The month of Ramadhan is around the corner, and most people now is locked up at home following the emergency state declaration against covid-19 spreading. Thank God today is Friday (Jumu’ah), and as usual we can see a lot of reminders about recommended practices on this day, including sending abundant salutations upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and recitation of Surah al Kahf.

Have you ever wondered why we read Surah al-Kahf on a weekly basis? There must a reason that Allah want us to find, to improve our relationship between us and Him. InshaAllah as we ponder and reflect through this Surah, we will find peace in our heart, mind and soul in submission to Allah.

The Story of Revelation
This chapter was revealed in Mecca, and it was sent down to answer three questions that had been put to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in order to test his Prophethood. According to the narration, the Quraysh sent al-Nadhar ibn al Harith and Uqbah bin Abi Muith to the rabbis of Madinah to ask them about Muhammad.

They (the rabbis) replied, ‘Ask him about three things, and if he answers, then he is a Prophet who has sent (by Allah); if not, then his call is not true, in which case how you will deal with him will be up to you. Ask him about some young men in ancient times, what was their story. For theirs is a strange and wondrous tale. Ask him about a man who travelled a great deal and reached the east and the west of the earth. And ask him about the Rūh (soul or spirit) what is it. If he tells you about these things, then he is a prophet, so follow him, but if he does not, then he is a man who is making things up, so deal with him as you see fit.

‘So al-Nadr and Uqbah left and came back to the Quraysh, and said : ‘O people of Quraysh, we have come to you with a decisive solution which will put an end to the problem between you and Muhammad. The Jewish rabbis told us to ask him about some matters,’ and they told the Quraysh what they were.

They came to the Messenger of Allah and said, ‘O Muhammad, tell us …’ and they asked him about the things they had been told to ask. The Messenger of Allah said, ‘I will tell you tomorrow about what you have asked me,’ but he did not say ‘If Allah wills’. So they went away and the Messenger of Allah stayed for fifteen days without any revelation from Allah concerning that, and Jibrīl, peace be upon him, did not come to him either. The people of Mecca started to doubt him, and said, ‘Muhammad promised to tell us the next day, and now fifteen days have gone by and he has not told us anything in response to the questions we asked.’ The Messenger of Allah felt sad because of the delay in revelation, and was grieved by what the people we saying about him. Then Jibril came to him from Allah with Surah al-Kahf, which also rebukes him for feeling sad about the idolaters. The surah responds to the questions what were put to him regarding the young men and the traveller. The question about rūh was answered in another revelation, in Surah al-Isra, 17:85.

Message of Hope 
Surah al-Kahf begins with the hope,

ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَنزَلَ عَلَىٰ عَبۡدِهِ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَلَمۡ يَجۡعَل لَّهُۥ عِوَجَاۜ

قَيِّمٗا لِّيُنذِرَ بَأۡسٗا شَدِيدٗا مِّن لَّدُنۡهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَعۡمَلُونَ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمۡ أَجۡرًا حَسَنٗا   مَّٰكِثِينَ فِيهِ أَبَدٗا

“[All praise is [due] to Allah, who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance. [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. In which they will remain forever.”
[Surah al-Kahf, 18:1-3]

and then addresses grief and pain;

فَلَعَلَّكَ بَٰخِعٞ نَّفۡسَكَ عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَٰرِهِمۡ إِن لَّمۡ يُؤۡمِنُواْ بِهَٰذَا ٱلۡحَدِيثِ أَسَفًا

“Then perhaps you would kill yourself through grief over them, [O Muhammad], if they do not believe in this message, [and] out of sorrow.”
[Surah al-Kahf, 18:6]

and in this Surah, we are also be reminded about His mercy, mentioned 7 times.

إِذۡ أَوَى ٱلۡفِتۡيَةُ إِلَى ٱلۡكَهۡفِ فَقَالُواْ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحۡمَةٗ وَهَيِّئۡ لَنَا مِنۡ أَمۡرِنَا رَشَدٗا

“[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.”
[Surah al-Kahf, 18:10]

وَإِذِ ٱعۡتَزَلۡتُمُوهُمۡ وَمَا يَعۡبُدُونَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ فَأۡوُۥٓاْ إِلَى ٱلۡكَهۡفِ يَنشُرۡ لَكُمۡ رَبُّكُم مِّن رَّحۡمَتِهِۦ وَيُهَيِّئۡ لَكُم مِّنۡ أَمۡرِكُم مِّرۡفَقٗا

“[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.”
[Surah al-Kahf, 18:16]

وَرَبُّكَ ٱلۡغَفُورُ ذُو ٱلرَّحۡمَةِۖ لَوۡ يُؤَاخِذُهُم بِمَا كَسَبُواْ لَعَجَّلَ لَهُمُ ٱلۡعَذَابَۚ بَل لَّهُم مَّوۡعِدٞ لَّن يَجِدُواْ مِن دُونِهِۦ مَوۡئِلٗا

“And your Lord is the Forgiving, full of mercy. If He were to impose blame upon them for what they earned, He would have hastened for them the punishment. Rather, for them is an appointment from which they will never find an escape.”
[Surah al-Kahf, 18:58]

فَوَجَدَا عَبۡدٗا مِّنۡ عِبَادِنَآ ءَاتَيۡنَٰهُ رَحۡمَةٗ مِّنۡ عِندِنَا وَعَلَّمۡنَٰهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا عِلۡمٗا

“And they found a servant from among Our servants to whom we had given mercy from us and had taught him from Us a [certain] knowledge.”
[Surah al-Kahf, 18:65]

فَأَرَدۡنَآ أَن يُبۡدِلَهُمَا رَبُّهُمَا خَيۡرٗا مِّنۡهُ زَكَوٰةٗ وَأَقۡرَبَ رُحۡمٗا

“So we intended that their Lord should substitute for them one better than him in purity and nearer to mercy.”
[Surah al-Kahf, 18:81]

وَأَمَّا ٱلۡجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَٰمَيۡنِ يَتِيمَيۡنِ فِي ٱلۡمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ تَحۡتَهُۥ كَنزٞ لَّهُمَا وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَٰلِحٗا فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَن يَبۡلُغَآ أَشُدَّهُمَا وَيَسۡتَخۡرِجَا كَنزَهُمَا رَحۡمَةٗ مِّن رَّبِّكَۚ وَمَا فَعَلۡتُهُۥ عَنۡ أَمۡرِيۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَأۡوِيلُ مَا لَمۡ تَسۡطِع عَّلَيۡهِ صَبۡرٗا

“And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was beneath it a treasure for them, and their father had been righteous. So your Lord intended that they reach maturity and extract their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of that about which you could not have patience.”
[Surah al-Kahf, 18:82]

قَالَ هَٰذَا رَحۡمَةٞ مِّن رَّبِّيۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعۡدُ رَبِّي جَعَلَهُۥ دَكَّآءَۖ وَكَانَ وَعۡدُ رَبِّي حَقّٗا

“[Dhul-Qarnayn] said, ‘This is a mercy from my Lord; but when the promise of my Lord comes, He will make it level, and ever is the promise of my Lord true.”
[Surah al-Kahf, 18:98]

Whenever you are alone, remember that Allah sent the whole world away and so that only you and Him alone. It was the isolation of cave that the Ashaab-ul Kahf (People of the cave) were protected from danger situation. It was the isolation of the cave that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was given Prophethood. It is the isolation of us now that will soften our hearts, heal the environment and may increase our faith level. Bi idznillah.