Al-Kahf (The Cave)

110. “Say: ‘I am only a mortal like you. It is revealed unto me that your God is (only) One God. Therefore, whoever hopes to meet his Lord (in Hereafter) let him do righteousness, and make none sharer of the worship due unto his Lord.”

This holy verse, which is the last verse of Surah Al-Kahf, contains a collection of fundamental principles of the religious beliefs, such as, Unity, Resurrection, and the prophethood of the holy Prophet (S). This is, in fact, the same as what the beginning of the Surah Al-Kahf has begun with.

Since the subject of prophethood among common people has always been accompanied with kinds of exaggeration and extravagance in the length of its history, the Qur’an states it as follows:

“Say: ‘I am only a mortal like you...”

Thus, by this meaning, he nullified all the imaginary polytheistic privileges which promoted the divine prophets from the rank of human to the rank of divinity, and said that the only his privilege was that it was revealed unto him.

Then, among all the subjects which are revealed, he emphasizes on the subject of Unity and says:

“…It is revealed unto me that your God is (only) One God...”

In this part of the verse, only the subject of Unity has been pointed out, because Unity is not merely a principle out of the fundamentals of belief, but it is the essence of all fundamental principles and the positive laws of Islam.

If, through a simple example, we similarize the Islamic teachings, containing the fundamental principles and positive laws of the religion to the jewelly beads of a jewelry, Unity should be similarized to the string that has joined these beads to each other and has formed, from all of them, a worthy beautiful necklace.

That is why that some Islamic traditions indicate that the holy phrase /la’ilaha’illallah/ (There is not god save Allah) is a firm fortress, and whoever enters it will be safe from the punishment of Allah.

The third sentence of this verse points to the subject of Resurrection, which is connected to the subject of Unity with the Arabic conjunction /f/, where it says:

“…Therefore, whoever hopes to meet his Lord (in Here-after) let him do righteousness…”

Meeting the Lord, which is the innate observation of His Pure Essence by the eye of the heart and the inside spiritual insight, is also possible for the true believers in this world, too. But in Hereafter, because of observing more effects with more clear manifestation of Him, it will become general for the common.

The reality of the righteous deed is referred to through a short statement in the last sentence of the verse.

It says:

“…and make none sharer of the worship due unto his Lord.”

In another more clear statement, an action will not be counted ‘a righteous deed’ unless the reality of purity and sincerity accompanies it. In fact, the righteous deed which has originated from a godly motive and sincerity, and has mixed with it, is the passport unto the meeting of Allah.

The righteous deed is so important in Islam that the Prophet (S) in a tradition says:

“The person who performs his deeds with sincerity for forty days, Allah will flow the springs of wisdom and knowledge from his heart to his tongue.”

It can be concluded that this holy verse has referred to both Unity (only One God), and prophethood (It is revealed unto me), and Resurrection (to meet his Lord in Hereafter), and hope to the mercy of Allah (whoever hopes), and effort and endeavour to reach it (let him do righteousness), and purity in action (and make none sharer).

That was why the Prophet (S) said:

“If only the last verse of Surah Al-Kahf were revealed to my community, it would be sufficient for them.”1

Finally, upon the content of this verse, there have been narrated many traditions concerning the importance of sincerity and the danger of hypocrisy and hidden polytheism. Some of them are as follows:

1. The Prophet (S) said:

“Verily Allah, the Exalted, will not accept any action in which there is a tiny amount of hypocrisy.”2

2. The Messenger of Allah (S) in a tradition said:

“Verily Allah has forbidden the Paradise forevery hypocrite, man and woman; and piety is not (found) in beauty of face and clothing, but piety is (found) in serenity and solemnity.”3

3. The Messenger of Allah (S) said:

“The Fire (of Hell) and its people will cry because of the punishment of hypocrites”.

Then he (S) was asked:

“O Prophet! How (and why) does the Fire (of Hell) cry?”

He answered:

“Because of (the intense of) the heat of the Fire by which they (the hypocrites) will be punished.”4

4. It is narrated by’Abi-Basir who said:

“I heard’Aba-‘Abdillah (Imam Sadiq) (as) said:

‘On the Day of Hereafter, the servant, who had established prayer, will be brought and he says: ‘O Lord! I have prayed for your pleasure’.

He will be answered:

‘But you prayed in order to be said what a good prayer so and so has established. Take him unto the Fire.’

Then, he said:

‘The same manner will be treated with the one who has struggled, has recited the Qur’an, and has given alms’.”¹

5. The Messenger of Allah (S) said:

“Verily, more than anything else, I fear about you for the minor polytheism’.

He was asked:

‘O’ Messenger of Allah! What is the minor polytheism?’

He answered:

‘Hypocrisy’.

Then he said:

‘On the Day of Hereafter, when Allah, Almighty and Glorious, recompenses the deeds of the servants, He will tell the hypocrites: ‘Go unto those for whom you used to act hypocritically in the world, and see whether you find the recompense of your actions with them’.”²