THE
SURAT AL-KAHF TELLS ABOUT THE EXTRAORDINARY SITUATION OF THE
PEOPLE OF THE CAVE
 Or,
do you think that the fellows of the Cave and the Inscription
were of Our wonderful signs? When the youths found refuge
in the cave, they said: "Our Lord grant us mercy, and provide
for us the proper way." (Surat al-Kahf, 9-10)
The people of the Cave lived through unusual metaphysical
events. Every moment of their lives was full of miraculous
happenings. In the accounts of his life, the Prophet Mohammed
laid stress on the situation of these people, and this is
a sign that people living in the endtimes might face similar
metaphysical events. Verse 10 of the Surat al-Kahf tells about
a number of youths finding “refuge” in a safe
place. As we can see from the subsequent verses of Surat al-Kahf,
these people sought shelter in order to protect themselves
from the oppressive system of their time. They were not able
to express their views freely or talk about the truth and
they were not allowed to practice God’s religion. They
found a way out by distancing themselves from their society.
But this was not a process of waiting. The people of the Cave
found refuge in the cave and they prayed to God to lead their
way and spread his mercy among them. In sum, their only reason
to seek shelter in this cave was not only to wait but to develop
themselves during this sojourn. Muslims oppressed by totalitarian
regimes during the endtimes will also hide themselves away.
This way they will hope that God will spread his abundant
mercy among them and make it easier for them to fight against
godless movements.
THE SECRECY OF THE CAVE DISCIPLES CONTINUED
FOR SOME TIME
We put them into a deep slumber in the cave
that lasted for many years. Then we woke them to see which
of the two groups could figure out how long they had spent
in sleep. (Surat al-Kahf, 11-12)
The reason for this state of sleep was their surrender
to fate and peace, because God, who created the entire universe
out of nothing, is arranging everything that takes place in
the world for the benefit of Muslims. In our own time some
Muslims are in a similar spiritual detachment. This way they
remain uncorrupted by the materialist ideologies that are
trying to distance people from their faith and also untouched
by the violence to which these ideologies lead. This way they
can continue living a life based on the way of the Qur’an
without being affected by the moral degeneration, cruelty
and chaos caused by these materialist movements. The secrecy
of the people of Cave, as seen in this verse, continued for
some time. Later, these youths were roused at a time determined
by God.
THEY OPENLY EXPRESSED THEIR BELIEFS TO THE
KING
And we strengthened their hearts (with patience
and determination), when they stood up and said to the king:
Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth; we will
by no means call upon any God besides Him. If we did so, then
indeed we would have committed an untruth." (Surat al-Kahf,
14)
The verse states that after the hiding period of
the people of the Cave ended, they came and met the king.
This is a time when powers other than God were proclaimed
divine, people had begun to deny God, and they were distant
from religious morality.
Muslims were oppressed in their beliefs. Even under these
conditions, the people of the Cave told the king that they
would never forsake their belief in the one true God and would
never worship anything else. They sincerely said that if they
ever uttered words contrary to this, even under their breaths,
this would be a crime against God.
This brave and resolute attitude against the cruel, oppressive
and authoritarian king is evidence that they were true believers.
God creates everything in the best way and nothing could do
any harm to his creations unless he allows it. Since they
were aware of this, they were paragons of patience and determination.
THEY PROCLAIMED GOD’S RELIGION TO THEIR
OWN NATION
"These people from our tribe have taken Gods
besides Him; why do they not produce any clear evidence in
their support? Who is then more unjust than he who forges
a lie against God?" (Surat al-Kahf, 15)
This verse tells of the proclamations of the people
of the Cave to their own nations. They proclaimed God’s
religion to these pagan societies, and they asked them to
stop asserting that any being stood beside God. The people
also challenged the pagans to produce any evidence for their
untrue beliefs, and when the pagans failed to do so, so were
their lies and betrayals exposed.
Just as happened in the times of the people of the Cave, in
our own century Muslims are asking for evidence from those
who worship something besides God. Some people also believe
in a pagan system which presents material things and coincidences
as divine. This system is none other than Darwinism. Darwinism
is a slander against religion, effectively arguing that the
entire universe was formed as the result of a series of random
coincidences. Darwinism claims that in nature only the strongest
can survive, and it is a thought system based on violence.
Darwinists claim that random coincidences formed living and
non-living things, all of which were in fact created through
God’s infinite power. Such claims constitute a terrible
slander against God.
THE PEOPLE OF THE CAVE DISTANCED THEMSELVES
UTTERLY FROM THE THOUGHT SYSTEM OF GOD DENIERS
(Someone among them had said): "And when
you forsake them and their godless idolatry, seek refuge in
the cave which your Lord has provided to you out of His mercy
and so you may follow the right road." (Surat al-Kahf, 9-10)
As a result of the pressure from those who denied
God, the people of the Cave felt a need to isolate themselves
and completely separate themselves from these people. Their
finding refuge in the cave symbolized this isolation. During
this period, God beneficently gave them happiness and comfort
and helped them in their affairs. But God’s greatest
support was to keep the believers away from those who denied
Him.
SOME LESSONS THAT MUST BE DRAWN FROM THE
LIVES OF PEOPLE OF THE CAVE
"And thus did We rouse them that they might
question each other. A speaker among them said: How long has
your sojourn here been? They said: We have been here for a
day or a part of a day. (Others) said: Your Lord best knows
how long you have tarried. Now send one of you with this silver
(coin) of yours to the city, then let him see which of them
has the purest food, so let him bring you provision from it,
and let him behave with gentleness, and by no means make your
case known to any one." (Surat al-Kahf, 19)
The verse points to the importance of Muslims discussing
a certain issue among themselves before they reach a decision
on it. The verse also refers to a conversation among the people
of the Cave about how long they actually spent in the cave,
with one saying, “Our Lord would know it better.”
One important thing here is that believers, when faced with
an incomprehensible situation, say “God knows best”
and they leave things to God’s divine wisdom. Because
only God knows the unseen world.
Verse 19 of the Surat al-Kahf offers more signs
to the believers. First of all, the believers ask the person
who is going to run errands to buy the purest food, not just
any food. Secondly, they chose the city as the place to buy
food because the city would offer a wider selection and therefore
more choices. The verse also states that believers are always
polite and respectful. This is one of requirements of high
morality which God asks of those who believe in the Qur’an.
The Surat
al-Kahf might be a sign that Muslims in the endtimes will
spend most of their times in their homes in order to not become
targets during this terrible rebellious period dominated by
godless ideologies such as communism and fascism. The verse
might also indicate that the believers will develop their
theological knowledge during their long sojourns within their
homes. Our Prophet Mohammed, when asked to give advice about
the endtimes, said, “Be the protector of your household
and don’t leave your houses.”.(Muhammed
B. Resul Al-Hüseyni, Kiyamet Alametleri (The Signs of
the Doomsday), Translator: Naim Erdogan, 7th edition, Pamuk
Yayinlari, p. 155-156)
THE PEOPLE OF THE CAVE HAD TO HIDE THEMSELVES
“For surely if they prevail
against you they would stone you to death or force you bask
to their religion, and then you will never succeed.”
(Surat al-Kahf, 20)
In this verse, the expression “stoning”
marks a terrorist character. Some in our day who are influenced
by these godless ideologies have such a character. For instance,
terrorists who have adopted the communist ideology, solely
because of their enmity against the state, are throwing stones
at and attacking policemen and gendarmerie forces who self
sacrificingly work for their nation. They do this to weaken
and intimidate the security forces. In doing so, they aim
to realize their godless ideals, drag the nation into chaos
and in this way set the stage to establish a communist system.
Therefore, in the endtimes, it is extremely important
that people should steer clear from such blood-soaked ideologies,
for these ideas would bring nothing to the world but suffering.
Moreover, they should not let themselves be deceived by anti-religious
provocation and they should take care not to fall in with
defeatists.
|
