Tafsir of Al-Kahf 18:13-15

Surah Al-Kahf: Verses 13–15

[13] We relate to you their story with truth.

Know that the Almighty mentioned a summary of their incident previously, and then said: {We relate to you their story with truth}, meaning, in a manner of veracity. {We relate to you their story}: They were a group of youths who believed in God.

Then the Almighty described them: {And We strengthened their hearts}, meaning, We inspired patience in them and made them steadfast. {When they stood up}.

Regarding this standing up, there are several opinions:

1. The First Opinion (Mujahid): They were nobles of their city. They left and gathered behind the city without prior appointment. One of them, the eldest, said: "I feel something within myself that I do not think anyone else feels." They asked, "What do you feel?" He replied, "I feel that my Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth."
2. The Second Opinion: They stood before their tyrannical king, Dhaqyanus, and declared: "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth." This was because he was calling people to worship idols. So, God strengthened these youths and protected them until they disobeyed that tyrant, affirmed God's Lordship, and openly disavowed partners and equals to Him.
3. The Third Opinion (Ata and Muqatil): They said this upon waking up from their sleep. This view is distant because God began their story anew with {We relate to you}.

{And [saying], 'If we were to say otherwise, we would have uttered an outrageous falsehood.'}

The meaning of shatata (outrageous falsehood/excess) in language is exceeding the limit. Al-Farra’ said that one says ashatta fi as-sawm (he exceeded the limit in bidding/pricing), and it is only heard as ashatta yashittu ishtitatan wa shatatan. Al-Zajjaj and others narrated shatta ar-rajul wa ashatta if he exceeded the limit. Hence the saying: {and do not be excessive} (Surah Sad: 22). The root of this is the saying shattat ad-dar (the dwelling became distant), so shatat means distance from the truth. Here, it is in the accusative case as a verbal noun (masdar). The meaning is: "If we were to say otherwise, we would have uttered a statement that is far-fetched/excessive."

{These are our people; they have taken besides Him deities.}

This is the saying of the Companions of the Cave, referring to those who worshipped idols during the time of Dhaqyanus. {Why do they not bring to them a clear authority?} Meaning, a clear proof or evidence regarding the worship of these deities.

The meaning of the statement is that the absence of clear evidence does not indicate the absence of the thing being proven. Some people use the absence of evidence as proof for the absence of the thing proven, and they use this verse to support the validity of this methodology. They argue that God inferred the non-existence of partners and equals from the absence of evidence for them, thus establishing that inferring the non-existence of the proven from the absence of evidence is a strong methodology.

Then He said: {And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about God?} Meaning, ruling that something is established while lacking evidence for it is injustice and a fabrication against God and a lie upon Him. This is one of the greatest proofs against the corruption of following mere tradition (taqlid).

[17] And [mention] when you withdrew from them and that which they worship other than Allah, seek refuge in the cave. Your Lord will spread out for you of His mercy and will prepare for you from your affair facility.

[18] And you would see the sun, when it rose, inclining away from their cave to the right, and when it set, passing away from them to the left, while they were in an open space thereof. That is from the signs of Allah. He whom Allah guides is the [rightly] guided; but he whom He leaves astray - never will you find for him a protecting guide.