Al-Kahf (The Cave)

27 “And recite that which has been revealed unto you of the Book of your Lord; none shall change His words, and you shall not find any refuge besides Him.”

In this holy verse, the Qur’an addresses the Prophet of Islam (S) and says:

“And recite that which has been revealed unto you of the Book of your Lord…”

That is, he should not pay attention to the talks of this and that. They might speak some baseless matters mixed with falsehoods and superstitions. In discussions about those matters, his reliance should always be only upon the Divine revelation, because nothing may change His statements.

The verse says:

“…none shall change His words…”

There is no room for diversity to enter into His Words and Knowledge. His Speech and His Knowledge is not like the speech and knowledge of human beings which, as a result of a new invention or information, has to be changed.

It is upon these facts that, at the end of the verse, the holy Qur’an says:

“…and you shall not find any refuge besides Him.”

This historical wonderful adventure, which the Qur’an has explained without any superstition and baseless inventions, as all other stories of the Qur’an, contains so many constructive and training points. Some of them are as follows:

A. The first lesson of this story is the very breaking the barrier of imitation from aberration and separation from the corruption of that environment. Basically, man should be constructive in the society, not putting up with mischiefs of it, which some feeble-minded people do.

Those who have true Faith, and are possessors of an independent thought, say that a godly servant should never follow the majority when they are misguided.

B. Migration from the polluted surroundings is another lesson taken from this wonderful event.

C. Precautionary dissimulation, in its constructive meaning, is another lesson taught by this story. And we know that precautionary dissimulation is not anything save that the person conceals his main subject where divulgence of facts is fruitless, and he protects his power for the time of struggle and striking against the enemy.

D. The lack of difference among persons in the way of Allah, and sitting a minister beside a shepherd, and even the guarding dog that paves their way, is another lesson in this field, in order to be manifested that the privileges of this material world.

Then its different ranks have no effect along the side of separating the rows of the followers of the path of truth which is the path of Unity and the path of Unity is the path of oneness and unicity of all human beings.

E. The wonderful helps of Allah (s.w.t.) at the time of the appearance of crises is another income which the circumstance of the event teaches us.

F. In this story, even in the most grievous circumstances, they taught us the purity of food. The nutrition of the body has a deep effect on man’s spirit, thought and heart. And pollution, resulted from unlawful (haram) foods, makes man afar from the path of Allah and the path of piety.

G. Seeking help from His grace, and saying the holy phrase ‘If Allah please’ in informing about the future affairs, is another lessen.

H. Another instructive lesson of this story is how we confront the opponents.

I. Finally, the possibility of resurrection of the body, and that human beings will return to a new life at the time of Resurrection, is another lesson that this event teaches us.

However, the aim here is not telling a story as a hobby. The aim of the Qur’an is to bring up some steadfast, faithful, aware and brave men. One of its way is to introduce the noble samples of them through the length of history.

At the end, one of the pretexts of the Prophet’s opponents was that they asked the Prophet (S) to change the Qur’an.

They said:

“…Bring us a Qur’an other than this, or change this.”1

In answer to such arrogant people, the Prophet (S) used to say that it was not of his own accord to change it. The change of the Qur’an is only up to Allah.