Al-Kahf (Surah 18)

Introduction

This Meccan sûrah takes its name from the story of the people of the cave in verses 9-26. According to Ibn ’Abbâs, the Prophet (ﷺ) was asked about the youths who hid in a cave, a king who dominated large parts of the world, and about the spirit, so 18:9-26, 18:83-99, and 17:85 were revealed. The Prophet (ﷺ) says in an authentic narration collected by At-Tirmiⱬi, “No one’s feet will move on Judgment Day until they are asked about four things: 1) What they did in their youth. 2) How they earned and spent their wealth. 3) What they did with their knowledge. 4) And how they spent their lives.” Interestingly, these four questions correspond to the four stories mentioned in this sûrah: 1) The story of the youths and the cave. 2) The story of the wealthy man with two gardens. 3) The story of Moses and the man of knowledge. 4) And finally the story of Ⱬul-Qarnain and his life and travels in the service of Allah. The four stories are interjected by warnings to the disbelievers and good news to the believers. Like the story of the people of the cave, some miraculous stories appear in the next sûrah. In the Name of Allah—the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful