Lessons From Surah Kahf

Allah says in Quran:
جِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ َْحْسَنُ عَمَلًا
“Everything on earth, I have made everything beautiful for the world. So that I may test them as to which of them is best in deed. ” (Surah Al-Kahf:7)
Why did Allah Ta’ala tell those young people to live in a cave isolated from society? In fact, they went to the cave to unite, not to be separated. Even if those young people of the Companions of Kahf all lived in the same society, they could not get together. In that society, there was no opportunity for religious youth to unite. That is why Allah Ta’ala advised them to go to a safe distance or to a cave in a mountain and unite.
Allah Ta’ala did not just advise those young people to walk in unison. After narrating the incident, the verses that are instructive for us also say that the good people will come out from the bad people of the society and all of them will live together in unity. Allah Ta’ala says –
واصبر نفسك مع الذين يدعون ربهم بالغداة والعشي يريدون وجهه ولا تعد عيناك عنهم تريد زينة الحياة الدنيا ولا تطع من أغفلنا قلبه عن ذكرنا واتبع هواه وكان أمره فرطا
“Be patient with those who call on their Lord in the morning and in the evening, seeking His pleasure. Do not turn your eyes away from them for the beauty of this worldly life. Thou shalt not obey him whose mind is oblivious to My remembrance, who follows his own instincts and whose activity is to transgress.” (Surah Al-Kahf:26)
In order to survive from the various temptations of the society, the good people have to get out of the circle of the bad people of the society and live together as an organization. In this way, even though the beauty of the world is less, it becomes possible to live in peace. There are a total of four instructive incidents in this surah, each of which contains advice for intelligent people.
(1) The Incident of the Cave-dwelling Youths: At the beginning of the Surah, the incident of the cave-dwelling youths who lived in a town whose inhabitants were disbelievers and transgressors is described. So the young people decided out of disgust towards the corrupt society, ‘No more with them’. Encouraged by their love for Allah and their religion, they migrated from there. God sheltered them in caves and protected them from the sunlight. When they woke up many years later, they saw that the unbelievers of that town had departed and that the good people had been replaced by the bad people..
(2) The Story of the Owner of Two gardens: A man whom Allah blessed with two abundant beautiful gardens, but the man forgot to give thanks to Allah and even doubted Allah’s promise of the existence of the Hereafter. So, Allah Ta’ala deserted the garden of this ungrateful man – he repented, but it was already too late and his remorse for this untimely time was of no use to him. Allah Almighty properly defines the state of the worldly things in the Quran:
وَاضْرِبْ لَهُمْ مَّثَلَ الْحَيٰوةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَآءٍ اَنْزَلْنٰهُ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ فَاخْتَلَطَ بِهٖ نَبَاتُ الْاَرْضِ فَاَصْبَحَ هَشِيْمًا تَذْرُوْهُ الرِّيٰحُ‌ ؕ وَكَانَ اللّٰهُ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ مُّقْتَدِرًا
“And present to them the example of the life of this world, [its being] like rain which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it and [then] it becomes dry remnants, scattered by the winds. And Allah is ever, over all things, Perfect in Ability.” (18:45)
(3) The Story of Khizir (A.S.) and Musa (A.S.): When Musa (peace be upon him) was asked, ‘Who is the wisest man in the world?’ He replied, ‘I’… Whom Allah has given more knowledge than he (Moses). Musa (A.S.) traveled with the man and saw how many times Allah, due to His infinite knowledge, caused many things that seemed bad to us but were actually done for the good of mankind.
(4) Zulkarnain: This is the case of the powerful king who was given knowledge and power at the same time and he used it for the benefit and welfare of the people as a thank you for both the gifts. He solved the problem of Yajuz Majuz for the people of the town and built a huge wall.
In the middle of the surah, Allah reminds Iblis that these tests are more difficult-
وإذ قلنا للملائكة اسجدوا لآدم فسجدوا إلا إبليس كان من الجن ففسق عن أمر ربه أفتتخذونه وذريته أولياء من دوني وهم لكم عدو بئس للظالمين بدلا
‘When I said to the angels -‘ Prostrate to Adam ’, everyone prostrated except Iblis. He was one of the jinn. He disobeyed the command of his Lord. So do you take him and his offspring as friends instead of me? But they are your enemies. That is the worst recompense for the wrongdoers. ‘(Surat al-Kahf, verse 50).
Trail of Faith and People of the Cave
وَاصْبِرْ نَـفْسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِيْنَ يَدْعُوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَدٰوةِ وَالْعَشِىِّ يُرِيْدُوْنَ وَجْهَهٗ‌ وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنٰكَ عَنْهُمْ‌ ۚ تُرِيْدُ زِيْنَةَ الْحَيٰوةِ الدُّنْيَا‌ ۚ وَ لَا تُطِعْ مَنْ اَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهٗ عَنْ ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوٰٮهُ وَكَانَ اَمْرُهٗ فُرُطًا
“And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring 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 ever [in] neglect.” (18:28)
The Qur’an is full of oceans of wisdom and inspiration, and stories like this are included as lessons for us to learn from. It also explains the strategy we should adopt when studying sacred knowledge. Surah Kahaf is one of the most well-known Surahs in the Quran. Aside from the specific pleasures and advantages that come with its recitation, a Muslim’s grasp of its content can also enable them extract significant teachings that can help them shape their lives in the direction of righteousness.