سُوْرَةُ الْكَهْفِ
Surah Al-Kahf (18) — Ayah 9
أَمْ حَسِبْتَ أَنَّ أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ وَٱلرَّقِيمِ كَانُوا۟ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا عَجَبًا ﴿9﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Do you think that the people of the Cave and the Inscription (the news or the names of the people of the Cave) were a wonder among Our Signs?
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
أَمْ
am
Or
حَسِبْتَ
ḥasib'ta
have you thought
أَنَّ
anna
that
أَصْحَـٰبَ
aṣḥāba
(the) companions
ٱلْكَهْفِ
l-kahfi
(of) the cave
وَٱلرَّقِيمِ
wal-raqīmi
and the inscription
كَانُوا۟
kānū
were
مِنْ
min
among
ءَايَـٰتِنَا
āyātinā
Our Signs
عَجَبًا
ʿajaban
a wonder
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
9. Do you think that the story of the People of the Cave [8] and the Inscription was among Our wondrous signs?
[8]
The Three Historical Questions of the Quraysh of Makkah:
After this introduction, now begins the response to those questions of the disbelievers of Makkah which they had asked you after consulting the People of the Book and seeking their advice. In reality, the disbelievers of Makkah wanted to ask you some such historical questions about the previous generations, of which at least the polytheists of Makkah and the common Arabs had no knowledge. Thus, they sought help from the scholars of the People of the Book in this matter. Their purpose was that by asking such questions, it would become clear whether this person is truly a prophet or not. If he could not answer, then his falsehood would be proven, and if he gave correct answers, it would be known that he truly has some source of knowledge of the unseen. In other words, their real aim with these questions was to test your prophethood. Thus, among the questions that the People of the Book told the Quraysh of Makkah, at the top was the story of the Companions of the Cave (Ashab al-Kahf), then secondly the story of Musa ؑ and Khidr ؑ, and thirdly the story of Dhu’l-Qarnayn. According to some narrations, the second question was about the soul (ruh) instead of the story of Musa ؑ and Khidr ؑ, which has already been mentioned earlier in Surah Bani Isra’il. This does not seem correct because there is a long period between the revelation of these two surahs. In the order of revelation, Surah Bani Isra’il is number 50, while this surah is number 69. Moreover, in this surah, only these three stories are mentioned. Allah Almighty not only revealed the answers to these three questions but also clarified such matters alongside which are extremely necessary for human guidance, as is the characteristic style of the Noble Quran. Furthermore, these stories have been narrated in such a manner that they closely correspond to the circumstances of the Quraysh of Makkah.
The Meaning of Kahf and Raqim:
Kahf refers to that cave in a mountain which is open and spacious, and if it is narrow, it is called a ghar (cave). Raqim is in the meaning of marqum (inscribed), that is, when these Companions of the Cave suddenly disappeared from society and, despite much searching, could not be found, then the names and addresses of these government fugitive criminals were recorded, which remained in the government records for years. According to some people, these names were recorded when people found out about them, their story became widespread, and when these people re-entered the cave, people wrote their names and addresses, etc., and placed a plaque outside the cave, and also recorded their brief circumstances. Since the story of the People of the Cave was a clear proof of resurrection after death and an extraordinary event, therefore, the story begins with the sentence: Do you think that this story was a very wondrous sign of Allah Almighty? Whereas the reality is that the other signs of Allah Almighty are much more wondrous than this event, which are scattered throughout the universe and are present within their own selves as well. In other words, whatever Allah Almighty has already created, compared to that, resurrection after death is a much easier and insignificant thing for Him.
[8]
The Three Historical Questions of the Quraysh of Makkah:
After this introduction, now begins the response to those questions of the disbelievers of Makkah which they had asked you after consulting the People of the Book and seeking their advice. In reality, the disbelievers of Makkah wanted to ask you some such historical questions about the previous generations, of which at least the polytheists of Makkah and the common Arabs had no knowledge. Thus, they sought help from the scholars of the People of the Book in this matter. Their purpose was that by asking such questions, it would become clear whether this person is truly a prophet or not. If he could not answer, then his falsehood would be proven, and if he gave correct answers, it would be known that he truly has some source of knowledge of the unseen. In other words, their real aim with these questions was to test your prophethood. Thus, among the questions that the People of the Book told the Quraysh of Makkah, at the top was the story of the Companions of the Cave (Ashab al-Kahf), then secondly the story of Musa ؑ and Khidr ؑ, and thirdly the story of Dhu’l-Qarnayn. According to some narrations, the second question was about the soul (ruh) instead of the story of Musa ؑ and Khidr ؑ, which has already been mentioned earlier in Surah Bani Isra’il. This does not seem correct because there is a long period between the revelation of these two surahs. In the order of revelation, Surah Bani Isra’il is number 50, while this surah is number 69. Moreover, in this surah, only these three stories are mentioned. Allah Almighty not only revealed the answers to these three questions but also clarified such matters alongside which are extremely necessary for human guidance, as is the characteristic style of the Noble Quran. Furthermore, these stories have been narrated in such a manner that they closely correspond to the circumstances of the Quraysh of Makkah.
The Meaning of Kahf and Raqim:
Kahf refers to that cave in a mountain which is open and spacious, and if it is narrow, it is called a ghar (cave). Raqim is in the meaning of marqum (inscribed), that is, when these Companions of the Cave suddenly disappeared from society and, despite much searching, could not be found, then the names and addresses of these government fugitive criminals were recorded, which remained in the government records for years. According to some people, these names were recorded when people found out about them, their story became widespread, and when these people re-entered the cave, people wrote their names and addresses, etc., and placed a plaque outside the cave, and also recorded their brief circumstances. Since the story of the People of the Cave was a clear proof of resurrection after death and an extraordinary event, therefore, the story begins with the sentence: Do you think that this story was a very wondrous sign of Allah Almighty? Whereas the reality is that the other signs of Allah Almighty are much more wondrous than this event, which are scattered throughout the universe and are present within their own selves as well. In other words, whatever Allah Almighty has already created, compared to that, resurrection after death is a much easier and insignificant thing for Him.
