Al-Kahf (The Cave): Verses 4–6

Verse 4: "And to warn those who say, 'Allah has taken a son.'"

There are several issues concerning this verse:

Know that the Almighty's saying, {And to warn those who say, 'Allah has taken a son'} is connected (conjoined) to His previous statement: {to warn of a severe punishment from Him} (Al-Kahf: 2).

The rule is that the conjoined element must differ from the element it is conjoined to. The first statement is general, applying to everyone deserving punishment. The second statement is specific, targeting those who attribute a son to God.

The Quranic custom is that when a general principle is mentioned, some of its specific instances are conjoined to it. This highlights that the specific instance is the greatest part of that general category. An example is: {and His angels, and His messengers, and Gabriel and Michael} (Al-Baqarah: 98). Similarly here, the conjunction indicates that the most heinous type of disbelief and sin is attributing a son to God, the Exalted.

Those who attribute a son to God are divided into three groups:

1. The disbelievers of Arabia, who said: "The angels are the daughters of God."
2. The Christians, who said: "The Messiah is the son of God."
3. The Jews, who said: "Uzair (Ezra) is the son of God."

The assertion that God has taken a son is a grave disbelief, leading to immense impossibilities, which we have detailed in Surah Al-An'am concerning the verse: {And they have invented for Him sons and daughters without knowledge} (Al-An'am: 10). Further elaboration is found in Surah Maryam.

Furthermore, God, the Exalted, rebukes those who assert a son for Him in two ways:

First: His saying: {They have no knowledge of it, nor had their fathers.}

If someone argues: "Since taking a son is inherently impossible for God, why did the verse say they have no knowledge of it?"

We reply: The negation of knowledge about a thing can occur either because one lacks the path leading to that knowledge, or because the thing itself is impossible, making knowledge of it unattainable. This is analogous to His saying: {And whoever invokes another god along with Allah—he has no proof for it} (Al-Mu'minun: 117).

Note: Those who reject analogical reasoning (Qiyas) use this verse as evidence, arguing that speaking about religion without knowledge is invalid. Since conjectural analogy (Qiyas Dhanni) is speaking about religion without certain knowledge, it must be invalid. The full exposition of this point is found in His saying: {And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge} (Al-Isra: 36).

And {nor had their fathers} means not even one of their ancestors held this belief. This emphasizes the utterly false and corrupt nature of their assertion.

Second: What God mentioned in refuting them is His saying: {Grave is the word that comes out of their mouths.} This involves several discussions:

Discussion 1: The Reading of Kaburat

The word {كبرت} (Kaburat) has been read in two ways:

1. With Nasb (accusative) for Tamyiz (specification): Kaburat Kalimatan. This means that if one simply said, "The saying/word became great," one might assume it became great in falsehood, ignorance, or slander. By specifying it with Kalimatan (as a Tamyiz), the ambiguity is removed, and it specifies the nature of its greatness. This implies an omitted subject (e.g., "The saying was great, as a word"). Grammarians state that the Nasb reading is stronger and more eloquent, carrying a sense of astonishment, as if saying, "How great is this word!"
2. With Raf' (nominative) for the Fa'il (subject): Kaburat Kalimatu-hu. Here, nothing is omitted, similar to saying, "So-and-so became great."

Discussion 2: The Meaning of "The Word"

{كبرت} means "the word became great." This "word" refers to what God recounted them saying: {They say, 'Allah has taken a son.'} This statement becomes the implied subject of Kaburat and is named a "word," just as a long poem is sometimes called a "word" (Kalimah).

Discussion 3: Al-Nidham's Argument

Al-Nidham used this verse to argue that speech (Kalam) is a physical body (Jism). He argued that God described the word as "coming out of their mouths," and "coming out" implies motion, which is only possible for bodies.

The refutation is that the letters (sounds) are produced due to the breath exiting the throat. Since the exit of the breath is the cause of the word's occurrence, the term "coming out" (Khurooj) is metaphorically applied to the word itself.

{تخرج من أفواههم} (coming out of their mouths) indicates that this statement is extremely repugnant to reason. It is as if God is saying: "What they utter is not affirmed by their intellect or thought whatsoever, due to its extreme corruption and falsehood. It is merely something their tongues utter out of imitation (Taqlid), because even though it is their utterance, their minds and thoughts reject and recoil from it."

Then God Almighty says: {They utter nothing but a lie.} The meaning is clear.

Know that people have differed regarding the true nature of lying (Kidhb). According to us (the scholars of Tafsir/Usul), a lie is a report that does not conform to the reported reality, regardless of whether the speaker believes it conforms or not. Some people hold that for a statement to be a lie, it must not conform to reality and the speaker must know it does not conform.

This latter condition is false according to us. The evidence is this very verse: God describes their statement attributing a son to Him as a lie, even though many of them say it without knowing it is false. Therefore, we conclude that every report that does not conform to reality is a lie, whether the speaker knows it conforms or not.

Then God Almighty says: {Then perhaps you will destroy yourself with grief over their footsteps, if they do not believe in this message, out of sorrow.} This involves several discussions:

Discussion 1: The Purpose

The purpose here is to tell the Messenger (peace be upon him): "Do not let your grief and sorrow over their disbelief become excessive. We sent you as a warner and a bearer of good tidings; securing belief in their hearts is not within your power." The goal is to console the Messenger (PBUH).

Discussion 2: The Meaning of Bākh'

Al-Layth said: A man bakh'a himself when he kills himself out of intense anger due to overwhelming distress. Al-Akhfash and Al-Farra' said the root of Al-Bakh' is exertion/effort (Al-Juhd). They say: Bakh'tu laka nafsi (I exerted my soul for you).

In a narration from 'A'ishah (RA), she mentioned 'Umar and said: Bakh'a al-Ard (He exhausted the land), meaning he took all its wealth until nothing remained. Al-Kisa'i said: Bakh'a al-Ard bi-z-zira'ah (He exhausted the land through continuous cultivation), making it weak. Thus, Bakh'a al-rajulu nafsuhu means he wore it out until it perished. Based on this, {Bākh'a nafsaka} means "you exhaust and strive against yourself until you destroy it." However, all commentators agree that it means "kill yourself and destroy yourself," based on the primary meaning we mentioned, as Al-Wahidi stated.

Discussion 3: The Meaning of "Over Their Footsteps"

{‘alā āthārihim} means "after them." It is said: So-and-so died ‘alā athar (on the track/footstep) of so-and-so, meaning after him. The origin is that when a person dies, their signs and traces remain for a period before they are completely erased. If one person dies shortly after another, his death occurred while the first one's traces were still present, making it correct to say he died ‘alā athar the first one.

Discussion 4: The Meaning of "This Message"

{in lam yu'minū bi-hādhā al-hadīth} (if they do not believe in this message): "The Message" (Al-Hadith) here refers to the Quran.

Al-Qadi said: This implies describing the Quran as a Hadith (a created utterance), which suggests the invalidity of the view that the Quran is eternal (Qadim).

The response is that this description refers to the words (the sounds and letters) of the Quran, which are created (Hādithah).

Discussion 5: The Meaning and Grammar of Asafan

{asafan} means intense grief (Mubālaghah fi al-Huzn). We discussed this previously in relation to {ghadbān asifā} (surah Al-A'raf) and in the story of Yusuf. There are several grammatical possibilities for its accusative case:

1. It is accusative as a Masdar (verbal noun), where the preceding statement implies that he grieves.
2. It can be the Maf'ul Lahu (object of cause), meaning "for the sake of grief," similar to saying, Ji'tuka ibtighā’ al-khayr (I came to you seeking good).
3. Al-Zajjaj said: Asafan is accusative because it is a Masdar functioning in the position of a Hal (circumstantial adverb).

Discussion 6: The Placement of the Fa'

The Fa' in {Fa-la'allaka} is the response to the conditional clause {in lam yu'minū} (if they do not believe). It has been placed before the condition, but its meaning implies it should come after.

Verse 7: "Indeed, We have made that which is on the earth an adornment for it that We may test them as to which of them is best in deed. And indeed, We will make that which is on it a dry, barren ground."