Tafsir of Al-Kahf 18:17

"And you see the sun..." This is an explanation of their condition after they took shelter in the cave. The Almighty did not make it explicit, relying on what preceded it in His saying: “When the youths sought refuge in the cave” and what followed it regarding the attribution of the cave to them and their presence in an opening within it. It is also permissible that this is an indication that there was no need for explicit statement, due to the clarity that they acted according to the demand of the situation, as it was issued from sound judgment. The Almighty has also omitted other sentences that are not hidden. The address is to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), or to anyone who is suitable for it; this is for the sake of hyperbole in clarity. It is not intended to inform about the occurrence of the vision, but rather to announce that if you were to see the cave, you would see the sun.

"When it rises, it deviates..." That is, it turns away. Its origin is tatazawaru with two ta’s, but one was omitted for the sake of lightening (the pronunciation). This is the reading of the Kufans, Al-A’mash, Talha, Ibn Abi Layla, Khalaf, Ibn Sa’dan, Abu Ubaidah, Ahmad bin Jubayr al-Antaki, and Muhammad bin Isa al-Isbahani. The two Haramis (Meccans and Medinans) and Abu Amr read it as tazawwaru with a fatha on the ta and a shadda on the za; its origin is also tatazawaru, but the ta was assimilated into the za after being changed into a za. Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Amir, Qatada, Humayd, and Ya’qub (on the authority of Al-Umari) read it as tazwiru, like tahmaru (to turn red); this is from the construction of verbs that do not pertain to defects or colors, and this has occurred rarely. Jabir, Al-Jahdari, Abu Raja, Al-Sakhtiyani, Ibn Abi Abla, and Wardan (on the authority of Ayyub) read it as tazwaru, like tahmaru, and it is in construction like its predecessor. Ibn Mas’ud and Abu al-Mutawakkil read it as tazwa’iru with a hamza before the doubled ra, like tatma’innu (to be tranquil). Perhaps the hamza was brought in to avoid the meeting of two quiescent letters, even if it were permissible in such cases where the first is a letter of elongation and the second is assimilated into its like.

All of these are from the root zawr (with two fathas and lightening), which is the inclination. Some constrained it to physical inclination, while the majority treat it as absolute. From this comes the azwar (one whose eye is inclined to one side). It also exists in things other than the eye. Ibn Abi Rabi’a said: "And my side, out of fear of the brave one, is inclined (azwar)." Antarah said: "It leaned away (fa-azwara) from the impact of the spears upon its chest, and it complained to me with tears and a low sound." Bishr bin Abi Hazim said: "The guides head with it toward the waters of Nakhl, and upon it, from the two Aban mountains, is an inclination (izwirar)." From this is zara-hu (he visited him), meaning he inclined toward him. Al-zur (the lie) is so called because of its inclination from the truth and its lack of correspondence to it. Likewise is al-zur in the meaning of an idol in the saying: "They came with their two zur (idols), and we came with the Deaf One." Al-Raghib said: Al-zawr (with a fatha on the waw) is an inclination in al-zur (with a quiescent waw), which is the upper part of the chest. Al-azwar is one whose chest is inclined. I visited (zurtu) so-and-so, meaning I met him with my zur (chest), or I intended his zur—that is, I intended his direction. The most famous interpretation is what we have presented. It is narrated from Abu al-Hasan that he said: "There is no meaning for tazwaru in the verse, because al-izwirar is contraction." This is an attack on the reading of Ibn Amir and those with him in a way that necessitates changing the interpretation. In sum, the meaning is: when it rises, it turns away and inclines "from their cave," which they took shelter in, the attribution being due to the slightest connection.

"To the right..." That is, the side to the right of the cave when the person entering faces its depths, meaning the side that lies toward the west, or the side to the right of the youths—the result is the same as the previous one. It is in the accusative case as an adverb. Al-Mubarrad said in Al-Muqtadab: "To the right" and "to the left" are among the flexible adverbs, like yaminan (to the right) and shimalan (to the left).

"And when it sets, it avoids them..." That is, you see it when it sets, "to the left"—that is, the side to the left of the cave, meaning the side that lies toward the east. More than one person said: "It is from al-qard in the sense of cutting." The Arabs say: "I cut (qadartu) such-and-such place," meaning I crossed it. Dhu al-Rumma said: "...to a thrust, they cut (yaqridna) the ridges of Mushrif to the left, and on their right are the knights." The meaning is that it passes them by.

"While they were in an opening within it." That is, in a wide space of the cave. This is, as it is said, from al-faja, which is the distance between the two thighs. It is said a man is afja and a woman is fajwa'. It is pluralized as faja', fija, and fajwat. The essence of the two sentences is that the sun would not touch them at all so as to harm them while they were in the middle of the cave, such that the breeze of the air would reach them, but the stuffiness of the cave or the heat of the sun would not harm them. This is because the entrance of the cave, as Abdullah bin Muslim and Ibn Atiyya said, was facing the "Daughters of the Bier" (the stars of the Big Dipper), and the closest sunrise and sunset points to alignment with it were the sunrise and sunset of the head of Cancer. When the sun had its orbit there, it would rise inclined when facing its right side, which is the one lying toward the west, and it would set aligned with its left side. Thus, its rays would fall upon its side, purifying its miasma and moderating its air, but would not fall upon them to harm their bodies and rot their garments. Perhaps the inclination of the entrance toward the west was greater, and for that reason, the tazawur (deviation) occurred regarding their cave, and the qard (avoidance) regarding their persons.

Al-Zajjaj said: "This is not for what was mentioned, but merely for the Almighty God turning the sun by the hand of His power away from hitting them, in a manner breaking the custom, as an honor to them." The Almighty’s saying, "While they were in an opening within it," was brought as a state (hal) explaining that what was mentioned was an extraordinary matter, as if it were said: "You see the sun inclining from them to the right and left, and not hovering around them, despite them being in a wide space of the cave exposed to its rays, were it not that He restrained it from them with the restraint of predetermination." He argued for this with the Almighty’s saying: "That is from the signs of Allah." Here, "that" is an indication of what was mentioned of the deviation and the avoidance in the rising and setting to the right and left. Its status as a sign is not as apparent in the previous view as it is in this one; for it being a sign indicating the perfection of the power of Allah Almighty, the truth of monotheism, and the honor of its people in the sight of the Almighty is, in this view, more apparent than the sun in the fourth hour of the day. This was before the door of the cave was sealed, as it is said.

Abu Ali said: "The meaning of taqriduhum is: it gives them a little of its light, then it departs quickly and takes back its light; it is like a loan (qard) that the lender takes back." The sum of the two sentences according to him is that the sun inclines in the morning away from their cave and touches them in the evening with a light touch. This was refuted by the fact that no thulathi (three-letter) verb has been heard for qard in this meaning that would require opening the letter of the imperfect tense. Some chose that the meaning is what was mentioned, but made taqriduhum from al-qard in the sense of cutting, not the meaning Abu Ali mentioned, for reasons you have heard. He claimed it is from the category of omission and connection (hadhf wa isal), and the origin is taqridu lahum (it cuts for them), and the meaning is: "And when it sets, it cuts for them a portion of its light." The reason for his choosing this is his assumption that if the sun did not touch their place at all, its air would corrupt, and what was in it would become moldy, which would become a cause for their destruction—and there is that which is in it (i.e., this logic is flawed). Most exegetes hold that the sun did not touch them at all, even if they differed in the origin of that.

A group chose that it was purely for Allah Almighty shielding the sun contrary to the customary habit. They said: "The indication supports this in the most complete manner." And to consider it impossible is not something to be paid attention to, especially in what we are in, for the whole affair of the People of the Cave is contrary to custom.

Some of those who went with the origin being that the door of the cave was facing the "Daughters of the Bier" made "that" an indication of their seeking refuge in a cave of this nature. Another made it an indication of Allah Almighty’s protection of them in that cave for the long duration. Another made it an indication of the Almighty letting His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) know their news. The latter two were objected to on the grounds that its inclusion in the midst of the story does not support them. Some made it an indication of their guidance to monotheism, their opposition to their people and their fathers, and their lack of concern for them and their kingdom despite their youth, and their seeking refuge in a cave of such nature. This is not devoid of beauty, and to it I incline, and Allah Almighty knows best.

It was also read as yaqriduhum with a ya as the last letter, and perhaps the pronoun returns to the setting of the sun. Abu Hayyan said: "That is, the cave avoids them."

"He whom Allah guides"—he whom the Almighty directs, by a guidance that leads to the truth and grants him success in what He loves and is pleased with— "is the rightly guided"—the winner of the most abundant portion in both abodes. The intent is either to praise the People of the Cave and testify for them that they attained the goal, and to inform of the realization of what they hoped for from the spreading of mercy and the preparation of ease, or to alert that such signs are many, but the one who benefits from them is he whom Allah Almighty has granted success to reflect upon them and gain insight from them. The "whomever" (man) refers either to the youths or is general for them and others, and it contains praise for them as well, as you see.

Some made it a praise for Allah Almighty due to the suitability of His saying, the Almighty: "And We increased them in guidance," and the connection and suitability of His saying, the Mighty and Majestic: "And he whom He sends astray"—creates astray-ness within him due to the turning of his choice toward it— "you will never find for him," ever, even if you were to be extreme in tracing and exhaustive search, "a protector"—a helper, "a guide"—who guides him to the truth and saves him from straying, because of the impossibility of his existence in himself, not that you will not find him despite his existence or possibility. For if the intent were to praise them, the Almighty’s saying, "is the rightly guided," would have sufficed. The response is that it does not correspond to the context, and the contrast does not negate the praise, but rather confirms it. Thus, it contains an insinuation that they are the people of guardianship (wilaya) and guidance, because they have the Protecting Guide. Perhaps in the verse there is the art of ihtibak.