“Gems of Surah Al – Kahf (The Cave)”

This Surah is the 18th Surah of the Holy Quran with 110 ayahs. It
was revealed in Makkah, before the Hijrat to Madinah. This
Surah talks about 4 main trials for humans. The first few ayahs
are about how the Quran is the word of Allah himself and how it
is a warning for the disbelievers, who say that Allah has
begotten.
Trial of Faith: This is the story of the ‘Companions of the Cave’
which tests the faith of a few young men who leave their town
because its people were against them believing in Allah. They
end up in a cave to rest but Allah makes them sleep for about
300 years. When they wake up, one of the men goes outside to
buy something to eat but finds himself among unknown people
who are amazed by the coins he was using. However, the Quran
doesn’t mention the number of these young men.
Trial of Wealth: This is the story of 2 farmers, each of them
owning 2 gardens. One of the farmers became very arrogant
and prideful of his gardens, showing them off to the fellow
farmer. Soon enough, Allah destroys his gardens.
Trial of Knowledge: This is the story of Hazrat Musa (A.S) and
Hazrat Khizr (A.S) in which Allah tells Hazrat Musa (A.S) about
Hazrat Khizr (A.S) who lived at the junction of the two Seas.
Hazrat Musa (A.S) goes on a journey to find and meet Hazrat
Khizr (A.S) and desires to be taught by Him. Hazrat Khizr knew
Hazrat Musa’s inability to receive His wisdom but nevertheless
takes Him along. Hazrat Khizr drills a hole in a ship, kills a boy,
and rebuilds a collapsing wall. Hazrat Musa protests to this but
Hazrat Khizr refuses to communicate further. At the end, Hazrat
Khizr explains his conduct but says that He doesn’t want to
continue this journey with Hazrat Musa anymore.
Trial of Power: This is the story of Zulqarnain who was a just
and righteous King. He once reached a place between two
mountains where some people from a tribe asked for help. They
asked him to build a wall between their tribe and the people of
Yajuj and Majuj since they were very troublesome. Zulqarnain
agreed to do so and helped the tribe.

This Surah and its stories teach us many things. For instance,
the story of the Trial of Faith teaches us to never lose hope in
Allah and that Allah will always help and protect those who
genuinely believe in Him. The story of the Trial of Wealth
teaches us that we should never be prideful or arrogant as
excessive pride diminishes self-awareness. Always be thankful
to Allah in both, the best and worst situations.