And similarly, We awakened them that they might question one another. Said a speaker from among them, "How long have you remained [here]?" They said, "We have remained a day or part of a day." They said, "Your Lord is most knowing of how long you remained. So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the city and let him look to which is the best of food and bring you provision from it and let him be cautious. And let no one be aware of you.
{And in this way We awakened them}
Just as We caused them to sleep that sleep, so too did We awaken them. This was a reminder of His power to both cause sleep and to resurrect. They began to ask one another questions to understand their condition and what God had done for them, so that they might reflect, infer the greatness of God’s power, increase in certainty, and give thanks for the blessings and honor He bestowed upon them.
{They said, "We have remained a day or part of a day."}
This answer was based on the most likely assumption. It serves as evidence for the permissibility of *ijtihad* (independent reasoning) and speaking based on the most likely assumption, which is not considered a lie even if it happens to be incorrect.
{They said, "Your Lord is most knowing of how long you remained."}
This was a correction from some of them to others, acknowledging that God alone knows the duration of their stay. It is as if they realized, through evidence or divine inspiration, that the duration was vast and its exact measure was ambiguous, known only to God. It is narrated that they entered the cave in the morning and awoke after midday, so they assumed they were still in the same day. However, when they observed the length of their nails and hair, they spoke as they did.
If you ask: How did they connect their statement {So send one of you} to the discussion about the duration?
I reply: It is as if they said, "Your Lord knows best about that, and you have no way to ascertain it, so occupy yourselves with something else that concerns you."
{With this silver coin of yours}
*Al-Wariq* is silver, whether minted or unminted. From this is the Hadith regarding Arfaja, whose nose was injured at the Battle of al-Kulab; he fashioned a nose of silver, but it began to rot, so the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) ordered him to fashion one of gold.
{Let him look to which is the purest food}
* **"Among them"**: Meaning the people of the city. The word "people" is omitted, as in the verse {And ask the city} (Yusuf: 82).
* **"Purest food"**: The most lawful, wholesome, abundant, and affordable.
* **"Let him be subtle"**: Let him exercise gentleness and care in the process of purchasing so he is not cheated, or in the matter of remaining hidden so he is not recognized.
* **{And let him not alert anyone to you}**: Meaning, let him not do anything that might unintentionally lead to your discovery. He attributed the "alerting" to him because he would be the cause of it.
* **{They will stone you}**: They will kill you in the vilest manner, which is stoning, as was their custom.
* **{Or return you to their religion}**: Or force you into their creed through violent coercion. The verb "to return" (*al-'awd*) in the sense of "becoming" is very common in their speech; they say, "I have not returned to doing such-and-such," meaning they have begun the action.
* **{And you would never succeed, ever}**: If you were to enter their religion.
{And in this way We made them known}
We caused them to be discovered so that the people might know that the promise of God is true and that there is no doubt about the Hour. This occurred when the people were disputing among themselves regarding their affair, so they said, "Construct a building over them; their Lord is most knowing of them." Those who prevailed in the matter said, "We will surely build a place of worship over them."
