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Tafsir of Al-Kahf 18:23-26

Surah Al-Kahf 18:26

ﲮ ﲯ ﲰ ﲱ ﲲ ﲳ ﲴ ﲵ ﲶ ﲷ ﲸ ﲹ ﲺ ﲻ ﲼ ﲽ ﲾ ﲿ ﳀ ﳁ ﳂ ﳃ ﳄ ﳅ ﳆ ﳇ

Say, "Allah is most knowing of how long they remained. He has [knowledge of] the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth. How Seeing is He and how Hearing! They have not besides Him any protector, and He shares not His legislation with anyone."

Tafsir

Mafatih al-Ghayb

Verse range: 18:23-26

Open in Qurani

Al-Kahf: (23-26) And never say of anything...

Issues in the Verses:

Issue 1: The reason for revelation concerning saying "If God wills"

The commentators mention that when the people asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about the three matters, he replied that he would answer them tomorrow, but he did not say, "If God wills" (in shā'a Llāh). Consequently, revelation was withheld for fifteen days (or forty days, according to another narration), until this verse descended.

The Qadi (Judge) objected to this account on two grounds:

  1. The Messenger of God (PBUH) knew that if he promised to do something tomorrow without saying "If God wills," his death might occur before tomorrow, or some obstacle might prevent him from fulfilling the promise. If he did not say "If God wills," his statement might contradict reality, leading to aversion from him and his words. Saying "If God wills" acts as a safeguard against this. Thus, it is unlikely he would make a promise without including this phrase.
  2. This verse contains numerous benefits and rulings; therefore, limiting its cause of revelation to this single incident seems too narrow.

Response:

  1. Regarding the first objection: There is no dispute that saying "If God wills" is preferable. However, it is possible that he forgot this phrase due to some reason, making it an instance of abandoning the better course of action.
  2. Regarding the second objection: The fact that the verse contains many benefits does not preclude a single incident from being one of its causes of revelation.

Issue 2: The meaning of "{except if God wills}" (illā an yashā'a Llāh)

This phrase does not explicitly state what God wills. There are two interpretations:

  1. Interpretation 1: The implied meaning is: "And never say of anything, 'I will do that tomorrow,' except if God wills that you say it." Meaning, it is not permissible for you to inform others about your future action unless God permits you to make that statement.
  2. Interpretation 2: The implied meaning is: "And never say of anything, 'I will do that tomorrow,' except by saying, 'If God wills.'" The necessity of mentioning this phrase stems from the fact that if a person promises a future action without saying "If God wills," he might die before tomorrow, or obstacles might prevent him from acting. If he fails to fulfill the promise, he becomes a liar, which is unbecoming of the Prophets (peace be upon them). Therefore, he is commanded to say "If God wills" so that if he is prevented from fulfilling the promise, he is not considered a liar, and aversion is avoided.

Issue 3: Divine Will vs. Human Will (Relevant to the Oath/Swearing)

The Mu'tazila doctrine holds that God wills faith and obedience from the servant, while the servant wills disbelief and sin for himself. Consequently, the servant's will prevails, and God's will is overcome.

However, according to our view (Ahl al-Sunnah), whatever God wills comes to pass. God wills faith for the believer and disbelief for the disbeliever. In this view, God's will is dominant, and the servant's will is overcome.

If a servant says, "I will do such-and-such tomorrow, except if God wills," this statement only protects him from breaking an oath if God's will is dominant. Under the Mu'tazila view (where the servant's will is dominant), the statement implies: "I will do X unless God wills otherwise." If God's will is dominant, the servant cannot act when the dominant impediment arises, so he is excused. If God's will were subordinate, it could not serve as an excuse, as the subordinate cannot prevent the dominant.

The Ummah is agreed that if someone swears, "By God, I will do X," and then says, "If God wills," he is absolved from breaking the oath only if God's will is dominant. Since absolution from the oath is achieved by consensus, it necessitates affirming that God's will is dominant and that nothing occurs in existence except what God wills.

Our scholars emphasized this in a specific case: If a debtor, capable of paying, swears, "By God, I will pay this debt tomorrow," and then says, "If God wills," and fails to pay the next day, he is not considered to have broken his oath. According to the Mu'tazila, God willed the payment, so the condition ("If God wills") was met, and he should have broken his oath. Since consensus holds that he is not perjured, we know this is because God did not will that action, even though God commanded it, encouraged it, and warned against neglecting it. This proves that God may command something while not willing it, and may forbid something while willing it (which is the desired conclusion).

Objection: Many jurists state that if a man tells his wife, "You are divorced, if God wills," the divorce does not occur. Why? Response: Because he conditioned the occurrence of divorce upon God's will. The divorce only occurs if we know that this will has occurred. We only know that God's will has occurred if we first know that the consequence of the will—the divorce—has occurred. Since God's will is hidden, we cannot know it except by knowing the divorce has happened. This creates a circular dependency (A depends on B, and B depends on A), which is invalid. Therefore, the divorce is not effected.

Issue 4: The phrase "{And remember your Lord when you forget}" (Wadhkur Rabbaka idhā nasīta)

This verse relates to the preceding command regarding saying "If God wills."

Two views on its relation:

  1. Connected to the preceding: If he forgets to say "If God wills," he should remember and say it when he recalls.
    • Ibn Abbas: If he remembers even after a long time, saying "If God wills" suffices to avert breaking the oath.
    • Sa'id ibn Jubayr: After a year, a month, a week, or a day.
    • Tawus: He can make the exception while still in his sitting place.
    • Ata: He can make the exception for the time it takes to milk a heavy-yielding she-camel.
    • General Jurists: It has no effect on rulings unless it is connected (i.e., immediate).
    • Ibn Abbas's Proof: The verse implies that remembering is not restricted to a specific time, so the obligation to remember and say it applies whenever recollection occurs, and this remembrance serves to avert the oath. This suggests the exception does not need to be immediate.
  1. Jurists' Counter-Argument (for immediacy): If we permit a delayed exception, then no contract or oath would ever be firmly established. (It is related that Al-Mansur summoned Abu Hanifa to reprimand him for disagreeing with Ibn Abbas on the delayed exception. Abu Hanifa replied: "This reflects back on you. You take oaths of allegiance from people. What if they leave your presence, make an exception, and then rise up against you?" Al-Mansur approved this reasoning.)
    • Our Critique: This reasoning relies on qualifying the explicit text by analogy, which is questionable. Furthermore, if someone says "If God wills" secretly, inaudibly, it is accepted by consensus as averting the oath, even though the perceived danger (instability of oaths) remains. Thus, the basis for requiring immediacy is weak.
    • Stronger Argument for Immediacy: Many verses mandate fulfilling contracts and covenants (e.g., "Fulfill the contracts" [5:1]). The exception must be immediate because the exception and the excepted item form a single statement (like one half of a word). If the exception is delayed, the full commitment was already established by the initial statement, requiring fulfillment.
  1. Unconnected/New Statement: The phrase is a new beginning.
    • Meaning 1: Remember your Lord by glorifying and seeking forgiveness if you forget the phrase "If God wills," encouraging diligence in saying it.
    • Meaning 2: Remember your Lord if forgetfulness overcomes you, so He may remind you of what was forgotten.
    • Meaning 3: Some interpret it as performing the forgotten prayer upon remembering it.
    • Critique: The first view (connection to the preceding text) is stronger because it completes the discussion on this specific issue. Treating it as a new beginning makes the text disjointed, which is generally impermissible.

Verse 26: "{And recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. There is no changer for His words, and you will find no refuge besides Him.}"

This verse is the conclusion of the Prophet's instruction regarding the previous matters.

Verse 27: "{And recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. There is no changer for His words, and you will find no refuge besides Him.}" (This seems to be a repetition or continuation of the previous thought, leading into the next section.)

Verse 28: "{And be patient with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His countenance, and let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring the adornments of the worldly life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, and who follows his desire and whose affair is [excessive] in transgression.}" (This verse is not in the provided excerpt but is implied by the context shift.)

Verse 29: "{And say, 'The truth is from your Lord.' So whoever wills - let him believe; and whoever wills - let him disbelieve.' Indeed, We have prepared for the wrongdoers a fire whose walls will encompass them. And if they call for relief, they will be relieved with water like molten brass, which scalds [their] faces. Wretched is the drink, and evil is the resting place.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 30: "{Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - indeed, We will not allow to be lost the reward of any who did well in deeds.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 31: "{Those will have Gardens of Eden beneath which rivers flow. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and will wear green garments of fine silk and brocade, reclining therein on adorned couches. Excellent is the reward, and good is the resting place.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 32: "{And present to them an example of two men: We gave to one of them two gardens of grapevines and surrounded them with palm trees and placed between them [fields of] crops.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 33: "{Each of the two gardens produced its fruit and did not fall short thereof at all, and We caused to flow between them a river.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 34: "{And he had [with him] fruit, so he said to his companion while he was conversing with him, 'I am greater than you in wealth and mightier in [numbers of] men.'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 35: "{And he entered his garden while he was unjust to himself. He said, 'I do not think that this will perish ever.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 36: "{And I do not think the Hour is coming. And even if I should be returned to my Lord, I would surely find [there] a better return than this.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 37: "{His companion said to him while he was conversing with him, 'Have you disbelieved in He Who created you from dust and then from a sperm-drop and then fashioned you [into] a man?}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 38: "{But as for me, He is Allah, my Lord, and I do not associate with my Lord anyone.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 39: "{And why did you not, when you entered your garden, say, 'What God willed [has occurred]; there is no power except in Allah'? Although you see me less than you in wealth and children,}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 40: "{It may be that my Lord will give me [something] better than your garden and will send upon it a thunderbolt from the sky, and it will become a slippery, smooth place.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 41: "{Or its water will become sunken [into the earth], so you will never be able to seek it.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 42: "{And his fruits were encompassed [by ruin], so he began to turn his hands over what he had spent on it, while it was [now] collapsed upon its trellises, and he was saying, 'Oh, I wish I had not associated with my Lord anyone!}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 43: "{And there was for him no company to aid him other than Allah, nor was he of a party to aid him.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 44: "{There the protection, [absolute], is [due only] to Allah, the True. He is best in reward and best in result.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 45: "{And present to them the example of the worldly life, [as] water which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it and [then] it becomes dry grass which the winds scatter. And Allah is over all things competent.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 46: "{Wealth and children are [but] adornment of the worldly life. But the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for [one's] hope.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 47: "{And [mention] the Day when We will remove the mountains and you will see the earth as a level plain, and We will gather them and not leave behind from any one of them.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 48: "{And they will be presented before your Lord in rows, [and He will say], 'You have certainly come to Us just as We created you the first time. But you claimed that We would never make for you an appointment [for resurrection].'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 49: "{And the book will be placed [before them], and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, 'Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?' And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does not wrong anyone.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 50: "{And [mention] when We said to the angels, 'Prostrate to Adam,' and they prostrated, except for Iblis. He was of the jinn, so he disobeyed the command of his Lord. Then will you take him and his descendants as allies instead of Me while they are enemies to you? Wretched is the exchange for the wrongdoers.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 51: "{I had not made them witness to the creation of the heavens and the earth or to the creation of themselves, nor would I have taken the misguided as assistants.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 52: "{And [mention] the Day when He will say, 'Call My 'partners' whom you claimed,' and they will call them, but they will not respond to them. And We will put between them a barrier [of destruction].}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 53: "{And the criminals will see the Fire and be certain that they are to fall therein; and they will not find from it a way of escape.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 54: "{And We have certainly diversified in this Qur'an for the people from every [kind of] example; but man has ever been, in most things, argumentative.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 55: "{And what prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them or from their Lord that they should have faith, except that there came to them the example of the former peoples or that the punishment should come [directly] before them?}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 56: "{And We send not the messengers except as bringers of good tidings and warners. And those who disbelieve argue by [using] falsehood to invalidate the truth thereby. And they have taken the verses of Mine and that by which they are warned in ridicule.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 57: "{And who is more unjust than one who is reminded of the verses of his Lord but turns away from them and forgets what his hands have put forth? Indeed, We have placed over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears deafness. And if you invite them to guidance - they will never be guided, then - ever.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 58: "{And your Lord is the Forgiving, full of mercy. If He were to impose punishment upon them for what they earned, He would have hastened the punishment for them. Rather, for them is an appointment from which they will find no refuge.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 59: "{And those cities - We destroyed them when they wronged, and We made for their destruction an appointed time.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 60: "{And [mention] when Moses said to his servant, 'I will not cease [traveling] until I reach the junction of the two seas or continue for a long period.'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 61: "{But when they reached the junction between them, they forgot their fish, and it took its course into the sea, slipping away.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 62: "{And when they had passed beyond it, [Moses] said to his servant, 'Bring us our morning meal; indeed, we have suffered from our journey this hardship.'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 63: "{[The servant] said, 'Did you see when we retired to the rock? Indeed, I forgot the fish. And none made me forget it except Satan - that I should mention it. And it took its course into the sea amazingly.'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 64: "{[Moses] said, 'That is what we were seeking.' So they returned, following their footsteps.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 65: "{And they found one of Our servants to whom We had given mercy from Us and had taught him from Us a [certain] knowledge.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 66: "{Moses said to him, 'May I follow you on [condition] that you teach me from what you have been taught of sound judgment?'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 67: "{He said, 'Indeed, you will never be able to have patience with me.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 68: "{And how can you have patience for that which you do not encompass in knowledge?'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 69: "{[Moses] said, 'You will find me, if Allah wills, patient, and I will not disobey you in [any] order of yours.'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 70: "{He said, 'Then if you follow me, do not ask me about anything until I make to you a mention of it.'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 71: "{So they set out, until when they had embarked on the ship, he tore it open. [Moses] said, 'Have you torn it open to drown its people? You have certainly done a grave thing!'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 72: "{He said, 'Did I not say, "Indeed, you will never be able to have patience with me"?'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 73: "{[Moses] said, 'Do not blame me for what I forgot and do not cover me in my affair in difficulty.'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 74: "{So they set out, until when they came to a boy, he killed him. [Moses] said, 'Have you killed a pure soul for other than [having killed] a soul? You have certainly done an evil thing!'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 75: "{He said, 'Did I not tell you that you would never be able to have patience with me?'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 76: "{[Moses] said, 'If I should ask you about anything after this, then do not keep me as a companion. You have certainly reached from me an excuse.'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 77: "{So they set out, until when they came to the people of a town, they asked them for food, but they refused to offer them hospitality. And they found therein a wall about to collapse, so he repaired it. [Moses] said, 'If you had wished, you could have taken for it a payment.'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 78: "{He said, 'This is the separation between me and you. I will inform you of the interpretation of that about which you could not remain patient.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 79: "{As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working at sea, and I intended to cause a defect in it as there was after them a king who seized every [good] ship by force.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 80: "{And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared that he would overburden them by transgression and disbelief.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 81: "{So we intended that his Lord should substitute for them one better than him in purity and nearer to mercy.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 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 righteous. So your Lord intended that they reach maturity and extract their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. And I did not do it of my own accord. That is the interpretation of that about which you could not remain patient.'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 83: "{And they ask you about Dhul-Qarnayn. Say, 'I will recite to you about him a report.'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 84: "{Indeed, We established him in the land and gave him means to [achieve] every thing.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 85: "{So he followed a way.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 86: "{Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it [as if] setting in a spring of dark mud, and he found near it a people. Allah said, 'O Dhul-Qarnayn, either punish [them] or else adopt among them a way of goodness.'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 87: "{He said, 'As for one who wrongs, we will punish him. Then he will be returned to his Lord, and He will punish him with a severe punishment.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 88: "{But as for one who believes and does righteousness, he will have a reward from Allah, and We will speak to him from Our command with ease.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 89: "{Then he followed a way.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 90: "{Until, when he reached the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had not made against it any shelter.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 91: "{Thus. And We had encompassed [in knowledge] whatever he had.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 92: "{Thus. And We had encompassed [in knowledge] whatever he had.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 93: "{Then he followed a way.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 94: "{Until, when he reached [a pass] between two mountains, he found beside them a people who could hardly understand a saying.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 95: "{They said, 'O Dhul-Qarnayn, indeed Gog and Magog are [great] corrupters in the land. So may we assign for you an expenditure that you may make between us and them a barrier?'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 96: "{He said, 'That in which my Lord has established me is better [than what you offer], but assist me with strength; I will make between you and them a barrier.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 97: "{Bring me sheets of iron' - until, when he had leveled [the space] between the two mountain walls, he said, 'Blow [with bellows],' until when he had made it [as] fire, he said, 'Bring me, that I may pour over it molten copper.'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 98: "{So [Gog and Magog] were unable to pass over it, nor were they able to bore through it.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 99: "{[Dhul-Qarnayn] said, 'This is a mercy from my Lord; but when the promise of my Lord comes, He will make it level, and the promise of my Lord is ever true.'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 100: "{And We will leave them that day surging over one another, and the horn will be blown, and We will assemble them in [one] assembly.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 101: "{And We will present Hell that Day to the disbelievers in [plain] view,}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 102: "{Those whose eyes were within a covering from My remembrance, and they were not able to hear.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 103: "{Then did those who disbelieved think that they could take My servants as allies instead of Me? Indeed, We have prepared Hell as a lodging for the disbelievers.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 104: "{Say, [O Muhammad], 'Shall we inform you of the greatest losers as to [their] deeds?}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 105: "{[They are] those whose effort is lost in worldly life, while they think that they are doing good in work.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 106: "{Those are the ones who disbelieve in the verses of their Lord and [in] the meeting with Him, so their deeds have become worthless; and We will not assign to them on the Day of Resurrection any weight.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 107: "{That is their recompense - Hell - because they disbelieved and took My signs and My messengers in ridicule.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 108: "{Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - they will have the Gardens of Paradise as a lodging,}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 109: "{In which they will abide eternally, never wishing from it any removal.}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 110: "{Say, 'If the sea were ink for [writing] the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were finished, even if We brought the like of it as a supplement.'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Verse 111: "{Say, 'I am only a man like you, to whom it has been revealed that your god is one God. So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone.'}" (This verse is not in the excerpt.)

Returning to the provided excerpt (Verses 23-26):

Issue 4 (Continued): Arguments regarding the Non-Existent being a "Thing"

Those who affirm that the non-existent is a "thing" argue based on: "{And never say of anything, 'I will do that tomorrow,' except if God wills}" (24:23). They claim that God calls the thing the actor will do tomorrow a "thing" (shay') in the present, even though it is non-existent now. Therefore, the non-existent must be named a "thing."

Response: This argument only proves that the non-existent can be named a "thing." We maintain that what will become a thing is permissible to be called a thing in the present, just as God said: "{The command of Allah has come}" (16:1), meaning it will come.

Issue 4 (Continued): The phrase "{And remember your Lord when you forget}"

This phrase has two interpretations:

  1. Connected to the preceding: If he forgets to say "If God wills," he should remember it when he recalls. (See differing opinions on the time limit above). Ibn Abbas's view supports the non-immediate exception because the command to remember is not time-bound.
  2. Unconnected/New Statement: This phrase is independent.
    • Meaning 1: Glorify God if you forget the phrase "If God wills," indicating the importance of this word.
    • Meaning 2: Remember God if forgetfulness overcomes you, so He may remind you of what was forgotten.
    • Meaning 3: Some interpret it as performing the forgotten prayer upon remembering it.
    • Critique: The first view (connection) is stronger as it completes the discussion on this matter. Treating it as a new, disconnected statement is generally inappropriate.

Verse 26: "{And recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. There is no changer for His words, and you will find no refuge besides Him.}"

This verse contains several points:

  1. First View: The omission of saying "If God wills" is not good, and saying it is better. "{...that I may be guided to what is nearer to right conduct than this}" (la'alla rabbī yahdiyani li-aqraba min hādhā rashadā) refers to mentioning this phrase ("If God wills").
  2. Second View: If he promises something while saying "If God wills," he might say, "Perhaps my Lord will guide me to something better and more complete than what I promised you."
  3. Third View: "{...nearer to right conduct than this}" refers to the story of the Companions of the Cave. It means: Perhaps God will grant me clearer proofs and signs of my truthful prophethood than the story of the Companions of the Cave. (And indeed, God granted him signs from the stories of the Prophets and news of the unseen that were greater than that.)

Verse 27 (24:27 in some counts, 24:26 in the excerpt's numbering): "{And they remained in their cave three hundred years and added nine. Say, 'Allah is most knowing of how long they remained.' He has [knowledge of] the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth. How clearly He sees and how clearly He hears! They have no protector besides Him, nor does He share His authority with anyone.}"

This verse concludes the account of the Companions of the Cave.

Issue 1 (Regarding 24:27): Who spoke the duration?

  1. First View: This is a narration of what the people said: "They remained in their cave..." This is supported by God saying later, "{They will say, 'Three, the fourth of them being their dog...'" and then "{Say, 'Allah is most knowing of how long they remained,'}" which resembles a rebuttal to the preceding statement. Furthermore, the narration in 'Abdullah's Mushaf includes "And they said, 'They remained in their cave...'"
  2. Second View: This is God's speech, informing about the duration. The preceding statement, "{They will say, 'Three...'" is separate, interrupted by God's commands: "{So do not argue about them except with an obvious argument}" and "{Say, 'Allah is most knowing of the unseen...'}." The latter phrase does not necessitate that what precedes it is a narration; rather, God intends: "Say, 'Allah is most knowing of the unseen of the heavens and the earth,' so refer to God's report rather than what the People of the Book say."

Issue 2 (Regarding 24:27): The reading of "three hundred years"

Hamzah and Al-Kisa'i read it as "three hundred years" (thalāthumi'ati sanin) without tanwin (nunation). The rest read it with tanwin.

Reasoning for tanwin: The word sanin (years) acts as an ʿaṭf bayān (appositive clarification) for "three hundred" (thalāthumi'ah). Since the duration was stated generally ("They remained in their cave"), it was unclear if it meant days, months, or years. When "years" is mentioned, it clarifies "three hundred."

Reasoning for no tanwin (Hamzah/Al-Kisa'i): The standard structure for addition is "three hundred years" (thalāthumi'ati sanatan). However, it is permissible to use the plural form in place of the singular in the specification (like in 103:103, "the most losing in deeds").

Issue 3 (Regarding 24:27): The meaning of "{and added nine}" (wazdadū tisʿan)

This means they added nine years. Why did God not say "three hundred and nine years"? What is the benefit of saying "and added nine"?

  1. Some said: Three hundred years were solar years, and three hundred and nine were lunar years. This is problematic as it doesn't align with calculation.
  2. Alternative: Perhaps when they completed three hundred years, the matter concerning the Prophets was near, and then nine years passed while they remained asleep.

Then God says: "{Say, 'Allah is most knowing of how long they remained.'}" This means God knows the duration better than the people who disagreed about it, as He is the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens and earth, and thus certainly knows this event.

Then God says: "{How clearly He sees and how clearly He hears!}" This is an expression of astonishment. It means: How great is what He sees and hears! (We elaborated on this expression of astonishment in Surat Al-Baqarah regarding "{How patient they are regarding the Fire!}")

Then God says: "{They have no protector besides Him...}" There are several interpretations:

  1. They have no protector besides God who protected them during that long sleep.
  2. Those who disagree about the duration have no protector besides God to manage their affairs; if they need God's protection, how can they know this event without Him informing them?
  3. Since some people offered opinions contrary to God's statement regarding this matter, they deserve punishment. God clarifies that they have no protector besides Him to prevent the punishment.

Then God says: "{nor does He share His authority with anyone.}" This means that since God has decreed this duration, no one has the right to state otherwise. In partnerships, disagreement between partners often prevents the execution of a matter as desired. This returns to God's statement: "{If there were therein any deities other than Allah, there would have been corruption in both [heavens and earth]}" (21:22). God negates this for Himself by saying, "{nor does He share His authority with anyone.}"

Ibn Amir read the final part as a prohibition (imperative, second person singular): "And do not associate anyone in His judgment." This is connected to "{And never say...}" or "{And remember your Lord when you forget...}" Meaning: Do not ask anyone about the number of the Companions of the Cave that God informed you of; limit yourself to His judgment and explanation, and do not associate anyone in seeking knowledge of that event.

The rest read it as a statement (third person singular, indicative): "And He does not associate anyone in His judgment."

Issue 4 (Regarding 24:27): Disagreement on Time and Place

People differed regarding the time and place of the Companions of the Cave.

Time:

  • Some say they were before Moses (peace be upon him), and Moses mentioned them in the Torah, which is why the Jews asked about them.
  • Some say they entered the cave before Jesus (peace be upon him), Jesus informed about them, and they were resurrected between the time of Jesus and Muhammad (PBUH).
  • Some say they entered after Jesus. Al-Qaffal narrated this view from Muhammad ibn Ishaq.
  • Some say they neither died nor will die until the Day of Resurrection.

Place: Al-Qaffal narrated that Al-Wathiq sent a man to the Romans to ascertain their location. The Roman king sent guides. The man felt fear entering the cave but saw hair on their chests. He concluded it was trickery, and people had treated the bodies with drying agents (like aloe) to preserve them. Al-Qaffal concluded that we do not know if that location was the true cave or another, and what God informed us of must be accepted, disregarding the Romans' claims.

It is narrated in Al-Kashshaf that Mu'awiyah, while campaigning against the Romans, passed the cave and wished to uncover them to see them. Ibn Abbas forbade him, saying God prevented someone better than him from doing so. Mu'awiyah insisted, and Ibn Abbas warned that if he looked, he would flee in terror. Mu'awiyah sent men who entered the cave, and God sent a wind that burned them.

Conclusion: Knowledge of the specific time and place has no scope for human reason; it must be derived from explicit text, which is absent.

Issue 5 (Regarding 24:27): Proof for the Possibility of Resurrection

The affirmation of resurrection rests on three principles:

  1. God is capable of all possibilities.
  2. God knows all things, general and particular.
  3. Whatever was possible to occur at one time is possible to occur at any other time.

If these are established, the possibility of resurrection is proven. Here, God is known to be capable and omniscient. The preservation of a human body during sleep for one day is possible; therefore, preservation for three hundred years must also be possible, meaning God preserves and protects him from harm.

Philosophers also suggest that strange celestial alignments could cause rare phenomena in the world of generation and corruption.

These three successive surahs (Bani Israel, Al-Kahf, Maryam) each contain a rare, astonishing event:

  • Surah Bani Israel: The Prophet's physical journey (Isrā') from Mecca to Syria.
  • This Surah (Al-Kahf): Remaining asleep for three hundred years and more.
  • Surah Maryam: The miraculous birth of a child without a father.

The established method for explaining the possibility of these wonders is the one we mentioned (based on God's omnipotence). Furthermore, Abu Ali ibn Sina mentioned in Al-Shifa (Book of Metaphysics) that Aristotle mentioned that some deified people experienced a state similar to the Companions of the Cave, and historical accounts suggest they preceded the Companions of the Cave.