Tafsir of Surah al-Kahf: Ayah 32-36

Present to them an example of the two men. We gave one of them two grape gardens. We surrounded them with palm trees, and made vegetation between them. 

Both these gardens produced their fruits, and did not fall short thereof. We caused a river to flow through them. 

He had wealth. He said to his companion, conversing with him, ‘I have greater wealth than yours, and stronger supporters.’ 

He entered his garden while he was unjust to himself. He said, ‘I do not think that this will ever perish.’

‘And I do not think the Hour will occur, and even if I am brought back to my Lord, I will surely find a better resort than this.’  

[Surah al-Kahf: 32-36]

Tafsir

The Story of the Owner of the Two Gardens

The following ayat depict a haughty, arrogant soul that was deceived by the temptations of the worldly life. It is ungrateful for Allah’s blessings. They also portray a humble soul that was proud of its right and firm creed, and thankful to Allah’s blessings. The goal is to give lessons to whoever desires to learn. 

Allah commanded Messenger Muhammad to tell the disbelievers the story of the owner of the two gardens as a lesson to learn from. It aims to correct misconceptions and show that the Hereafter is far more important. Enjoyment of the disbeliever in this life serves as a test for the believer. 

The disbelievers were proud of their wealth and disdained the poor Muslims. Thus, Allah shows that having wealth should not make one proud of himself because the rich may become poor, and vice versa. Rather the thing that one should be proud of is worshipping Allah alone and obeying Him, which the poor believers did.  

The story of the owner of the two gardens gives examples of transient pleasures and of eternal values. It provides clear examples of a soul that is proud of the worldly life enjoyments, and a soul that is proud of being obedient to Allah. Both examples exist among people. The owner of the two gardens is an example of a wealthy man, who is deceived by wealth, and became arrogant because of richness. Thus, he forgot the great power controlling destinies of people and life. He thought that this wealth would never perish, neither would his power and prestige. On the other hand, his believing fellow, who was proud of being obedient to Allah, saw that having blessings denote the existence of the Creator, Allah, the Giver of all blessings. These blessings necessitate thanking Allah, rather than denying His blessings and disbelieve.  

Present to them an example of the two men. We gave one of them two grape gardens. We surrounded them with palm trees, and made vegetation between them. [32]

O Messenger! Relate to the disbelievers the example of the believers, who worship their Creator, Allah, all time, seeking His pleasure, and the example of the disbelievers, who are deceived by the enjoyments of the worldly life.

The two men may be imaginary subjects, or they may be real ones, which is the strongest opinion. It was said that they were two Israeli brothers, one a disbeliever and the other a believer.  

We, Allah, gave one of the two men, the disbeliever, two grape gardens, and surrounded them with palm trees. We made vegetation between them. Thus, the two gardens had fruit and foodstuff.
Then, Allah mentions what shows the excellent nature of the two gardens.

Both these gardens produced their fruits, and did not fall short thereof. We caused a river to flow through them. [33]

Each of the two gardens produced fruits and other types of crops abundantly. They did not produce less in any year as is typical of most gardens – their yields differ from one year to another. Moreover, Allah caused a river to flow through them to provide them with the needed water easily. 

The description of the two gardens gives the impression that they were beautiful, and produce plentiful yields. 

Boasting and Showing off

The ayah mentions that the owner of the two gardens had wealth in addition to the two gardens.

He had wealth. He said to his companion, conversing with him, ‘I have greater wealth than yours, and stronger supporters.’ [34]

Boastfully, the owner of the two gardens said to his believing fellow, ‘I have greater wealth than yours and stronger supporters.’
This statement indicates his haughtiness and vanity. This is the condition of arrogant people. Wealth increases their insolence and corruption. Qatada, may Allah have mercy on him, said, ‘That is, by Allah, the wish of the arrogant-disobedient: abundant wealth and many supporters.’ 

He entered his garden while he was unjust to himself. He said, ‘I do not think that this will ever perish.’[35]

‘And I do not think the Hour will occur, and even if I am brought back to my Lord, I will surely find a better resort than this.’[36] 
The owner of the two gardens persisted in his haughtiness and self-conceit. 

He conceitedly entered his garden and said that his gardens would never perish. He said so out of disbelief, ungratefulness, and arrogance. Then he concluded his statement by stating that the Day of Judgment would not take place. After denying the annihilation of his gardens, he denied the occurrence of the Day of Judgment and what follows it. Then he emphasized his statement by an oath. He said, ‘By Allah, even if I am to be resurrected on the Day of Judgment, I would find something that is better than this garden.’
Reflecting on the condition of the owner of the two gardens, the following things are noted:
• He claimed that the criterion for superiority is wealth and having strong kinship and supporters.
• He built his life on self-conceit, arrogance, and haughtiness. He believed that life enjoyments would never perish.
• He denied the occurrence of the Day of Judgment.
• He thought that just as he was wealthy in the worldly life, he would be the same in the Hereafter. 

    He doubted that his gardens would perish because of the delusion that he would live a very long life, his avariciousness, his heedlessness, and being deceived by the fact that Allah gave him respite and did not punish him, and not thinking of what happened to those who behaved like him. Most wealthy Muslims, even if they do not utter their real belief, their practices reveal their actual worldview. 

Tafsir of Surah al-Kahf: Ayah 27-31

English Translation of Surah al-Kahf

Introduction to Tafsir of Surah Yusuf

The Noble Quran Surah Yusuf:Translation and Tafsir 

Name of Surah Joseph

This surah is called Surah of Joseph. It is called so because it mentions the story of Joseph. His story has not been mentioned in any other surah in the Quran. Joseph’s name has been mentioned in this surah, and surah al-An’am ‘the Cattle’ and surah Ghafir ‘the Forgiving.’ Surah Joseph was revealed in Mecca, and it contains one hundred and eleven ayah.  

Main Theme of Surah Joseph

Surah Joseph, just like Meccy surahs, focuses on the creed of the Oneness of Allah, Exalted be He. It confirms that worship is only due to Allah. It refers to issues related to the Divine Lordship, and names and attributes of Allah, such as referring to the fact that judgment belongs only to Allah when Joseph interpreted the dream of the two prisoners, and that all gods worshipped besides Allah are false.

Relationship between Surah Joseph and Surah Hud

Allah, Exalted be He, confirms, in surah Hud, which comes before surah Joseph according to the arrangement of the written copy of the Quran, that the Quran is the speech of Allah and that it is excellently clear and precise. He, Exalted be He, mentions some stories of His messengers in surah Hud, such as the story of Hud, Salih, Noah, Lot, Moses. Thus, it was suitable to mention the story of Joseph after mentioning their stories. 

General Introduction to Surah Joseph 

It was reported that the companions of Messenger Muhammad were once bored. They said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Tell us a narration.’ Thus, Allah revealed, [Allah revealed the best speech, a book consisting of similarity and repetition. The skins of those fear their Lord shiver when hearing it. And then their skins and hearts soften at the remembrance of Allah. That is the guidance of Allah whereby He guides whomever He wills. And whomever Allah leaves astray, for him there is no guide.] [Surah az-Zumar: 23] Once again, they got bored, and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Tell us something that is more than an ordinary narration, but not like the Quran, i.e. stories. Then Allah revealed, [Alif, Lam, Ra. These are the ayat of the clear Book. Indeed, We have revealed it as an Arabic Quran that you may understand. We relate to you the best of stories by revealing this Quran to you though before its revelation you were unaware of them.] [Surah Joseph: 1-3] The companions of Messenger Muhammad asked for a narration, so Allah revealed the best narration, and they asked for stories, so Allah revealed the best story. 

It was said that surah Joseph was revealed during a critical period of the life of Messenger Muhammad when his uncle Abu Talib and his wife Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her, died. This period was called the Year of Sadness, which was considered one of the hardest periods in the life of Messenger Muhammad. During this period, he suffered extreme abuse from the disbelievers. Revealing this Surah during this period was one of the greatest consolations that Allah, Exalted be He, consoled His Messenger Muhammad with. Allah, Exalted be He, informed His Messenger Muhammad about what happened between Joseph and his brothers and the adversity this noble prophet suffered from his brothers.

Surah Joseph is the only surah in the Quran that narrates a complete story with all its scenes. Allah informed Messenger Muhammad that He would narrate to him the best story. And indeed, it is the best story as the scholars of literature say, especially, those specialized in novels. All elements of an excellent story are found in the story of Joseph, such as suspense, using symbols, and logical relationships. It begins with a dream and ends with the interpretation of this dream. It is quite a funny thing that Joseph’s shirt, which Joseph’s brothers used as a means of their innocence, indicated their betrayal. Then it was used as a means of Joseph’s innocence of the accusation of Aziz’s wife. Finally, the shirt was also used as a means for giving good news to his father, Jacob, and it was cast on his face, which led to the restoring of his eyesight.  

The reciter of surah Joseph can visualize the events when reciting it, which makes the recitation thereof powerfully affecting. However, the Quran does not mention this story for mere narrating a story; rather, it mentions it for drawing lessons therefrom such as the result of fearing Allah with patience is victory no matter how long the adversity lasts. In other words, the surah says, ‘O believer! Trust Allah and His wise management of this universe’s affairs. Be patient and do not despair. Allah will never deny the good-doers of their reward.’ 

The story of Joseph progresses in a wondering manner, that is to say, a beautiful matter may end in a sad or bad way, and vice versa. For example, Prophet Joseph was loved by his father, Jacob, which is a beautiful matter; however, the consequence was a painful one, as his brothers threw him into the bottom of a well.  Yet, the result of such thing was that he lived in the house of Aziz of Egypt, where he was greatly honored, and this is of course a wonderful matter. However, the end of this beautiful thing was bad as Prophet Joseph was imprisoned. But again, the end of such imprisonment was that Joseph became the Aziz of Egypt himself, which is a beautiful consequence. The goal behind all these events is conveying a message to the believer. It indicates that everything in this universe is controlled by a power, which is greater than your discernment. Thus, a believer should not occupy himself with thinking about how things go. He should leave all matters to the wise Creator, Allah, who will manage everything according to His knowledge and wisdom. Therefore, if the believer encounters frustrating events and does not understand the wisdom behind them, he must not despair or complain; rather, he must trust Allah, the owner of this kingdom, Who manages it in the best manner. 

Surah Joseph does not depict Joseph as an inspired prophet; rather, it introduces him as Joseph, an ordinary human being, who lived a very difficult life since childhood, but in the end, he succeeded. It is as if his story tells us that Joseph did not have miracles; rather, he was an ordinary man, who feared Allah. Thus, he succeeded. It is an important lesson for every afflicted believer, and it gives hope to everyone, who seeks to succeed regardless of his bitter life.

Surah Joseph begins by referring to the greatness of the Quran, and that its ayat are Arabic so that people can understand it. [Alif, Lam, Ra. These are the ayat of the clear Book. Indeed, We have revealed it as an Arabic Quran that you may understand.] [Surah Joseph: 1-2] 

Then the surah mentions the story of Joseph and the dream he saw and narrated to his father, Prophet Jacob. After that, the surah talks about the first adversity Joseph encountered, i.e. his brothers’ conspiracy against him by throwing him into the bottom of a well. [Mention when Joseph said to his father, ‘O father! I saw eleven stars, the sun, and the moon in a dream. I saw them all prostrating before me.’] [Surah Joseph: 4] [They said, ‘Joseph and his brother are dearer to our father than we are, while we are a strong group. Indeed, our father is clearly mistaken.’ Kill Joseph, or cast him forth in an unknown land that your father’s loving attention will be for you alone, and you will be after that righteous people.] [Surah Joseph: 8-9] 

After that, the surah mentions the second adversity Joseph encountered when he was sold as a slave. He was sold to the Aziz of Egypt and Allah granted him wisdom, knowledge, and ability to interpret the events. In the house of Aziz of Egypt, Joseph faced seductions from the wife of the Aziz. He steadfastly faced these seductions, which caused him to be imprisoned.  [They sold him for a paltry price – a few dirhams – and they had been eager to get rid of him.] [Surah Joseph: 20] [Then it occurred to them after they had seen the proofs that they should imprison him for some time.] [Surah Joseph: 35] 

Then the surah mentions the story of Joseph with the two prisoners, how he interpreted their dreams and remained in the prison for a number of years. [Two young men entered the prison with him. One of them said, ‘I dreamed that I was pressing grapes to make wine.’ The other said, ‘I dreamed that I was carrying bread on my head that birds were eating thereof.’ Tell us its interpretation. Indeed, we believe you are one of the good-doers.] [Surah Joseph: 36] [He said to one of the two prisoners, whom he knew would be saved, ‘mention me to your master.’ Then Satan made him forget to mention it to his master, and so he remained in the prison for a number of years.] [Surah Joseph: 42] 

After that, the surah mentions the dream of the king of Egypt, how Joseph interprets it, how he is released from the prison and is attested to his innocence, and how he has authority in Egypt. [The king said, ‘Indeed, I saw in a dream seven fat cows being eaten by seven weak ones, and seven green ears of corn and seven other dry. O notables!  Tell me the interpretation of my dream if you can interpret dreams.’] [Surah Joseph: 43] [Thus, did We establish Joseph in the land. He could settle wherever he willed therein. We grant Our mercy to whomever We will, and We shall not deny the good-doers of their reward. [Surah Joseph: 56]

Then the surah mentions how Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy food because famine befell their country, that they did not know Joseph, and that Joseph asked them to bring their young brother, Benjamin, with them in their next journey; otherwise, they would not have food. [Then Joseph’s brothers came and entered his court. He knew them, but they did not know him.] [Q12:58] [When he provided them with their provisions, he said, ‘Bring me your paternal brother. Do you not see that I give full measure and that I am the best of hosts?’] [Surah Joseph: 59]

Then the surah mentions the second visit of Joseph’s brothers to Egypt after convincing their father to send Benjamin with them, accusing Benjamin of stealing the measuring bowl of the king, and Jacob’s suffering great adversity by losing his two sons, which caused him extreme sadness. [When they entered as their father ordered them, he could not ward off them anything Allah decreed, but an urge in Jacob’s heart that he satisfied. Indeed, he possessed knowledge that We taught him, but most people do not know.] [Surah Joseph: 68] [He turned away from them. And he said, ‘O my grief over Joseph!’ His eyes turned white because of sadness, and he suppressed his grief.] [Surah Joseph: 84]

After that the surah narrates how Jacob sent his sons to Egypt for the third time, Joseph’s introducing himself to his brothers, sending Joseph’s shirt to his father, and the coming of Jacob’s family to Egypt and meeting Joseph. Finally, Joseph’s dream came true by the prostration of his father, mother, and brothers before him [prostration of greeting not worship, which is due only to Allah, Exalted be He.] [When they entered Joseph’s court, they said, ‘O Aziz ! Adversity has befallen us and our families, and we have brought poor quality goods. Thus, give us full measure and be charitable to us. Indeed, Allah rewards the charitable people.’] [Surah Joseph: 88] [He raised his parents on the throne, and they prostrated themselves before him. He said, ‘O my father! This the interpretation of my dream of long ago. Indeed, my Lord has made it come true. Indeed, He did me a favor when He released me from the prison and brought you from the desert after Satan stirred enmity between me and my brothers. Indeed, my Lord is subtly kind for what He wills. Indeed, He the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.’][Surah Joseph: 100] 

Finally, the surah is concluded with clarifying that the Quran does not contain fabricated narrations. It is the revelation that Allah revealed to His Messenger Muhammad. It contains a detailed explanation of everything man needs in the worldly life and the Hereafter as well as it is guidance and mercy for the believers. [Indeed, there were lessons in their stories for those endowed with sound understanding. Never was it a fabricated narration, but confirmation of what was before it, a detailed clarification of all things, guidance, and mercy for people who believe.] [Surah Joseph: 111]

Here are some of the characteristics of surah Joseph: 

• It presents facts and lessons through dialogue, discussions, and arguments. This method adds an interesting presentation to the topics discussed in the surah. Moreover, this method of presenting facts and ideas helps the reciter of the Quran to memorize it, reflect on its meanings, and benefit from its lessons. Some of which are as follows: 

1) The dialogue that took place among Joseph’s brothers about how to get rid of him. [They said, ‘Joseph and his brother are dearer to our father than we are, while we are a strong group. Indeed, our father is clearly mistaken.’ Kill Joseph, or cast him forth in an unknown land that your father’s loving attention will be for you alone, and you will be after that righteous people. One of them said, ‘Do not kill Joseph, but throw him into the bottom of a well. Some travelers may pick him up - if you would do that deed.’] [Surah Joseph: 8-10]

 2) The dialogue that took place between Joseph and his brothers when he knew them, but they did not recognize him, and when they came to Egypt for obtaining provisions for their families. [When they entered Joseph’s court, they said, ‘O Aziz! Adversity has befallen us and our families, and we have brought poor quality goods. Thus, give us full measure and be charitable to us. Indeed, Allah rewards the charitable people.’ He said, ‘Do you know what you did with Joseph and his brother when you were ignorant?’ They said, ‘Are you indeed Joseph?’ He said, ‘I am Joseph and this is my brother. Indeed, Allah has bestowed His bounty on us. Indeed, whoever fears Allah and is patient, then indeed, Allah never denies the good-doers their rewards.’ They said, ‘By Allah! Indeed, Allah has favored you over us. Indeed, we have been sinful.’ He said, ‘No reproach this day will be on you. May Allah forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.’[Surah Joseph: 88 -92] 

• The surah focuses on presenting the main events and facts of the story. As for the details of the story, it leaves them to the reader’s imagination, cleverness, understanding, and the extent of his ability to reflect on the speech of Allah, Exalted be He. This method of presenting events and facts is known as conciseness using omission. It is a highly eloquent manner of expression. For example, [They brought his shirt stained with false blood. Jacob said, ‘Rather your souls enticed you to do a grave matter. So my patience will be with no complaint. Allah alone is sought for help concerning your claim.’] [Surah Joseph:18] The understood meaning of this ayah is that Joseph’s brothers threw Joseph in the bottom of a well. Then they brought their father a shirt stained with false blood to deceive him. This method of presenting events and facts motivates the minds to think and reflect on what they read as well as it helps them learn lessons and benefit from the admonitions. This is the most fitting method of narrating a story of one of the prophets of Allah, which requires concentration on the most important events, not the secondary details. 

• The surah greatly takes care of describing the states of the human’s soul and analyzing its reactions, whether when pleased and angry, righteous and wicked, rich and poor, going through hardship and enjoying blessing, or being malicious and kind and harmless. It adequately describes the characters of the story and truthfully shows different aspects of their ethics, behaviors, inclinations, disposition, and ideas.  

• It satisfactorily speaks about Joseph, the main character of the story to the extent that enables us to imagine him, and his virtues and merits. For example, it mentions his ability to control his soul and its whims no matter how enticing the seduction was because of his fear of Allah. Allah says, interpretation of meaning, [He said, ‘I seek protection from Allah. Indeed, he is my master, who gave me honorable lodging. Indeed, the wrongdoers will not succeed.] [Surah Joseph:23] Ibn al-Qayym, may Allah have mercy on him, eloquently described the allurements that Joseph̓ steadfastly faced and overcame. He wrote, ‘Allah, Exalted be He, narrated about the position that Joseph attained by his patience, chastity, and fear of Allah though no one could remain patient before the affliction that he was afflicted with except those whom Allah bestowed patience. It is a fact that the desire to do something depends on the strength of the motive and the absence of the obstacle before it. The motive, in the situation of Joseph with the wife of the Aziz, was very strong for many reasons, among which are the following:

 First, Allah has put natural inclination and attraction between men and women just like a thirsty person inclines to drink water, and a hungry person yearns to eat food. Some men may be patient with deprivation of food and drink, but they cannot be patient with not having sexual relations with women, which is not blameworthy as long as it is satisfied through lawful means. 

Second, Joseph was young when Aziz’s wife sought to seduce him. It is known that young people’s sexual desire is strong.

Third, Joseph was a bachelor and had no wife with whom he could satisfy his sexual desire.

Fourth, Joseph was in a foreign country. A stranger usually feels free to do whatever he wants like satisfying his sexual needs, unlike a person who lives in his hometown.

Fifth, Aziz’s wife was beautiful and wealthy; each of these qualities is attractive for any man to have sexual relation with her. 

Sixth, Aziz’s wife was the one who strongly sought to have sexual relation with Joseph. By doing so, she relieved him of the burden of humiliation to agree to satisfy his desire; rather, she was the humiliated one in this situation and Joseph was the honored and desired one. Many people lose the desire for a refusing and rejecting woman, and some people are attracted by the refusal and rejection of a woman and even love her more and more. In this situation, she was the desiring one.

Seven, the attempt for seduction took place in the house of Aziz’s wife and under her authority and control. Thus, if Joseph did not comply with her orders, he would fear for himself of her revenge. 

Eighth, Joseph would not fear that she might tell any of her acquaintance of the matter, as she was the one who sought this relationship and exerted her efforts to have it.

Ninth, Joseph, before people, was the slave of Aziz’s wife. He could freely and easily accompany her without fear of any blame.

Tenth, Aziz’s wife sought the help of the leaders of cunning, i.e. women. She showed him to them and complained to them about her condition. On the other hand, Joseph sought help from Allah, Exalted be He. 

Eleventh, Aziz’s wife threatened Joseph with imprisonment and humiliation, which is considered some kind of compulsion because she was able to do so.   

Twelfth, this woman’s husband, the Aziz of Egypt, did not show whatsoever jealousy. The most reproachful statement that he said to Joseph was that he ordered him to ignore the matter, and asked his wife to ask Allah for forgiveness.

Though all those strong causes were present, Joseph chose to fear Allah and be imprisoned.’ 

• The surah speaks about how Joseph invited people to worship Allah alone, i.e. the story of the prisoners. [O my two fellow-prisoners! Is worshipping many gods better, or worshipping Allah, the One, the Subduing? You worship none besides Him but names that you and your fathers have named. Allah has not given authority to them. True judgment belongs only to Allah. He has commanded that you worship none but Him. That is the right religion, but most people do not know. [Surah Joseph:39-40]

• The surah refers to the patience that Joseph observed. It also mentions how he sought protection from Allah, favoring imprisonment over freedom and seduction. 

• The surah narrates about some of Joseph’s capabilities to wisely manage the affairs of Egypt during the famine.

• The surah speaks about self-esteem and noble ethics that Joseph enjoyed as he refused to leave the prison before proving his innocence though the king asked to meet him.

• The surah narrates about how Joseph pardoned his brothers. He even did not blame them for what they did with him; rather, he attributed their act to the incitement of Satan.

• The surah mentions how Joseph was faithful to his family that he ordered his brothers to bring them to Egypt and how he thanked Allah for all His blessings.

• Surah Joseph narrates about Jacob. It refers to his patience that was not accompanied by complaining except to Allah, his reliance on Allah, his certainty that Allah would bring back his sons to him, and how he did his best to protect his sons from the danger of envy while completely depending on Allah. 

• Surah Joseph elaborately speaks about Joseph’s brothers. It refers to how they were jealous of him, conspired to get rid of him, and their regret in the end for what they did with their father and Joseph.

• Surah Joseph narrates about Aziz’s wife, showing how the condition of a woman becomes when she loves. It refers to how she used whatever means she could have to satisfy her desire even if she broke all psychological or social rules, and even if these means contradict natural human disposition, i.e. a woman usually is sought by men and not vice versa.

• Surah Joseph briefly speaks about the Aziz of Egypt that is commensurate with his role and his cold reaction towards his wife’s unprecedented conduct.

• Surah Joseph briefly refers to the king of Egypt then, and the environment of society during his reign that allowed imprisonment of an innocent person to please the whims of wild souls.

Quran, English Translation, Surah Joseph

Towards Understanding the Quran, Surah Joseph

Tafsir of Surah al-Isra: Ayah 94-96

The Messengers of Allah are Human Beings

The disbelievers found no convincing proof or acceptable justification for their disbelief in the Oneness of Allah and stubbornness. Therefore, they resorted to find suspicions and pretexts to justify their position. One of their suspicions was their claim that the messenger of Allah could not be a human being; rather, he should be an angel. Such a claim is illogical because the most important condition of a messenger, who conveys a message, is that he enjoys the same nature of those whom he is sent to, so that they can understand his speech and do not feel estranged from him. The following ayat discuss this suspicion and refute it. 

(Nothing has prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them, but that they said, ‘Has Allah sent a human being as a messenger?’

Say, ‘Had there been angels on earth, walking securely, We would certainly have sent them an angel from the heaven as a Messenger?’ 

Say, ‘Allah is sufficient as a witness between me and you. Indeed, He is ever All-aware of, and perfectly sees His slaves.’)

[Quran Surah al-Isra :94-96] 

Relationship with the Previous Part

The previous part mentioned the impossible suggestions of the disbelievers. Then Allah mentions one of their suspicions. The disbelievers believed that it was unacceptable that Allah should send a human being as His Messenger. They believed that if Allah should send a messenger, he should be an angel. The following ayat refute this suspicion. 

Tafsir

(Nothing has prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them, but that they said, ‘Has Allah sent a human being as a messenger?’) [94]

Nothing has prevented the disbelievers from obeying Allah’s messengers when they invited them to believe in the Oneness of Allah and follow the path of guidance, but their conviction that Allah would not send a human being as a messenger. They believed that the messenger of Allah should be an angel. 

The belief of the disbelievers had no supporting foundation, nor evidence. They did not discern their value as honored human beings before Allah because of their corrupt understanding. Allah chose to send a human messenger, so that they could understand his language and easily communicate with him.

Say, ‘Had there been angels on earth, walking securely, We would certainly have sent them an angel from the heaven as a Messenger?’ [95]

Allah commanded Messenger Muhammad to respond to the disbelievers’ suspicion.

O Muhammad! Tell the disbelievers that had there been angels, who settle and walk safely on the earth, just as human beings do, Allah would certainly have sent them an angel as a messenger from the heaven. 

If such an assumption is true, Allah, out of His wisdom, would have sent an angel as a messenger, who could speak the disbelievers’ language and they could understand him.

It is logical that things of the same nature incline to each other. Thus, if the messenger is a human being, he should be sent to human beings like him. Likewise, if the messenger is an angel, he should be sent to angles like him.

Then Allah commanded Messenger Muhammad to decisively conclude the argumentation with them, and leave judgment on the disagreement between him and them to Him alone. Indeed, Allah is the best judge. 

(Say, ‘Allah is sufficient as a witness between me and you. Indeed, He is ever All-aware of, and perfectly sees His slaves.’) [96]

O Messenger! Tell the disbelievers that your claim that the messenger should be an angel is mere stubbornness. Indeed, Allah is sufficient as a witness between you and me. If I were a liar, He would severely punish me.

Verily, Allah is the best judge. He knows best about His slaves and nothing of their affairs is hidden from Him. He knows who deserves to be guided the right path and who deserve to be misguided. 

The ayah is a consolation to Messenger Muhammad for the abuse and oppression he suffered from the disbelievers. 

Learned Lessons 

• The disbelievers of Mecca were stubborn. They believed that they must not follow Messenger Muhammad since he was a human being like them. They believed that the messenger of Allah should be an angel.

• Logical and sound understanding necessitates that if the messenger is an angel, he should be sent to angels like him in order to communicate with them easily. Likewise, if the messenger is a human being, he should be sent to human beings like him in order to communicate with them easily.

• Allah is a sufficient judge. He fully knows about all creatures, and nothing of their affairs and circumstances are hidden from Him.

Tafsir of Surah al-Isra: Ayah 90-93

English Translation of Surah al-Isra

Instructions to Messenger Muhammad to Recite the Quran and Be Patient

English Translation and Tafsir of Surah al-Kahf Ayah 27-31

Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. None can change His words, and never will you find a refuge other than Him.

Stay patiently with those who worship their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His pleasure. Do not turn your eyes away from them, seeking the pleasure of the worldly life. Do not obey he whom We have made his heart heedless of Our remembrance, who follows his desire, and whose endeavor is fruitless.

Say, ‘The truth has come from your Lord. Whoever wills, let him believe, and whoever wills, let him disbelieve.’ Indeed, We have prepared for the wrongdoers a fire whose walls will surround them. If they call for relief, they will be given water like murky boiling oil that will burn their faces. What a terrible drink! What a miserable place.

Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds - indeed, We shall not cause the good doers’ reward to be lost.  

Those - theirs will be Gardens of Eden. Rivers will be flowing beneath their dwellings. They will be adorned with gold bracelets, and will wear green garments of thin and thick silk, reclining on couches therein. How excellent a reward! How excellent a dwelling!

Tafsir

Guidance and Advice

The following ayat have instructions to Messenger Muhammad. He should follow certain guidance and advice that will bring him happiness in this world and the Hereafter.
     
Ayah [27 to 60] of surah al-Kahf discusses one topic. The disbelievers of Quraysh said to Messenger Muhammad, ‘If you want us to believe in Islam, you should drive away the poor believers.’ Allah commanded His Messenger to decline their request. The ayat clearly declare that their request is unacceptable. Allah commanded Messenger to keep on reciting the Quran, follow its guidance, and not pay attention to the suggestions of the stubborn people. 

Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. None can change His words, and never will you find a refuge other than Him. [27]

The previous part mentions that only Allah knows the unseen in the heavens and the earth, and no one can have knowledge thereof except through divine revelation. 

The Quran contains all news of the unseen. Therefore, Allah has commanded to recite and reflect on its ayat. Recitation of the Quran should be accompanied by believing in its news, complying with its commands, avoiding its prohibitions, implementing its teachings, and learning and understanding the meanings of its ayat. Indeed, the Quran is a glorious book. Its words can never be changed, as they contain the truth from Allah, the Creator. Imperfect and false words can be changed, but the words of the Quran can never be changed as Allah revealed them, containing all aspects of perfection, sublimity, and justice. This denotes the great status of the Quran and implies an invitation to devote one’s attention thereto. 

 (…and never will you find a refuge other than Him.)

 Man can never find a refuge to protect him from all dangers except seeking protection from Allah, the Omnipotence. Thus, Allah alone must be worshipped and asked for guidance, help, and protection. 
Then the ayat introduce sublime guidance, demonstrating that the most deserving people of taking care of and companionship are the truthful believers. It commanded Messenger Muhammad to patiently keep on companionship with them. 

Stay patiently with those who worship their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His pleasure. Do not turn your eyes away from them, seeking the pleasure of the worldly life. Do not obey he whom We have made his heart heedless of Our remembrance, who follows his desire, and whose endeavor is fruitless. [28]

The scholars of Tafsir mention that the cause of the revelation of this ayah was that the upper-class people of Quraysh asked Messenger Muhammad to sit with them alone, and not allow his poor companions to sit with them. They asked him to assign them a different assembly. Allah prohibited Messenger Muhammad from fulfilling their request. He commanded him to patiently sit with the poor believers. 

O Messenger! You should patiently oblige yourself to sit with your poor companions. These companions worship Allah alone and do their best to please Him by performing different kinds of righteous deeds in the morning and evening. 

(Patiently stay with those who worship their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His pleasure.)

The ayah mentions ‘morning and evening’ to indicate that the Messenger’s companions worship Allah all time. It is also said that ‘morning and evening’ refer to the afternoon prayer and Morning Prayer.  

The only goal of the poor companions of Messenger was to attain Allah’s pleasure by worshipping Him All at all times. They do not seek to show off; they do not desire to attain worldly gain or please other people by acting righteously. 

(Do not obey he whom We have made his heart heedless of Our remembrance, who follows his desire, and whose endeavor is fruitless.)

O Messenger! Do not turn your eyes away from the poor believers to be with the upper-class disbelievers (Messenger Muhammad was eager that they would embrace Islam so that their followers would believe as well. He never sought worldly enjoyment). In other words, seeking the pleasure of the worldly life refers to eagerness to gain the upper-class disbelievers' belief. 

(Do not obey he whom We have made his heart heedless of Our remembrance, who follows his desire, and whose endeavor is fruitless.)

 O Messenger! Do not obey the heedless who were deceived by Satan, disobey Allah, do not worship Him, and follow their whims. Accordingly, they persist in injustice as they prefer misguidance to follow the right guidance. 

(…and whose endeavor is fruitless.)

The scholars mention more than one meaning to ‘fruitless’. However, Imam Muhammad ibn Jarir said that the most correct opinion is that it means that the endeavor of the one whose heart is heedless of Allah’s remembrance due to haughtiness and contempt for the poor believers will be fruitless, which eventually will lead him to eternal loss. 

Ayah (28) clarifies to people the true values that they should take care of when dealing with each other, i.e. belief in Allah, and good ethics, rather than wealth and class. 

Then, Allah commanded Messenger Muhammad to openly declare the truth he brought, confronting the haughty people. 

Say, ‘The truth has come from your Lord. Whoever wills, let him believe, and whoever wills, let him disbelieve.’ Indeed, We have prepared for the wrongdoers a fire whose walls will surround them. If they call for relief, they will be given water like murky boiling oil that will burn their faces. What a terrible drink! What a miserable place. [29]

O Messenger! Say to the heedless whose hearts are inattentive to the truth, i.e. Islam, who follow their whims, and their endeavors are bound to loss, ‘The message of Islam that Allah revealed to me is the truth that must be followed. Thus, whoever wants to believe, let him believe and his final destination will be Paradise and attainment of a good reward. Whoever wants to disbelieve, let him disbelieve, and his final destination will be Hell and suffering severe punishment.’ 

However, this does not mean that one can choose between belief and disbelief in Allah. Rather, the intended meaning is threatening and intimidation, the evidence of which is the following statement:

(Indeed, We have prepared for the wrongdoers a fire whose walls will surround them.)

Allah has prepared a great fire for the disbelievers. The fire’s walls will surround the wrongdoers so they will never be able to escape from it. They will remain therein forever, suffering from its torment. 

(If they call for relief, they will be given water like murky boiling oil that will burn their faces. What a terrible drink! What a miserable place.)

The ayah depicts the horrible torment that will befall the disbelievers and wrongdoers in Hell.

If the disbelievers ask for help, relief from the torment they will experiencing, or water to drink to quench their thirst, they will be given murky boiling water that will severely burn their faces. Indeed, it will be a terrible drink. Indeed, Hell is a miserable dwelling. 

After presenting the final destination of the disbelievers, the ayat describe the final destination of the believers, who believe in Allah and His Messengers. 

Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds - indeed, We shall not cause the good doers’ reward to be lost. [30]

Those who believe in Allah and His messengers, obey Allah, avoid His prohibitions – Allah will never deprive them of their rewards. He will never cause the good doers’ reward to be lost. 

We notice that the ayah connects belief in Allah and His Messenger with performing righteous deeds. That is because true faith is the basis from which behavior originates. Thus, true faith without performing righteous deeds is fruitless, and doing righteous deeds practically serves as an indication of true faith. 

The ayah states that Allah will never cause the good doers’ reward to lost. The good doer may be a believer in Allah and His Messenger, or non-believer. Nonetheless, Allah will never deprive even the non-believer, who does good deeds of his reward. He will reward him/her for his/her good deeds in the worldly life, and in the Hereafter, he/she will get nothing for not believing in Allah and Messenger Muhammad in the worldly life. 

Then, the ayat mention the reward Allah has prepared for the believers. 

Those - theirs will be Gardens of Eden. Rivers will be flowing beneath their dwellings. They will be adorned with gold bracelets, and will wear green garments of thin and thick silk, reclining on couches therein. How excellent a reward! How excellent a dwelling! [31]

Those who believe in Allah and Messenger Muhammad, and do righteous deeds will enter Paradise wherein they will remain forever. Rivers will be flowing under their dwellings therein. They will be adorned with gold bracelets, and they will wear green garments made of thin and thick silk. In their dwellings, they will be reclining on couches.

The ayat depicts the comfort the believers will be experiencing in Paradise. Giving this pleasant news generates enthusiasm in the souls so they will readily do righteous deeds to attain this great rank and reward in the Hereafter. 

Learned Lessons from Surah Al-Kahf Ayah 27-31

• The importance of following, applying, and reciting the Quran, which contains the good of the worldly life and the Hereafter.
• Allah’s ordainment will happen and no one can change it. This creates peace of mind as it becomes certain that what Allah wants will happen and that what He does not want will never happen.
• If the heart is attached to the worldly life and its enjoyment, it will aspire for a company of the upper-class and rich people to attain worldly advantages. Thus, the propagator of Islam should do their best to protect their hearts from such attachment and seek the company of the righteous even if they are poor.
• Avoiding the heedless and those who follow their whims is a vital step guiding the heart to the path that pleases Allah, Exalted is He.
• Freedom of belief is guaranteed in Islam. However, one will take responsibility of the result of his/her choice.
• Great reward is awaiting those who believe in Allah and Messenger Muhammad and do righteous deeds in the Hereafter.

Tafsir of Surah al-Kahf: Ayah 25-26

English Translation of Surah al-Kahf