The following is excerpted from The Endless Banquet: A Thematic Explanation of the Qur’an (Volume II) by Shaykh Hamzah Abdul Malik, from Recitation of the Glorious Qur’an: Its Virtues, Etiquette, and Specialties by Imam ‘Abdullah Siraj al-Din, and from Inner Dimensions from the Order of the Surahs in the Qur’an by Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti..
Juz 15: “The Honoring of Mankind”
Ayat 1-26
Many of the previous surahs focused on stories of nations that rejected guidance. Here, in Surah al-Kahf, we find that Allah offers examples of various people who did follow guidance, and how it saved them from suffering the same fate as the disbelievers. This serves as yet another proof of the Qur’an being the true guidance, as mentioned in the first ten verses of the surah. Following the guidance of the Qur’an will lead to salvation, just as Divine guidance of the past led the people mentioned in this surah to their salvation.
Allah begins this surah by relating to us the story of the People of the Cave. We learn that they were youth who realized that, if they wanted to follow Divine guidance, they would have to isolate themselves from the disbelieving people and their environment. Consequently, Allah used their lives as a sign for future believing generations, by giving them a miraculous life. Through this, he provided humanity with clear proof that He is the Creator and that the Resurrection is a reality.
It has been narrated that when one of the Youths of the Cave who were resurrected entered the city to buy food, he took out his silver coins, which were minted in the name of Trajan Decius. See the tafsir of verses 11-26.
Moreover, through this sign, Allah is also sending a message to the followers of previous Abrahamic faiths. He demonstrates how His knowledge encompasses every matter, including the stories and knowledge that they themselves have forgotten, that they dispute about, or those they hide; such as this story of the People of the Cave.
Ayat 27-49
The next story that Allah gives us, the story of the two men and the gardens, demonstrates how the actions of believers lead to heavenly bliss, while the actions of those who are disbelieving and ungrateful to Allah only lead to disappointment and failure.
Here we are introduced to two people. One of them is a believer who is grateful for whatever Allah has given him, while the other has been given abundant wealth but developed arrogance and a sense of entitlement over those people lacking such wealth. He confused wealth in this life for the favours promised to us by Allah in the Hereafter. Hence, Allah taught the ungrateful man a lesson on humility by destroying his wealth with a simple change of the weather, while the grateful believer sought the favour of Allah through humility and gratitude.
All of this points to the fact that Allah has reserved true success and blessings for those who submit to Him and serve Him. In contrast, those who ignore the authority of Allah over them will be deluded by the traps of this world and become obsessed with them. However, they will discover that such pleasures will only last a short while after which they will be taken away from them and replaced with torment in the Hereafter.
And strike for them the parable of two men. We gave to one of them two gardens of grapevines (18:32) See tafsir of verses 32-44.
Ayat 50-74
As this Juz comes to a close, Allah rhetorically questions the rationale of following someone who would lead one to Hell. The Qur’an is clearly promising success and bliss in this life and the next, and Allah is clearly the One who created the heavens and the earth. Accordingly, how could one ignore the signs and reject the possibility of the Day of Judgment after all the examples, historic references, and reasoning that are elaborated in the Qur’an?
Even though most people reject Allah, He still shows humanity an overwhelming amount of mercy by not immediately punishing them for their rebellion. Rather, He constantly protects them from most of the harm of their own actions, tolerates their infractions, and regularly sends them guidance.
A great example of this can be found in the story of Musa and al-Khiḍr. In this story, Allah teaches us numerous lessons on how His decree protects the interests of the righteous from the violations of the disbelievers, while simultaneously withholding the torment from the disbelievers and giving them respite.
The details of this will be presented to us in the next Juz.
“And behind them was a king who was seizing every ship” meaning every undamaged ship “by force” (18:79) from its owners. See the tafsir of verses 60-82.
Juz 16: “True Stories”
Ayat 75-82
This Juz continues exploring the themes of Surah al-Kahf. So far in this surah, we have seen how Divine guidance was upheld by people in their youth as well as how it was upheld by a person with wealth.
As we arrive at the story of Musa and al-Khiḍr, we will learn how Divine guidance is upheld by a person with knowledge. Throughout the story, we learn that there is a profound difference between knowledge and wisdom. Allah granted Prophet Musa knowledge of the book and instructed him to follow it. On the other hand, al-Khiḍr was given wisdom of the decree, and he was mandated to teach Prophet Musa how this wisdom manifested. In this section we learn that human beings cannot judge Allah’s decree based on what things appear to be at face value.
There is Divine wisdom behind everything which protects the well-being of the righteous, even when it seems to harm them. This means that even when a boat is damaged, a child dies, or an oppressive town is given aid, none of these events are actually to the benefit of the wretched. Rather, the decree serves the best interests of the believers.
Hafiz ‘Abd a-Ghani al-Maqdisi’s Reports on the Dajjal, collects over one hundred Prophetic narrations on this great trial of the End Times. This translation was published by Imam Ghazali Publishing in 2023.
Similarly, following the guidance of Allah and applying the teachings of the Qur’an should grant us utmost certainty. Regardless of how difficult it may be for our egos to accept, there is a greater wisdom and innumerable benefits in this guidance that always transcend the apparent situation. In the end, the believer should patiently serve Allah and look forward to receiving the good that He has in store for him.
Ayat 83-110
Next, Allah brings us to the story of Dhu al-Qarnayn, where we see, once again, how Divine guidance is upheld, this time by a person of power. Here we learn that those people whom Allah has given resources and power must use these means to provide justice where it is needed and protect the innocent from oppressive people. We also learn how Divine guidance inspires leaders to demonstrate creativity and utilise technology to devise long-term solutions for pressing issues.
However, despite all the innovation, technology, and strategy that a leader may employ, he or she must accept the fact that all power ultimately comes from Allah. If He decrees something to change, that change is inevitable, no matter how much effort or how many resources one may invest in an attempt to make it last. In the end, nothing lasts but Allah.
As the surah concludes, the last ten verses give us the fundamental morals of the different stories in Surah al-Kahf: that our actions will only bring us benefit if they are done purely for the sake of Allah, such as the youth’s isolation, al-Khiḍr’s fulfilment of Allah’s commands, and the administration of Dhu al-Qarnayn. On the other hand, those who work to please other than Allah will find no lasting benefit for themselves, regardless of how much effort they apply to their work, like the man with the two gardens, Iblis, or Ya’juj and Ma’juj.
Allah’s knowledge of reality is inexhaustible, and there is no truth that escapes Him. If He promises the believers their reward, then whoever places their faith in Him and strives for His cause can never fail.
Dhu al-Qarnayn traveled from the south to the north “until he arrived between two mountains” (18:93) meaning the pass between the two was blocked. See tafsir of verses 83-101
Narrations that Mention Surah al-Kahf
Serenity and Angels descending upon the recitation of the Noble Qur’an
Bukhari narrated on the authority of Bara’ رضي الله عنه:
“A man was reciting Surah al-Kahf with his horse next to him, tied with two ropes. A cloud suddenly covered him and started approaching him whilst his horse was trying to break loose.
“In the morning, he went to the Prophet ﷺ and related this to him. The Prophet ﷺ said,
“‘That was serenity descending due to the Qur’an.’” (Bukhari, 5011; Muslim, 795)
The narration of Tirmidhi states:
Shaykh 'Abdullah Siraj al-Din's Recitation of the Glorious Qur'an is a compendium of both conceptual and practical knowledge related to Allah's Book.
“It descended with (or upon) the Qur’an.” (Tirmidhi, 2885)
Virtues of Reciting Surah al-Kahf
Abu al-Darda’ رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever memorizes the first ten verses of Surah al-Kahf will be protected against Dajjal (the Antichrist).” (Muslim, 809)
In another narration of Muslim:
“…from the end of Surah al-Kahf.”
In the narration of Nasa’i:
“Whoever recited the last ten verses of Sūrah al-Kahf will be protected from the tribulation of Dajjāl.” (Abu Dawud, 4323)
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever recites Surah al-Kahf on Friday will have a light that shines for them between two Fridays.” (Bayhaqi, 6209)
Nasa’i narrated it.
Bukhari narrated on the authority of Bara’ رضي الله عنه: “A man was reciting Surah al-Kahf with his horse next to him, tied with two ropes. A cloud suddenly covered him and started approaching him whilst his horse was trying to break loose. In the morning, he went to the Prophet ﷺ and related this to him. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘That was serenity descending due to the Qur’an.’”
Ibn ‘Umar رضي الله عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
“Whoever recites Surah al-Kahf on Friday, a light rises from underneath their feet all the way until the sky and it will shine him for them on the Day of Judgement. And they are forgiven (minor sins) between two Fridays.” (Ibn Mardawayh in his exegesis, as cited by al-Mundhiri in al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib, vol. 1, p. 298)
Hafiz al-Mundhiri said:
“Ibn Mardawayh narrated it in his exegesis with a chain that is acceptable.”
Ibn Mardawayh narrated on the authority of Sayyidah ‘A’ishah رضي الله عنها, as a hadith attributed to the Prophet ﷺ:
“Shall I not inform you of a surah whose greatness fills the expanse between the Heavens and the Earth, and the one who writes it also gets the same reward?
“Whoever recites it on Friday will be forgiven from that Friday until the next, and three more days.
“Whoever recites the last five verses of it when going to sleep, Allah will wake them up whenever they wish.” (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi in Kanz al-’Ummal, 2398)
It is the Surah of the People of the Cave, as stated in al-Fatḥ al-Kabir.
Connections Between Surah al-Kahf and the Surahs Preceding It
One scholar said:
“The appropriateness of this surah being placed after Surah al-Isra’ is that the latter was opened with glorification [tasbih], while this surah was opened with praise [tahmid]. And, whenever they both are mentioned together, in the Qur’an and in all other speech, tasbih is mentioned before tahmid, such as His words:
“‘And glorify the praise of your Lord’ (al-Ḥijr 15:98)
“And:
“‘Subhan Allahi wa bi hamdihi.’”
Imam al-Suyuti stated:
There is also a connection due to the previous surah closing off with praise. The congruency of their endings is one of the ways the two surahs correspond.
This passage is excerpted from Imam Ghazali Publishing’s translation of Imam al-Suyuti’s Asrar Tartib al-Qur’an, published in 2024 as Inner Dimensions from the Order of the Surahs in the Qur’an.
Further, there occurred to me another, more perfect view as to the connection between them, namely that the Jews commanded the polytheists to ask the Prophet ﷺ about three things: the spirit, the story of the people of the Cave, and the story of Dhu al-Qarnayn. Since the answer to the first question came at the end of Surah Bani Isra’il, it follows that it should be connected to the surah in which the other two questions are answered.
If you were to ask, ‘Why have the three answers not been joined in a single surah?’, I would respond that, since the first was not answered in detail, it was appropriate for it to be mentioned separately in a different surah.
Furthermore, a different point of view occurred to me. He said ‘And you were only given a little knowledge of it’ (Bani Isra’il 17:85) while addressing the Jews. This was then demonstrated with the story of Musa and Khidhr in Surah al-Kahf, which mentioned knowledge, the more knowledgeable people, and what indicates the vastness of the things known to Allah (‘azza wa jall), which are too numerable to count. Thus, it is as if this surah is establishing evidence for the wisdoms mentioned [in the previous one].
It has also been narrated in a hadith that when the verse ‘And you were only given a little knowledge of it’ (17:85) was revealed, the Jews said, ‘We were given the Torah. And in it is the knowledge of all things.’ So, Allah revealed in Surah al-Kahf:
‘Say: If the sea were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would be extinguished before the words of my Lord, even if you were to bring along with it a similar amount of ink’ (al-Kahf 18:109).
This is another point of view connecting the surahs which regards Surah al-Kahf as a response to the arguments levelled against that which the other [al-Isra’] contained.
Another point of view is that He said, in Surah al-Isra:
‘And when the promise of the Hereafter comes to pass, we will bring all of you forth in one gathering’ (al-Isra’ 17: 104)
This passage is explained in great detail in this surah:
When the promise of my Lord comes to pass, He will make it level. And the promise of my Lord is true. And We will leave them, that day, surging over one another. And the trumpet will be blown. And We will assemble them in a single assembly. And We will fully display Hell to the disbelievers on that day (al-Kahf 18: 98-100).
These are a number of points of view as to the connection between these surahs.
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