier as admitted here is exactly in accordance with the narration in the Quran. The misnomer of the wall as Alexander’s Wall is the result of a mistake made by Muslim historians who mistook Dhu-l-qarnain for Alexander. (It should be remembered here that Dhu-l-qarnain is Darius I and not the Darius that fought with Alexander). This statement leaves no doubt that the wall mentioned in the Quran is this wall at Derbent that was made to prevent the tribes north of Caucasia from attacking Iran. These northern tribes are identified as Gog and Magog not only by the Quran but even the historians label them as such.

18-96   Bring me blocks of iron. At length, when he had filled up the space between the two mountain sides, he said, Blow. Till, when he had made it (as) fire, he said: Bring me molten brass to pour over it.^a

ءَاتُونِى زُبَرَ ٱلْحَدِيدِ ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا سَاوَىٰ بَيْنَ ٱلصَّدَفَيْنِ قَالَ ٱنفُخُوا۟ ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَعَلَهُۥ نَارًۭا قَالَ ءَاتُونِىٓ أُفْرِغْ عَلَيْهِ قِطْرًۭا (۹۶)

18-96a: صَّدَفَيْنِ – It is the dual form of صَدَف and صَدَف is the side of a mountain. صَدَف عنه means to turn away from him, shun him, avoid him, as in: وَصَدَفَ عَنْهَا : and turns away from them (6:157).

قطر – قُطر means direction, side, from, towards. Its plural is اقطار , as in: أَن تَنفُذُوا۟ مِنْ أَقْطَارِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ :…if you are able to pass through the regions of the heavens and the earth… (55:33) and وَلَوْ دُخِلَتْ عَلَيْهِم مِّنْ أَقْطَارِهَا : And if an entry were made upon them from the outlying parts of it (33:14). قِطۡر is molten brass. قَطرِان is resin, pitch, as in سَرَابِيلُهُم مِّن قَطِرَانٍۢ : Their shirts made of pitch (14:50). قِطار is derived from it (R).

This wall was not made of iron but was made of stones which is shown by the use of the word رَدۡم . Refer to 18-95a. Then why did Dhu-l-qarnain ask for blocks of iron? These are the details that evidence the perfect knowledge of the Quran. The Holy Prophet had not gone to see this wall and Muslims are still trying to determine its location. Even as late as the nineteenth century, Sir Syed termed the Great Wall of China as the wall Dhu-l-qarnain built. Now when it has been properly identified, it is amazing to find that the wall is made of stone, just as the Quran informed us by the use of the word رَدۡم , but it has doors made of iron. It was for the doors that Dhu-l-qarnain asked for the blocks of iron. This is why the mention of the blocks of iron comes after the wall had been made and had reached the side of the mountain on either side. It was then that the iron was melted and shaped into gates on which molten brass was poured to make them stronger. The molten brass was not poured on the wall but on the metal sheets which made the gates.

18-97   So they were not able to scale it, nor could they make a hole in it.^a

فَمَا ٱسْطَـٰعُوٓا۟ أَن يَظْهَرُوهُ وَمَا ٱسْتَطَـٰعُوا۟ لَهُۥ نَقْبًۭا (۹۷)

18-97a: This wall became a barrier for the northern tribes. They could neither scale it nor force a hole through it because there were towers at regular intervals along the wall where soldiers resided.

18-98   He said: This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the promise of my Lord comes to pass He will crumble it, and the promise of my Lord is ever true.

قَالَ هَـٰذَا رَحْمَةٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّى ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعْدُ رَبِّى جَعَلَهُۥ دَكَّآءَ ۖ وَكَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّى حَقًّۭا (۹۸)

18-98a: دَكَّآءَ – دَكّ is used for the demolition of a mountain, wall or other similar object (LA), as in فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّىٰ رَبُّهُۥ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُۥ دَكًّۭا : So when His Lord manifested His glory to the mountain, He made it crumble (7:143) and وَحُمِلَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ وَٱلْجِبَالُ فَدُكَّتَا دَكَّةًۭ وَٰحِدَةًۭ : And the earth and the mountains are borne away and crushed with one crush (69:14). According to one saying, دَكّ is an earthquake (LA). دَکّاء is a small earthen embankment (LA) اَرۡضٌ دَکّاء is flat land (R). In جَعَلَهُۥ دَكَّآءَ it means ارضاۥ دَكَّآءَ make it flat land.

The destruction of the wall: The destruction refers to the ultimate destruction of this barrier and then Gog and Magog will sally forth. It is not necessary that the point of their sallying forth will be from where the wall stands, and neither is it necessary that it will be the same tribes who will come out. It could be the progeny of those tribes or it could be other similar nations. According to a hadith, the Holy Prophet said that at the time of his advent a small hole has been made in this wall. This indicates that the time for the exodus and domination of the world by these nations has drawn near.

18-99   And on that day We shall let some of them surge against others and the trumpet will be blown, then We shall gather them all together,^a

وَتَرَكْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ يَمُوجُ فِى بَعْضٍۢ ۖ وَنُفِخَ فِى ٱلصُّورِ فَجَمَعْنَـٰهُمْ جَمْعًۭا (۹۹)

18-99a: يَمُوج – مَوۡج  is an ocean wave, as in فِى مَوْجٍۢ كَٱلْجِبَالِ : amid waves like mountains (11:42). ماج (یَموج) means to rise like a turbulent wave (R).

The last setting forth of Gog and Magog and their fate: This verse refers to the surging of the nations previously mentioned verse. It is stated clearly in another place in the Quran: حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا فُتِحَتْ يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ وَهُم مِّن كُلِّ حَدَبٍۢ يَنسِلُونَ : Even when Gog and Magog are let loose and they sally forth from every elevated place (21:96). This means they will dominate the world. Accordingly, in a hadith in Sahih Muslim where Gog and Magog are mentioned, it is stated: لاید ان لاحد بقتالہم no one will have the power to fight them. This combined evidence of both Quran and Hadith leaves no doubt as to the identity of the nations who are referred to as Gog and Magog, and it is equally obvious that their sallying has already taken place. Gog and Magog are the European nations, whether Teutons or Slavs, who have so dominated the world that there is nothing they cannot accomplish. This is an unprecedented situation in world events. This verse portrays their internal condition that Allah will leave them when they will be in a state of great agitation against each other; after dominating the whole world, they will begin to fight among themselves, whether it is by way of war as happened in the World Wars or it takes some other form. The word يَمُوج conveys their state of agitation and astonishment because despite having dominated the whole world they will have no inner peace. This state of anxiety has already started and only God knows how it will be manifested in the future. Their gathering at the call of the trumpet is not just at the final Resurrection but it seems to refer to and include cataclysmic events on a national level as well. There may be a reference in their gathering together to their uniting on the religion of truth, Islam, with a major section of their population embracing this religion. It may be to provide a contrast that the next verse talks about disbelievers. The statement لِيُظْهِرَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلدِّينِ كُلِّهِۦ : that He may make it prevail over all religions (48:28) shows clearly that finally multitudes from among them will accept Islam.

18-100 And We shall bring forth hell, exposed to view, on that day before the disbelievers,

وَعَرَضْنَا جَهَنَّمَ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْكَـٰفِرِينَ عَرْضًا (۱۰۰)

18-101 Whose eyes were under a cover from My Reminder, and they could not bear to hear.

ٱلَّذِينَ كَانَتْ أَعْيُنُهُمْ فِى غِطَآءٍ عَن ذِكْرِى وَكَانُوا۟ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ سَمْعًا (۱۰۱)

18-71   So they set out until, when they embarked in a boat, he made a hole in it. (Moses) said: Hast thou made a hole in it to drown its occupants? Thou hast surely done a grievous thing.^a

فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا رَكِبَا فِى ٱلسَّفِينَةِ خَرَقَهَا ۖ قَالَ أَخَرَقْتَهَا لِتُغْرِقَ أَهْلَهَا لَقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْـًٔا إِمْرًۭا (۷۱)

18-71a: سَفِينَة – سفن is carving the outer part of wood or other objects. Derived from this, a boat is called سَفِينَة  (R).

إِمْرًۭا –اِمۡر is used here in the sense of منکر  something bad, and this meaning is derived from the proverb اَمِرَا لامۡرُ which means a large amount or large frequency (R), or a very calamitous bad thing. Some linguists say that اِمۡر is more grievous than نکر which is used later while relating the killing of a boy, because the breaking of the boat could have resulted in many casualties (LA).

خَرَقَ – For خَرَقَ see 6-100a.

This section narrates the three incidents that Al-Khidr and Prophet Moses encountered. The first incident is that of damaging the boat. The meaning of the term لِتُغْرِقَ أَهْلَهَا is not that the boat was damaged in order to sink its occupants but the ل is called لام عاقبت indicating that the boat has been broken and the result will be that its occupants will drown. By breaking the boat in this manner and killing a boy later in their travels, some people have reasoned that Al-Khidr was a person who was seen only by Moses and he was not visible to all, otherwise people would have stopped him from damaging the boat and killing the boy. If we accept this, then the incidents must be part of a vision, and Al-Khidr in that case was not a person, rather an angel. Nawawi has written in Tahdhib al-Asma that Al-Khidr was from the royal family, and it is possible that he had an estate or ruled in that area due to which he was not stopped. Another reason could be that the people of that area had so much trust in him that they did not frown upon his actions. It is also possible that خَرَقَهَا only means that he gave an order for the boat to be damaged, because if he had actually damaged the boat then the occupants would indeed have drowned. Similarly, in the killing of the boy, it is possible that Al-Khidr ordered him to be killed. In ordinary phrasing it is commonplace to consider an order to do something, as a done deed. In this case anyway, the boat was only damaged and not totally broken as is apparent from verse 18:79.

18-72   He said: Did I not say that thou couldst not have patience with me?

قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِىَ صَبْرًۭا (۷۲)

18-73   He said: Blame me not for what I forgot, and be not hard upon me for what I did.

قَالَ لَا تُؤَاخِذْنِى بِمَا نَسِيتُ وَلَا تُرْهِقْنِى مِنْ أَمْرِى عُسْرًۭا (۷۳)

18-74   So they went on, until, when they met a boy, he slew him. (Moses) said: Hast thou slain an innocent person, not guilty of slaying another? Thou hast indeed done a horrible thing.^a

فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا لَقِيَا غُلَـٰمًۭا فَقَتَلَهُۥ قَالَ أَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًۭا زَكِيَّةًۢ بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍۢ لَّقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْـًۭٔا نُّكْرًۭا (۷۴)

18-74a: غُلَـٰم – See 3-40a. The word is used for a boy starting from birth to adulthood. کہل (middle aged) person is also sometimes called غُلَـٰم . Some say that the boy had reached the age of maturity and others, that he had not.

زَكِيَّةًۢ – The literal meaning of زکاء is to move forward, and fertile land is called ارضٌ زکیّةٌ. Later in the chapter there is the term خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهُ زَكَوٰةًۭ :give them in place one better (18:81) where the meaning of زَكَوٰةً is صلاح virtuous and righteous, and the word occurs with the same meaning in: وَحَنَانًۭا مِّن لَّدُنَّا وَزَكَوٰةًۭ :kind-heartedness from us and purity (19:13). The interpretation of زَكَوٰةً in 18:81 has also been made as عمل صالح : good deeds as in: لِلزَّكَوٰةِ فَـٰعِلُونَ  : act for the sake of purity (23:4). So, the meaning of زَكِيَّةًۢ will be in good health. Commentators have also translated زَكِيَّةًۢ as تائبة  one seeking Allah’s protection and مسلمة  one who submits (IJ).

نُّكر  -See 11-70a. نُّكر  is a very hard affair that is unimaginable (R).

Killing of a person by Al-Khidr: This is the second incident, and most commentators consider the victim to be a child because he is called زَكِيَّةًۢ but even if one takes the meaning of زَكِيَّةًۢ to be innocent, it simply means he had not committed a sin for which he should be killed. Accordingly, further clarity is introduced with the extension of بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍۢ not guilty of slaying another. The victim is not a child but is fully grown up because capital punishment is only imposed if the person is an adult. Since the creation of mankind, no person whether a prophet or messenger has ever killed a child because on attaining maturity he will become a sinner. If there was such a law then God would Himself kill all those kids who would become sinners when they grew up, or at least God would communicate to a prophet that a certain child would become a sinner and should be put to death.

18-75   He said: Did I not say to thee that thou couldst not have patience with me?

قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكَ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِىَ صَبْرًۭا (۷۵)

18-76   He said: If I ask thee about anything after this, keep not company with me. Thou wilt then indeed have found an excuse in my case.^a

قَالَ إِن سَأَلْتُكَ عَن شَىْءٍۭ بَعْدَهَا فَلَا تُصَـٰحِبْنِى ۖ قَدْ بَلَغْتَ مِن لَّدُنِّى عُذْرًۭا(۷۶)

 18-76a: When asking the first question, Prophet Moses had put forward the excuse that he had forgotten. The second time he does not put forward the same excuse which shows that he has understood that his nature cannot bear such seemingly unjust acts. He does ask for another chance, knowing that if he cannot stay quiet the third time, it will become obvious that acquiring this knowledge is not suitable for him, or he is not destined for it.

18-77   So they went on, until, when they came to the people of a town, they asked its people for food, but they refused to entertain them as guests. Then they found in it a wall which was on the point of falling, so he put it into a right state. (Moses) said: If thou hadst wished, thou couldst have taken a recompense for it.^a

فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَتَيَآ أَهْلَ قَرْيَةٍ ٱسْتَطْعَمَآ أَهْلَهَا فَأَبَوْا۟ أَن يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَارًۭا يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ فَأَقَامَهُۥ ۖ قَالَ لَوْ شِئْتَ لَتَّخَذْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًۭا (۷۷)

18-77a: يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ – is a metaphorical term and means on the verge of falling which is literally expressed as it was thinking of falling. Also see 12-23a.

The incident of the wall: This is the third incident. In the first two actions there is manifest harm, but in this case benefit is bestowed, however a question still arises: why do a beneficial deed for a people who are not willing to extend them simple hospitality, without asking for a reward.

18-78   He said: This is the parting between me and thee. Now I will inform thee of the significance of that with which thou couldst not have patience.

قَالَ هَـٰذَا فِرَاقُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنِكَ ۚ سَأُنَبِّئُكَ بِتَأْوِيلِ مَا لَمْ تَسْتَطِع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْرًا (۷۸)

18-79   As for the boat, it belonged to poor people working on the river, and I intended to damage it, for there was behind them a king who seized every boat by force.^a

أَمَّا ٱلسَّفِينَةُ فَكَانَتْ لِمَسَـٰكِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ فَأَرَدتُّ أَنْ أَعِيبَهَا وَكَانَ وَرَآءَهُم مَّلِكٌۭ يَأْخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ غَصْبًۭا (۷۹)

18-79a: غَصْب – غَصْب is to seize something unjustly (LA).

جدار – For جدار see 9-97a.

Reason for damaging the boat: This verse shows that the boat was only damaged and not broken beyond repair and the purpose was that its damaged condition would prevent its seizure. Hence this was a wise act on the part of Al-Khidr who was able to act because he had the right information and knowledge about the situation. This information came to him through a revelation which instructed him on how to save the boat by damaging it. This is indicated in وَمَا فَعَلْتُهُۥ عَنْ أَمْرِى : and I did not do it of my own accord (18:82). Prophet Moses, being unaware of the larger context, did not have this information and this caused him to raise an objection.

These incidents prove the need for national prophets: These incidents also convey that when nations were geographically separated from one another and were unaware of each other’s conditions, prophethood was localized since the prophet of one nation could not give guidance to a different nation as there was no way to learn about others. Perhaps this is the lesson that is meant to be conveyed to Prophet Moses; why his prophethood was confined to Bani Israel and why he was not given knowledge that would also guide other nations. The words of the Quran are very clearly state that Al-Khidr was taught some beneficial things that Prophet Moses was not taught. The word اعلم used in the hadith for Al-Khidr does not mean that he had the knowledge that Prophet Moses had, in addition to other specialized knowledge. It simply means  that Al-Khidr had some knowledge that Prophet Moses did not possess, and Prophet Moses had some knowledge that Al-Khidr did not have. This is clarified by the words of hadith: انت علی علم من علم اللّٰہ علمك اللّٰہ لا اعلمه :You have some knowledge from the knowledge of Allah that Allah has taught you that I have no knowledge of.

18-80   And as for the boy, his parents were believers and we feared lest he should involve them in wrongdoing and disbelief.

وَأَمَّا ٱلْغُلَـٰمُ فَكَانَ أَبَوَاهُ مُؤْمِنَيْنِ فَخَشِينَآ أَن يُرْهِقَهُمَا طُغْيَـٰنًۭا وَكُفْرًۭا (۸۸)

18-81   So we intended that their Lord might give them in his place one better in purity and nearer to mercy.

فَأَرَدْنَآ أَن يُبْدِلَهُمَا رَبُّهُمَا خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهُ زَكَوٰةًۭ وَأَقْرَبَ رُحْمًۭا (۸۹)

18-81a: خَشِينَآ  –  See 5-3c for the meaning of خشیة . It means fear mixed with knowledge. Refer to 4-34c. Al-Khidr uses the first-person plural for himself which indicates that he was a ruler, since using we for a single person is called a royal singular and is used by persons of authority.

رُحْمًۭا – رُحم -are verbal nouns from رَحِمَ and similarly رَحۡمَت and مَرحَمَة are verbal nouns, as in وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْمَرْحَمَةِ : and exhort one another to mercy (90:17).

Al-Khidr killed the youth for larceny and other crimes : Commentators explain the killing of an innocent boy by Al-Khidr by alleging that after growing up, he would lead his parents into disbelief. This is rebutted in 18-74a. The most that can be said is that Al-Khidr had been given knowledge by God that on attaining maturity this boy will become a disbeliever, or that his parents will follow him into disbelief out of love for him. However, no person has ever been killed on this basis since Allah’s law has been promulgated on earth and neither is there justification in any sharia for such an action. To state that such an act is not permissible under sharia, but is permissible in a certain context is an insult to the sharia. The most that can be said about a specific context is that a person may know something that is known to another. If al-Khidr had knowledge that this person was actually a criminal or a murderer and he killed him, his action is in accordance with the sharia. However, if he only had knowledge that after growing up the child will become a disbeliever or cause disorder, in that case no sharia, Divine law, or human law can legitimize the killing.

It is surprising that while Kitab al-Athar lists plenty of evidence that supports the first interpretation and holds Al-Khidr’s act is in accordance with the sharia, commentators have generally drifted to the second interpretation. It is stated in Kitab al-Athar that this youth caused trouble and in one narration it is stated that he was a bandit but swore before his parents that he had not committed crimes. The parents therefore did not allow retaliation against him and sided with him (RM).

The evidence from the Quran supports the understanding that the youth was guilty of offences deserving capital punishment, since it uses the word رحق  (18:80) and the meaning of اَرۡھَقَ is غَشِیه‘ بِقَہۡرٍ (R) to use force or power to cover (See 10-26a) which shows that he used some force against his parents as well. Secondly, the use of the word طُغْيَـٰنًۭ (18:80) which means to exceed the limit, but not to exceed the limit in disbelief because the word كُفْرً or disbelief is mentioned separately, but to exceed the limit in crime and disobeying the law. This word has been used frequently in this sense in the Quran, as in فِى طُغْيَـٰنِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ : blindly wandering on in their inordinacy (2:15) where first, causing فساد فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ : mischief in the land is mentioned. Only someone who causes trouble and becomes inordinate himself can lead others to do the same. This shows that the youth who was killed was a criminal. Thirdly, the term خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهُ زَكَوٰةً :one better in purity shows that this person did not have the ability to be virtuous. Fourth, the term أَقْرَبَ رُحْمًۭا : nearer to mercy shows that this youth was devoid of mercy. It is clear from these Quranic words and Kitab al-Athar, that this youth was a criminal who, by virtue of the respect and status of his parents, or by their support and backing was protected from the law. His crimes were not so obvious that Prophet Moses could know about them, which is why Prophet Moses felt compelled to object. Al-Khidr knew, by virtue of having knowledge of the correct facts and having received Allah’s command, that this youth’s crime would not abate without killing him. It is also possible that overt evidence of his crimes could not be found but Allah may have informed Al-Khidr about, but this is not necessarily concluded from the words of the Quran.

Finally, what does it mean by Allah’s bestowing the parents with another child, who would be better in purity and nearer to mercy? This can mean that once the parents give up their support for a troublemaker, they will not be deprived of anything, rather Allah will bless them with more offspring. Indeed, their sacrifice may be so pleasing to Allah that He would bless them with better offspring. Alternatively, taking the meaning of زَكَوٰةًۭ  as purity, the verse simply may mean that the parents will have a good outcome. In making this prediction, Al-Khidr demonstrates specific knowledge of people and circumstances that Prophet Moses does not possess.

18-82   And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was beneath it a treasure belonging to them, and their father had been a righteous man. So thy Lord intended that they should attain their maturity and take out their treasure — a mercy from thy Lord — and I did not do it of my own accord. This is the significance of that with which thou couldst not have patience.^a

وَأَمَّا ٱلْجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَـٰمَيْنِ يَتِيمَيْنِ فِى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ تَحْتَهُۥ كَنزٌۭ لَّهُمَا وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَـٰلِحًۭا فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَن يَبْلُغَآ أَشُدَّهُمَا وَيَسْتَخْرِجَا كَنزَهُمَا رَحْمَةًۭ مِّن رَّبِّكَ ۚ وَمَا فَعَلْتُهُۥ عَنْ أَمْرِى ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَأْوِيلُ مَا لَمْ تَسْطِع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْرًۭا (۸۲)

18-82a: تَسْطِع – The actual word is تَسْتطِع . The ت  is dropped for abbreviation under the principle of conjugation of Arabic grammar. Some commentators opine that the reason for this abbreviation is to show that because of this explanation, a weight was lifted from Prophet Moses’ heart.

The reason given for repairing the wall without compensation is that although Al-Khidr and Prophet Moses had not been treated well, the father of the owners of the wall was a pious person, hence it was necessary to do a good deed for the undeserving people. This matter is called رَحْمَةًۭ مِّن رَّبِّكَ : a mercy from thy Lord and it is also stated that Al-Khidr did not act of his own accord but did so in obedience to the command of Allah. Jaffar Sadiq has written that the father referred here was his forefather seven generations removed, while some others think he was ten generations removed (RM). The specific knowledge of Al-Khidr about his community is apparent in all three incidents, and his actions are guided by the command of Allah. The statement مَا فَعَلْتُهُۥ عَنْ أَمْرِى : I did not do it of my own accord is equally applicable to all three incidents.

Prophecy about the Holy Prophet in the mention of كَنزٌ treasure: At the start of the narration of Prophet Moses and Al-Khidr, I said that it contains a special reference regarding the truth of the Holy Prophet. This is not simply conjecture on my part, but can also be derived from the statements of Hazrat Ibn Abbas, Hazrat Ali and the sayings of other scholars. The literal meaning of the word كَنزٌ that occurs in this verse is wealth and assets but according to Hazrat Ibn Abbas this treasure was not gold and silver, but books of knowledge. The same interpretation is made by Hazrat Ali, Hazrat Ibn Jubair and Hazrat Abu Dharr. In one narration of Ibn Abbas, it is clearly stated that this كَنزٌ was a gold tablet with some words of wisdom, ending with لا الٰه الا اللّٰہ محمّد رسول اللّٰہ  There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (RM). In this case, the mention of the Holy Prophet Muhammad shows the real reason for the narration of the story of Prophet Moses and Al-Khidr is that the Messenger who will be the compendium of all branches of knowledge, who will bring guidance for all nations, and will be informed of all the ways of رشد rightfulness cannot be Prophet Moses. That messenger is the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. This is the reference in رَحْمَةًۭ مِّن رَّبِّكَ a mercy from thy Lord.

The manifestation of the truthfulness of the Holy Prophet in the narration of Prophet Moses and Al-Khidr: Whether Al-Khidr is considered an angel with its necessary concomitant that these incidents were a vision of Prophet Moses, or whether Al-Khidr is considered a prophet and the incidents occurred in reality, the real purpose for narrating these incidents is to mention the Holy Prophet Muhammad. The current verse has a clear reference in the statement رَحْمَةًۭ مِّن رَّبِّكَ : a mercy from thy Lord. In the first incident, a boat is made defective so that an unjust king may not seize it. This appears to be a reference to the land of Arabia from where the sun of prophethood was to rise. Prophethood is compared to a boat because just as a boat gives deliverance from a storm, similarly the message of the prophets is a means of deliverance for the people of the world. Allah specifically chose Arabia for this message since a desert country would not tempt conquerors, and a free nation may be nurtured in it to carry the message of Allah to the world. This point addresses the first objection the Jews and Christians have about Islam: why did this prophet come in Arabia.

The incident of killing the youth and the false accusation against the Holy Prophet of killing innocents: The incident of the killing of the youth is a reply to the biggest objection of Jews and Christians against Islam, that the Holy Prophet had many notable people of a Jewish tribe killed. The reason is that those people created trouble. If Madinah was not rid of these troublemakers, then truth could not have survived. The third incident begs the question: how could a person be bloodthirsty who, despite facing ill-treatment was engaged day and night without compensation to reform his people? This is a person who having become a ruler preferred to live like a pauper. His heart would melt with sorrow at the difficulties of the people. Such a person cannot be desirous of kingship and nor can he entertain the thought of enmity against anybody.

In the incident of the two orphans whose treasure is buried under a crumbling wall, the reference is to the Jews and Christians whose righteous forefathers include Prophet Abraham and Prophet Moses. Repairing their crumbling wall is the acceptance of their scriptures, the Torah and Gospel as being from Allah. The treasure or كَنزٌ under the wall is the prophecies in them that mention the Holy Prophet Muhammad so that when these people fully use their spiritual insight, they will understand that the Torah and Gospel actually guides them to Islam. Kitab al-Athar has drawn attention to this last interpretation and thus has clearly shed light on the entire matter.

مَا فَعَلْتُهُۥ عَنْ أَمْرِى : I did not do it of my own accord – provides definite proof of the prophethood and messengership of Al-Khidr.

18-60   And when Moses said to his servant: I will not cease until I reach the junction of the two rivers, otherwise I will go on for years.^a

وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِفَتَىٰهُ لَآ أَبْرَحُ حَتَّىٰٓ أَبْلُغَ مَجْمَعَ ٱلْبَحْرَيْنِ أَوْ أَمْضِىَ حُقُبًۭا (۶۰)

18-60a: لَآ أَبْرَحُ ۔ برح  -. The meaning of براح  is a vast expanse, or empty stretch of land in which there is no obstruction such as buildings, trees etc. بَرَحَ is to go out onto a vast empty land. Because بَرِحَ like زَالَ means denying and “لا” is also used to negate, so putting two negatives together لَآ أَبْرَحُ creates an affirmation, as in لَن نَّبْرَحَ عَلَيْهِ عَـٰكِفِينَ :We shall not cease to keep to its worship (20:91) (R).

مَجْمَعَ ٱلْبَحْرَيْنِ – is the junction of two rivers or two seas. Mujahid, Qatadah and others narrate that the referenced location is the meeting of the Persian Gulf with the Mediterranean Sea (IJ) but these two oceanic bodies do not meet. Some have said that these are two rivers in Armenia, However, Prophet Moses never traveled there. Ubbi narrates that these rivers are in Africa (RM) and this is correct, because Prophet Moses lived in Egypt for a long time, both before and after being granted prophet hood. مَجْمَعَ ٱلْبَحْرَيْنِ is the junction of the Blue Nile and the White Nile, the two main tributaries of the Nile river which meet in Khartoum. Some have said that the verse refers to the meeting of the sweet and saltish seas mentioned in the Quran in verses 25:53 and 35:12 (RM) however that description is not associated with any known seas. Some have said that this is a metaphorical reference to the meeting of Prophet Moses and Al-Khidr because they were two rivers of knowledge (RM), but in that case the statement of Prophet Moses to reach مَجْمَعَ ٱلْبَحْرَيْنِ does not make sense. This phrase can be explained by taking a metaphorical interpretation. The two rivers symbolize the world and religion, or worldly knowledge and spiritual knowledge and this is found in the Quranic reference to the sweet and sa ltish seas. In this case, it can be said metaphorically that the junction of the two rivers is the junction of the world and religion, or worldly and spiritual knowledge and this meeting was not attained by either the followers of Prophet Moses or the followers of Prophet Jesus, and was destined only for the followers of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. Physically, however, مَجْمَعَ ٱلْبَحْرَيْنِ is the junction of the White Nile and the Blue Nile and it refers to the spiritual lineage of the Holy Prophet, as will be detailed later.

حُقُب – حِقۡبَة is a period of time whose length is unspecified, and it also means a year. حُقۡب and حُقُب is eighty years and the plural of حُقۡب is حِقَاب and also اَحۡقاب. Another interpretation is that by حُقۡب is meant a time period and by اَحۡقاب several periods. According to Tha’lab حُقُب means one year or many years (LA).

Differences in the narrations about Prophet Moses and Al-Khidr: This verse is the start of the narration that is popularly known as the story of Al-Khidr. Who was Al-Khidr and what is his story? What did Prophet Moses go to learn from him and what is the relevance of this story?

These are two questions whose answers are not free from ambiguity. The previous discussion is about Christianity which is followed by the prophecy of the destruction of these nations and later in this chapter, Gog and Magog are mentioned, who have a connection with them. As far as the second question is concerned, about the relevance of the narrative, all commentators give the same explanation. According to this explanation, the disbelievers of Makkah asked the Jews of Madinah about their opinion of the Holy Prophet. They suggested that the Holy Prophet be asked three questions and if he is unable to answer any of these questions then he is not credible. One of the questions was about the reality of Gog and Magog. The purpose of bringing in this narration is to show that it is not necessary for a prophet to have knowledge of everything. However, it has been shown that the narration about these questions is not verifiable and so the relevance is not clear.

Reason why Prophet Moses went in search of Al-Khidr: The most essential thing to remember is that the hadith regarding narratives (stories of past prophets), regardless of whether they are in Bukhari or other accepted Books of Hadith, are not at the level that every word can reliably be attributed to the Holy Prophet. This difference between the narrative hadith and precept hadith is recognized by the hadith scholars. Hence as far as possible the words of the Quran should not be embellished by the details in the narrative hadith. The Holy Quran does not mention what event caused Prophet Moses to set out on this quest. Hadith reports are varied in their explanations. Some of the hadith state that after Prophet Moses had finished a particularly efficacious sermon, someone in the audience asked if there was anyone in the world more knowledgeable than him. Prophet Moses replied there was none. At this Allah expressed His displeasure and said that there is His servant, Al-Khidr. In other hadith it is stated that Prophet Moses asked Allah, that if there is a more knowledgeable person than him, to be given a sign on how to find him. Allah gave him the sign and permission to meet him. The second hadith is more befitting the dignity of a prophet, hence we accept it.

In some hadith narrations, it is stated that Prophet Moses asked several questions like: Who is most beloved of Allah? Who gives the best judgments? Who is the most knowledgeable? In response to this last question Allah responded that the most knowledgeable person is the one who seeks the knowledge of other people to increase his own knowledge. Prophet Moses then asked Allah to let him know the whereabouts of the person who had more knowledge than him so that he may go to him. Allah informed him about Al-Khidr and how to find him. Thus, it becomes established that this journey was made by Prophet Moses at the behest of Allah and its purpose was that Prophet Moses may know that his knowledge was meant only for one nation and that Allah has given similar knowledge to other people as well. This explanation is supported by the following verse in the Quran: أَن تُعَلِّمَنِ مِمَّا عُلِّمْتَ رُشْدًۭا : that thou may teach me of the good thou hast been taught? (18:66).

The reason for placing this narrative here is to answer the criticism that some Christians level against the Holy Prophet. Most Christian historians agree that the Makkan life of the Holy Prophet was blameless but they allege that after becoming the ruler in Madinah, some people were unjustly killed. This charge is responded to. The most significant event of the meeting with Al-Khidr is the killing of a person against whom there is no charge of murder. There is also evidence of the truthfulness of the Holy Prophet in the other two incidents, for which refer to 18-82a. The second reason for discussing this narrative appears to be to convey that the Mosaic dispensation is a limited dispensation whose message, far from having global appeal, is not even for other nations living nearby whom the Israelites had little knowledge of. Those nations received their guidance separately, such that even Prophet Moses is not aware of it. The Christians are greatly mistaken in understanding Allah’s revelation to be limited to a few Israelite prophets. The third reason is to manifest that prophecies about the Holy Prophet are present in the scriptures of the Jews and Christians. Since the discussion in this chapter is about Christianity, this narrative is brought here so that they may turn towards Islam.

Moses journey to Khartoum: The first question that arises in this narrative is whether Prophet Moses undertook a journey as stated. The Biblical account of Moses does not mention any such journey, and neither is there any reference in Rabbinical traditions. However, there is mention in the Torah that Moses had a wife from this area: “And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman” (Numbers 12:1). In the Jewish Rabbinical narrations about Prophet Moses there is mention that Moses went to Ethiopia which was a kingdom to the south of Egypt and whose southern boundary was Khartoum. In fact, there is also mention that he married the widow of the King of this kingdom. Prophet Moses won the King’s favor because of his strategy and bravery as a result of which the King won a great victory against a formidable enemy. In the light of this evidence the journey of Prophet Moses to Khartoum is credible. After Prophet Moses returned from Midian, he had to live in Egypt for a long while and it is probably then that he undertook this journey.

The name of the young companion of Prophet Moses is not given in the Quran and there is no need for us to know his name. However, in most narrations his name is given as Joshua. This is the same Joshua who succeeded Prophet Moses.

18-61   So when they reached the junction of the two (rivers), they forgot their fish, and it took its way into the river, being free.^a

فَلَمَّا بَلَغَا مَجْمَعَ بَيْنِهِمَا نَسِيَا حُوتَهُمَا فَٱتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُۥ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ سَرَبًۭا (۶۱)

18-61a: Forgetting the fish and its escape into the river: There are two things mentioned in this verse. The first is that they forget the fish after reaching the junction of two rivers and the second is that the fish escaped into the river. If only an explanation of the words of the Quran is desired, then there is no great difficulty in understanding this verse. It is clear that Prophet Moses and his companion were travelling along the banks of a river. Probably when they took a rest break, they fished to provide them with food later when they felt hungry. This was the easiest source of food available to them. The next two verses mention that when Prophet Moses asks for food, his companion says that he forgot the fish, which means he forgot to bring it with them. This shows that they used fish was kept with them as food. The escape of the fish into the river is an ordinary occurrence.

For the meaning of سَرَب refer to 13-10a. It simply means الذھاب فی حدور to go towards the lower side and Raghib has given this meaning and cited this verse, and the meaning of سارب as one going or walking is included in the above meaning. So, سربا in terms of its meaning is a verbal noun confirming فَٱتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُۥ took its way. In the commentary by Ibn Jarir, the meaning of سَرَب is given as a passage or way, meaning the fish made its way into the river. Similarly, in Bukhari the meaning of سَرَب is religion or way.

The fish given as a sign: According to the narration in Bukhari when Prophet Moses asked Allah how to reach the knowledgeable person, Allah informed him through revelation:

 قَلَ تَاخُذُ معك حُوۡتاً فَتَجۡعلُه‘ فی ِکۡتَلٍ فحثیما فَقَدت الحُوتَ فَھُوَ ثَمَّ Take a fish with you in a bucket of water and where you lose the fish that will be the place where you will find him. Another narration states: فا وحی علیه ان ائت البحر فانك تجد علی شط البحر حوتا فخذہ فا دفعه الیٰ فتاك ثم الزم شطئ البحر فاذانسیت اطئ البحر فاذانسیت الحوت و ھلك منك فثمّ تجدا العبد الصالح الذی تطلب Allah revealed to Moses: Go to the river; you will find a fish on the bank of the river. Take the fish and give it to your companion. Then walk along the bank of the river. The place where you forget the fish and lose it is the place where you will find the righteous servant that you seek (IK). In other narrations, the fish is said to be dead, in some salted and in others, roasted.

Reports mentioning roasted fish are not acceptable: In examining these narrations, only such can be accepted as are in accordance with the description in the Quran, namely that it was an ordinary fish that was caught from the riverbank. The best that can be done with narrations that suggest the fish was salted or roasted is that the additional details be rejected. Certain other statements in these narrations deserve to be rejected, such as that there was a fountain of immortality near the rock where the fish was kept and when Joshua was performing ablution some drops fell in the mouth of the fish and the fish came alive. In addition, the embellishments added to سَرَب defy rationality and must be rejected. These include that wherever the fish passed, the water would freeze or that it turned into stone or like stone. One narration goes so far as to state that the fish swam ahead at great speed and Prophet Moses followed with his staff parting the water and chasing the fish, until they came to an island where he met Al-Khidr. The stories in the narrative hadith are not so reliable as to accept tales that defy intelligence.

Bearing difficulties when travelling in search of knowledge: A question that can be asked is if this was an ordinary fish, why is it mentioned in the Quran? The fact is that the Quran wanted people to understand the hardships that prophets bore to obtain knowledge. Thus, Prophet Moses loved knowledge so much that he undertook an arduous journey without any means of transport, and he did not carry any food with him so he relied on catching fish. It is possible that in the process of transmission, the hadith narration became exaggerated so that instead of understanding the sign as an ordinary fish, it morphed into a unique fish. It is entirely possible that the sign given to Prophet Moses was simply to find his guide where he lost the fish he wanted to eat.

18-62   But when they had gone further, he said to his servant: Bring to us our morning meal, certainly we have found fatigue in this our journey.^a

فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَا قَالَ لِفَتَىٰهُ ءَاتِنَا غَدَآءَنَا لَقَدْ لَقِينَا مِن سَفَرِنَا هَـٰذَا نَصَبًۭا (۶۲)

18-62a: The temperament of prophets is so peaceful and focused that in this long journey Prophet Moses did not feel fatigue until he had gone past his designated meeting place.

18-63   He said: Sawest thou when we took refuge on the rock, I forgot the fish, and none but the devil made me forget to speak of it, and it took its way into the river; what a wonder!^a

قَالَ أَرَءَيْتَ إِذْ أَوَيْنَآ إِلَى ٱلصَّخْرَةِ فَإِنِّى نَسِيتُ ٱلْحُوتَ وَمَآ أَنسَىٰنِيهُ إِلَّا ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَهُۥ ۚ وَٱتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُۥ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ عَجَبًۭا (۶۳)

18-63a: صَخْرَة – صَخْرَة is: الصَخرۃُ العظیم القُلۡب a very big and hard rock (LA), as in فَتَكُن فِى صَخْرَةٍ : even though it be in a rock (31:16). Its plural is صخر as in: جَابُوا۟ ٱلصَّخْرَ بِٱلْوَادِ : hewed out rocks in the valley (89:9).

عَجَبًۭا – عَجَب and تَعَجُّب is the sentiment that arises when a person is unfamiliar with the cause of an occurrence. Some linguists say that عَجَب is that whose cause is not understood. In کانوامن اٰیٰتنا عجبا it is conveyed that this is not the cause of great amazement, rather we come across even greater and more amazing matters. Here عَجَبًۭا because of its concealed verb is marked with vowel point fatha, and the actual structure is اعجب عجبا (RM), I wonder at the reason why I forgot to mention this to you. That is why in the text there is a pause after ٱلْبَحْرِ and before عَجَبًۭا and thus it is separated from the previous text.

The reason for forgetting the fish: It appears from the use of the word اوی , which implies taking refuge (See 8-76a) that Prophet Moses took refuge on a rock. Because the journey was along a river, the refuge was probably from a flash flood that came on them suddenly. It appears that the flood happened when Prophet Moses was resting and, in the panic to get up and rush to a place of refuge, the fish was forgotten. It does not matter whether it was a special fish that they were bringing along as a sign, or it was an ordinary fish that they had caught and were keeping it to eat. The fact that the companion remembered about the fish when Prophet Moses called for the morning meal indicates that it was an ordinary fish caught for consumption. However, in the hadith it is referred to as a special fish which was being carried as a sign. In that case, the mention of food reminded Joshua about the fish, because fish is food. It does not necessarily mean that besides being a sign, Prophet Moses used to partake of this special fish because a single fish could not have been sufficient for such a long journey.

The words used in this verse are إِنِّى نَسِيتُ ٱلْحُوتَ I forgot the fish, whereas in verse 18:61, the words are: نَسِيَا حُوتَهُمَا They forgot their fish. Both statements are correct. In the first case both did not remember to take the fish with them. In this verse, forgetting is attributed to the companion because he is the one specially charged with looking after the fish.

18-64   He said: This is what we sought for. So they returned retracing their footsteps^a.

قَالَ ذَٰلِكَ مَا كُنَّا نَبْغِ ۚ فَٱرْتَدَّا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَارِهِمَا قَصَصًۭا (۶۴)

18-64a: According to narrations Prophet Moses had two signs صخرۃ rock and forgetting the fish: In the last verse, Prophet Moses’ companion mentions two things, taking refuge on a rocky mound and forgetting the fish. Prophet Moses’ statement ذَٰلِكَ مَا كُنَّا نَبْغِ This is what we sought could either mean صخرۃ as the appointed place or that forgetting the fish was the sign. Most narrations have given the forgetting of the fish as the sign. According to one narration when Prophet Moses asked for the meeting place, he was told:  الصخرۃ التی عندھا العینthe rocky mound near which is a spring. It is possible that there may have been a spring near the rocky mound, or by spring is meant the river. Whether it is the mention of the rocky mound or the forgotten fish, Prophet Moses retraces his steps after listening to the account of his companion. The lesson is that even prophets can make a mistake or forget something in matters that are not part of the shariah, but Allah does not let them remain in error for long and clarifies the matter either by revelation or by creating the circumstances for their correction.

Who is Al-Khidr: The name of the person that Moses is to meet is given in the hadith as Al-Khidr but there are countless conflicting opinions about him. Some call him a saint, some a prophet without a scripture, some a prophet and a messenger, and some an angel. Some call him a son of Adam born from his loins, while others call him the son of Cain. Some say he was Armia, some say he was Elias. Some say he was the son of Pharoah, some the son of the daughter of Pharoah. Some believe he is still alive and will remain alive until he falsifies the Antichrist. People of knowledge say he died but the Sufis say he is alive and people can still meet him and some even claim to have gained knowledge from him. There is no doubt that if he was a human, he has died. Ibn Kathir in Fatih ul Bayan has held this to be correct because if he is alive, it is necessary for him to follow the Holy Prophet, and Ibn Kathir cites this hadith in his discussion:

 موسیٰ و عیسیٰ حیّین لما وسعہما الااتباعی If Moses and Jesus were alive, they would have to follow me. This not only proves that Al-Khidr has died but also that Prophet Jesus has died. The meeting with Al-Khidr which is mentioned frequently by Sufis, occurs in a vision or kashf, similar to people meeting prophets and saints in a true dream or vision.

Al-Khidr’s prophet hood: While many consider Al-Khidr to be a saint or a prophet without a scripture, it can confidently be stated based on what is given in the Quran that he was a messenger for his nation, even though the nature of his prophethood may be different because of the needs of his nation. The certain proof of his prophet hood is that according to the Quran, his revelations served as conclusive arguments. The revelation of a saint is not a conclusive argument unless it is authenticated by religious law. It is only a prophet who has that authority.

An example will clarify this issue further. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the reformer of the fourteenth century, received revelation after twenty-nine days of Ramadan had passed, that today is Eid, whether you observe it or not. In Qadian and the areas around it, the Eid moon had not been sighted, and people were fasting. When Hazrat Mirza Sahib shared the revelation in the morning, some people asked whether in light of the revelation they should open their fasts and observe Eid. Hazrat Mirza replied in the negative because he said this is an issue of shariah and unless the moon is sighted after the twenty-ninth day of Ramadan, fasting should be continued the next day. However, later telegrams came that the moon had been sighted in other places on the evening of the twenty-ninth fast. Thus, the revelation was proved authentic, but the decision was made according to the shariah. This is the accepted principle in the Muslim community. Thus, the fact that Al-Khidr considered his revelation as a conclusive argument shows positively that he was a prophet.

Local prophets and local needs: It certainly appears that despite being a prophet the commands that were given to Al-Khidr were of a different nature. That is why he said to Prophet Moses: یا موسیٰ علیٰ علمٍ من علم اللّٰہ عَلَّمَنِیۡهِ لا تَعۡلَمُه انت و انت علی علم من علم اللّٰہ عَلَّمَكَ اللّٰہ لا اَعۡلَمُه‘  O Moses! I have been given knowledge from the knowledge of Allah that He has taught me, which you do not know, and you have been given knowledge from the knowledge of Allah that he has taught you, which I do not know. In other words, you have been sent to one nation and given knowledge necessary for that nation, and I have been sent to another nation and I have been given knowledge which is according to the need of this nation. Neither your knowledge can be of benefit to me, nor my knowledge can be of benefit to you. The diverse needs of nations required that every prophet be given knowledge according to the needs of the nation for which he is raised. Perfect knowledge that would fit the needs of the entire humanity was destined only for one person, who is the Holy Prophet Muhammad. For this reason, the Holy Prophet is sent not for one nation but for کافة للناس all the people. Prophet Moses’ abilities were limited, and not such as to make him a prophet for nations other than Bani Israel.

If Al-Khidr is taken to be an angel, as is stated in one narrative, then all the incidents mentioned later appeared to Prophet Moses in a vision کشف. It is not a valid objection to ask why a journey was undertaken, if the actual experience was to be in the form of a vision.  These are Allah’s wise ways. For example, Prophet Moses was called to Mount Sinai before the revelation came to him, although Allah’s revelation can come anywhere. Similarly, it was on Mount Sinai that Prophet Moses received the shariah, the Ten Commandments. We can conclude that Prophet Moses was made to undertake this journey because Allah considered it advisable. Extensive exertions are necessary before a person is ready to receive revelation and visions. Allah may require this effort to be made in whatever way He wants. However, I prefer the majority view that Al-Khidr was human.

18-66   Moses said to him: May I follow thee that thou mayest teach me of the good thou hast been taught?^a

قَالَ لَهُۥ مُوسَىٰ هَلْ أَتَّبِعُكَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن تُعَلِّمَنِ مِمَّا عُلِّمْتَ رُشْدًۭا (۶۶)

18-66a: أَتَّبِعُكَ – By أَتَّبِعُكَ is not meant the type of submission that a follower makes to a prophet which involves following in the footsteps of the prophet in the matter of prayer and worldly dealings. It is only a request to go where Al-Khidr goes, to follow him and stay with him so that Prophet Moses could observe whatever events befell him. It is obvious that Prophet Moses did not intend to become a disciple of Al-Khidr, but only to gain knowledge of how he handled the affairs that he had to deal with.

The knowledge of Prophet Moses and Al-Khidr: This verse shows that a different type of knowledge was given to Al-Khidr because Prophet Moses had also been given knowledge as stated in: اتَيْنَـٰهُ حُكْمًۭا وَعِلْمًۭا : We granted him knowledge and wisdom (28:14). As the knowledge given to both pertains to religion, hence one aspect of religious knowledge is given to Prophet Moses, in accordance with the needs of his nation, and another aspect of religious knowledge is given to Al-Khidr, in accordance with the needs of his nation. It is also true that sometimes Allah gives His prophets knowledge of special matters pertaining to their nation which cannot be easily discerned, and they undertake an action based on this knowledge which, on the surface, appears objectionable. However, if the matter is studied deeply and all the circumstances are considered, the objections are resolved.

18-67   He said: Thou canst not have patience with me.

قَالَ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِىَ صَبْرًۭا (۶۷)

18-68   And how canst thou have patience in that whereof thou hast not a comprehensive knowledge?^a

 وَكَيْفَ تَصْبِرُ عَلَىٰ مَا لَمْ تُحِطْ بِهِۦ خُبْرًۭا (۶۸)

18-68a: خبر – is the knowledge of known things obtained by being informed. Some have made a distinction between خَبۡر and خُبْرٌ and say that the meaning of خَبۡر is knowledge of a hidden matter.

Why Prophet Moses could not be patient: Prophets are human beings. When they have a dominant trait in their character, it is revealed. Prophet Moses, despite his legendary tolerance and forbearance, had such a love for the truth that on one occasion, when he thought Prophet Aaron complicit in his nation’s mistake, he treated him so harshly that Prophet Aaron had to say: لَا تَأْخُذْ بِلِحْيَتِى وَلَا بِرَأْسِىٓ : seize me not by my beard nor my head (20:94). It appears that Allah had already informed Al-Khidr that Prophet Moses manifests a different set of Allah’s attributes and Al-Khidr another set. That is why Al-Khidr said that it will be difficult for Prophet Moses to be patient with him, as Allah has granted both excellence in different types of traits.

18-69   He said: If Allah please, thou wilt find me patient, nor shall I disobey thee in aught.

قَالَ سَتَجِدُنِىٓ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ صَابِرًۭا وَلَآ أَعْصِى لَكَ أَمْرًۭا (۶۹)

18-70   He said: If thou wouldst follow me, question me not about aught until I myself speak to thee about it.^a

قَالَ فَإِنِ ٱتَّبَعْتَنِى فَلَا تَسْـَٔلْنِى عَن شَىْءٍ حَتَّىٰٓ أُحْدِثَ لَكَ مِنْهُ ذِكْرًۭا (۷۰)

18-70a: The reason for imposing this condition seems to be the same as mentioned in the previous note. The objective is to convey that Prophet Moses’ specific nature cannot patiently bear what Al-Khidr has been given wisdom about. Perfection in all personality traits was destined for only one person and that is the Blessed Holy Prophet Muhammad.

18-54   And certainly We have made distinct in this Qur’an for mankind every kind of description; and man is in most things contentious.^a

وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا فِى هَـٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ لِلنَّاسِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍۢ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ أَكْثَرَ شَىْءٍۢ جَدَلًۭا (۵۴)

18-54a: أَكْثَرَ شَىْءٍۢ جَدَلًۭا – does not mean that humans most often display contentious behavior. It means that despite repeatedly explaining the truth in different ways, humans respond by arguing and instead of accepting the truth, they resort to contentious debates. The real purpose of this section is to pledge destruction to those enemies of the truth who are specifically mentioned in this chapter: وَيُنذِرَ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوا۟ ٱتَّخَذَ ٱللَّهُ وَلَدًۭا : And to warn those who say: Allah has taken to Himself a son (18:4). Leading up to this pledge is the statement that despite making the truth clear in different ways, the enemies start quarrelling with it, instead of accepting it.

18-55   And nothing prevents men from believing when the guidance comes to them, and from asking forgiveness of their Lord, but that (they wait) for the way of the ancients to overtake them, or that the chastisement should confront them.

وَمَا مَنَعَ ٱلنَّاسَ أَن يُؤْمِنُوٓا۟ إِذْ جَآءَهُمُ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ رَبَّهُمْ إِلَّآ أَن تَأْتِيَهُمْ سُنَّةُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ قُبُلًۭا (۵۵)

18-56   And We send not messengers but as givers of good news and warning, and those who disbelieve contend with falsehood to weaken thereby the Truth, and they take My messages and the warning for a mockery.^a

وَمَا نُرْسِلُ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ ۚ وَيُجَـٰدِلُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ لِيُدْحِضُوا۟ بِهِ ٱلْحَقَّ ۖ وَٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ ءَايَـٰتِى وَمَآ أُنذِرُوا۟ هُزُوًۭا (۵۶)

18-56a: يُدْحِضُوا۟ – دَحۡض means to slip and اِدۡحاض means to make someone slip (LA). For an argument to be دَاحِض means it is erroneous and futile, as in حُجَّتُهُمْ دَاحِضَةٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ : their plea is null with their Lord (42:16).

18-57   And who is more unjust than he who is reminded of the messages of his Lord, then he turns away from them and forgets what his hands have sent before? Surely We have placed veils over their hearts, lest they understand it, and a deafness in their ears. And if thou call them to the guidance, they will even then never follow the right course.^a

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن ذُكِّرَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ رَبِّهِۦ فَأَعْرَضَ عَنْهَا وَنَسِىَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ ۚ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًۭا ۖ وَإِن تَدْعُهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْهُدَىٰ فَلَن يَهْتَدُوٓا۟ إِذًا أَبَدًۭا (۵۷)

18-57a: See 6-25a. It is very clear in this verse that the veil over the hearts is not something ingrained from the start, but is placed as a punishment. The mirror of a person’s heart who turns away from Allah’s guidance and is involved in unrighteous behavior becomes darkened and does not reflect the truth., as is apparent from the following verse:

نَسِىَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ : forgets what his hands have sent (18:57),

18-58   And thy Lord is Forgiving, Full of mercy. Were He to punish them for what they earn, He would certainly hasten the chastisement for them. But for them there is an appointed time from which they will find no refuge.^a

وَرَبُّكَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ذُو ٱلرَّحْمَةِ ۖ لَوْ يُؤَاخِذُهُم بِمَا كَسَبُوا۟ لَعَجَّلَ لَهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابَ ۚ بَل لَّهُم مَّوْعِدٌۭ لَّن يَجِدُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦ مَوْئِلًۭا (۵۸)

18-58a: مَوْئِلً – The meaning of دَأَلَ الیه is took refuge with him, and مَوۡئل means asylum or refuge (LA).

Pledge of destruction: The deeds of the unjust are such that they deserve instant chastisement, but Allah’s forgiveness and mercy are very great. Hence, He gives a lot of latitude before punishing but when the punishment comes, there is no reprieve from it. It has been made very clear that there is a time for the punishment of the enemies of truth who are under discussion here, but that time is only in the knowledge of Allah, and may not be soon. By mentioning the destruction of the previous nations in the next verse, it is clearly conveyed that the destruction of the current enemies is similarly certain. Destruction only means breaking their power that is directed against the truth.

18-59   And these towns — We destroyed them when they did wrong. And We have appointed a time for their destruction.

وَتِلْكَ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ أَهْلَكْنَـٰهُمْ لَمَّا ظَلَمُوا۟ وَجَعَلْنَا لِمَهْلِكِهِم مَّوْعِدًۭا (۵۹)

18-45   And set forth to them the parable of the life of this world as water which We send down from the cloud, so the herbage of the earth becomes luxuriant thereby, then it becomes dry, broken into pieces which the winds scatter. And Allah is the Holder of power over all things.^a

وَٱضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا كَمَآءٍ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَٱخْتَلَطَ بِهِۦ نَبَاتُ ٱلْأَرْضِ فَأَصْبَحَ هَشِيمًۭا تَذْرُوهُ ٱلرِّيَـٰحُ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ مُّقْتَدِرًا (۴۵)

18-45a: هَشِيمًۭا – ھَشمۡ means soft, like herbage (R) or is used for breaking something which is dry and hollow (LA) and hence applies to breaking bones etc. ھشیم means dried, fallen leaves that break and get crushed, as in: فَكَانُوا۟ كَهَشِيمِ ٱلْمُحْتَظِرِ : So they were like the dry fragments of trees, which the maker of an enclosure collects (54:31) .

تَذْرُوهُ – ذَرۡو is used for the wind kicking up the dirt and scattering it, as in: وَٱلذَّٰرِيَـٰتِ ذَرْوًۭا :By those scattering broadcast (51:1) (LA).

مُّقْتَدِر – It has the same meaning as قدیر powerful; capable but is more informative (LA). مُّقْتَدِرً is spoken of humans as well and means one who gains power through acquisition (R).

Worldly adornments are transitory: How wise is the Quranic discourse! Since the Christian nations are proud exclusively of their worldly trimmings and adornments, the reality of the transitory beauty is conveyed here. It is stated that these things too are bequeathed by Allah, but they are like herbage, which for a time appears beautiful and pleasing to the eyes as the lush green fields sway gently in the breeze, but then a time comes when it dries and becomes chaff. This is also a reflection of the lives of nations. There is a time when a nation reaches perfection in the adornments of this world, and then a time comes when there is no trace left of it. This is referenced in عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ مُّقْتَدِرًا : Allah is the Holder of power over all things.

18-46   Wealth and children are an adornment of the life of this world; but the ever-abiding, the good works, are better with thy Lord in reward and better in hope.^a

ٱلْمَالُ وَٱلْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَٱلْبَـٰقِيَـٰتُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًۭا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلًۭا (۴۶)

18-46a: أَمَلًۭا – اَمَل and اَمِل means the last hope, and its plural is اٰمال (LA).

The permanence of good deeds: To set up a contrast with the worldly adornments and ornamentations, the source of true, abiding beauty is mentioned, called بَـٰقِيَـٰتُ ever-abiding for which see 6-238a. Actions performed with the sole objective of seeking the pleasure of Allah are the only ones that survive forever, because they result in a reward which lasts forever as stated in: وَمَا لِأَحَدٍ عِندَهُۥ مِن نِّعْمَةٍۢ تُجْزَىٰٓ إِلَّا ٱبْتِغَآءَ وَجْهِ رَبِّهِ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْضَىٰ  :And none has with him any boon for a reward. Except the seeking of the pleasure of his Lord, the Most High. And he will soon be well pleased (92:19-21). The Hadith, when explaining ٱلْبَـٰقِيَـٰت ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتُ has invocations such as: سبحان اللّٰه – الحمد اللّٰه – اللّٰه اکبر – لا اله الا اللّٰه which means that they are included in ٱلْبَـٰقِيَـٰتُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتُ ever-abiding good works.

18-47   And the day when We cause the mountains to pass away, and thou seest the earth a levelled plain and We gather them together and leave none of them behind.^a

وَيَوْمَ نُسَيِّرُ ٱلْجِبَالَ وَتَرَى ٱلْأَرْضَ بَارِزَةًۭ وَحَشَرْنَـٰهُمْ فَلَمْ نُغَادِرْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًۭا (۴۷)

18-47a: نُسَيِّر – سار means to walk and the meaning of سَیَّرہٗ مِنۡ بَلَدِ is he was expelled from his city and exiled. The meaning of سَیَّرتُ الجُلَّ عن ظھر الد ابَّةِ is I took the saddle off the back of the animal (LA). سَیَّرتُه‘ has plurality and in نَسِیۡر  sometimes contains the intention and will of the traveler, as in هُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُسَيِّرُكُمْ : He it is Who makes you travel (10:22). Sometimes نَسِیۡر  means being made to walk through another’s power and control, as is the case here (R).

بَارِزَة  – For بَرَذ see 2-250a. بَارِزَة means that the earth will become a levelled plain in which there will be no barriers. Because بَرَذ is sometimes used for the manifestation of a secret condition, بَارِزَة can have the same meaning, as in يَوْمَ تُبَدَّلُ ٱلْأَرْضُ غَيْرَ ٱلْأَرْضِ  : On the day that the earth will be changed into a different earth (14:48).

نُغَادِرْ – غَدۡر  means to leave something and to abandon it and hence it is also used for breaking a covenant. غدِیر is water moved to a low lying area after a flood, and the meaning of غادر is also to leave, go away, depart.

In this verse and the next, Allah has mentioned the Resurrection, where the wealth of this world will be of no use. All the words used for the Resurrection are generally metaphorically also applicable and true for the nearer resurrection, or the destruction of a nation.

18-48   And they are brought before thy Lord in ranks. Now certainly you have come to Us as We created you at first. Nay, you thought that We had not made an appointment for you.^a

وَعُرِضُوا۟ عَلَىٰ رَبِّكَ صَفًّۭا لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا كَمَا خَلَقْنَـٰكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍۭ ۚ بَلْ زَعَمْتُمْ أَلَّن نَّجْعَلَ لَكُم مَّوْعِدًۭا (۴۸)

18-48a: عُرِضُوا۟ – عَرَضۡتُ علیه means made it manifest for him (LA).

صَفًّۭا – صَفّ means to arrange in a straight line. What is meant by brought before their Lord in ranks? It is stated in a hadith that Allah will cause the former and later generations to stand in one place formed into rows. It can also mean that that they will be made to stand in one row, indicating they will be presented before their Lord without any differentiation. It can also mean that the followers of different prophets will be made to stand in different rows. Some have said the description is metaphorical and it refers to Allah’s pronouncing his judgement about them (RM).

لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا – Certainly you have come to Us,  is either direct speech meaning We will say or it will be said to them or, the past tense is used in place of the future tense because of the certain knowledge of the event occurring, which indicates that our second birth is a certain reality just as our first birth is a reality. I consider the second explanation preferable.

مَّوْعِدًۭ – is an indefinite masculine noun in the accusative case (اسم زمان) derived from وعد. It refers to the promise about the second birth, and the verbal noun with the letter م has the meaning of promise.

18-49   And the book is placed, and thou seest the guilty fearing for what is in it, and they say: O woe to us! what a book is this! It leaves out neither a small thing nor a great one, but numbers them (all), and they find what they did confronting them. And thy Lord wrongs not anyone.

وَوُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ فَتَرَى ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا فِيهِ وَيَقُولُونَ يَـٰوَيْلَتَنَا مَالِ هَـٰذَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةًۭ وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّآ أَحْصَىٰهَا ۚ وَوَجَدُوا۟ مَا عَمِلُوا۟ حَاضِرًۭا ۗ وَلَا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًۭا (۴۹)

18-49a: وُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ – وَضۡع means putting, positioning, placement, and وُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ means to manifest the deeds of people, like is stated in: وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُۥ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ كِتَـٰبًۭا يَلْقَىٰهُ مَنشُورًا : We shall bring forth to him on the day of Resurrection a book which he will find wide open (17:13). See 17-13a (R).

صَغِيرَةًۭ – See 4-21a regarding the discussion about کبیرۃ and it is stated: وَكُلُّ صَغِيرٍۢ وَكَبِيرٍۢ مُّسْتَطَرٌ : And everything small and great is written down (54:53) and further it is stated: وَلَآ أَصْغَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَآ أَكْبَرَ  : nor anything less than that nor greater (10:61).

This mention of good and evil based on the size of deeds, being small or great, is how actions are assessed for impact and consequences. All types of deeds are included in this category.

18-32   And set forth to them the parable of two men — for one of them We made two gardens of grape-vines, and We surrounded them with date-palms, and between them We made corn-fields.^a

وَٱضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلًۭا رَّجُلَيْنِ جَعَلْنَا لِأَحَدِهِمَا جَنَّتَيْنِ مِنْ أَعْنَـٰبٍۢ وَحَفَفْنَـٰهُمَا بِنَخْلٍۢ وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُمَا زَرْعًۭا (۳۲)

18-32a: حَفَفْنَا – حَفّ بالشئ means to circumambulate around something or to enclose it, as in وَتَرَى ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةَ حَآفِّينَ مِنْ حَوْلِ ٱلْعَرْشِ : And thou seest the angels going round about the Throne of Power (39:75) (LA). Allah has given a parable of believers and disbelievers and according to Ruh al-Maani و ضرب المثل لا تقیضی وجودھا It is not necessary for something set forth as a parable to actually exist. The point is not to discuss two particular men, however some commentators have tried to construct stories, complete with the names of the persons in it. The purpose is simply to set up a parable for the wealth and assets Allah has given to the Christians. The parable includes gardens because gardens are a great source of pleasure, and the verse mentions the best grapes growing in the garden and around its boundaries are tall straight palms lending their majestic beauty to it. To complete the picture, there are not just fruits but also lush green fields of grain stretching between the gardens. The next verse mentions rivers flowing through it. Indeed, the Christian nations have converted jungles into gardens.

Allah attributes the giving of these adornments to Himself: Allah attributes to Himself the giving of gardens, the planting of the date-palms and causing the rivers to flow, although it is the disbelievers who worked to make it happen. They are attributed to Allah because He provides the resources that makes all this possible.

18-33   Both these gardens yielded their fruits, and failed not in aught thereof, and We caused a river to gush forth in their midst,

كِلْتَا ٱلْجَنَّتَيْنِ ءَاتَتْ أُكُلَهَا وَلَمْ تَظْلِم مِّنْهُ شَيْـًۭٔا ۚ وَفَجَّرْنَا خِلَـٰلَهُمَا نَهَرًۭا (۳۳)

18-34   And he had fruit. So he said to his companion, while he argued with him: I have greater wealth than thou, and am mightier in followers.^a

وَكَانَ لَهُۥ ثَمَرٌۭ فَقَالَ لِصَـٰحِبِهِۦ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهُۥٓ أَنَا۠ أَكْثَرُ مِنكَ مَالًۭا وَأَعَزُّ نَفَرًۭا (۳۳)

18-34a: ثَمَرٌۭ – Its literal meaning is the fruit of trees. Its singular is ثمرۃ and it has two plurals ثمرات and اثمار , as in فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ رِزْقًۭا لَّكُمْ : then brings forth with it fruits for your sustenance (2:22) and كُلُوا۟ مِن ثَمَرِهِۦٓ إِذَآ أَثْمَرَ : Eat of its fruit when it bears fruit (6:141). The benefits obtained from anything is called its ثمرۃ  fruit, as for example ثمرۃ العلم fruit of knowledge and ثمرۃ العمل the fruit of deeds. ثمر is also used for wealth from which benefit can be earned and this is the meaning that applies here (R). Some commentators have taken its meaning here as انواع المال , many types of assets (Qamus) and gold and silver (IJ).

Although in the previous verse only a garden is mentioned, in order to convey that this is a parable, a statement of the owner is included to the effect that his wealth and his associates are greater than that of the other person. He flaunts his supremacy because of the size of his associates just as Christian nations are proud because of their wealth and their military alliances.

18-35   And he went into his garden, while he was unjust to himself. He said: I think not that this will ever perish,^a

وَدَخَلَ جَنَّتَهُۥ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌۭ لِّنَفْسِهِۦ قَالَ مَآ أَظُنُّ أَن تَبِيدَ هَـٰذِهِۦٓ أَبَدًۭا (۳۵)

18-35a: تَبِيدَ – بَادَ    (یبید) means to perish and بَیۡداء means wilderness (R).

Christian nations being devoid of spirituality: By going into the garden is not meant a particular visit made to a garden, but the meaning is more general and implies deriving benefit from wealth and resources. Further in هُوَ ظَالِمٌۭ he was unjust, it is conveyed that the Christian nations have become so absorbed with their wealth that they are unjust to themselves because of neglecting spirituality and morality and thus they have set themselves up for destruction. They consider the amassing of wealth and other assets to be the purpose of life, exerting so much effort that they are convinced that their rank and riches will never diminish. This is the current condition of the Christian nations and the next verse reveals that they will cease to believe in the Hereafter. It is true that modern Christian nations neither hold belief in the Hereafter nor are they worried about it. However, since there is the mention of the Hereafter in the Gospels, they assume that they are the most deserving of the blessings of the Hereafter.

18-36   And I think not the Hour will come; and even if I am returned to my Lord, I will certainly find a returning-place better than this.

وَمَآ أَظُنُّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ قَآئِمَةًۭ وَلَئِن رُّدِدتُّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّى لَأَجِدَنَّ خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهَا مُنقَلَبًۭا (۳۶)

18-37   His companion said to him, while arguing with him: Disbelievest thou in Him Who created thee of dust, then of a small life-germ, then He made thee a perfect man?

 قَالَ لَهُۥ صَاحِبُهُۥ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهُۥٓ أَكَفَرْتَ بِٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكَ مِن تُرَابٍۢ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍۢ ثُمَّ سَوَّىٰكَ رَجُلًۭا (۳۷)

18-38   But as for me, He, Allah, is my Lord, and I associate none with my Lord.^a

 لَّـٰكِنَّا۠ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ رَبِّى وَلَآ أُشْرِكُ بِرَبِّىٓ أَحَدًۭا (۳۸)

18-38a: لَّـٰكِنَّا۠ – It is a short form of لٰکن انا and the meaning is لٰکن انا اقول  But I say this or but I believe this.

The state of the believer described here is by implication the description of Islam with its theological basis in لَآ أُشْرِكُ بِرَبِّىٓ أَحَدًۭا I associate none with my Lord. The perfect belief in the Unity of Allah exists only in Islam. The disbelief in Allah mentioned in the last verse is a picture of the Christian nations who are practically denying the existence of God and are averse to even mentioning the name of God in any affair. It can also mean that they deny the power of God, who has given great physical prowess to humans, to raise him to achieve spiritual perfection. In this verse, we are told about birth of humans, created from dust and then of a small life germ. This does not mean that Prophet Adam was created from dust and then subsequently humans from life germs. It means that plants and grains grow in the ground from which they get their nourishment. These are then consumed by humans as food to nourish their bodies which produce the life-germ. In this way, every person is born from dust, as the elements that produce the life germ and subsequently the human, come from the earth.

The stages of the next life are like those of this life: The next life or نشأۃ اخرۃ is similar to this life. The deeds of individuals are varied and scattered. The effects of a person’s deeds are simultaneously manifested producing a condensed essence of his life in the next world, similar to a life-germ or embryo. Hence that life begins here, but in the form of a life germ in an unknown form. The  برزخ  intermediary stage has a similarity with the fetus in the mother’s womb and the Resurrection is the time of its birth.

18-39   And wherefore didst thou not say, when thou enteredst thy garden: It is as Allah has pleased — there is no power save in Allah? If thou consider me as less than thee in wealth and children —^a

وَلَوْلَآ إِذْ دَخَلْتَ جَنَّتَكَ قُلْتَ مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِٱللَّهِ ۚ إِن تَرَنِ أَنَا۠ أَقَلَّ مِنكَ مَالًۭا وَوَلَ

دًۭا (۳۹)

18-39a: مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ – means  الامر مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ Whatever God wishes or  مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّه کائن God willing it will happen because if Allah had not created the sources from which people derive benefit, they could not have done anything. A person can only benefit from resources if Allah desires to bestow that benefit on him and that desire by Allah is expressed in the form of having created the resources humans needs to progress. In لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِٱللَّهِ there is no power save in Allah there is an admission of the powerlessness of humans. In a hadith this statement is said to be one of the treasures of heaven.

إِن تَرَن – تَرَن  is actually تَرَنِیۡ and stands for  انا فصل the first is second person masculine singular imperfect verb and the reply is conditionally omitted but a standard reply is given in the next verse.

18-40   Then maybe my Lord will give me better than thy garden, and will send on (thine) a reckoning from heaven so that it is dust without plant:^a

فَعَسَىٰ رَبِّىٓ أَن يُؤْتِيَنِ خَيْرًۭا مِّن جَنَّتِكَ وَيُرْسِلَ عَلَيْهَا حُسْبَانًۭا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَتُصْبِحَ صَعِيدًۭا زَلَقًا (۴۰)

18-40a: حُسْبَانًۭ – Its literal meaning is reckoning but here it means heavenly punishment or a fire from heaven. It actually refers to the one who faces a reckoning, and according to which the requital is meted out (R).

زَلَق – It is the same as زَلَل and زَلَق. It is a ground on which it is difficult to get a sure footing, or a slippery ground. Hence by زَلَق here is meant a land without vegetation. In another verse it is stated: لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَـٰرِهِمْ : would almost spite thee with their eyes (68:51), showing that they would stare you down with their eyes as if to make you fall from the high status that Allah has granted you (LA).

A better garden refers to paradise in the next world, which is promised to the believers and which is never ending. Wealth can be lost, indeed power, honor, and dignity can all slip away due to conditions that are heaven sent مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ  or arise from the earth. An example is given in the next verse which speaks of water drying up.

18-41   Or its water will sink down into the ground, so that thou art unable to find it.

أَوْ يُصْبِحَ مَآؤُهَا غَوْرًۭا فَلَن تَسْتَطِيعَ لَهُۥ طَلَبًۭا (۴۱)

18-42   And his fruit was destroyed; so he began to wring his hands for what he had spent on it, while it lay waste, its roofs fallen down, and he said: Ah me! would that I had ascribed no partners to my Lord!

وَأُحِيطَ بِثَمَرِهِۦ فَأَصْبَحَ يُقَلِّبُ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَىٰ مَآ أَنفَقَ فِيهَا وَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا وَيَقُولُ يَـٰلَيْتَنِى لَمْ أُشْرِكْ بِرَبِّىٓ أَحَدًۭا (۴۲)

18-42: يُقَلِّبُ كَفَّيْهِ – can be understood as a restless rubbing of hands, placing the palm of one hand over the back of the other. It can also be understood as a gesture of regret, when one is powerless to do anything.

The wealth of the world is often lost, and it is only then that one understands that only a connection with God can help in every situation. This connection is actually the paradise from which one is never expelled.

18-43   And he had no host to help him against Allah, nor could he defend himself.^a

وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُۥ فِئَةٌۭ يَنصُرُونَهُۥ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ مُنتَصِرًا (۴۳)

18-43a: مُنتَصِرً – The meanings of اِنتِصار and اِستِنۡصار is to ask for aid or help (R).

18-44   Thus protection is only Allah’s, the True One. He is Best to reward and Best in requiting.

هُنَالِكَ ٱلْوَلَـٰيَةُ لِلَّهِ ٱلْحَقِّ ۚ هُوَ خَيْرٌۭ ثَوَابًۭا وَخَيْرٌ عُقْبًۭا (۴۴)

18-44a: وَلَـٰيَةُ – See 2-257a for its meaning, but Ibn Jarir states that ولایة means continuation and وِلایة means governing and dominating, and عُقِبۡ means a good end. See 13-22a. This means it is only at this stage that the realization dawns that help comes only from Allah. Even powerful people cannot defend their power from being destroyed, and it is only the connection and relationship with Allah that can be of assistance.

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.

18-18   And thou mightest think them awake while they were asleep, and We turned them about to the right and to the left, with their dog outstretching its paws at the entrance. If thou didst look at them, thou wouldst turn back from them in flight, and thou wouldst be filled with awe because of them.^a

وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًۭا وَهُمْ رُقُودٌۭ ۚ وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ ٱلشِّمَالِ ۖ وَكَلْبُهُم بَـٰسِطٌۭ ذِرَاعَيْهِ بِٱلْوَصِيدِ ۚ لَوِ ٱطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًۭا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًۭا (۱۸)

18-18a: أَيْقَاظًۭ – یَقَظة is the opposite of sleep and its verb is اِسۡتَیۡقَظَ, and یَقۡظان is its adjective whose plural is اَیۡقَاظ and this is also the plural of یَقِظ and یَقُظ which means alert, a person who has wisdom and intelligence (LA).

رُقُود – رُقاد is a good short nap and رُقُود is a verbal noun and also the plural of رَاقد (R). The meaning of رَقَد الحرُّ is the heat has subsided, and the meaning of اَرۡقَدَ بالمکانِ is stayed in the house (LA).

وَصِيدِ –  is the courtyard of a house or hut and وَصِيدِۃ is a house made in the mountains with stones for storage (LA). اوصَدُت الباب the door was closed and secured and this is also the meaning of اٰصَدَ.  مؤصدۃ is derived from it as in إِنَّهَا عَلَيْهِم مُّؤْصَدَةٌۭ : Surely it is closed in on them (104:8) meaning closed in on them from all sides (LA). Some have translated وَصِيدِ as door or doorsill (IJ).

ٱطَّلَعْتَ – طَلَعَ is sunrise and derived from it طَلَعَ and اِطِّلَعَ (verbal noun اِطِّلَاع ) means learned the condition by seeing it (R) as in: هَلْ أَنتُم مُّطَّلِعُونَ : Will you look? (37:54); أَطَّلِعُ إِلَىٰٓ إِلَـٰهِ مُوسَىٰ : knowledge of Moses’ God (28:38).

Sleep of the Dwellers of the Cave: If this verse refers to the people who went into the Cave, then it is obvious that the duration of the sleep is not for years or centuries because in the explanation of the word رُقُود by Imam Raghib, this word is used to denote a short period of sleep and not a prolonged and deep sleep. However, several questions arise here. First, what is meant by the statement that they were sleeping but an onlooker would think they were awake. Some have said this was because their eyes remained open, others have said it was because of their watchfulness for safety, and their remaining unchanged over time, and their turning in their sleep. No satisfactory explanation is found in any of these interpretations. It has also been stated that they changed positions only once or twice a year. What is the real meaning of keeping their eyes open and why has this incident been relayed again? Moreover, there is the mention of a dog with them. Did the dog also sleep as part of the miracle? Some say yes while others say no. The latter say it kept guard over them and obtained nutrition by licking its paws. The question arises why a guard dog was even needed. Since the Dwellers were protected from snakes and scorpions in the Cave, could they not be protected in the same way from wild beasts? What is the wisdom in specifically mentioning their changing sides while sleeping. If they slept for three hundred years as a miracle, was it beyond Allah’s powers to allow them to sleep without moving? Even if they moved around as they slept, what is meant by mentioning it?

European nation’s worldly smartness and religious neglect: In my opinion, the people mentioned in the above verse are the ones referred to in the last verse of the previous section as مَن يُضْلِلْ whom He leaves in error (18:17), who are the successors of the أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ  Dwellers of the Cave, and who became engrossed in worldly matters and hence became أَصْحَـٰبَ َٱلرَّقِيمِ the People of Inscription. In their worldly matters they are very aware and not only are they awake but show a high degree of efficiency and intelligence. However, from the perspective of truth seeking, they are asleep even though they roam the earth to their right and left, traveling in all directions without exception. The description of the Dajjal (Antichrist) in the Hadith mentions that it is blind in the right eye and this is a metaphorical reference to religious blindness. Hence the hadith repeat and confirm what is said in this verse. The mention of a dog is to highlight a distinguishing feature of this nation because the love that it has for dogs is unparalleled by any other nation. Their women often carry their dogs in their lap and love them more than their children, doting upon them. Nearly every westerner keeps a dog. This may be due to a deep affinity because a dog is known for eating greedily, and these nations have taken greed for worldly wealth to extreme level. Another possible interpretation for the mention of a dog is that a nation among these European nations, because of its extreme power, acts like a watchdog for the other nations. Just like a dog, it sits on the threshold and provides security for them. See 18-22a for this. The last part of the verse would indicate that people look at their technical advancement, the abundance of material goods, and the high standard of living with its outwardly glamor and glitter, and are overawed.

18-19   And thus did We rouse them that they might question each other. A speaker from among them said: How long have you tarried? They said: We have tarried for a day or a part of a day. (Others) said: Your Lord knows best how long you have tarried. Now send one of you with this silver (coin) of yours to the city, then let him see what food is purest, and bring you provision from it, and let him behave with gentleness, and not make your case known to anyone.^a

وَكَذَٰلِكَ بَعَثْنَـٰهُمْ لِيَتَسَآءَلُوا۟ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ قَالَ قَآئِلٌۭ مِّنْهُمْ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ ۢ ۚ قَالُوا۟ رَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثْتُمْ فَٱبْعَثُوٓا۟ أَحَدَكُم بِوَرِقِكُمْ هَـٰذِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ فَلْيَنظُرْ أَيُّهَآ أَزْكَىٰ طَعَامًۭا فَلْيَأْتِكُم بِرِزْقٍۢ مِّنْهُ وَلْيَتَلَطَّفْ وَلَا يُشْعِرَنَّ بِكُمْ أَحَدًا (۱۹)

18-19a: وَرِقِ – means leaves of a tree. The singular is وَرَقَة and its plural is اَوۡراق, as in مَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ : there falls not a leaf (6:59). Other meanings of this word include the pages of a book, and excessive wealth since abundant wealth is comparable to the abundance of leaves on a tree. Similarly, wealth is also called تری or تُراب earth or dust or سیل flood. The meaning of ورقِ and وَرِقِ is dirhams or rupees (R).

يَتَلَطَّفْ – لطیف is an attributive name of Allah for which see 6-103a, and لطیف is one who gently provides what is needed. Ibn al-Athir states that لطیف is one who has the following qualities: is gentle in actions, has an intricate knowledge of what is advisable, and has the ability to guide to what he has estimated. لُطف is being gentle with another, and تَلَطَّف in an affair is being تَرَفُّق or gentle.

In this verse, there is a mention of أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ again. In verse 18:10, it was stated that when they took refuge in the Cave, they supplicated to Allah to open a beneficial way for them, so eventually Allah called them to this task. There remains the question of how long they stayed in the Cave. In verse 18:11 it is called سِنِينَ عَدَدًۭا several years and this seems reasonable given the normal human life span. The 300 years in verse 25 of this chapter will be taken up for discussion later. Their saying that they tarried for a day or part of a day is from the perspective that the word یوم is used in a broad sense and is not necessarily a day of twenty-four hours. It may be that they meant that they had spent their life or a greater part of their life in the Cave. It seems to be indicated in: رَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثْتُمْ : Your Lord knows best how long you have tarried, that this was the plan of Allah, and the time they spent in the Cave was not wasted but the groundwork was prepared for their mission. During this period, their worship of Allah completed their moral development which is necessary for the work of calling people to Allah.

After this, they try to determine how to set about doing their work and they decide to send a person to the town with some money to bring back provisions. In this way, they sought to establish a relationship with the townsfolk and through their gentleness in conversation and propagation try to slowly draw the townsfolk to the truth without making them aware of their real purpose. It would be unwarranted to assume that they did not eat food prior to this encounter because people who live in isolation in caves make arrangements for their food and very often make do with things that are growing in the wild. The objective of sending a person to town is to slowly develop a relationship with the townspeople. This strategy of the few أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ has a striking similarity with the initial history of Christianity which remained in a state of subservience for three hundred years. During this period, its preaching was done secretly and with great gentleness. It could not be propagated openly as is also indicated in the next verse. The strange thing is that even today the Christian nations of Europe use the same tactics to achieve their political goals. They first make inroads into a country on the pretext of trade and gently proceed till they gain complete control in the country, also using wealth to ease the way to achieve their objective. They get what they want and ensure that their real intention remains hidden. Thus, in the narration of the أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ there is a retelling of the history of Christianity.

18-20   For if they prevail against you, they would stone you to death or force you back to their religion, and then you would never succeed.

إِنَّهُمْ إِن يَظْهَرُوا۟ عَلَيْكُمْ يَرْجُمُوكُمْ أَوْ يُعِيدُوكُمْ فِى مِلَّتِهِمْ وَلَن تُفْلِحُوٓا۟ إِذًا أَبَدًۭا (۲۰)

18-21   And thus did We make (men) to get knowledge of them, that they might know that Allah’s promise is true and that the Hour — there is no doubt about it. When they disputed among themselves about their affair and said: Erect an edifice over them. Their Lord knows best about them. Those who prevailed in their affair said: We shall certainly build a place of worship over them.^a

وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَعْثَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّۭ وَأَنَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهَآ إِذْ يَتَنَـٰزَعُونَ بَيْنَهُمْ أَمْرَهُمْ ۖ فَقَالُوا۟ ٱبْنُوا۟ عَلَيْهِم بُنْيَـٰنًۭا ۖ رَّبُّهُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ ۚ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ غَلَبُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَمْرِهِمْ لَنَتَّخِذَنَّ عَلَيْهِم مَّسْجِدًۭا (۲۱)

18-21a: The real plan of the أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ discovered: The most common way commentators have explained كَذَٰلِكَ أَعْثَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ : thus did We make (men) to get knowledge of them is to say that because of the dirham coin, which was three hundred years old, people found out about them. They came to see the Dwellers, though some reports state that the townspeople did not see them, because whenever one of them gathered courage and stepped forward to look, he would be terrified and backed away. Encountering people from three hundred years ago made them realize that the Resurrection is true, and the dead will be raised to life. At this point the commentators showed some doubts that even if it is accepted that the أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ slept for a long time, how does this lead to the knowledge that there is resurrection after death. The only reply given is that both incidents provide testimony of Divine power, since the God who could keep bodies in suspended animation for so many years, can also give life again. The question remains however, that if by witnessing one example of Divine power, knowledge can be gained of another aspect of Divine power, what was the need for preserving the bodies for such a long period? There are thousands of examples of Divine power that one sees every day which should be sufficient to convince a person that even when the body disintegrates after death, the person would be resurrected. Besides, it is hard to believe that reliance on the testimony of one person can create such certainty in others. In my opinion, أَعْثَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ  : get knowledge of them means getting knowledge of the true aim of the أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ who kept gradually explaining their views to people till they got convinced that what they were being called to is true and that resurrection after death is undoubtedly correct. It is only by the teachings of the prophets that people become convinced of the afterlife. When the أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ slowly educated them on goodness and morality, the people became convinced of their truthfulness.

The actual intention of European nations made manifest: If the narration of أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ is taken to understand the intentions of the European nations through the history of Christianity, this story becomes very meaningful because the world has come to know of their designs. In this interpretation, the pronoun in لِيَعْلَمُوٓا۟ stands for these European nations meaning, when people wise up to the real purpose of the European nations and frustrate their designs, this failure will make the Europeans turn their attention to the truth. They will realize that worldly progress is not everything and there is another life to plan for.

In the last part of the verse, the people who accepted the invitation of the أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ . are mentioned. Initially no one listened to the Dwellers of the Cave, but their situation changed to where people wanted to construct memorials to honor them for their piety. The next stage came when those people gained dominance and became rulers, and made these virtuous and pious people their deities. ( غَلَبُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَمْرِهِمْ means غلبہ sway, supremacy, hegemony, as in واللّٰہ غالب علیٰ امرہ , with the pronoun in أَمْرِهِمْ pointing to those who became dominant.

ارادوا امرا لم یتعسر علیہم انہم اذ If they wanted something, it was not difficult for them (RM)). The deification of Jesus in Christianity became solidified with the conversion of Constantine. A hadith in Bukhari states: لعن اللّٰہ  الیھود و النصاریٰ اتخذ اقبور انبیاء ھم مساجد May the curse of Allah be on the Jews and Christians, for they made the graves of their prophets places of worship. In another hadith, it is stated: اذا کان فیہم الرجل الصالح فمات بنوا علی قبرہ مسجدا و صور وا فیه تلك الصور When a pious person among them died, they would make his grave a shrine and would make images in it of their holy people and worship them. This verse seems to refer to the same practice. This is an example of their unjustly elevating the status of Allah’s pious people. Some Muslims take this as a justification for making shrines at gravesites, but this is peculiar logic because the authentic hadith are calling it an error. Such practices lay the foundation of associating partners with Allah.

18-22   (Some) say: (They were) three, the fourth of them their dog; and (others) say: Five, the sixth of them their dog, making conjectures about the unseen. And (others) say: Seven, and the eighth of them their dog. Say: My Lord best knows their number — none knows them but a few. So contend not in their matter but with an outward contention, and question not any of them concerning them.^a

سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلَـٰثَةٌۭ رَّابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌۭ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًۢا بِٱلْغَيْبِ ۖ وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌۭ وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ ۚ قُل رَّبِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِم مَّا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌۭ ۗ فَلَا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلَّا مِرَآءًۭ ظَـٰهِرًۭا وَلَا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِم مِّنْهُمْ أَحَدًۭا (۲۲)

18-22a: سَيَقُولُونَ – س is prefixed future particle andis used in combination with the imperfect (present tense) verb to form the future tense. The imperfect verb (فعل مضارع) is third person masculine plural and is in the indicative mood (مرفوع). سوف performs the same function but according to some, the future in this case is more expansive (Mughni al Labib).  

تُمَارِ – مراء و مماراۃ and امتراء have the same meaning, to dispute about a perplexing subject (R). مراء is an argument in which one party tries to get information from the other, which leads to its meanings as doubt, suspicion and perplexity. The meaning of مَرَیۡت الشاۃ  is I milked the goat.

 ظَـٰهِرًۭا – ظَھَر الشئُ means something emerged onto the back of the earth, or came above the ground and therefore did not remain hidden. (ظَھۡر means the back). بَطَنَ means something entered the bowels of the earth and was hidden. مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ : such of them as are apparent and such as are concealed (7:3 3). So, everything that is clear and can be known either by seeing it with the eye or by an inference is called ظاھر  (R). Commentators have interpreted it in several different ways. Some have taken it to mean not well-versed or not conversant, some have taken it to mean a quarrel about something obvious, in some writings it is described as a dispute with a scholar who is certain about his information, in others it is an assertion that people can see, and in yet others it is an argument that nullifies the argument of the adversary.

This verse mentions what people will say in the future and not what was said in the past. Commentators have explained this by stating that after reading what is said in the Quran people will speculate about the number of the أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ but unless such speculation existed beforehand about whether there were three or five or seven, there is no reason to speculate now. If such speculation existed beforehand, then why would Allah say سَيَقُولُونَ which is in the future tense. The second difficulty is that if the Quran had given a number, only then would these words would be appropriate, because after listening to the number stated in the Quran, people may respond in the manner stated. However, the Quran assiduously avoids stating a number; neither is their number mentioned in the beginning nor at the end where it is just stated: رَّبِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِم : My Lord best knows their number. Later in the verse, it is stated:

 مَّا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌۭ : none knows them but a few but a reference to their number is left out and it is only stated that none knows them but a few.

The meaning cannot be that a few know this narration or the number, because just knowing would not warrant its mention in the Quran. So, who are these few? The few are those scholars who realize that this narration is not about numbers but understanding the deeper meaning of the narration from the circumstances and situation that existed. In لَا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِم مِّنْهُمْ أَحَدًۭا question not any of them concerning them, the pronoun them in مِّنْهُمْ is taken to refer to the Ahl al-Kitab من اھل الکتاب from the People of the Book(R) even though there is no mention of them here, unless one considers that the purpose of this whole narration is about the Ahl al-Kitab, or the Christians.

Among the Ahl al-Kitab the commonly accepted number of the Dwellers in the Cave is seven. Even if there had been speculation about their number being three or five, it is not surprising that it was not recorded because many erroneous matters have found their way in this narrative, as commonly happens, and hence are not mentioned in the Quran. In my opinion, the focus here is primarily on the history of Christianity, and this is indicated in غَلَبُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَمْرِهِمْ prevailed in their affair (18:21), indicating that they came out of a condition of subservience to become dominant, and this is why ثَلَـٰثَةٌۭ three – خَمْسَةٌۭ five – سَبْعَةٌۭ seven are simply stated as numbers without any reference to what or who they pertain to. It is possible, that these numbers may pertain to three, five, or seven men or to three, five, or seven nations or to three, five, or seven governments etc. In لَا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِم مِّنْهُمْ  :question not any of them concerning them indicates that this narration is not about the counting of those men, because this story was known to the Ahl al-Kitab who widely believed the Dwellers were seven. In the last two verses كَلْبُهُمْ refers to such a nation or government that acts like a dog or a guard for them, providing them with security. Further, instead of كَلْبُهُمْ in one recitation there is کالبہم , that is صاحب کلبہم their dog owner (RM) from which it seems that all of them, including the dog, are members of the same group and species. Nevertheless, it has been very difficult to interpret this verse. It is possible that Allah may open its meaning to someone someday. Another possible interpretation of this verse can be that there have been eight powerful Christian nations, which is a number the Quran has mentioned. These are: America, Britain, France, Spain, Austria, Germany, Italy and Russia. Only four of these are considered to be super-powers: America, Britain, France and Russia. Sometimes Germany and Italy are included and these powers become six and without a doubt one of them provides security to the rest. In رَّبِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِم : My Lord best knows their number, it is conveyed that actually there are more of them, and only Allah knows their number.  

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.