Surah Al-Kahf • Ayah 19

Their awakening and sending One of Themselves to buy Food Allah says: `just as We caused them to ...كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ(How long have you stayed (here)) meaning, `how long have you slept'قَالُواْ لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ(They said: "We have stayed a day or part of a day.") because they entered the cave at the beginning of the day, and they woke up at the end of the day, which is why they then said,أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ قَالُواْ رَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثْتُمْ("...or a part of a day." They said: "Your Lord knows best how long you have stayed...") meaning, `Allah knows best about your situation.' It seems that they were not sure about how long they had slept, and Allah knows best. Then they turned their attention to more pressing matters, like their need for food and drink, so they said:فَابْعَثُواْ أَحَدَكُمْ بِوَرِقِكُمْ(So send one of you with this silver coin of yours) They had brought with them some Dirhams (silver coins) from their homes, to buy whatever they might need, and they had given some in charity and kept some, so they said:فَابْعَثُواْ أَحَدَكُمْ بِوَرِقِكُمْ هَـذِهِ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ(So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the town,) meaning to their city, which they had left. The definite article indicates that they were referring to a known city.فَلْيَنْظُرْ أَيُّهَآ أَزْكَى طَعَامًا(and let him find out which is the Azka food.) Azka means "purest", as Allah says elsewhere,وَلَوْلاَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَى مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَداً(And had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy on you, not one of you would ever have been pure Zaka from sins) 24:21 andقَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّى (Indeed whosoever purifies himself Tazakka shall achieve success.) 87:14 From the same root also comes the word Zakah, which makes one's wealth good and purifies it.وَلْيَتَلَطَّفْ(And let him be careful) meaning when he goes out buying food and coming back. They were telling him to conceal himself as much as he could,وَلاَ يُشْعِرَنَّ بِكُمْ أَحَدًاإِنَّهُمْ إِن يَظْهَرُواْ عَلَيْكُمْ يَرْجُمُوكُمْ(and let no man know of you. For, if they come to know of you, they will stone you) means, `if they find out where you are,'يَرْجُمُوكُمْ أَوْ يُعِيدُوكُمْ فِى مِلَّتِهِمْ(they will stone you or turn you back to their religion;) They were referring to the followers of Decianus, who they were afraid might find out where they were, and punish them with all kinds of torture until they made them go back to their former religion, or until they died, for if they agreed to go back to their (old) religion, they would never attain success in this world or the Hereafter. So they said:وَلَن تُفْلِحُواْ إِذًا أَبَدًا(and in that case you will never be successful.)

موت کے بعد زندگی ٭٭ارشاد ہوتا ہے کہ جیسے ہم نے اپنی قدرت کاملہ سے انہیں سلا دیا تھا، اسی طرح اپنی قدت سے انہیں جگا دیا۔ تین سو نو سال تک سوتے رہے لیکن جب جاگے بالکل ویسے ہی تھے جیسے سوتے وقت تھے، بدن بال کھال سب اصلی حالت میں تھے۔ بس جیسے سوتے وقت تھے ویسے ہی اب بھی تھے، کسی قسم کا کوئی تغیر نہ تھا۔ آپس میں کہنے لگے کہ کیوں جی ہم کتنی مدت سوتے رہے؟ تو جواب ملا کہ ایک دن بلکہ اس سے بھی کم کیونکہ صبح کے وقت یہ سو گئے تھے اور اس وقت شام کا وقت تھا اس لیے انہیں یہی خیال ہوا۔ لیکن پھر خود انہیں خیال ہوا کہ ایسا تو نہیں اس لیے انہوں نے ذہن لڑانا چھوڑ دیا اور فیصلہ کن بات کہہ دی کہ اس کا صحیح علم صرف اللہ تعالیٰ کو ہی ہے۔ اب چونکہ بھوک پیاس معلوم ہو رہی تھی اس لیے انہوں نے بازار سے سودا منگوانے کی تجویز کی۔ دام ان کے پاس تھے۔ جن میں سے کچھ راہ اللہ خرچ کئے تھے، کچھ موجود تھے۔ کہنے لگے کہ اسی شہر میں کسی کو دام دے کر بھیج دو، وہ وہاں سے کوئی پاکیزہ چیز کھانے پینے کی لائے یعنی عمدہ اور بہتر چیز جیسے آیت «وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهٗ مَا زَكٰي مِنْكُمْ مِّنْ اَحَدٍ اَبَدًا وَّلٰكِنَّ اللّٰهَ يُزَكِّيْ مَنْ يَّشَاءُ وَاللّٰهُ سَمِيْعٌ عَلِيْمٌ» [ 24- النور: 21 ] ‏ یعنی اگر اللہ تعالیٰ کا فضل و کرم تم پر نہ ہوتا تو تم میں سے کوئی پاک نہ ہوتا اور آیت میں ہے «قَدْ اَفْلَحَ مَنْ تَزَكّٰى» [ 87- الأعلى: 14 ] ‏ وہ فلاح پا گیا جس نے پاکیزگی کی۔ زکوٰۃ کو بھی زکوٰۃ اسی لیے کہا جاتا ہے کہ وہ مال کو طیب و طاہر کر دیتی ہے۔صفحہ نمبر4867دوسرا قول یہ ہے کہ مراد بہت سارا کھانا لانے سے ہے جیسے کھیتی کے بڑھ جانے کے وقت عرب کہتے ہیں «زکا الزرع» اور جیسے شاعر کا قول ہے «قبائلنا سبع وانتم ثلاثۃ» «واسبع ازکی من ثلاث واطیب» پس یہاں بھی یہ لفظ زیادتی اور کثرت کے معنی میں ہے۔ لیکن پہلا قول ہی صحیح ہے اس لیے کہ اصحاب کہف کا مقصد اس قول سے حلال چیز کا لانا تھا۔ خواہ وہ زیادہ ہو یا کم۔ کہتے ہیں کہ جانے والے کو بہت احتیاط برتنی چاہیئے، آنے جانے اور سودا خریدنے میں ہوشیاری سے کام لے۔ جہاں تک ہو سکے لوگوں کی نگاہوں میں نہ چڑھے دیکھو ایسا نہ ہو کوئی معلوم کر لے۔ اگر انہیں علم ہو گیا تو پھر خیر نہیں۔ دقیانوس کے آدمی اگر تمہاری جگہ کی خبر پا گئے تو وہ طرح طرح کی سخت سزائیں تمہیں دیں گے کہ یا تو تم ان سے گھبرا کر دین حق چھوڑ کر پھر سے کافر بن جاؤ یا یہ کہ وہ انہی سزاؤں میں تمہارا کام ہی ختم کر دیں۔ اگر تم ان کے دین میں جا ملے تو سمجھ لو کہ تم نجات سے دست بردار ہو گئے پھر تو اللہ کے ہاں کا چھٹکارا تمہارے لیے محال ہو جائے گا۔صفحہ نمبر4868

قَالُوْا لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا اَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ ۭ قَالُوْا رَبُّكُمْ اَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثْتُمْ جب کچھ ساتھیوں نے اپنی رائے کا اظہار کیا کہ انہوں نے ایک دن یا اس سے کچھ کم وقت نیند میں گزارا ہے تو ان کے جواب پر کچھ دوسرے ساتھی بول پڑے کہ اس بحث کو چھوڑ دو اللہ کو سب پتا ہے کہ تم لوگ یہاں کتنا عرصہ تک سوئے رہے ہو۔فَلْيَنْظُرْ اَيُّهَآ اَزْكٰى طَعَامًا فَلْيَاْتِكُمْ بِرِزْقٍ مِّنْهُ ظاہر ہے کہ اپنے اعتقاد اور نظریے کے مطابق انہیں پاکیزہ کھانا ہی چاہیے تھا۔وَلْيَتَلَطَّفْ یعنی جو ساتھی کھانا لینے کے لیے جائے وہ لوگوں سے بات چیت اور لین دین کرتے ہوئے خصوصی طور پر اپنا رویہ نرم رکھے۔ ایسا نہ ہو کہ وہ کسی سے جھگڑ پڑے اور اس طرح ہم سب کے لیے کوئی مسئلہ کھڑا ہوجائے۔ یہاں پر نوٹ کر لیجیے کہ قرآن کے حروف کی گنتی کے اعتبار سے لفظ وَلْیَتَلَطَّفْ کی ”ت“ پر قرآن کا نصف اوّل پورا ہوگیا ہے اور اس کے بعد لفظ ”ل“ سے نصف ثانی شروع ہو رہا ہے۔

CommentaryThe word: کَذٰلِک (kadhalik) in the first sentence is for comparison. The purpose at this place is to describe the mutual likeness of two events. One of these is the event of the long sleep of the People of Kahf for an equally long period of time mentioned in the beginning of the story under the verse: فَضَرَ‌بْنَا عَلَىٰ آذَانِهِمْ فِي الْكَهْفِ سِنِينَ عَدَدًا : "So, We veiled their hearing (putting them to sleep) in the Cave for a number of years - 11." The second event relates to the rising of these people from that long drawn sleep - intact, healthy and fit despite the absence of any energy-giving intake - and becoming wide awake. Both are alike in being signs of the power of Allah Ta` ala. For this reason, when 'raising them up' was mentioned in this verse, the word: کَذٰلِک (kadhalik: 'And similarly' ) was used to indicate that the way their sleep was not like the habitual sleep of common people, very similarly, their rising too was distinct from natural habit. Then, as for the next statement after that: لِيَتَسَاءَلُوا ، meaning 'so that they ask each other [ as to how long the sleep was ],' it is not the reason of 'raising them up.' Instead, it is a mention of a usual phenomenon. Therefore, the particle: لام (lam) in: لِيَتَسَاءَلُوا (liyatasa'alu: so that they ask) has been identified as the lam of ` aqibah (consequence) or sairurah (result) meaning that which naturally follows as a sequel. (Abu Hayyan, al-Qurtubi)In short, their long sleep was a Divine sign. Similarly, sitting up all awake after hundreds of years - fit and healthy without usual nourishment - was also another perfect Divine sign. And it was also Divinely in-tended that they too should come to know that they have been sleeping through hundreds of years, therefore, it began with questions asked between each other and ended at the incident mentioned in the next verse: وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَعْثَرْ‌نَا (And in this way We made them known - 21). It means that the people of the city knew their secret and, despite the difference in determining the period of their stay, everyone believed that they had been sleeping in the Cave for a long period of time.Given in: قَالَ قَائِلٌ مِّنْهُمْ (One of them said - 19) is the detail of what was said briefly at the beginning of the story (12) - that they differed about the period of their stay in the Cave and that one of them did say the right thing. According to this detail, one person from among the People of the Cave ventured to pose the question as to how long did they sleep. Then, came the response from some that said, 'a day, or part of a day' - because, these people had entered the Cave in the morning and when they woke up, it was evening. Therefore, they thought, that was the day they had entered the Cave and the duration of their sleep was just about a day. But, some from among these very people realized that, perhaps, this was not the day they had entered the Cave. If so, who knows how many days have gone by? Therefore, they decided to let this particular knowledge about the event rest with Allah. By saying: قَالُوا رَ‌بُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثْتُمْ (Your Lord knows best how long you stayed - 19), they dismissed this debate as unnecessary and turned their attention to the need of the hour, that is, to send a man to the city to bring some food from there.The word: الْمَدِينَةِ (al-madinah) in the phrase: إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ (ila al-madinah: to the city) proves at least this much that there used to be a big city close to the Cave where they had stayed. In his Tafsir al-Bahr al-Muhit, Abu Hayyan has said that the name of the city at the time the People of Kahf left was Ifsus and now, the name was Tarsus. Al-Qurtubi has said in his Tafsir that during the time idol-worship and ignorance prevailed in this city, its name was Ifsus. But, when the believers of that time, that is, the followers of Sayyidna Masih (علیہ السلام) overtook it, they renamed it as Tarsus.The word: بِوَرِ‌قِكُمْ with this silver [ coin ] of yours - 19) tells us that these good men had also brought some money with them when they came to the Cave. From here we know that the procurement and management of essential expenditures in life is not contrary to the norms of Zuhd (abstention from worldly desires) and Tawakkul (trust in Allah). (Al-Bahr al-Muhit)The word: أَزْكَىٰ (azka) in: أَيُّهَا أَزْكَىٰ طَعَامًا (which are the purest - 19) means what is clean and pure. According to the Tafsir of Ibn Jubayr, it denotes Halal food. They were alert to the need for such precaution because at the time they had left the city, people used to slaughter animals in the name of idols and that was what they sold in the market. Therefore, they stressed upon the man going out to bring food only after making sure that it was Halal.RulingThis tells us that eating food in any city, bazaar or hotel, where most of the food available is حرام Haram, is not permissible without prior investigation.