Surah Al-Kahf (The Cave) is the 18. surah in Quran.Al-Kahf surah is listed as the 69. by revelation order.
The meaning of surah Al-Kahf is The Cave. In total this surah is consist of 110 auahs. You can read Al-Kahf by
word by word if you would like to examine it in details or click one of the ayahs below to check that
ayah only.
This Surah mentions 3 stories, the people of the cave, the story of Musa, and of Dhul Qarnayn. It is believed to be revealed in Mecca. It warns against the dangers of pleasures and its allure which can cause people to behave in strange ways that go against teachings of Islam. It can lead to focusing on maximizing desires of the world neglecting our duty to Allah.
The first story tells a tale of the companion of the cave. The same story is also believed by Christians as well as the companions were considered to be the Christians running from Roman Empire prosecutions. The story talks about believers whose numbers were unknown but had a dog with them. They were running away and hiding in the cave. God made them fall asleep and when they woke up 300 years later, they were safe.
The second story talks about a poor man and rich man both with gardens next to each other. The rich man had a blessed garden with better products. However, the rich man started to disbelieve and denied God and his blessing on him. This caused him to lose his garden and everything in it in one night. He was regretful and his only absolution could come from God.
The third story is the story of prophet Moses and his encounter with another servant of God. This servant was traveling the world and doing the bidding of God. Moses wanted to travel with him, even though the servant was skeptical of Moses, He accepted the offer with one condition, no matter what He will not ask any questions. Moses questioned the servant on all 3 incidents, claiming that He was doing harmful things. After the third one, the servant explained everything to him that everything He did was from the divine command and it was all for the greater good of the believers. This servant has no name in the Quran but the Muslims came to call him Khidr.
Finally, the surah mentions in ayat 83–98 a man who traveled a great deal and reached the east and the west of the earth – namely, Dhul-Qarnayn. He travels east and west, finds tribes and judges them. He then goes to the middle of two sets and finds a tribe that barely understands. He helps them build a wall to protect them from attackers. The Quran repeats the Syrian legend of a great king who helps a tribe of people build a massive wall of iron between two mountains. It goes on to say that this wall will be only destroyed on Judgement Day.
These stories teach Muslims the value of faith, knowledge, patience, and the shortness of time on this planet.