The Cave (Al-Kahf)
Verses 17 GROUP_672 18.17
17
وَتَرَى الشَّمْسَ إِذَا طَلَعَت تَّزَاوَرُ عَن كَهْفِهِمْ ذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ وَإِذَا غَرَبَت تَّقْرِضُهُمْ ذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ وَهُمْ فِي فَجْوَةٍ مِّنْهُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ مَن يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِي وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُ وَلِيًّا مُّرْشِدًا
The sun could be observed to incline away from their cave on the right, as it rose, and to turn away from them on the left, when it set, while they lay in the wide space inside the cave. This is one of the signs of God. He whom God guides is rightly guided; but for him whom He lets go astray, you will find no helper or guide.
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Commentary
(a) In the days when the Men of the Cave were propagating their faith, the struggle between them and their countrymen increased. During this period, probably in anticipation of the possible danger, they had selected a particular cave, which was spacious enough to accommodate seven men. Moreover, it seemed to have been north-south oriented so that the sun’s rays never entered it either in the morning or in the afternoon, with the result that no passer-by could detect that some human beings were living in it. If a man remains uncompromising in matters of truth and righteousness, even in the most difficult circumstances, and he turns to God with patience and gratitude, then God guides him and leads him along a path where his faith will remain secure and where, at the same time, his missionary efforts will not be adversely affected. This kind of divine help was fully available to the Men of the Cave in view of their special circumstances. Furthermore, God had chosen them for His special plan. The spiritual heights that they had attained had entitled them, in the eyes of God, to be seen as tangible evidence of life after death. The Men of the Cave sleeping for such a long period of time, and their awakening at the end of this period serves as a proof of life after death.