Light upon Light - Ayah tul Noor (24:35)

THE PARABLE OF LIGHT/ VERSE OF NOOR

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp, the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He wills. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things. (24:35)



DISCLAIMER: There are many different interpretations of this Ayah, and it is impossible to fully comprehend this beautiful Ayah with our limited capabilities. I have just described the most common interpretation of this Ayah, based on authentic Tafaseer

﴿اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ﴾

MEANING OF NOOR

1. Allah IS light. 

This is a parable that is so strong that Allah hasn't even used a word to give similitude.
e.g. if we say you are brave like a lion (we compare bravery to lion)
if we say you are like a lion (it means we are comparing to the dominant attribute of lion)
if we say you ARE a lion(we compare to a lion, without using an اعداد تشبيه, a tool for comparison, which is the strongest form of similitude)

Allah says HE is the light of Heavens and Earth. This does not refer to Allah's ذات(physical essence) but it refers to Allah's صفات(attributes). NOOR is something that is bright and manifest on its own, and illuminates other things and makes them bright and evident as well. (Imam Ghazali R.A.)  Through His light, everything in the heavens and Earth is illuminated.

Everything in the Universe is a reflection of Allah's noor, whether that reflection is visible/tangible e.g. the sun and the stars, or it is abstract e.g. our بصارة and بصيرت.  Our Basaarah(ability to see) and our Baseerah(spiritual insight), are also reflections of His Nur.

Moreover, in order to see and appreciate anything, we need our own light (vision/eyes) AND light around us. It is not possible to physically see anything in absolute darkness, even if we have an intact eyesight. So, we need both kinds of light: the light within, and the light around us. "The light of the sun is no good, if the light of the eyes is missing."

It is recorded that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "When the Messenger of Allah got up to pray at night, he would say:

«اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ، أَنْتَ قَيِّمُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ نُورُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ»

O Allah, to You be praise, You are the Sustainer of heaven and earth and whoever is in them. To You be praise, You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and whoever is in them. 

The heavens and the earth refers to the visible physical realm. By giving the example of the seen physical reality, Allah will show us how to understand the unseen spiritual reality غيب. Our view of the SEEN will make us think about the reality of the UNSEEN.

2. The deeper meaning is that Allah is the source of GUIDANCE/HIDAYA/SPIRITUAL LIGHT for the heavens and the Earth. Just like the physical light, Allah has also given us an inner spiritual light(fitrah) through which we perceive the truth, and Allah has also given us a source of external spiritual light for guidance (Wahy/revelation)

One name for the Qur'an is also Noor. Our RasulAllah SAWW has also been called a Noor(Siraajan Muneera). The angels have been called Nur. This interpretation also fits with the end of this passage (Allah guides with His Noor whoever He wishes). Allah also says that He takes people out of the darkness into the light i.e. He gives hidaya. Without Allah's Noor, the whole world would be in Zulmat (darkness) and there would be no differentiation between good and bad. We cannot perceive the reality of anything in the absence of light.

The sun is the most powerful source of light. Even if we combine all our lights/lamps on earth, we cannot even come close to the light of the sun. Our light is extremely limited compared to the light of the Sun. "The morning makes the lamp irrelevant."
Similarly, Allah's light is eternal, limitless and incomparable, just like all of His other sifaat.

Our light has no comparison with the light of Allah. We can only see till a certain distance with our own light, but it is not possible to see the whole reality with our light alone. Human beings can try to find the truth with their own light, but it cannot compare to Allah's light which is the absolute truth.  There can never be any human effort to find truth that can compare with the truth Allah has revealed to us.

3. Another meaning is that Allah gives physical light to the heavens and the earth through the stars, Sun and moon i.e. Allah is controlling the alternation of the Sun and Moon and provides the necessary light for sustenance and life of this Earth. Life on earth is dependent on exposure to sunlight. It is not possible for living things to exist without light.

Light is so important for existence of life that happiness is compared with light and sadness is compared with darkness. We describe good days as "bright" days and bad mood as "dark mood". Positivity is associated with light, while negativity is associated with darkness.

﴿مَثَلُ نُورِهِ﴾

This could refer to the light of Allah, the light of the Qur'an, the light of the Messengers.

According to most interpretations, it refers to the light of faith given to a believer.  Allah OWNS this light and calls this light HIS own. So the light within and the light around us are both provided by Allah. Allah is the ultimate source of all light.

﴿كَمِشْكَاةٍ﴾

The light is in a niche/indent/arch.  It is only open in one direction so the purpose of the niche is to capture, focus and spread the light to the surroundings. The niche represents the chest of the believer.

﴿فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ﴾

Misbah is from the same root word as Subh (Morning).

Misbah is a tool that tries to imitate/recreate the morning. It is a lamp that burns brightly and simulates the morning. It refers to the Nur of our Imaan i.e. the light placed within our hearts. This Nur of Imaan consists of our fitrah combined with Allah's wahy and marifat.

﴿الْمِصْبَاحُ فِى زُجَاجَةٍ﴾

 The light is shining in a clear glass. Ancient lamps had flames to produce light. They were covered by a glass to protect the flame from being put out, and also to amplify/intensify the light to spread it further.

﴿الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّىٌّ﴾

The glass is so pure, refined, brilliant and shiny that it seems like it has its own light. It seems like a pearly white star.

1.Some authorities recite the word Durriyyun with a Dammah on the Dal and without a Hamzah, which means pearls, i.e., as if it were a star made of pearls (Durr). 

2.Others recite it as Dirri'un or Durri'un, with a Kasrah on the Dal, or Dammah on the Dal, and with a Hamzah at the end, which means reflection (Dir'), because if something is shone on the star it becomes brighter than at any other time.

This is a reference to the heart /qalb of the believer. Our heart is inherently brilliant and pure. But when people continuously perform sins, the heart becomes dirty and black.

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“When the believer commits sin, a black spot appears on his heart. If he repents and gives up that sin and seeks forgiveness, his heart will be polished. But if (the sin) increases, (the black spot) increases. That is the Ran that Allah mentions in His Book: “Nay! But on their hearts is the Ran (covering of sins and evil deeds) which they used to earn.” [83:14] (Sunan Ibn Majah)

So far, the whole imagery is indoors: A lamps in a glass lamp, placed in a niche. Now Allah will change the imagery to outdoors.

﴿يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍ مُّبَـرَكَةٍ زَيْتُونَةٍ﴾

Its fuel is derived from a blessed tree. It is an olive tree. Olive oil is extremely valuable. Allah even swears by olives in the Quran. The light of the olive oil is the brightest and clearest. Moreover, the oil comes out of the olives naturally on its own. Olive oil has innumerable uses and can be used externally, internally, as food, fuel and as a medicine.

There is no limit to its potential as it is Mubarak.
Barakah= blessed= It means increase/growth, increase beyond expectations, and also refers to something that stays in its place. So, the tree is constantly growing, it is stable, and whatever the tree produces is beyond expectations.

﴿لاَّ شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَلاَ غَرْبِيَّةٍ﴾

When the sun rises its light reaches the tree from the east and when it sets its light reaches it from the west, so the sunlight reaches it morning and evening, so it is not counted as being in the east or in the west.

It is not in the eastern part of the land nor in the Western part of the land but it is in a central position where it gets sun from the beginning of the day until the end.

This is a tree in a plain open area in the desert which is not shaded by any other tree or mountain or cave, nothing covers it, but rather it stands by itself. This is best for its oil as it is bathed by light from all directions and at all times. This produces the purest of oil.

Another implied meaning of 'neither from the East or the West' is that the tree is so pure that it is not from this world. It is from a different realm.

﴿يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِىءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ﴾

This pure, refined, flammable oil would almost light up on its own even though it has not been touched or ignited by the fire yet.

One interpretation is that this refers to the pure fitrah saleema of our Ruh which has an inherent capability to be drawn towards the truth. "Every child is born upon fitrah"(Hadith). This pure fitrah is bestowed to everyone at the time of his birth.
Our Ruh is not from this world: it is neither from the East or the West, rather it came from Aalam e Arwah. This fitrah is waiting to be ignited by revelation. Some people spoil their pure fitrah through consistent sins so this oil becomes contaminated and is not ignited easily.

﴿نُّورٌ عَلَى نُورٍ﴾

When the Nur placed within the heart of the believer joins the Nur of the revelation from Allah=> light upon light. 
There is already Nur in our heart, which represents our potential and it is waiting to be ignited. When it comes into contact with knowledge/revelation/shariah, it become Nur upon Nur. This can also be called "Sharah Sadr" i.e. expansion of the chest (with Nur). If we continue in actions and obedience to Allah, those actions further add Nur to our heart.

If the glass becomes full of dirt, then light will be prevented from entering or going out, so our heart will be suffocated by our sins. We need to clean our glass regularly to let the light penetrate, otherwise dirt will settle on our hearts.
How to keep our heart clean? Remembrance/Zikr of Allah with our tongue and heart. Making dua consistently. Avoiding lagw acts and sins that blacken the heart. 

﴿يَهْدِى اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَن يَشَآءُ﴾

Allah guides ALL the way to His Noor, whoever He wishes, and whoever wishes to attain that noor. So, our desire to attain that noor can attract Allah's desire to bless us with noor. 
Laam ل represents Ghayat غايت(end). Allah did not use ilaa الى but he used laam. Allah is telling us that He will guide us ALL the way to HIM (the ultimate Noor). 

﴿وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الاٌّمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلَيِمٌ﴾

Allah gives examples for people, and Allah already knows everything.
e.g. Imagine a teacher who has to explain a new and difficult concept to a class. He uses examples to make the concept easy for students. He is not in need of those examples for his own understanding, but he uses examples to make things easy for students.

Allah is reiterating here that HE has complete ilm about everything, and He just gives examples to come down to our level and enable us to understand. The true meaning of Nur is beyond us, but Allah explains it so we can understand some of it. Moreover, Allah says He gives it for people i.e. ALL of us. Qur'an is not for a select few but it has been made accessible and easy for all seekers.

[Such niches are] in mosques which Allah has ordered to be raised and that His name be mentioned therein; exalting Him within them in the morning and the evenings(24:36)

Having likened the heart of the believer and what it contains of guidance and knowledge to a lamp lit with good oil shining in a clear glass, Allah then states where it belongs, which is in the Masjids, the places on earth that are most beloved to Allah. The Masjids are His houses where He Alone is worshipped. We need to develop a relationship with the houses of Allah.

Buyoot does not only refer to Masjids, but can refer to any place where Allah is being mentioned, even if they are our homes. These homes shine like stars for the inhabitants of the sky and Allah raises them. These places are the source of Nur.

RELATION OF THIS AYAH WITH SURAH NUR:

Surah Nur is full of legal rulings. This Ayah is placed in the middle of all the legal rulings, and it reiterates the fact that we cannot understand legal rulings without spirituality.  When our heart is strong, we are able to understand the hikmat behind the rulings of Qur'an. 

Divine Speech - The Miracle of the Qur'an - Nouman Ali Khan (Part 1-3)

01. THE QUR'AN FROM A LITERARY PERSPECTIVE

The Divine Speech program introduces us to the study of the Quran on two levels, the micro and macro. Through this uniquely literary approach, the framework of establishing the Quran as a living text is laid.

INTRODUCTION (DIVINE SPEECH PROLOGUE)

There are three important aspects to any communication:
1. Speaker (we judge, process and understand the speech based on the source i.e. their age, appearance, experience, profession etc. )
When people were exposed to the message of the Qur'an, there was no apathy. People were either melted by the Qur'an or the disbelievers violently rejected it, based on their prejudice and animosity.  The believers might pay extra attention when they hear "Allah strikes an example" while the disbelievers might block their ears as they don't even want to listen. At one place in the Qur'an, Allah says while intending to address all the people: "An example has been struck" so that people focus on the content without any bias. The disbelievers rejected our Prophet SAWW because he did not enjoy a high status in the society, and was an orphan.

2. Content (what is being said?)

3. The manner of speech (How it is presented?).
The purpose of communication is to influence the audience, and not merely to pass  on information. Sometimes, the content might be phenomenal but the manner would be so monotonous that people will miss the point.

The Qur'an is remarkable because the speaker is Allah Himself. The speech of Allah is also phenomenal and the manner of speech is also matchless.
The disbeliever thought that the speaker is our Prophet SAWW, while the believers knew that the true speaker is Allah SWT. Deep down, even the disbelievers knew that Muhammad SAWW could not possibly be the speaker, as he was unlettered. It was a miraculous speech with historical integrity, conforming with previous scriptures.

The Qur'an is full of miracles e.g. scientific phenomena, historical accuracy, predictions related to the future and so on. But all of these miracles are limited to a select few ayaat. The real miracle of the Qur'an apparent in every ayah was it's literary beauty.

Divine speech will focus on the "manner of speech". What is unique about the Qur'an's way of communication? When we read the translation of Qur'an, we may be able to understand the main content but we can never understand HOW Allah expressed it.

Let us take a look at these stories that reflect the literary miracle of the Qur'an:
1. Tufail Ibn Dosee= He was a poet and the leader of his tribe, and wanted to pay his respects to Makkah. Each tribe had an idol in Makkah around which they made pilgrimage. The leaders of Quraysh wanted to protect him from falling into the hands of Muhammad SAWW, so they met him outside Makkah to warn him. If a tribal leader accepts Islam, the whole tribe accepts Islam, so they were concerned about it. They told him that Muhammad SAWW casts spells on people and divides families, so he should go back.  Tufail did not want to go back so they gave him cork to plug his ears, if he heard the messenger SAWW listening. He hears Muhammad SAWW's recitation and plugs his ears, and begins to run. On second thought, he defiantly goes back to the Messenger SAWW because of his arrogance and self confidence, but ends up taking shahadah.

2. Utba Ibn Rabiyah = Excellent orator, negotiator and was hired by people for negotiation. He was chosen by Quraysh to speak to Muhammad SAWW and humiliate him. They were watching this match of words from a distance. Utba offered him women, power and money, and asked him what he wanted. He was trying to assassinate his character and questioning his intentions, instead of challenging the message. Muhammad SAWW replied: Are you finished? He began to recite Surah Fussilat:

It is something that has been sent down from the exceptionally merciful, the exceedingly merciful. It is a book who's verses are clear, as an Arabic Qur'an, for people who know. It is sent as a giver of good tidings and a warner, but most of them turn away deliberately. Utba began to cry, and could not take it anymore, and he tried to cover the mouth of RasulAllah SAWW. RasulAllah SAWW kept reciting until he recited the ayah of sajdah. Utba went back, and the people said: Your face is not the same as it was when you went? He said: Whatever this man is saying, you should take it seriously or it will become a huge went. The people exclaimed that Muhammad SAWW has done magic on you!

It is a tragedy that even the believers cannot understand the mesmerising power of the Qur'an, the way even the disbelievers could appreciate it. That effect is lost on us. We forget that the Qur'an is the most powerful eternal miracle. We are unable to appreciate how Qur'an is a living miracle, as we are unable to understand the nuances of its language. 

It was very hard for the people of Quraysh to accept the message of RasulAllah SAWW. How could they believe that an angel sent revelation to him, and that Allah chose him as his messenger? How could they agree to follow him completely, and accept him as their leader? They would rather call him insane. Even his own family refused to believe him.  This is why Allah gave miracles to all Prophets so that people would believe their message to be divine. Even after witnessing miracles, most people rejected the message because of their arrogance. All miracles given to previous prophets were limited to people alive in that era. The Qur'an's miracle is timeless, and it is not a visual miracle. The Qur'an is a miracle for the ears. Visual miracles became fancy stories for people in future generations, so Allah gave us a miracle that every single human could experience in all times to come.

The Qur'an changed the way people ate, the way they scheduled their day, the way they did conducted business, the way they dressed, the way they spoke, the way they thought, the way they handled every affair, the way they dealt with their family and so on. It was a miraculous change at every level. Normally revolutions do not affect people's private lifestyles, but they only bring about a change on a macro level. This is an evidence of the unparalleled power of the Qur'an, as this change came about in merely 23 years.

Surah VS Chapter

The Qur’an is made up of 114 Surahs. Some people call Surah as Chapters, but Surah and Chapters are distinctively different from one another. Here’s why:

1. Chapters have a chronological order; the earliest writing is placed at the beginning and continued on with the later piece. But is the earliest Surah placed in the beginning of the Qur’an then followed with later revelations? If the Qur’an is in a historic chronology order, it would have “Iqra bismi Rabbi kal-ladhi khalaqa.” in the beginning, and some of the ayat of Surah Al-Baqarah at the very end. So the Qur’an is not in a Chapter-order, nor by size, nor by subject.
2. Chapters will not repeat the same concepts that have been mentioned previously. At most, if the previous concept is required to be mentioned again, a footnote will simply be placed: “Refer back to Chapter so-and-so”. The idea of Chapters is to build an argument in a chronological order. But the Qur’an repeats many principles and reminders again, and again, and again.
3. Thirdly, a book will not make sense if the sequence of the chapter is altered eg. Chapter 10 is placed as Chapter 1, and vice versa. So if a person studies Chapter 10 first, then goes to Chapter 1, he will get very confused. But is it possible for a person to only study Surah Al-Kauthar, yet still makes sense? Yes – again, because it’s not a Chapter.
4. Chapters also have a title, which summarizes everything about the content of the Chapter. The Qur’an doesn’t do that.

Therefore, from the literature perspective, it is incorrect to call a Surah as Chapter. It is unique on its own identity. The Qur’an has its own standard, thus we cannot compare the Qur’an to any other literature.

Ayah VS Verse

Inside the Surah, we have Ayah which we sometimes translate as Verse. Here are some implications to consider why Ayah should not be translated as such:

1. Verse is used for poetry / songs. This is a major problem because we are putting the Ayah of the Qur’an on the same platform as poetry. The Qur’an emphatically stated that it is NOT a poetry:

And We have not taught him (Muhammad SAW) poetry, nor is it suitable for him. This is only a Reminder and a plain Qur’an. [Surah Yaseen 36:69]

It is surely the speech of a noble Messenger (that he conveys from Allah). And it is not the speech of a poet, (but) little you believe. [Surah Al-Haaqqah 69:40-41]

2. Verse is usually associated with the Bible. When we talk about the Qur’an, we don’t want people to start thinking about the Bible. 

Therefore, just like the definition of Surah, the definition of Ayah remains as Ayah due to its uniqueness.

What about Ayah VS Sentence?

Some may have wondered: Can Ayah be translated as the Sentence of the Qur’an? Here are some reasons why that is also impossible:

1. Is Aliff Lam Meem a sentence? We don’t know if it is, or if it’s not. Only Allah knows what it means.
2. A sentence is made up of several words. Look at the first Ayah of Surah Ar-Rahman:

Ar-Rahman. [Surah Ar-Rahman 55:1]

Is 1 word a sentence? No. Sometimes there are Ayat in the Quran that is less than a sentence.
Sometimes there are 3 Ayat that goes together, making up 1 sentence. [Surah Al-Fatihah 1:1-3]
Sometimes there is 1 Ayah but has 9 sentences inside! [Surah Al-Baqarah 2:255 i.e. Ayatul Kursi]

Therefore, it is also impossible to call an Ayah as a Sentence.

What is an Ayah?

From the Qur’an perspective:

1. The unit of the Qur’an is Ayah. Allah s.w.t. says: “It is He Who has sent down to you (Muhammad SAW) the Book (this Qur’an). In it are Ayat that are entirely clear…”[Surah Ali-Imran 3:7]
2. But then Allah s.w.t. also says “Verily, in Yusuf (a.s.) and his brothers, there were Ayat.” [Surah Yusuf 12:7]. So Ayat are not only parts of the Qur’an, but also people, history, human experiences, the trees, mountains, the future, what is inside our body, our feelings, our hearts, our sleep, marriage – EVERYTHING in the universe & in existence is accurately define as an Ayah.

The question we should ask is not what is an Ayah, but what is NOT an Ayah? 

From the language perspective: The root word for Ayah is ءى ى which gives many meanings. Some of them are:

1. Something valuable – which means EVERYTHING we experience is valuable, every problem, every gift of Allah, every challenge in life, every day & night, every ANT is valuable.
2. Something that inspires curiosity.
3. Something that points to a direction. Every Ayah points to a direction – and that is Allah s.w.t. Himself.
4. Something amazing تعجب – it is supposed to make you wonder. When the believers look at the creations of Allah, they become amazed with it.
5. Something to get our attention ندا – Every Ayah is calling us; we have to pay attention to the reality around us as there are lessons to take heed.
6. A means of bringing us certainty, a source of conviction.
7. It means meaning itself – everything is meaningful, nothing is pointless.
8. To have a strong purpose, intention.
9. A sign. علامت

All of the above is what an Ayah is. So it is impossible to limit Ayah by calling it a Verse or Sentence.

TYPES OF ARABIC

We know that the Qur’an was revealed in Arabic, but there are many types of Arabic today. Thus it is critical for us to understand which Arabic is used for the Qur’an before we can analyze it.

3 kinds of Arabic:

1. Spoken Arabic – Street Arabic, it’s an informal Arabic one uses in speech, has different dialects.
2. Formal Arabic – The Arabic used in the newspapers, lectures, textbooks.
3. Old / Classical / Ancient Arabic – Just like there is a big difference between Formal Arabic with Spoken Arabic, there is a BIG difference between Formal Arabic with Ancient Arabic. 

The Arabs, even before the coming of Rasulallah s.a.w., lived in an isolated desert. Their neighbors were the Romans, Abyssinians, and Persians but these empires left the Arabs alone. One may wonder: How come these superpower didn’t want to take over the Arab lands to expand their own? The Arabs would have no chance against their massive army if they decided to attack.

The simple answer is: There was no oil yet. There was nothing in the desert, so there was no point of exhausting their manpower for this. Furthermore, if one of them decided to take over the land, then the other neighboring kingdoms would get agitated and start a war. So the Arabs were left alone.

Thus the only people the Arabs spoke to was with each other, with their own people. Some Arabs did some trade, but for the most part, not a lot of people from the outside came. Since there was less outside influence, it became an isolated culture and Arabic became more, and more, and more refined to the point that it became so advanced. So the Arabs became very proud of their language and really, really took care of it.

Fast-forward: When Allah s.w.t. gave Islam victory, many non-Arabs from different parts of the world entered into the Deen. So there was a huge population of new Muslims who began studying Arabic. And furthermore, because they are Muslims, they wanted to make Umrah and Hajj, visit Madinah and other Arab lands to learn. And thus millions of foreigners came and the local Arabic language gets worse and worse. This happens even in our own times in all countries and we know the decline in language due to outside influence happens in a very short time. Even the Sahabah noticed this problem. So there were 3 movements that were put into motion: Movement to protect the Quran, movement to protect the Hadith, and movement to protect the Arabic language.

But how did they protect the language? The language in all of the big cities were getting contaminated. The uncontaminated Arabic remains and lies in the villages in secluded parts of the deserts. Thus we learn that previous scholars would leave the city, journeyed into the desert, in order to capture the original, ancient Arabic language.

Why is it important?

We have a pair of glasses and there is some dirt on the lens. When we put them on, everything we see looks dirty. When we look at a pristine diamond with these dirty glasses, yes we do see something shiny, but it still seems dirty so we become less impressed with it. But if we look at the same diamond with clear, clean glasses – we will see its true beauty. The problem is not with the diamond, the problem lies with our glasses.

The Ancient Arabic is the clean, pure glasses. We cannot look at the Qur’an from the Formal Arabic’s perspective. Just look at the word Ayah, how many meanings were we able to derive? We will not get these meanings from Formal Arabic. Ancient Arabic has died in the desert and we have to learn this language so that we can analyze the Qur’an with the proper, unstained lens.

02. VERBAL IDIOMS IN THE QUR'AN

From a literary perspective, the term “verbal idioms” and its importance in Quranic rhetoric is explained. Idiomatic expressions such as “coolness of the eyes,” “lowering your wings of humility,” and untie the knot” are presented and explained

Language is dynamic – sometimes it is impossible to do word-by-word translation of certain phrases without losing their actual meaning. This is particularly true for figures of speech. Someone who asks me, “What’s up?” isn’t asking me in a literally sense – the person is asking how I am, not what’s up there over your head? Similarly, Ancient Arabic has figures of speech and the Qur’an uses them too. So in order for us to understand the actual meaning of the Ayat, we have to know how these idioms were used in ancient times.

1. COOLNESS OF THE EYES  قرة اعين

1. Tears of immense joy – There are 2 expressions in the Arab idioms: The eyes becoming cool, and the eyes becoming warm. “May Allah warm his eyes” is actually a curse which means may that person suffer so much sadness the he shed tears out of sorrow. Whereas “Cooling the eyes” is the opposite, to mean shedding tears out of happiness and joy.
2. Finding refuge & relief – The Arabs when travelling in the desert would wrap their face as a protection from sandstorms. But they couldn’t afford to cover their eyes without losing their vision, so they would say “My eyes are becoming warm.” And when they finally found a cave, they would say “My eyes are becoming cool.”
3. The word also means when something stays in one place. قرار

We find this figure of speech several times in the Qur’an:

1. [Surah Al-Furqan 25:74] “Our Lord! Bestow on us from our spouses and our offspring the coolness of the eyes…”

What this du’a means is that we ask from Allah for our spouses and children to be the coolness of our eyes from the outside storm. The outside world is full of stress, problems and difficulties, and our refuge and relief from that storm is our home. But sadly, how opposite is the state of our homes today? The storm isn’t happening outside of our homes, rather it’s happening inside. This du’a teaches us to ask from Allah for peace, tranquility and not just a happy home, but a home that makes us so happy that it makes us cry. What a beautiful du’a.

2. [Surah Ta-ha 20:40] “…So We restored you to your mother, that she might cool her eyes and she should not grieve…”

When Fir’aun’s soldiers were approaching, the mother of Musa a.s. put her baby (i.e. Musa) in the river to save him. She saw her baby floating away from her, and her heart became so deeply distraught and distressed, not knowing what would happen to him. So when she was finally reunited with her baby, by the will of Allah, she began to cry… And that cry was not a cry of sadness, it was out of immense happiness. This reunion between a mother and child is captured beautifully by this phrase in the Qur’an.

3. [Surah Al-Qasas 28:9] “And the wife of Fir’aun said: “A comfort [coolness] of the eye for me and for you. Kill him not, perhaps he may be of benefit to us, or we may adopt him as a son…”

Fir’aun’s wife didn’t have any place to turn to, except Allah s.w.t., because the police, government – in general everyone – was owned by Fir’aun. When she discovered Musa a.s. in the river, she picked him up, brought him to Fir’aun and said [paraphrasing]: “When I look at the baby, my eyes stay on him.” She couldn’t take her eyes away from Musa a.s.; she found her relief. Even Fir’aun, the same tyrant who ordered for a military campaign to kill thousands of babies, experienced the same and they ended up adopting Musa a.s.

4. This figure of speech is also found in hadith. Remember when Musa a.s. spoke directly to Allah s.w.t.? There can never, ever be anyone else more important and more beloved than our Rabb. So we know for sure that this is a memory that Musa a.s. will never, ever forget! But what did Allah s.w.t. command? Allah s.w.t. said to Musa a.s.:

Verily! I am Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but I, so worship Me, and perform As-Salat for My Remembrance.” [Surah Ta-ha 20:14]

The REAL way to remember Allah s.w.t. is through prayer. And our beloved Rasulallah s.a.w. said “The coolness of my eyes is in Salah.” Sunan an-Nasa’i | http://sunnah.com/nasai/36/2

Those who have a clean heart are more sensitive than others; it really hurts when someone speaks to them in a foul language. Our beloved Rasulallah s.a.w., the best of mankind, heard foul language, curses, allegations, being mocked at, being made fun of by the Quraish Every-Single-Day. But he s.a.w. never stopped, he still made da’wah to the same people continuously, and their hatred and aggressiveness only got worse each day. He s.a.w. was in this storm all the time, but when he enters Salah… that is when he found his relief. The coolness of his s.a.w. eyes is placed in the Salah. It completely changes our perspective what Salah should really mean to us.

2. To Lower Wings

When someone says that a person is “raising his wings” or “lowering his wings”, an imagery of a bird comes to mind. When a bird raises its wings, it means it’s about to fly off. And when it lowers its wings, then it’s about to come down and land. Obviously when the bird has wings, it has the ability to raise them anytime it wants. Yet this bird still chooses to lower them at times.

And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy [rahmah], and say: “My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was young.” [Surah Al-Israa’17:24]

This Ayah is about our relationship with our parents – that we should lower our wing of humility out of love and mercy towards them. What does this actually mean?

1. The bird can fly, but it chooses to stay down

As time goes by, as we get older, our parents get older too. But they don’t just get weaker, they sometimes become more sensitive and emotional. Perhaps some parents become more difficult to speak with; they become angrier or easily agitated. By now, we would have our own job, money, and family. We have a pair of strong wings which we can raise anytime we want.

But the lesson from this Ayah is this: Even though you have powerful wings, you need to learn to lower them when it comes to your parents. To act like the wings don’t exist. To refrain from saying hurtful things like, “You know dad, I’m a grown up now. I know more than you” We have to be humble with our parents. Remember: The bird can fly, but it CHOOSES to stay down.

2. Lowering the wing out of rahmah (love and mercy)

The word “rahmah” in this Ayah has 3 implications:

1. When the bird was young, its parents would gather food and bring it to the chicks because they couldn’t survive on their own. Similarly, we were completely dependent on our parents too. They showed us love and care, they did everything for us. Now is the time we do the same for them. When we were little, WE made them weary didn’t we? They put up with us. Why can't be do the same to them?
2. Secondly, we ourselves should genuinely have love and care for our parents. A sign of humbleness in a person is in the way how he treats his parents. 
3. Thirdly, and the most powerful of them all is: If we want Allah’s Rahmah, we should show rahmah to our parents!

3. Sacrifice

Do you see how birds would lower their wings over their nest to defend it from being attacked by predators? Their wings will be attacked, but the chicks are protected. Thus, this phrase also refers to the sacrifice of a parent for the children. But this Ayah is about the children sacrificing THEMSELVES for their parents. Our parents protected us – it’s time for us to protect them.

As we grow older, Allah s.w.t. reverses our roles and we find this reversal in the du’a in the last part of the Ayah:

“My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was young.” [Surah Al-Israa’17:24]

Ya Allah, show our parents love and care like how they showed us love and care when we were small.

3. Untie the knot in tongue

Musa a.s. made the following du’a before he confronted Fir’aun:

“O my Lord! Open for me my chest (grant me self-confidence, contentment, and boldness). And ease my task for me. And loose [untie] the knot from my tongue. That they understand my speech.” [Surah Ta-Ha 20:25-28]

Imagine a string that is all jumbled up; we don’t know where it begins or where it ends. There might even be more than one string that got mixed-up together so they become confusing. The only way to make things clear is by untangling them. So “untie the knot from my tongue” in this Ayah mean:

1. To ask for clarity in speech

When we speak, sometimes we get our words mixed up. This is especially true when it comes to public speaking. We get really nervous, trip all over our words, and as a result our audience gets confused. So this du’a teaches us to ask from Allah s.w.t. for clarity in speech, one that has a clear beginning, middle and end like a clear straight line, just like how a string would look like when it’s not tangled. Furthermore, Musa a.s. had a stutter. When someone with a stutter gets nervous or angry, the stutter gets worse. So this beautiful du’a covers clarity both figuratively and literally.

2. To stay on focus

We see numerous times how smart politicians or TV hosts throw their opponents off in debates. Their opponent would be bombarded with questions after questions and attacked from all angles just so that he is thrown off and look bad in front all of the audience. Similarly, Fir’aun was a politician and Musa a.s. was commanded to speak to such a tyrant. If we read surah Ash-Shu’ara, we’ll learn that Fir’aun tried to do the same but he was defeated in his own court in front of his generals whereas Musa a.s. remain undeterred and stayed focus on his mission, as a result of this du’a.

03. THE QUR'AN IS BEYOND EXPLANATION!

As a literary device, verbal idioms are used to strike comparisons. The permanence of the Mushrikeen’s rejection of Islam is likened to a building foundation. This “tying of the rope,” is the final deal breaker signifying a point of no return.

4. To tie a cord and twist it ابرموا

A building is held up by its beams or pillars. Back in old times, the beams were held together by a really strong  rope, where one beam would be literally tied to the other. The people would use a strong rope, then double it and twist it many times so that the bond becomes super strong. 

In comparison to shoelaces which are only temporary knots, the tied-up ropes in construction must not come undone under any circumstances. 

They are permanent and the word “Abrama” (أبرم) in the Arabic language literally means to tie something with a knot permanently. We find this word in the following Ayah:

Is it that they have firmly resolved (أَبْرَمُوا) to do something? Then, We have firmly resolved (مُبۡرِمُونَ). [Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:79]

1. Firm & final decision

Allah s.w.t. asked a rhetorical question to the Quraish who did shirk:

أَمْأَبْرَمُواأَمْرًاHave they tied the knot / made their final decision / completely set with regard to their decision that they will not accept Islam?

The Ayah is not talking about tying knots in a construction, but it’s about tying knots in their decision. Allah s.w.t. asked if they’ve made up their mind. If they’ve tied up their rope then…

فَإِنَّامُبْرِمُون
Then We (Allah s.w.t.) have tied the rope too.

The Mushrikin have tied their knot because they refused to accept the Oneness of Allah and His Messenger s.a.w. Because of their refusal, He s.w.t. made them permanent that way. In other words, Allah s.w.t. will never seal anybody’s heart until they have completely made up their mind on their decision to reject the truth, and who knows better the inner depths of our hearts than Allah s.w.t.

2. Temporary (Verb) VS Permanent (Noun)

This Ayah is beautiful because this figure of speech shows the comparison between the Mushrikin’s decision and Allah’s decision. If we refuse to accept the truth, then Allah will let us stay that way. 

When the Mushrikin tied their rope, the word أَبْرَمُوا is used. This is actually a verb.
But when Allah s.w.t. tied His rope, the word مُبْرِمُون is used. This is a noun.
Verbs are temporary by nature as they are associated with time, whereas nouns are PERMANENT and timeless.
What does this mean?

Sometimes when we make a decision, we’re not quite sure on what we have decided, so we go back and change it. Then there are times when we think we’ve really made up our mind, that there is no way that we would ever change it. The Mushrikin said that they have completely made up their mind, but rhetorically Allah s.w.t. shows that their decision was still something temporary. When Judgment Day comes and they finally see the reality of what they were denying… Do you think they would want to go back on their decision?

It may be that those who disbelieve wish ardently that they were Muslims. [Surah Al-Hijr 15:2]

Oh how they would wish that they could untie their rope! But when Allah s.w.t. has made up His decision, it is permanent. Allah’s rope is PERMANENT and there will be no return for them.

5. To Venture into Every Valley

Did you not see that they wander [yaheemun] in every valley? [Surah Ash-Shu’araa’ 26:225]

This is actually an expression in the Qur’an describing poets and it is extremely relevant to our time. Some points to bear in mind:

1. The word (to wander) is used to describe a camel when it is lost looking for water, wandering aimlessly in any direction, from one valley into another. 
2. Hiyaam also refers to a kind of love that can be destructive e.g. leading to suicide/depression
3. It also includes wandering while not knowing the kind of danger ahead. 
4. Also before one ventures into a valley, he is on the higher ground – which is associated with honor & dignity. Its opposite is going down into the valley, and being low is normally associated with humiliation.

What does this expression really mean then?

The Thought Process of Entertainers

Back in the old times, the Arabs entertained themselves by listening to poets. These poets had 2 roles: They were the entertainers (they performed story-telling and singing) and also the philosophers at that time.

Fast-forward to the present is the entertainment industry today. Now we have movies or songs that became extremely popular. As a result the artist received spotlights, won awards and got millions of downloads – but how long does the craze last? After some time of listening to the same thing repeatedly, people just got tired of it – they want something new.

So the artists had to work hard to come up with the next big hit. But when the sequel isn’t as popular as the first, people begin to lose interest in them. The problem is, the lives of these entertainers revolve around fame and recognition. They become desperate when people no longer pay attention to them. So we see how certain artists would re-invent themselves by making their songs more controversial and indecent. Some would even further lower their standards of decency for the sake of popularity  – doesn’t matter to them as long as they get a little bit of the spotlight again. So they keep venturing into every, single, possible valley. That’s the correlation with this Ayah. 

The Philosophers

In the old times, the poets were also their philosophers. In our time, we have certain  professors who try to instill one thing: That there is no such thing as absolute truth. They live in the world of What-If’s: What if there is no God? What if the Book has been tampered? What if all of these are just folktales? If someone tries to answer them, they would continue to ask the next What-If question – they keep wandering into every valley that has no end.

The Qur’an teaches us to live in the world of WHAT IS. Overwhelmingly in the Qur’an, Allah s.w.t. asks us to look WHAT IS around us, at ourselves, at the ruins of nations that were destroyed. We are supposed to have clarity of thoughts, we don’t venture into every valley. Instead, our job is to pull people out of them!

6. The town turned over its roof/trellises






Arsh means: Roof, or Trellises

This expression is used in a couple of ayat in the Quran,

Allah says:

22:45 How many towns have We destroyed, which were given to wrong- doing? They tumbled down on their roofs. And how many wells are lying idle and neglected, and castles lofty and well-built? 
Does it mean the towns were somehow flipped over? What does it actually mean? 

Actually, Allah is describing something more elaborate.

In abandoned buildings, the first thing that starts to get damaged is the roof because it is the most exposed part. After a while, the roof wears out and falls into the building. The walls within are now more exposed to rain, insects and water etc. which begins to weaken them. Eventually, they become so weak that when a strong wind blows, the walls fall on the already collapsed roof.

Allah describes towns that have been destroyed such that no one inhabited it for a long time, then wear and tear sets in and leads to the collapse of the walls on the roof. Allah describes this entire process by simply telling us that 'the town was turned on its roof'. This shows the EXTENT of the destruction and the SPAN of the destruction.

This expression is also used in surah Kahf in the story of the farmers, Allah describes the garden as falling of the trellises

And so it was: his fruit was completely destroyed, and there he was, wringing his hands over what he had invested in it, as it drooped on its trellises, and saying, ‘I wish I had not set up any partner to my Lord.’ (Surah 18:42)
The wealthy farmer had trellises on the ground with which he held the delicate plants. The farm was surrounded with date palm trees. These date palm trees provided protection for the more delicate plants from the impact of the winds, there were a security measure for the plants. Allah is describing a situation here where the date palm trees fell on the trellises and destroyed the farm. The garden was destroyed through its security system.

Story night: Young and Courageous (Surah Kahf)

https://oca.org/saints/lives/2014/08/04/102195-7-holy-youths-seven-sleepers-of-ephesus

Christian version of Ashaab e Kahf is different. The Ashaab e kahf seven sleepers were from Ephesus(which is now in Turkey) according to Christians.
 The king 300 years ago was Decius who believed in Greek mythology and multiple gods. He had statues of zeus, apollo, armades in the city of Epiphesus. He built these monuments and build them in the middle of the city. This king expected the whole town to bow to these gods and worship them. If anybody refused to pay respect to them, he was slaughtered.7 young men refused to do it. We believe in Jesus as god. They were arrested and given a death sentence and supposed to be publicly executed.
These men managed to escape from the jail and run off into a cave. The king finds them, and the king put rocks on the mouth of the cave to bury them alive as it was a very small cave. Some people years later made a large stone tablet in honour of them as they died for the sake of faith and they put it on the mouth of the cave.
In Year 448 AD, (120 years before birth of Prophet SAWW), a shepherd moved some rocks from a cave in order to build a shed for his sheep and then he saw light enter a cave, and saw some men sleeping inside wearing ancient clothes. They woke up and sent one of them into the city to get bread and their coins had decius on them so they and the people realised they had slept for 300 years.  At that point when they woke up, the area was dominated by Christianity and there were crosses everywhere. They had clothes and currency of over 300 years ago. The king honoured them greatly. They again proclaimed the greatness of jesus and told their story and then died in front of them.

In christianity there was a debate going on whether or not when we are raised on the day of judgement,  is god going to raise the soul or both the soul and the body. A lot of Christian theologians said that only the soul will be raised. The king Theodosius was not sure. He heard both sides of the argument. When these seven sleepers were discovered, the debate was over because it was a proof that the body and soul are resurrected together.

A major christian scholar used this story to write a text on aqeedah. He called them martyrs. He said that their souls and bodies have direct access to heaven.  He said that because they are already in heaven, they are saints and asking them for help is a means of getting into paradise. They have hymns about the people of the cave. They called them Ashaab ul kahf. The christians used to celebrate the seven sleepers like we celebrate EID.

The Quraysh went to the Jewish scholars to ask them to tell them some difficult questions that they could ask about ashaab e kahf from Prophet SAWW. Their intention was to trick the Prophet SAWW into saying that the ashaab e kahf were saints and this would indirectly validate Christianity because in the Christian version, the ashaab e kahf were saints who believed in Jesus.

18:1

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[All] praise is [due] to Allah , who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance.

18:2

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[He has made it] straight, to warn of severe punishment from Him and to give good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward

18:3

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In which they will remain forever

18:4

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And to warn those who say, " Allah has taken a son."

18:5

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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.

18:6

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Then perhaps you would kill yourself through grief over them, [O Muhammad], if they do not believe in this message, [and] out of sorrow.

18:7

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Indeed, We have made that which is on the earth adornment for it that We may test them [as to] which of them is best in deed.

18:8

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And indeed, We will make that which is upon it [into] a barren ground.

18:9

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Or have you thought that the companions of the cave and the inscription were, among Our signs, a wonder?

18:10

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Allah begins the story with mention of the book. Only that guidance matters which comes from the book, and Allah does not allow for deviation/crookedness in it. This guidance will NOT curve/bend over time.

The youth changes a lot with changing trends. Trends keep changing in every field. Youth goes through a lot of phases. But Allah has made it clear that trends can change all they want but Allah's guidance will never change. It is eternal and what was applicable in 600 AD is still applicable in 2015. It is just as relevant now as it was back then. We feel the pressure to say things and do things to fit in and tone down the words of the Quran and make it digestible. Allah says QAYYIMAN. (This is one word which is as if someone said Soccer is the best sport, and the other person says Soccer?Basketball! Basketball is a single word which conveys that basketball is the best) Similarly Allah says Qayyiman after Iwajan and this word is enough. The Quran will not compromise.

Baas refers to the time before war. Allah says this book will continue to stand even during tough and difficult times. Allah goes on to say that they will have a reward in the form of Jannah. This implies that we won't get reward and compensation for everything immediately. The reward will be after patience. Whatever thing we acquire in this world, we get tired of it after a while. We just want to move to one thing after another. Allah says he will give us a reward which will be forever. Maakis means to sit in anticipation for something. It means that you are always excited for it. The excitement does not die after a while. We will never get bored in Jannah. Some people argue that people will get tired of Jannah and living forever. Allah is negating that idea. You will never get used to something and lose interest.

Allah gave this book to warn Christians who argued that Allah had a son. In their version of the story, they made Ashaab ul Kahf saints and according to them, the seven sleepers declared Jesus as their lord and this is the reason they were buried alive and then they woke up after hundreds of years and declared Jesus is their lord. Allah makes it clear that their ancestors had no clue of the statement they are making. What huge blasphemy comes out of their mouth. The words of shirk are so offensive that the Earth and skies would split apart if Allah had not held them together. It is the biggest sin.
But this does not mean that we become intolerant of Christians. Anger belongs to Allah SWT. Allah has the right to be angry. But we cannot become God.We need to have hikmat. But we shouldn't endorse them.

Perhaps you are going to kill yourself out of grief. You worry so much about what they say about Allah that you have become depressed. Why don't they reason and believe in Allah?

No doubt, we furnished whatever is on the Earth as a means of beautification that belongs to it. The decoration of akhirah will outlast it. This implies that certain products, status, company, trends etc will be so beautified for you that you will want to have it no matter what. People don't even care how they will get that thing. They just want it so badly. I just want to go there, no matter how I get there. People sometimes earn haram and try to purify it through sadaqa. Peoples goals become so beautified for them that they are willing to do the ugliest things to reach there. We need to do the right thing. The book will stand firm and whoever holds this book will stand just as firm. Then we will take everything that is on earth and convert it into slippery mud/desert land/marsh land which is absolutely useless. Juruz is a kind of land in which no vegetation can grow. All the skyscrapers will turn into dust.

Now the story begins.Allah says did you actually think/assume that the story of the people of the cave  is something that stands out as a miracle? Allah says that as amazing as you think the story of the cave is, it is not that big of a deal in front of the Ayah Allah just said. The inscription is not that big of a sign as the sign Allah just mentioned.

The miraculous help of Allah can come to anyone, not just Prophets, especially to young people who decide to stand up for Allah. Allah is saying that His miraculous help to young people in times of fitnah is so natural that it is not even surprising. It is just like a law of nature.
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[Mention] when the youths retreated to the cave and said, "Our Lord, grant us from Yourself mercy and prepare for us from our affair right guidance."

18:11

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So We cast [a cover of sleep] over their ears within the cave for a number of years.

18:12

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Then We awakened them that We might show which of the two factions was most precise in calculating what [extent] they had remained in time.

18:13

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It is We who relate to you, [O Muhammad], their story in truth. Indeed, they were youths who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.

18:14

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And We made firm their hearts when they stood up and said, "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. Never will we invoke besides Him any deity. We would have certainly spoken, then, an excessive transgression.

18:15

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These, our people, have taken besides Him deities. Why do they not bring for [worship of] them a clear authority? And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allah a lie?"

18:16

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Allah first gives a synopsis of the story and the main highlights. It's like a trailer which arouses interest and makes you want more. Allah's perspective on history cannot be challenged. Allah's version is entirely different from the Christian version.

Those young people ran away from prison. They asked Allah for special rehmah (Ladun). These young men understood that Allah is always Raheem but they wanted something more special than normal,something extraordinary because of the circumstances. If anybody found them, they would be killed. They didn't complain. They asked with the attitude that they were already being showered with love but they need more. But we as muslims complain when we are in trouble and ask Why is it always me? Rahmah comes from Rahm and it refers to love and care, and the closest thing to Allah's love is that of a mother's love.

Why do I have to go through this? Hayya means to furnish/change the shape of our situation or to facilitate. Change the reality/shape of this situation. Their entire families are muslims who have compromised on their religion. So these young men do not want to become overwhelmed by that pressure and need Allah's help to change the situation. They were WANTED so they could not run away. They were in a similar situation as we often face as muslims. We have pressure of those who dislike us for practising deen and the pressure of family and people who discourage us for making our lives difficult by following deen. They asked Allah for help so that their hearts stay firm.

They finally found a cave. Allah says He struck their ears and caused them to sleep for hundreds of years, just like a mother strokes her children's ear to make them sleep. This is a demonstration of Allah's love.Struck could also mean that they couldn't hear anything as when you strike the ear, you cannot hear for some time.  They slept for many years. Allah used the word adad but Allah did not tell the number to create a mystery. There was a debate among christians about how many years they slept.

Ba-a-sa is used which is used for raising up from death and sleep is like raising from death in Islam. This was mentioned to make it clear that both body and soul was raised. This was a reference to the theological debate going on at that time.

Allah decided to record even the smallest of their conversations out of love. The Quran has nothing without a reason. Every trivial detail is for a reason. Allah even recorded what they said to each other when they woke up.Allah goes on to say that WE will tell you their story accurately.

No doubt about it they were YOUNG MEN who believed in Allah. Allah highlights the fact that they were youth. This surah is about the end of times and fitnas,especially the fitna of dajjaal. Dajjal beautifies the world and performs miracles and the youth gets caught up in these trends the most. He makes people forget the next life. This is the fit of dajjaal. That is why the story of these young men is so important. We need to remember that the youth is supposed to be the strength of the ummah and not the weakness of the ummah. This is what this story emphasises.

Allah goes on to say that they believed in their Lord but he does not specify who the lord is. The Christians took jesus as their lord. Allah says that he will increase them in guidance. Allah guides those who believe in Him. There is a guidance which comes after we have conviction and faith in Allah. Allah gives so much guidance that you cannot possibly imagine it. Allah creates paths where there was no way out.

The youth were dragged in front of the king,in court, in front of all the people, with the fear of being sentenced to death. They had to explain themselves. They were nervous and terrified so they could not speak. Allah gave strength to their hearts and tied their hearts up so that they could speak up for themselves. Their crime was that they did not believe in false gods.

They said: Our Lord is the lord of the heavens and the earth, we are not going to call  anyone else our master, and calling someone else our master is extremely stupid. So indirectly they called the king stupid.The whole town was gathered there so this was insulting for the king. They said to the people why do you follow these gods and continued to say that YOU should be on trial because you do not have any evidence for the gods you worship.You're afraid of this king, what about THAT king (Allah SWT). .  They still had love for their nation and continued to call them their nation despite the strong opposition from them. We are supposed to hate the sin, but not the sinner.

Sahih International

[The youths said to one another], "And when you have withdrawn from them and that which they worship other than Allah , retreat to the cave. Your Lord will spread out for you of His mercy and will prepare for you from your affair facility."

18:17

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And [had you been present], you would see the sun when it rose, inclining away from their cave on the right, and when it set, passing away from them on the left, while they were [laying] within an open space thereof. That was from the signs of Allah . He whom Allah guides is the [rightly] guided, but he whom He leaves astray - never will you find for him a protecting guide.

18:18

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And you would think them awake, while they were asleep. And We turned them to the right and to the left, while their dog stretched his forelegs at the entrance. If you had looked at them, you would have turned from them in flight and been filled by them with terror.

They escaped from the jail OR the king let them away for some days to rectify themselves. They said to one another: Don't go into the cave until you get far away from the authority. Otherwise they will find out which direction you are running to. Allah interjects and introduces His own commentary because he was so overwhelmed and full of pride for them. These young men worshipped no one but Allah.(Just like when we are going to mention a story, we say that guy is amazing etc. That is like saying so and so, man I love him, did so and so.) So this is a jumla mutarza out of admiration for these young people.

Islam is a religion that put restraints on you and disciplines you. If you don't have Islam into life, you can do anything you like. It is a life free of restrictions. Freedom versus restriction: Most people will pick freedom and pick the easy way out. These young men chose prison and life in a cave in exchange of freedom.

They said let's go to THE cave, and not A cave. That means they had been there before on one of their adventures. The cave could have been full of dangers. But Allah changed reality for them and made it a Mirfaq(Mirfaq is a pillow in which we can find comfort). It is the same root word as Rafeeq, a friend you can find comfort in. This means that they were not looking at the reality in front of them but they had absolute tawakkul on Allah. They were thinking of rocks as a Mirfaq.

The sun bends around them to the right when it rises, and when it is setting it turns towards left. Allah bent the rays of the sun so that they could sleep comfortably. Allah changed the laws of physics and the laws of nature for them. The sun would do them a favour (taqridhum). They were in a big open space so there was more possibility of sun rays entering but this is one of Allah's miracles. Allah did not increase the light so much that they could be spotted from outside but he gave them just enough light to protect them from dangerous animals etc.  Whoever Allah guides, his always rightly guided and whoever Allah misguides cannot find any other guidance.

If you went there, you would have imagined that they are awake although they were in deep sleep. Allah even turned them in their sleep. People can develop bed sores and get muscle atrophy if they stay in one posture for long. It could also mean that when came at them in one direction, they were turned to the other direction and vice versa. There was a dog with them whos two paws could have been seen on the mouth of the cave. Even if somebody had climbed up to the cave, they would have ran away out of fear after seeing those paws. You would have even turned others away from the cave:Don't even go near there! (because this is laazim and mutaddi).This statement is hypothetical, because nobody even went near that cave (Lau implies that).

18:19

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Sahih International

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.

18:20

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Sahih International

Indeed, if they come to know of you, they will stone you or return you to their religion. And never would you succeed, then - ever."

18:21

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Sahih International

And similarly, We caused them to be found that they [who found them] would know that the promise of Allah is truth and that of the Hour there is no doubt. [That was] when they disputed among themselves about their affair and [then] said, "Construct over them a structure. Their Lord is most knowing about them." Said those who prevailed in the matter, "We will surely take [for ourselves] over them a masjid."

18:22

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Sahih International

They will say there were three, the fourth of them being their dog; and they will say there were five, the sixth of them being their dog - guessing at the unseen; and they will say there were seven, and the eighth of them was their dog. Say, [O Muhammad], "My Lord is most knowing of their number. None knows them except a few. So do not argue about them except with an obvious argument and do not inquire about them among [the speculators] from anyone."

18:23

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Sahih International

And never say of anything, "Indeed, I will do that tomorrow,"

18:24

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Sahih International

Except [when adding], "If Allah wills." And remember your Lord when you forget [it] and say, "Perhaps my Lord will guide me to what is nearer than this to right conduct."

18:25

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Sahih International

And they remained in their cave for three hundred years and exceeded by nine.

18:26

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Sahih International

Say, " Allah is most knowing of how long they remained. He has [knowledge of] the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth. How Seeing is He and how Hearing! They have not besides Him any protector, and He shares not His legislation with anyone."

18:27

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Sahih International

And recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. There is no changer of His words, and never will you find in other than Him a refuge.

When they got up, they started arguing about how long they slept. But then one of them said they need food, so they collected cash and sent one person back to the city to get food. They picked someone who had an idea about restaurants and they asked him to pick the best food and not get too much food. Walk really carefully and be extra nice to not draw unnecessary attention to yourself. And if you get caught, don't reveal our location. You need to be smart and cautious. If they find out about you, they will either stone you to death or return you to their religion. It means that we should never be overconfident in your religion. Be humble and always beg Allah that your hidaya remains till your last moment. Do not deliberately put yourself in difficult and faith-challenging situations. Protect your Imaan and don't go looking for trouble. Don't be over confident in faith and put yourself in fitnah. Allah recorded this small trivial conversation which is a proof that Allah listens to all of our conversations. In Quran, the true followers of Isa AS call themselves muslims, so even though these people were before the time of Prophet SAWW, they were still heroes of islam. Allah came to the aid of their legacy by dignifying them in Quran.

But when he set out, he spoke a different dialect, was dressed in clothes 300 years old, had old currency and he drew a lot of attention to himself. The whole town had become christians. The promise of ALLAH is true. Isa AS did not resurrect them, Allah did. This is the Islamic concept. The christian scholars were disputing at that time about whether the soul is raised or both body and soul. Allah said we resurrected them so that people would know the promise of Allah is true. It shows that Allah SWT is the one who raised them and raised their body and soul.
The Christian king Theosodisus said, build a monument for them. (According to the Christian version, they refused the monument and they also refused to come out of the cave. They died in the cave).

They turned it down because they were people of Tawhid and not of shirk. These people probably died in the cave then to escape from shirk. Then the people said, lets build a Masjid here. Masjid is a place where you do sajdah. So sajdah still existed in Christianity back then.

The people forgot the debate about resurrection and afterlife and instead made an issue out of making a monument or a masjid. Our ummah has become caught up in debates and issues about things that don't matter much and forget the core of Islam. We have beautified our masjids and monuments and ignored the fundamentals of deen.

Listen to a story. There is a professor of business who made millions. He decides to teach business courses. He tells his class:There is a man who has to start a business. He picks a location. He checks which products people need and he stocks those products. He manages branding,finances,customer services,presentation etc. One student asks: Whats his name? What does he eat for lunch? That is such an irrelevant and ridiculous question which suggests that the students missed the entire point of the story. Allah also told this whole story and those people missed the point and began arguing about the number which was entirely irrelevant. Allah commands the prophet saww to tell them that Allah knows best and you don't know and it's none of your business. You are focused on the number and Allah is focused on THEM. We sometimes forget the moral and point of the story and focus on things which are entirely irrelevant. Allah says hum and not haa although iddatun was moanas taa marboota. Allah is trying to emphasise that the number is not important (None but of you actually know THEM).

Don't debate about them.Mirya means to argue so don't get into a debate to remove doubt. The only thing you should debate about is the things that are obvious and not the minor details. Allah made their beliefs obvious so we should debate about them and not their number. We should focus on the point. We need to learn to ask the right questions. Three stories follow this story in Surah kahf and people end up asking the same kind of irrelevant questions. Allah wanted to correct our thinking in the beginning.

The jews asked the Prophet SAWW: who is zulqarnain, who are the people of the cave and who is the rooh? THE Prophet SAWW said he will tell tomorrow but Allah sent what after 15 days.

Now Allah emphasises the importance of saying InshaaAllah. And Allah links it to the idea that may it bring us closer to guidance. Our imaan fluctuates and our relationship with Allah goes up and down so Allah has tied InshaaAllah to the idea that may Allah bring us closer to Him whenever you do that thing. May you be in a better state of Imaan when it happens, no matter what you say InshaaAllah for.

Then Allah gives a vague number,300 and 9 but does not specify nine to teach us to be humble. We cannot know everything. Allah knows the unseen and He knows more than you can ever know. Allah is the best protector. Allah goes back to the point. He says He knows the exact figure. Allah puts us back in our place.

You have no protector except Allah. That is a major lesson for us. We need to have tawakkul on Allah.
Then Allah goes on to say that Allah's words will never be changed. The story of christians were changed, but Allah's words never change.