Surah Kahf - A Makkan Surah
The
Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet (peace
be
upon him) in a span of 23 years. The Surahs or verses revealed in Makkah, Taif
& areas outside of Makkah are known as Makkan Surahs. The Makkan phase
lasted for about 13 years in which the Prophets (peace be upon him) prime task
was to invite & call people towards Islam. The rest of the Surahs &
verses revealed after he migrated to Medina in 622 C.E are known as Madinan
Surahs.
The
Knowledge about Makkan & Madinan surahs is one of the important branches of
Ulum-ul-Qur’an. It is particularly important for the understanding &
interpretation of the respective verses[1].
Surah Kahf which is the 18th chapter of the Qur’an was revealed in
Makkah. One can deduce from its subject matter & style that it is Makkan.
Theme
Makkan
Surahs have short verses, catchy rhymes & a very strong rhythm. Surah Kahf
follows the same theme. This pattern was, in order to catch the attention of
those who opposed the message of Islam. It is fast paced; the verses are short
& follows a strong rhythm.
Tawhid
Makkan
Surahs were revealed at a time when people were in a state of disbelief. People
knew there was a God they believed in but had idols as intermediaries whom they
used to worship & made supplications to[2].
Makkan Surahs therefore carried a fundamental message about Tawhid. These
surahs talk about the Oneness of Allah (swt) in his dominion, attributes &
worship.
In
Surah Kahf one can see in verse 4 that Allah (swt) is warning those who claim
that Allah (swt) has taken a son. Ibn Ishaq hold that this verse is referring
to the pagan Arabs who used to call the angels daughters of Allah(swt) &
worship them. This is to warn them about associating partners with Allah(swt).
In verse 5 their claim of Allah (swt) having a son or daughter is repulsed by
saying that what comes out of their mouth is a lie which their forefathers
believed and has been passed on through the generations. The pagans of Makkah
held on strongly to the idols & things that their ancestors worshipped.
“And to warn those who say, Allah
has taken a son. They have no knowledge of it, nor had their fathers. Grave is
the word that comes out of their mouths; they speak not except a lie.”[3]
In
Verse 26, the Surah again highlights another aspect of tawhid. Allah (swt) is
the knower of the seen & the unseen. He sees all things & hears all
things. Meaning that not only is His knowledge absolute, it encompasses
everything & no one shares with Him in this knowledge. He is the only
protector that we have & no one else beside him can protect us.
The
Unseen
The early part of revelation speaks about the
unseen. About the wonders & rewards of paradise to encourage people to do
good deeds. It speaks about the torment of hell in order to discourage people
from doing bad deeds. Such
descriptions were also aimed at scaring the disbelievers into reconsidering
their position before it became too late.[4]
In Verse 29 of
Surah Kahf Allah (swt) mentions the fire of hell prepared for the wrongdoers.
The walls of which will surround them each side as thick as a journey of 40
years & will be served with festering water which will be difficult to sip.
It will rip apart their bowels & burn their skins. In Verse 30-31 Allah (swt)
encourages believers of doing righteous deeds for a handsome reward & the subsequent verses promises
them of paradise, its bracelets, its garments etc.
The
People of the Old
Makkan
Surahs are known for mentioning historical examples of earlier civilizations
like A’d, Thamud etc[5].
Surah Kahf narrates the story of the people of the Cave or known as the
sleepers of the Cave. In verses 9-21, Allah (swt) has narrated the story of the
Ashab Al Kahf. The story is about young people who believe in the Oneness of Allah;
again one can see how the aspect of Tawhid is being highlighted. These young
people make migration from their land towards the cave to protect themselves
from trials & tribulations & from fear of being persecuted by the King
of their time. In the Makkan period the Muslims had to undergo persecution
& torture at the hands of the disbelievers & this narrative served to
inspire them to be righteous and patient and to have faith in Allah’s (swt)
deliverance.
In
Verse 32-44, Allah(swt) narrates us a story from the past about two brothers,
one who spent his wealth in the path of Allah(swt) & the other who was arrogant & haughty about his
wealth. Many of the Messengers were
rejected on the basis of wealth & children. When the arrogant individual
enters his garden, his arrogance makes him proclaim that none of what he possessed
would ever perish & that the final day would never come and even if it did,
he would surely find a reward better than what he already had. This relates
directly to the leaders of Pagan Makkah. They were proud of their wealth &
status over the poor & weak Muslims, they were inconsiderate of their
oppressive behavior and deemed themselves to be righteous and deserving .[6]
In
Verses 60-82, the story of Musa(a.s) & Khidr(a.s) is narrated in great
detail and following verses share the story of the great ruler Dhul Qarnain who
travelled from east to west & helped the people against a tyranny without
desire for any compensation. Again one can see that the Surah narrates stories
from the past.
Eeman-
Faith
Madinan
Surahs are full of legislations as they were revealed when the Muslim community
was being established in Madina. In the Makkan phase the Muslims were weak,
they were going through difficult times thus the Surahs are full of
encouragements & eeman boosting words from Allah (swt). Such verses instill
the fear of Allah (Swt) within the hearts, being aware of His presence &
knowledge of all things. They also carry advice about being patient,
perseverant and doing righteous deeds[7].
In Verse 28 Allah (swt) advises us to be patient with the believing people. To
be patient in trials and calamities, in abstaining from wrong actions, in
worshipping Allah and following His commands. This verse also encourages us to
stay with those are righteous whether they are poor or of lowly status, in
accompanying them there are uncountable benefits.
Resurrection
Makkan
Surahs also talk about Allah (swt) establishing the day of judgment. In the
story of the Ashab al Kahf, one reason why they were made to wake up after
sleeping for 309 years was to make the people of that time believe and also the
people in Makkah. To make them have belief in the fact that Allah (swt) can
give life, give death & can resurrect you at any point in time again. Also
in Verse 37 of the Surah, the verse mentions how Allah (swt) creates us when we
are nothing. He created us from dust & sperm drop & fashioned us into a
human being.
Conclusion
Madinan
Surahs were revealed at a time when the Muslim state was being consolidated.
These Surahs are longer & have detailed legislations & laws regarding
the economy, spiritual state of a muslim, social laws etc. These Surahs now
talk about jihad. The reason why jihad was not permitted in Makkah was because
the Muslims were a minority & fighting might have lead to the wiping out of
the Muslims. Another reason was to instill in Muslims the most important
quality of having patience. These Surahs also talk about hypocrites. In Makkah
the Muslims were being persecuted & no one dared even pretend to be a
Muslim because of the severe consequences therefore there is no mention of
hypocrites in Makkan Surahs.
Surah
Kahf is a Makkan Surah as it is short, fast paced, shorter verses, has a rhythm
that it follows. It mentions the story of the people of the cave, Dhul Qarnain,
the men with the grapevines, the story of Musa (a.s) & Khidr (a.s) etc. It
mentions the rewards that the believers are bound to get in the Paradise to
instill hope in the heart. Alongside paradise Allah (swt) mentions the
punishments that one will be destined for their disbelief by abiding for
eternally in the hellfire to instill fear. Makkan Surahs were revealed at a
time when Muslims were facing a difficult time therefore the Surahs do not
focus on the laws & legislations rather they talk about fear, hope &
the fundamentals of Tawhid.
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