Syed Sharfuddin
The context
Millions of Muslims recite Surah Al-Kahf every Friday all over the world to stay protected against Dajjal. Most of them believe that the portends of Dajjal have already appeared, and his physical appearance is only a matter of time. It is also the wish of every Muslim that he should not live to see those trying times. because according to a Hadith, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: “nothing between the creation of Adam until the establishment of the Hour is a greater tribulation than the affair of the false Messiah, the Dajjal.” Although Muslims recite Surah Al-Kahf in full or in part every Friday, do they draw any lessons from it? Do they reflect after each recital what it means for them in their time? What lessons the parables mentioned in this Surah, the conversation of the companions of the cave, two friends arguing about the mercy of Allah, the meeting of Musa with Khizr and the expeditions of Dhul Qarnain hold for them individually or collectively?
This essay explores the challenge of the present time for Muslims. Why are they marginalised and helpless all over the world watching the Zionist government in Israel going against the teachings of Torah and the commentaries in Talmud to repent for its excesses and lead in righteous deeds to fast-track the coming of Mashiach Ben Dovid, the Jewish Messiah for achieving redemption. Contrary to the Hebrew Bible, the government of Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza and engaging in the extraterritorial and extrajudicial elimination of those who resist Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian lands. On several occasions, Israeli Cabinet Ministers have violated the boundaries of the Muslim Quarter of Al Quds Al Sharif which is safeguarded under Israeli laws and protected under the terms of the Al Aqsa Trust.
Under Benjamin Netanyahu’s long rule, successive Israeli governments have claimed the holy city of Jerusalem as its capital in total disregard of its disputed international status. And the biggest supporter of Israel is the United States of America, which is home to the largest population of red neck evangelists dotting the Bible Belt and supporting the Jewish prophecy for the rebuilding of the Temple of Solomon on Muslim holy sites of Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. People ask why the Arab and Islamic countries are not collectively doing enough to force Israel to stop shelling Gaza and Lebanon and start negotiations for a two-state solution in the Middle East? But perhaps after reading this essay we may know why the Ummah is best served by pursuing peaceful means and not taking this fitnah head on, and why Muslims are better left waiting for divine help by taking refuge with Allah against the onslaught of attacks on Islam and Muslims from the Christian evangelical fanatics and Jewish right-wing radicals who see Islam as the main reason for the delay of their Rupture and Redemption.
Whose Messiah?
While the eschatological accounts of the three Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam mention the coming of the Messiah near the Hour, it is no surprise that according to the Christians and the Jews, their God, as well as their Messiah, are not the same as the Muslim God. This is denied by Islam which rests its faith on the fundamental belief that Allah is one; He is the God of all humanity from Adam to the last man alive on earth. His doors of mercy are open to all.
The God of the Jews does not share His kingdom with any son or partner. He is the Lord of the universe, but his chosen people are the prophets and children of Israel whom He will redeem and enter in His kingdom. No one can be a Jew outside the race of Prophet Israel.
The God of Christians comprises the Trinity of Father, Son and the Holy Ghost. The Christians believe that God sacrificed His son to forgive the original sin, as well as the sins of Christ’s followers irrespective of race. Whoever accepts Jesus as the son of God is saved from hellfire.
The God of Muslims, Allah, unlike the Christians’ God shares His kingdom with no partner. The God of Muslims, Allah, unlike the Jews’ God, is not hung up on race. Whoever believes in Allah’s solitary being and His messengers, including Prophet Mohammad (ﷺ(, who is the confirmation of all the prophets preceding him, and is the seal of the end of the line of the messengers of Allah is saved from hellfire in the hereafter.
A common thread that runs in all Abrahamic religions, however, is their emphasis on good deeds and rejection of evil.
According to the Jewish belief, the Hebrew Messiah, Mashiach Ben Dovid, will come to establish a perfect kingdom on earth after the reconstruction of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem is completed. Talmudic texts encourage the Jews to hasten the arrival of their Mashiach by fulfilling the requirements to achieve Geulah Shleimah or Redemption. At its occurrence the Jewish nation will be either entirely righteous or entirely wicked. If the nation is former, it will be rewarded; but if it is latter, it will be forgiven. Righteousness fulfils the responsibility to make the world ready for the Maschiach to come and bring about redemption. The Jewish people must repent for their sins before the Geulah Shleimah can come. Repentance involves examining actions and behaviour, correcting the wrong, rectifying the damage caused by past sins and striving to live an ethical and moral life. Although the Jews of the world have come together to live in Ertz Yisrael as a nation, they are far away from achieving this fundamental objective that makes Geulah Shleimah possible.
The Christian Messiah is Jesus, son of God, who will come to take his followers, both living as well as the dead, in the clouds to meet the Lord. This is the Christian Rupture. The Muslim Messiah is also Jesus, but not the son of God but a prophet from Bani Israel who was lifted to the heavens by Allah when the Jews who betrayed him wanted him crucified. The Muslim Messiah will come not at the onset of the Hour but as a sign of the Hour. He will break the cross, slay the swine, and follow the Sharia of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ(. There is a lot of confusion and tribulation awaiting the followers of the three Abrahamic faiths when these events will unfold and will cause major wars and bloodshed in the name of religion.
The Evangelical Christians of North America have joined hands with the Zionist Jews, and ironically in disagreement with their fellow Roman Catholic brothers, in believing that their Messiah and the Jewish Messiah are the same, as both will come from the line of King David. However, it is not clear whether this is a universally accepted belief by the Christian Church or a convenient alliance between the followers of the Old and New Testaments to forge ranks against Muslims whom both religions consider as having taken over their biblical history, prophets and the concepts of resurrection, accountability, the final judgement and heel and heaven and made these its own.
None of the three religions have prophecies which give a fixed timeframe for the coming of their Messiah, but each provides signs of their coming. It is reasonable to believe that the Hebrew Messiah will come first because the Jews believe that as soon as they meet the conditions for his arrival, their Geulah Shleimah will occur. One of these conditions is the return of all Jews from all parts of the world to Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel) which will mark the end of their persecution and misery. This condition has been met with the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and the large-scale immigration of Ashkenazi Jews from all over the world to the Zionist project of Israel whose boundaries are constantly expanding to reclaim the territories in the ancient kingdom of Judea.
The younger generations born to Jewish parents who are still living in the West are also continuously migrating to Israeli occupied Palestinian Territories and establishing new Kibbutz and settlements, which are illegal under international law but kosher in Israel. They are now planning to fulfil the next and second most important condition for the Geulah Shleimah which is the reconstruction of the Temple of Solomon on Temple Mount which is also the site of Al Quds Al Sharif. In recent years there have been attempts by Jewish religious extremists to violate the law of the state and perform Jewish worship inside the Muslim Quarter of Temple Mount. The Al Aqsa Mosque has also been raided by Israeli troops on several occasions using the excuse of security. If in any future armed conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians or an exchange of missiles between Israel and the Axis of Resistance, Al Aqsa Mosque is damaged or burns down, this will give a ready excuse to the radical Jews of Israel to start the long awaited third reconstruction of the Temple of Solomon.
The coming of the Hebrew Messiah first is also supported by Muslim prophecies that Dajjal will have the support of all the Jews who will gather around him and endorse his claim of divinity. The army of Mahdi will confront Jewish soldiers recruited by Dajjal. The city where Dajjal will be killed by Isa ibn Maryam will also be in present day Israel.
There is no doubt in the mind of Muslims who are living through contemporary times that the signs of the coming of Dajjal, the false Messiah, are never as clear now as they were before. His short reign of impersonating God through the power of deception will be filled with trial and tribulation for the faithful. In Sahih Muslim it is narrated from Abu Huraira that the messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “O Allah! I seek refuge in You with three things: from the torment of grave and hell, the trial of life and death, and the mischief of the false Messiah, Dajjal”.
Seeking protection against Dajjal
There are several sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), recorded in the Books of Hadith regarding the recital of the starting or concluding verses of Surah Al-Kahf, the 18th Chapter of the Quran, as an antidote to the mischief (fitnah) of Dajjal. The number of verses recommended for recitation vary from three to ten and overlap whether these are the beginning verses or the concluding verses of the Surah.
Abu al-Darda reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “whoever memorises the first ten verses from Surah Al-Kahf will be protected from Dajjal. (Sahih Muslim 809; Nasai; and Abu Dawood). It was reported that whoever recites three verses from the beginning of Surah Al-Kahf will be protected from the deception of Dajjal. (Tirmidi). Abu Dawood mentioned that it was reported that Shu’bah said on the authority of Qatada: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: whoever memorises the concluding verses of Surah Al-Kahf will be protected from Dajjal. (Sunan ad-Darimi 4323). In another Hadith, Abud-Darda reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “whoever commits to memory the first ten verses of Surah Al-Kahf, will be protected from the trial of Dajjal.” (Muslim). In another narration, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “whoever commits to memory the last ten verses of Surah Al-Kahf, he will be protected from the trial of Dajjal.” (Riad Al Saleheen 1021). Abu Said Al Khudri said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “whoever recites Surah Al-Kahf on Friday, light shall shine forth for him between the two Fridays”. (Al Hakim 2/399; Al Bayhaqi 3/249). Imam Shaafi mentioned that it is recommended to recite the full Surah Al-Kahf on Fridays to remain protected from Dajjal if one finds him in his lifetime. Ibn Abideen stated: “it is best to recite the Surah on Fridays before Maghreb falls”.
The great tribulation
A fitnah is the product of a multi-layered conflict in a society which people cannot rationalise to deal with properly. It involves intricate relationships and dependencies and uses deception, material inducements, threat of death or starvation as its main stranglehold. There is no straightforward answer to issues propped by it without overstepping the established values or changing faith. It uses the power of sensory evidence to make the deceiver look reasonable and convincing, yet it attacks belief in Allah and makes the believer confused because it leaves him totally unprepared for his defence. Dajjal will be loaded with extraordinary powers to create confusion and blind people’s judgement about the existence of God. Abu Dawood narrated that Imran ibn Hussain said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said whoever hears of Dajjal, let him go far away from him, for by Allah, a man will come to Dajjal thinking that he is a believer, but he will follow Dajjal who will present very convincing arguments to change his faith.” (Sahih Sunan Abi Dawood 3/30).
In Surah Al Munafiqoon, Allah mentions the convincing style of the hypocrites: “when you see them, their appearance impresses you. And when they speak, you listen to their impressive speech. But they are like worthless planks of wood leaned against a wall. They think every cry is against them. They are the enemy, so beware of them. May Allah condemn them! How can they be deluded from the truth?”. (63:4). The deception of Dajjal and his convincing power will be far greater than that of the hypocrites.
In the light of these Ahadith and narrations, one can see the link between Surah Al-Kahf, and the advice given to the believers to flee from Dajjal as far away as they can in the same way as the companions of the cave who fled from the infidel king of their time who had forced everyone in his kingdom to follow his false religion. Allah protected these true followers of Isa ibn Maryam and narrated their story in the Quran for Muslims to draw important lessons from it when they are faced with similar situations in their time or come to witness the reign of Dajjal.
Taking Guidance from Surah Al-Kahf
This Surah is full of parables to warn the faithful and draw lessons from them. (Verses 50 – 58). The Surah starts with the Quran as being the True word of Allah and rejects the Christian belief that Allah has a partner. There are glad tidings for the believers that they will have a great reward if they follow the holy Quran which has no crookedness. (Verses 1-2). It is also a warning for those who say that Allah has begotten a son. They include all denominations of Christians who believe in the Trinity. Their beliefs and deeds have no value before Allah. They have no knowledge of the Truth, and neither were their fathers on the right path, whom they follow blindly. What they say about Allah is a lie whether it be assigning a partner to Him or rejecting Muhammad (ﷺ) as the messenger of Allah. They say that their God is not the same as the God of Muslims. (Verses 4-5).
All the adornments of this earth which are provided by Allah to test humans through their deeds, will be destroyed one day. The earth will once again become a dry soil without vegetation. The example of this is a city with tall buildings, green gardens and habitation full of life and comforts. But when it was struck by calamity, it was raised to the ground, and everything turned into debris as if nothing existed here ever. (Verses 7-8). The Second World War, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the destruction of Saigon, the devastation in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Libya and only recently levelling down of infrastructure in Gaza are examples in our lifetime of how destruction can visit people after they have built great cities and think that they can never be ruined. There are also examples of natural disasters such as earthquakes, explosions, famines and floods which have destroyed many nations (the Quran mentions nine) and we still see these forces of nature causing destruction in many parts of the world. The building and destruction of habitats, rise and fall of nations and death after life illustrate a fundamental principle of this world as a sign of Allah.
The cave is a symbol of sanctuary where there is tranquility and remembrance of Allah. The companions of the cave were a sign from Allah. Their account contains lessons for the faithful to follow in their own lives. The companions of the cave were true believers in the teaching of Isa, son of Maryam. They took seclusion in a cave seeking the mercy and protection of their Lord against a cruel king who had forced his people to worship idols.
Closer to the Hour, the unbelievers will ridicule religion as anti-progressive and anti-liberal. They will legitimise intra-gender sex and other profanities in the names of human rights; introduce children to lewdness as an educational requirement; censure morality to promote immoral agendas; and enjoy making fun of God, His prophets and men of religion in their plays and artistic exhibitions. That time will resemble the time of the infidel king who ruled during the time of the companions of the cave, when the only option left of the believers will be to emulate the companions of the cave and withdraw into the background.
Withdrawal and Disengagement
This Surah teaches Muslims the lesson that when such a time comes, and they find that kufr is closing in on them from all sides, they should cut themselves off from the immoral society and go to a place where they can practice their faith freely. Where there is a situation that they cannot move to another place or if such immorality is all pervasive globally, then they should go underground to protect their faith. This seclusion is advised because the faithful will not be able to resist the pressure of their peers or the overbearing weight of the legal authority over them, coercing them to change course. They will soon lose their faith. A Hadith of Abu Musa Al-Ashari narrates: the messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Before the Last Hour there will be commotions like pieces of a dark night in which a man will be a believer in the morning and an infidel in the evening, or a believer in the evening and infidel in the morning. He who sits during them will be better than he who gets up, and he who walks during them is better than he who runs. They (the people) said: What do you order us to do? The messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied: Keep to your houses.” (Sunan Abu Dawood, Book 30/4249).
The pressure of the society will be so great on a believer through its coercive laws and enforcement mechanisms that he will only be safe if he takes seclusion and withdraws from the oppressive environment and keeps his faith and religious practices private and safe. (Verses 9-10). The story of the companions of the cave tells Muslims what to do as individuals when such time comes on them and when their faith faces an existential threat.
1. Withdraw from the corrupt society and make Dua to Allah to make your hearts strong to bear the separation of your tribe, as well as your properties and belongings which you will leave behind (Verse 14).
2. After withdrawal take refuge in a place whether it is a home or anywhere else where you cannot be reached by the infidels, physically as well as electronically. This will prevent you from being forced to follow the forbidden ways (Verses 15-16).
3. Seek guidance and provisions from Allah, for He is the best of providers. Allah will help you from where you can never imagine. Allah illustrates the example of the dog of the companions of the cave who became a source of fear for the passers-by, so no one dared to come near the cave to discover their seclusion. The forelimbs of the dog were open in a manner as if he was ready to attack an intruder. (Verse 17).
4. Allah will make this difficult time easy for the believers. You will not feel the length of hardship in these trying circumstances. You will feel as if it was a day or two before it is over. The companions of the cave slept for 300 years or 309 lunar years but when they got up from their sleep they felt as if they had slept for only a day or two days. (Verses 19 and 25,26).
In their seclusion, the believers should be careful about their Rizq being Halal. They should abstain from what is forbidden even if Haram is available easily and in abundance. They should also remain careful so that they are not detained and tortured by the agents of the corrupt regime to give up Islam and embrace the religion of the infidels. (Verses 19-20).
Withdrawal does not mean getting lost in the annals of history. Allah shows through the story of the companions of the cave that time is never the same and things change for the better. Allah replaced the corrupt ruler of the companions with a new ruler who accepted the message of Isa Ibn Maryam and discarded idol worship. Allah makes the people see His promise come true and there can be no doubt about it. (Verse 21).
When taking seclusion and withdrawing from a corrupt society that ridicules the believers and enacts laws that specifically target Muslim practices and values, the divine guidance is clear. The uncertain number of the companions of the cave in the Quran is intentional. While on the one hand Allah knew that the people of the Book (mostly the Jews) who asked the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) about this story would reject a fixed number as false, because their own account was uncertain about it. On the other hand, Allah does not indicate a fixed number that the secluding believers should adhere to when withdrawing like the companions of the cave. The numbers, three or five or seven, are a guideline that the believers should stay in small groups and communities to support each other and hold themselves together in such times. In doing so they will also protect themselves from approaching the unbelievers for advice and guidance. (Verse 22).
The believers should never think that in such times when the day is being presented as night and night as day, falsehood is welcomed and truth is discarded, and virtue is condemned and evil is applauded, they can change it by acting on their own without invoking the help of Allah. If hardship makes them forget this important point, they should immediately revert to Allah and ask for His mercy. They have no Wali, helper or protector other than Allah. He makes no one share His decisions and rules (Verse 26).
Patience
When Muslims have withdrawn and taken refuge with Allah, they are advised to remain patient and join those who call on their Lord praising His glory, remembering Him daily in their prayers, doing righteous deeds and seeking His countenance and approval.
Patience can only come from being in the company of righteous folks. It cannot be acquired by looking enviably on the comforts of the world or seeking the pomp and glitter of possessions and positions people acquire as exhibits of power. The hearts of such people are empty of Allah’s remembrance. They follow their own lust, and their work is not lasting (Verse 28).
These days ordinary Muslims point at the progress non-Muslim countries have made and compare it to Muslim nations which are mired in misery, conflict and poverty. Instead of trying to look for their causes in faith, they jump to the conclusion that it is the fault of Islam that has kept them backward. The hypocrites and unbelievers say that if they can remove the love of Islam from the hearts of the believers, they too can become progressive like the non-Muslims. But they fail to see that Rizq is distributed by Allah as He wills, and its abundance is a test for the rich just as its scarcity is a test for the poor. Water is essential for life but too much water as in a flood can cause misery and death. Similarly, sunshine is essential for the growth of produce but when there are no rains and only sun, it can result in drought and famine. A believer’s prayer to Allah should be that He should receive from Allah only that much that he can take easily and be thankful for, and not receive so much that that makes him ungrateful and destroys his account in the hereafter.
All the treasures of the universe belong to Allah, and it is His decision who He rewards in this world and who He rewards in the hereafter. There are also some fortunate people who are content with what Allah gives them in this world and what He will give them in the hereafter for which they will be ever grateful. For a Muslim, Rizq comes with three conditions: it should be Halal; it should not lead to arrogance; and it should result in contentment and thankfulness. When the Trumpet is sounded and everything that exists will be destroyed on Allah’s command, those who will be successful in the hereafter will be believers in Allah. Say the Truth is from Allah and whosoever wills let him believe, and whosoever wills let him disbelieve. Allah will never let go to waste the good deeds of those who believe in Him. Their reward is everlasting in Paradise. (Verses 29 – 31).
Gratitude
Patience is incomplete without gratitude. There are many examples of believers being thankful to Allah irrespective of whether they are facing any difficulty or are blessed with peace and provisions. When the companions of the cave found it difficult to live in their oppressive society and feared that they would get arrested, they did not ask Allah why they were made to run for their lives and faith even though they were serving Him and were good to everyone. But instead of complaining, they were thankful to the Lord for showing them the way to keep their faith secret and guiding them to leave their town. Despite the imminent hardship involved in this move, they said: “Our Lord! Grant us mercy from Yourself and guide us rightly through our ordeal.” In return Allah sent sleep over them and they felt no hardship or discomfort in their seclusion. Similarly, in the parable of the two friends, the poor man did not complain to Allah for not giving him the wealth and manpower He had given his friend; instead, he thanked Allah for what he had as his provision. He also advised his friend not to be arrogant for his wealth because it could be taken away from him as easily as it was given to him by his Lord. He said: “it may be that my Lord will give me something better than your garden and will send upon it a bolt from the sky, and it will become a smooth, dusty ground.” (Verse 41). And so, his rich friend’s produce was totally ruined, and he regretted being ungrateful to Allah.
The advice to Muslims not to fall for the luxury and comfort of the world is illustrated through the story of two friends, one of whom had been blessed by two lush green gardens and a lake by Allah, but he was ungrateful, and the other friend who did not own such possessions, but he was blessed with the wealth of Imaan. The real loser in this comparison was the man who loved his wealth. He lost all his possessions in a hurricane and realised the fragility of the nature of wealth in this world. This parable is an important reminder to Muslims that sometimes abundance of wealth and comfort keep us away from the remembrance of Allah. (Verses 32 to 44).
An example of humility is when Allah blesses a believer with wisdom, knowledge and provisions he does not claim it to be due to his hard work and intellect. The drivers of effort, such as initiative, perseverance, skills and ability to create wealth are gifted to man by Allah. He owns nothing on his own. Dhul Qarnayn had secured all the provisions needed for his expeditions, but he never took credit for these himself. His declaration was: “This is a mercy from my Lord”. (Verse 98).
Allah reminds His servants that good, and evil have existed since the creation of Adam. Iblis (Shaitan) refused to bow before Adam and because he was condemned by Allah for disobedience, he took Allah’s permission to settle his score with Adam and his progeny by disobeying Allah. The unbelievers and deviants among the people of Holy Scriptures clearly the followers of Iblis. They take Iblis and his descendants as patrons against Allah although they are their enemies. They choose such an evil alternative that on the Day of Judgement when they call their patrons for help, they will find no answer (Verses 50-53).
Shaitan and the wrongdoers who follow him are indeed the enemies of the believers. This enmity is permanent because Shaitan has resolved to deceive them and take them away from the right path. Believers should never take those who disobey Allah as their friends. They are not their friends. Just as Iblis caused the fall of Adam and Eve from Paradise, the deviants who are guided by Shaitan are also on a mission to derail Muslims from their religion.
What caused Iblis to disobey Allah was his arrogance. He thought that he was superior to Adam because of his rank and origin. This theme is repeated in other parables in the Surah. The evil king who drove the companions of the cave away did not last long and neither did his progeny inherit the land. Allah replaced his reign with the reign of another king who believed and followed the holy Scripture. The person who owned two gardens was arrogant because he believed he was rich and had more manpower compared to his poor friend (Verse 34). In the end neither his wealth nor his manpower saved him from ruin.
The believers are further comforted by Allah in this Surah for not having an easy life which the unbelievers enjoy in comparison with them. The next parable in this Surah, regarding the cycles of rain and drought that fluctuate men’s fortunes in a short period of time is a reminder of the fleeting nature of this life. Iblis (Shaitan) often whispers in our ears that Allah is kind to the unbelievers who have all the resources, land, firepower, and the technology to live a comfortable life, overpower their adversaries and win their unjust wars. His thoughts bother us that the unbelievers and deviants can erect iron shields to defend their territories; they have the wealth to produce world’s best armaments and there is no chance for the believers to change the status quo. Through such negative thoughts, Shaitan tries to sow the seeds of doubt in the hearts of Muslims who are quick to cry aloud: ”where is help from Allah”, but they forget to recall Allah’s promise: “Surely Allah’s help is nearby”, and that if they exhibit the true qualities of being faithful to Allah, He will increase their capacity to fight the enemy by two times or ten times, to match the level of their Taqwa (piety). Weak Muslims whose faith is hanging on balance between belief and doubt, success and failure, and spiritualism and materialism forget that the same disbelievers whom they admire in this world will have the most difficult time in the hereafter answering what they did with the authority and wealth they were given in their life. They will regret their evil deeds, but it will be too late for them to seek forgiveness. (verses 45-46).
“Allah’s promise of resurrection is true and there is no doubt about the coming of the Hour”. (verse 21). This life is temporary and so is the hardship of this world. Those who have accumulated wealth and power through corruption on earth and usurpation of the property and rights of others do not realise that these will be left in this world when they die, or when the world will come to an end at the appointed time. At the coming of the Hour, Allah will move the mountains. People who will be alive to witness this will see the earth totally flattened and exposed. On this day Allah will gather every soul and no one will be left behind. The unbelievers will be told this is what you denied when you were engaged in your evil deeds. When the unbelievers and those who committed evil on earth will see their deeds in a written record, they will cry out in astonishment: “what kind of record is this that does not leave anything evil, small or large unlisted”? They will get a detailed charge sheet supported by layers of evidence against them. It will include their secret operations against humanity, the sins they committed to keep power and authority; it will have a list of the homes, hospitals, mosques, temples, churches and orphanages that they deliberately targeted in their wars to clear the ground for their territorial gains. Their account will show the names of women and children they killed; and describe the torture they inflicted on those taken as prisoners of war or on those who spoke against their discrimination and resisted their occupation. Presented with this detail, they will not be able to say they were not involved in these evil acts. Then they will be told: “Your Lord is just: he never wrongs anyone. (verses 47-49).
Muslims should always be aware of the machinations of Iblis (Shaitan) because he has the license from Allah to attack them from all directions except the top. He approaches man when his spirits are low, and he sees nothing but death and destruction at the hands of the disbelievers. Allah’s true servants have quite the opposite reaction in such situations. They know that their Lord’s promise is True. This is a test from Allah. Man is created more quarrelsome than any other creature. He rejects Allah’s signs and does not draw lessons from the many examples and parables given in the Quran for his guidance.
Impatience
The believer is told never to give up hope. The disbelievers who murder the believers, treat them worse than animals and call them all sorts of names such as terrorists, fundamentalists and Islamists will not go unpunished by Allah who is just and all seeing. The timescale of Allah for dispensing justice is different from the timescale of man. This is because man is created impatient. He wants quick results. Allah gives the unbelievers time to repent and seek forgiveness. If they do not mend their ways His punishment is severe. Allah promises to deal with the oppressors at an appointed time from where they will find no escape (verses 58-59).
Meeting with Khidr
The advice of patience is further reinforced in this Surah through the story of Musa and Khidr. Patience comes with knowledge. Because man is given limited knowledge and does not know the future, he becomes impatient very quickly. Man relies on his observation of the senses and looks at the unfolding events before him and reaches his conclusions hastily without taking into consideration the occurrence of such events in the past and how they concluded with divine justice prevailing at the end. The story of Musa and Khidr has three important lessons for the believers:
1. In this life there will be material loss, destruction of property and devastation witnessed by mankind which could never be justified in law or by moral principles. However, a Muslim will accept this as the will of Allah and as part of a bigger plan which, at the given time and place, is not known to those who are personally experiencing the destruction or to those witnessing it from the outside. This is the lesson from the boat travel by Musa and Khidr, when Khidr made a hole in it to make it inoperative with the will of Allah, causing Musa to react immediately, as the boat was the only means of livelihood for the old woman.
2. In this life there will be loss of life, of people and young children who have apparently no illness or life-threatening condition. This is caused by revolutions, civil wars, genocides, murder and ethnic cleansing which can never be justified in law or on moral grounds. A believer is expected to prevent such loss of human life by intervening at the time if he has the strength and means to do so; but where he is unable to stop it, he must leave the matter to Allah who has decreed the birth and death of human beings at the appointed time. It is odd to think that there could be anything good coming out of such a tragedy but as the story of Musa and Khidr and the young boy who was strangled by Khidr shows, Allah is the Creator of man; He alone can replace a loss of life with a better life. Sometimes what man asks from Allah is not good for him and in his own interest Allah does not give what His servant has asked for, but instead Allah gives his servant something that was not asked for, but it is better and more useful for him. It is written in the Tafaseer of this Surah that the couple whose boy was strangled to death by Khidr with the will of Allah was rewarded later by the birth of a baby girl in that household, who later grew up to become the mother of 12 prophets.
3. In this life there will be adversity, enmity and unfair treatment of Muslims by unbelievers. This injustice will often provoke them to reciprocate unkindness with unkindness. But Allah likes His servants to be generous and kind even when they are justified to act in retaliation or self-defence. Not many people can appreciate this fine point but those who know, understand the importance of winning hearts. In our times, Muslims in a country may be unhappy with their leaders for not acting in defence of Muslims in another country; for keeping quiet as if it is not their business. But as Musa learnt from Khidr in the last incident of their company, repairing an old wall in a town whose inhabitants were rude to them and refused to offer food to Musa and Khidr after their long journey, it was all part of a greater plan of Allah which at the time Musa could not appreciate because he did not have the knowledge of the unknown.
The three travels in the story of Musa and Khidr carry the important message that being patient over what others do in the form of an unjust act, and acknowledgement that Allah works according to His plan are essential parts of a believer’s faith. (Verses 60-82).
Expeditions of Dhul Qarnayn
Like the story of Musa and Khidr, there are also important lessons in the story of Dhul Qarnayn. A believer is also commanded to stand up and be steadfast in his religion. But this is in the context of collective action. It may be recalled that when the companions of the cave stood up from their sleep Allah made their hearts firm and strong with the light of faith (verse 14). The story of Dhul Qarnayn is about standing up for the truth and acting, when required. But this role is assigned in Islam to the leader of the community and not to the people as individuals or groups. Armed Jihad, or Qitaal, can only be declared by a sovereign Muslim ruler and not by clerics or soldiers acting on their own. The Ummah representing the community of Muslims, even if it has separate geographical and national identities, is not a passive body that is always on the receiving end, leaving things to Allah to sort out without making any effort on its own.
Lessons
1. In the first expedition of Dhul Qarnayn the lesson is about justice. A community of Muslims living in a country which is a sovereign independent state, or joined by other Muslim states in a regional grouping must strive to equip itself with defensive weapons to create a credible deterrent against foreign aggression. Allah equipped Dhul Qarnayn with everything he needed to proceed on his expeditions. A Muslim ruler or group of Muslim rulers should not remain unprepared or keep silent when they see another nation committing wrong and persistently undermining the rights of other people in the territory it has illegally occupied, or annexed, or engaged in genocide and ethnic cleansing to promote its racist agenda.
2. In the second expedition of Dhul Qarnayn, the lesson for the Muslim leader is to leave alone those nations that are not believers, if they do no harm to Muslims and are occupied with their own affairs, practicing their own values and way of life. Their example is like the people Dhul Qarnayn saw who had no shelter against the sun, meaning they were hunter gatherers or in the primitive stage of development. Their business did not upset Dhul Qarnayn and he carried on from there to his third expedition.
3. The third expedition of Dhul Qarnayn contains another lesson for Muslim leaders. In taking measures against the incursions of Yajuj Majuj, Dhul Qarnayn did not say to the people of the land that he would take care of the problem himself. He asked the people who were victims of Yajuj Majuj to help him with their strength. This strength meant resources, manpower for completing the task, miners to find and procure copper, metallurgists to melt it and carry the molten lava to the site, and other workers to perform different tasks of the operation. The lesson is that a leader should have the organisational and management skills to oversee defence preparations and use his leadership to give a clear objective to his civil defence personnel and the armed forces. This embodies the leader’s competence and ability to analyse intelligence, form a strategy and employ tactics needed to accomplish the task successfully.
4. The believers must always acknowledge that whatever they are doing to thwart a danger or remove a threat is dependent on the will of Allah. When Dhul Qarnain sealed the mountain passage to stop Yajuj Majuj from coming inside the valley, he told the people he helped that when Allah’s command comes, the barrier will fall off and Yajuj Majuj will be free again. “But when the promise of my Lord comes to pass, He will level the barrier to the ground. And my Lord’s promise is ever true.” (Verses 98).
5. A leader must prepare his nation to defend against external attack and pillage. He should seek Allah’s help to establish his authority, tame the weather, show the way to the treasures of the earth and open his hand just as Allah had done to Dhul Qarnain to undertake his expeditions. (Verse 84).
6. The most important lesson from the account of Dhul Qarnain is that a ruler of Muslims should be first and foremost just. There is no leadership if it does not dispense justice. (Verses 87-88). He should not only strive to administer justice to all his subjects as is evident from the lesson of Dhul Qarnain’s first expedition, but he should also not cause any mischief in land by interfering in the affairs of others who cause no harm. This is the lesson from his second expedition. Finally, a just ruler should ensure that he should ensure the safety of his people and create conditions to enable them to live in peace. This could include taking necessary measures where needed to engage in a battle, if necessary, to restore peace. This is the lesson from his last and third expedition as mentioned in the Surah.
Last Ten Verses
The last ten verses of this Surah are like the conclusion of the entire chapter. In these verses Allah gives a warning to those who have forgotten Him and become insensitive to the hardship of the day of judgement thinking that material progress is all they need to be successful in the hereafter because if they are rich, they can feed the hungry, clothe the naked and perform the pilgrimage and make their dunya good as well as their akhirah good. This is correct to some extent, but wealth is something that turns into a trial from Allah as soon as it starts filling the pockets and bank balances. To keep the cash coming, one starts engaging in unlawful means to acquire it. A rich man makes compromises on usury, justice and principles and unwittingly associates partners with Allah by bowing to the lesser gods to stay in the league of the rich and famous people. Most of his time is spent managing the business instead of remembering Allah and being thankful to Him. When he prays or gives charity it is more to fulfil a ritual instead of submission of the soul and regret for the sins. Such a person may either ignore going to the pilgrimage but if his visits to Makkah become regular, his arrogance and comfort level replace his sincerity and humility. He upgrades himself from 3-star accommodation to 5-star and then 7-star hotels. Excess of convenience and ease take the spirit of worship away. Shaitan overtakes his desires and pride and ungratefulness settle in his heart. He becomes the living simile of the arrogant owner of the two gardens who has been discussed in this Surah earlier. Such people end up worshipping God in physical form but in spirit they are worshipping their false gods of wealth, power and fame and are ignorant of their chastisement. Despite the apparent victories of the unbelievers against Muslims, the former will be the greatest losers irrespective of their deeds. On the day of judgement, their efforts will go waste and their works will be light as a feather and go waste.
Allah says to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to tell people that there will be a group of persons who will find out in the hereafter that their effort and hard work in this life and their charity and worship added up to nothing in the hereafter. This is because they thought that what they were doing was the right thing, but they ignored the signs of Allah and doubted that they will meet their Lord not as rich and influential persons but as destitute and distraught slaves who will be required to give an account of the minutest detail of their wealth and deeds. When they were alive, they used to ridicule the warnings of Allah and ignored the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). It is not hard to find such persons in our everyday life. There are persons who call themselves believers, but their actions are contrary to their faith. They know that there is injustice taking place in the world, but they not only ignore it but also remain friends with the perpetrators of injustice. They know that taking or giving bribes is unlawful, usurping someone else’s right is wrong, acting against the commands of Allah in dealing with other human beings is forbidden and yet they participate in these things willingly. They read in the scripture that Allah helps the faithful with His angels to reinforce their numbers, but they do not think it is correct and refuse to stand with the oppressed against those who corrupt the land and subjugate the weak.
In contrast to the above there is another group of persons who believe in Allah as is the right to believe in Him and do good deeds irrespective of the smog of deception surrounding them. For such persons Allah has promised Paradise where they will dwell forever and will never desire to move away from there.
All praise is for the Almighty Allah whose glory and power are beyond human ability to record. Even if all the seas in the world were turned into ink and all the wood in the world were turned into pens, it will not be sufficient to write the blessed words of Allah. The Prophet (ﷺ) is neither an angel nor God. He is as human as you are. The only difference is that He has been selected by Allah to receive divine revelation and inform his fellow humans that their God is one Lord who is the creator of all the universe and everything in it. Whoever desires to meet his Lord in Paradise seeking His countenance and blessings should believe in Him, engaged in righteous deeds, follow the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and associate no son, apostle, angel, saint or person as partner with Allah, whether physically or through his actions by bowing before the false gods of ego and deities of worldly power.
Conclusion
If Surah Al-Kahf is to be read as a divine guidance for the Muslims about how to go though the most turbulent time of their existence during the time of Dajjal, then the parables of this Surah become self-explanatory and easy to understand. There is a lesson in the story of the companions of the cave in the beginning of the Surah, and a lesson from the journeys of Dhul Qarnayn in the end of the Surah, as well as learning from the two other parables mentioned in the middle of this Surah, namely, the conversations of the two differing friends, and the conversations of Prophet Musa with Khidr. In my view, the middle Surah parables provide the transition from the withdrawal of the weak to seek refuge in a cave to becoming powerful and resource-worthy like Dhul Qarnayn to prevent injustice and mischief on the far and wide of the earth. These transitional parables carry the message of having strong faith in Allah of the type possessed by the poor friend in the orchard story, and the pursuit of education that prompted Prophet Musa to undertake the arduous journey to meet Khidr and travel with him him to acquire the knowledge of what was outside his prophetic jurisdiction, as well as learn to be patient.
Resources and Citations
Tafasser Quran in Arabic https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=0&tSoraNo=1&tAyahNo=1&tDisplay=no&LanguageID=1
Tour of the Temple of Solomon (Last Construction). https://torah.org/series/templetour/
https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/jews-and-the-rapture
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