Surah Al-Kahf (18) — Ayah 19

(Ayah 20,19) ➊ {وَ كَذٰلِكَ بَعَثْنٰهُمْ …:} That is, just as We made them sleep in the cave in a wondrous manner, in the same way We raised them up so that their bodies were safe and sound, and there was no change in them, so that they could question each other and when they found out that they had awakened after sleeping for such a long period, they would have a practical observation of Our power and of the resurrection of the dead within themselves, their faith and conviction would become even stronger, and they would give thanks to Allah for His blessing.
➋ { قَالَ قَآىِٕلٌ مِّنْهُمْ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ … :} Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "It appears that they entered the cave in the early part of the day and woke up in the latter part of the day. Therefore, in response to the question, 'How long have you stayed here?' some said, 'A day,' and some said, 'Part of a day.' But when they saw that the world around the cave had completely changed, they said, 'Your Lord knows best how long you have stayed.'"
➌ From this verse it is known that neither the first saint who asked the question knew the duration of their stay, nor did the other saints, whereas many people consider their imams and saints to be {’’مَا كَانَ وَمَا يَكُوْنُ‘‘} (knowers of what has happened and what will happen).
➍ It is also known that even the righteous servants of Allah sometimes say something based on estimation and conjecture, but in such matters they do not neglect to refer the real knowledge to Allah.
➎ { فَابْعَثُوْۤا اَحَدَكُمْ بِوَرِقِكُمْ هٰذِهٖۤ … :} After discussing the duration of their stay in the cave, when they could not reach a conclusion, they decided to send one of their companions to the city with a silver coin to estimate the actual duration, and instructed him to keep a few things in mind. One, that when bringing food, he should see whose food in the city is the purest, and bring some food from him for you. {’’ اَزْكٰى ‘‘} means the purest, the cleanest; it includes the food being halal and wholesome, as well as being the cleanest. It is known from this that these young men were princes, or the offspring of nobles and ministers, who would not settle for less than the cleanest hotel in the city. The second instruction was that he should try to be gentle and discreet, because things go wrong with harshness, and if discretion is not exercised, secrets are revealed and the required information is not obtained. The meaning of effort is indicated by {’’ وَ لْيَتَؔلَطَّفْ ‘‘} (form of tafa'ul), and in the meaning of "gentleness" both softness and discretion are included. The third instruction was that he should not let anyone find out about them at all. Because if the polytheists found out about them, they would stone them, or forcibly bring them back to their polytheistic religion. In such a case, you would never succeed, because Allah has forbidden Paradise to the polytheists.

19. 1 That is, just as We had put them to sleep with Our power, in the same way, after three hundred and nine years, We raised them up, and raised them in such a state that their bodies were just as sound as they were when they had fallen asleep three hundred years earlier. That is why they questioned each other among themselves.

19. 2 It is as if, when they entered the cave, it was the early part of the morning, and when they woke up, it was the last part of the day. Thus, they thought that perhaps we have slept for a day or even less, just a part of the day.

19. 3 However, due to the excessive sleep, they were in great doubt, and in the end, they entrusted the matter to Allah, for He alone knows the correct duration.

19. 4 After waking up, the arrangement for food, which is the most important need of a human being, became a concern for them.

19. 5 The emphasis on caution and gentleness was due to the same fear for which they had left the city and come to a deserted place. He was instructed that their money should not reveal their identity to the townspeople, and no new calamity should befall them, as mentioned in the next verse.

19. In the same way [18], We raised them up so that they might question one another. One of them said, "How long have you remained in this state?" Some among them said, "We have remained a day or part of a day." Others said, "Your Lord knows best how long you have remained. Now send one of you with this silver coin to the city, and let him see which food is purest, and bring you some provision from it. He should be gentle and not let anyone become aware of you."

[18]
Awakening After a Long Sleep, Concern for Food, and Sending a Man to the City:

Just as, during a difficult time, We cast them into a deep sleep for a long period, likewise, when circumstances became favorable for them, We awakened them. Upon waking, the very first question that came to their minds was: how long have we slept? They estimated this period based on normal circumstances, reasoning that no matter how exhausted a person is, he cannot sleep for more than a day, and under normal conditions, one sleeps about eight or nine hours. Therefore, one of them said: we have slept the whole day, and another said: how could we have slept that long? We must have slept only a few hours. One among them said: what is the benefit of this discussion? We have no means to determine the exact duration; Allah knows best about it. Now, what needs to be done is that we are feeling hungry, so send someone to the city to bring food from a shopkeeper who is careful about cleanliness and purity. Whoever goes to the city should go in disguise and, in exchange for this coin, bring whatever he can get. He should not quarrel with the shopkeeper, nor should he argue or quarrel with anyone else. If he does not adopt such a gentle approach, it is possible that people may find out about us, and they may create a new trouble for us, forcing us back into idolatry as before, or they may become intent on taking our lives.