It is obvious that each surah of the quran is named precisely for a set purpose.
It is not a random occurrence of a word that is just picked up and used to label
a chapter. In other words one will see that the quran chooses a word for title
of a surah then rest of the surah explains why it is named with a particular
word from different angles. Exactly like word ISLAM. The whole quran
explains what it is in different respects. This surah likewise is not named KAHF just because some people took refuge
in a place but what was the reason that made them do that. It was divide
between people or the difference of ideology which created distance between
them. One people thought they had right to use and abuse people at will and
the others told them you are not doing things the right way. The surah starts with program for elimination of this gulf then which people
took steps to eliminate gulf between people.

Surah 18 . AL – KAHF The Sociopolitical, Socioeconomic & Religious gulf
between mankind
Proclaim in the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
[1] that sovereignty belongs to Allah alone Who has revealed to His
messenger a purpose–bound comprehensive book for spreading the
message of peace among mankind in which He left no room for people to live
in tensions and dissensions due to their make beliefs.
[2] It is a message that is a firm foundation for life of peace and prosperity for
mankind with warning from Him about terrible consequences if it is ignored
and that is how thereby He gives news of blissful life to those who will commit
to working for peace such as work hard to remove rifts from among people to
unite them, surely for them is a great benefit in all this
[3] which they will enjoy for as long as they live if they keep up with its
maintenance.
[4] Moreover He also warns those who claim, Allah has begotten a son.
[5] They have no proof for it nor did their forefathers, this is a grossly
damaging claim for unity of mankind that comes out of their mouths. They
state nothing but a lie to cause baseless divisions.
[6] By the look of it you are driving yourself to death through stress by
worrying about them as to what will happen to them if they commit not to
working for peace according to this message.
[7] The fact is We have equipped the earth nicely with all kinds of things for
serving the needs and wants of people including Our guidance to help them
struggle through for higher goal in order to let them demonstrate which of
them does what is beneficial for the mankind.
[8] That is how We produced things on the earth in simple form to let them
develop gradually through tiny steps to higher state of existence through
interaction.
[9] So instead of stressing over behaviour of ignorant people what do you
think about the party of those people who took refuge in a valley surrounded
by mountains to save themselves from persecution due to Our scripture
because of their such behaviour they became part of Our wonderful lessons
for generations to come?
[10] At the time families of those mostly young people took refuge in the valley
saying, our Lord, grant us blissful life through Your scripture and thus enable
us to fulfil our mission properly.
[11] So We isolated them from those who were after them for a number of
years in the valley to develop according to Our program,
[12] that is how We raised them above their enemies to demonstrate which of
the two parties could best account for the time they spent apart from each
other.
[13] We are telling you their story for a set purpose. They were mostly young
people who committed to working for peace for the mission of their Lord
because We raised in them better understanding of Our guidance towards
which they worked.
[14] That is how We raised courage in their minds so that they rise up and
declare among their people, our sustainer is only He Who sustains the
heavens and the earth so we should not live by or accept rule of any other
claimant of sovereignty than His in this kingdom because if we do, we will be
inflicting a great harm upon each other as a community.
[15] These people of ours have taken for rulers other than Him. If they have
any right to do that then why don’t they put forth any convincing proof of their
sovereignty? Who is more harmful and destructive for humanity than the one
who denies sovereignty of Allah by attributing sovereignty to others in His
kingdom?
[16] They had already decided to leave their people to settle elsewhere if they
refused to heed them saying to each other, let us leave these people after
denouncing the claims of those who claim and accept sovereignty for others
than Allah and take refuge in some remote place away from them, your Lord
will shower you with his blessings through working according to His blissful
program, that is how He will help you fulfil your mission.
[17] If you looked at the sun the while in the valley surrounded by mountains,
it would appear to you that the rising sun declined to the right of their valley
and as it is setting it passed them on the left, that is wherein they lived in a
wide open space in between. This is one of the many lessons from Allah. He
who accepts guidance of Allah is guided alright but he whom He lets go his
own way you will find no guide to lead him to the path that is proper.
[18] Moreover you will find them fully alert and on their guard even though
they were at peace in order to continuously maintain that peace and
prosperity. That is how We made them more resourceful from their enemies
spreading them on their right and on their left sides and that is how their hard
work brought them to the threshold of success. If you people dropped in upon
them to check them out, you would turn back and run from them because you
will be overcome by their awe due to their fighting skills and preparations.
[19] That powerful was their state of existence to which we raised them
through Our program from the state in which they were so that they could
keep a check on their opposers to ensure peaceful and prosperous existence. At length a party of their elders said to their youngsters, how long have you
people been living in this valley? They said, we have been here for a long
period of time or a good part of it. They said, your Lord knows exactly how
long you people have been living here but think about when did you last send
any envoys to other people to find out about them and call them to the way of
Allah, so let a party of you be sent on a fact finding mission to the mother city
of the kingdom we came from with this message of yours, and let it find out
who has fared better we or those people we left behind so bring us some
useful piece of information about this people so that we could judge the
situation. Let the group conduct its affairs with caution and let it not behave in
a way whereby others become alert of our presence among them and take us
as their enemies.
[20] Because if they discover you among them, they will stone you to death or
force you to live by their traditions and customs and in that case you will never
attain peace and prosperity.
[21] But that is why We let their message keep on spreading among their
people after they left them so that they come to know that the promise of Allah
is true and that there is no doubt about the coming of the moment of sudden
uprising if people fail to take Our advice seriously. At length after they left
them the people of the township began arguing among themselves about their
mission therefore some suggested, let us make them the basis and build our
society upon their foundation because it was their Lord that taught them. The
people who were able to fulfil this task among them said, let us build
according to them a proper institution.
[22] Now some say, the institutions put in place by them were three and the
forth one was for their training or to keep a watch over the rest of their
institutions. The others say, the institutions put in place by them were five and
the sixth one was for their training or monitoring the functioning of their other
institutions, and there are still others who say, the institutions put in place by
them were seven and the eighth one was for their training or monitoring their
rest of institutions to keep them in line. Say, my Lord Alone makes known
their number none but a few really know their purpose. So do not argue about
their number but their purpose that is obvious and that is why you do not need
any verdict about them from any of those who argue about them without
understanding the purpose.
[23] Nor put off your task about anything that should be handled straightaway
thinking I will certainly do it tomorrow
[24] unless it is in accordance with program of Allah! That is how you should
demonstrate glory of your Lord for people to see unless you forget but even
then express hope that my Lord will guide me ever closer to what is proper
way of handling the affairs.
[25] As for the length of time the generations of people of the valley spent in
isolation, they remained separate from their community for three hundred plus
nine years.
[26] Tell your people, Allah makes known period of their isolation because He
is the One Who makes known for mankind the secrets of the heavens and the
earth therefore understand things through His vision and do things according
to His guidance! Your people must come to realise that they have no refuge
other than following His set laws because He does not allow anyone share in
sovereignty of His kingdom.
[27] Remain consistent with what has been revealed to you of the book of
your Lord, none has the power to change His Words and you will find no
refuge to protect you from harmful mindset and destructive attitude save His
guidance that stops you from harmful beliefs and destructive actions against
each other.
[28] So O you the individual, keep yourself working hard along with those who
rely upon set out universal laws of their Lord morning till evening seeking
fulfilment of His set out goal for them therefore let not your eyes turn away
from them desiring the attractions of worldly life against Our guidance. Moreover never favour such whose mind is free from paying attention to Our
set out goals and guidelines for mankind and follows his own make beliefs
therefore breaks all bounds that benefit humanity while conducting his
affairs.
[29] Therefore make it clear to all that this Quran serves the purpose of proof
from your Lord for what is true and what is false and what is right and what is
wrong, so let him who commits to working for peace do so for his own benefit
and let him who commits to working for wars do so towards his own
destruction. For such as inflict harm and destruction upon each other We
have put in place the rule of consequences so in time they are bound to end
up in fire of hatred whose flames will surround them like the walls of a tent. As
this stage will arrive they will look for freedom from this situation because the
consequences of their actions against each other will submerge them fully into
harm and destruction. What a dreadful way to learn the lesson and what a
terrible way to live.
[30] That is why those who commit to working for peace work hard to remove
dissentions among mankind so We do not let go to waste their efforts instead
We reward them with better rewards than the best of their deeds in form of
improved world order.
[31] They are the ones for whom there will be kingdoms like the Gardens of
Eden wherein will flow things of their need and desire like rivers. Thus therein
they will be surrounded with things of value and they will be covered in
prosperity all year round as if they are covered by clothes made of green silk
that shines. That is the high level of dignity they will rise to, what an excellent
reward for such people and what a beautiful way they will live.
[32] Share with people this parable in order to help people understand the
difference between two ways of life. Once there were two people with two
different mindsets and attitudes. To one of them We had given two gardens of
grapevines surrounded with palm-trees and put between them land for
cultivating crops.
[33] Each of those gardens yielded abundant produce and neither failed to
yield its best because We had caused a river to flow between the two
gardens.
[34] Because he had abundant produce he said to his fellow man while
arguing with him, I am much richer than you and my clan is much mightier
than yours.
[35] He had his mindset and attitude based upon rivalry rather than
brotherhood so having thus based himself wrongly as regard his outlook on
life he entered his garden and said, I do not think that this garden will ever
perish
[36] nor do I think the moment will arrive in my life when I am weak and poor
and even if I should be referred for judgment according to standard of my Lord,
I should be given better than what I already have.
[37] His fellow man replied his argument by saying to him, do you disregard
advice of Allah Who brought you about like plants from the earth due to seed
and fashioned you into a proper human being?
[38] As far as I am concerned, Allah is the only one Who is my sustainer so I
do not live by rule of anyone in His kingdom than His own rule.
[39] So what prevents you from expressing yourself according to that which
fulfils program of Allah when you enter your garden, after all none has the
power other than Allah! Though you see me lesser than yourself in wealth and
children
[40] yet my Lord may enable me to have a garden better than yours and let
thunderbolts from sky fall upon your garden turning it into a barren
wasteland.
[41] Or its water may dry out and you are unable to find it.
[42] In time it so happened that all his fruit produce was destroyed and the
vines tumbled down upon their trellises so he wrung his hands with grief for all
that hard work he had put in this was lost. He cried regretting, I wish I had not
lived in opposition to the rule of my Lord against concept of community life.
[43] All that because he was against teachings of Allah for helping others
despite being unable to avert catastrophe all by himself but then when bad
time came for him he could not find help other than from Allah through his
community.
[44] It was then that he realized that the real protection comes only from
program of Allah for mankind. Working together as a single family according
to His program brings best results because it brings abundant prosperity.
[45] O messenger, explain for those who live aimless lives by an example
about life of this world. It is like the vegetation of the earth that flourishes with
the rain from the heaven but afterwards the same vegetation turns into dry
stubble which is blown away by the winds. However living by program of Allah
gives mankind power over everything because Allah has set up laws for
governing affairs of all things.
[46] The wealth and children are only a short lived attraction for life in this
world unless dissensions and rifts are kept at bay among mankind because
that prolongs life that is greatly rewarding according to your Lord and acts as
foundation bringing hope for better future.
[47] So O mankind, prepare yourselves for the time of that kind of life so that
We help you remove the people in positions of power who keep others down
through creating divisions so that you could see the socio-political and socio- economic landscape evened out throughout the world. That is how in time We
will unite mankind all together as a single community under Our rule leaving
not a single person on his own.
[48] Thus they all will be brought under rule of your Lord according to program
of your Lord fully organised in classified sections for administration purposes
and so it will be made known to them, you have returned to Our rule as We
set you up at the beginning yet you assumed that We will not fulfil to you Our
this promise.
[49] That is how the rule by the book will be established and you will see
those who commit crimes against masses (the people in positions of power) in
great terror because of what is in Our book. That is why they will say, bad
news for us, what kind of book is this? It left out not a thing needed for
mankind to live a beneficial life whether small or large but all is accounted for
yet we ignored it! They will find results of all that they did against the book
before their very eyes because Your Lord is never unjust to anyone.
[50] Call to mind the time when We said to the chiefs in the land, support
Adam as your chief administrator, so all accepted his appointment except
Iblees who was one of the elite classes and chose to disregard the
commandment of his Lord. Will you then take him and his ilk as your leaders
to protect you rather than Me even though they are your enemies? What a
bad substitute the opposers of Our guidance have chosen!
[51] I did not call them to witness the creation of the heavens and the earth, nor their own creation, nor do I take those who lead mankind away from My
guidance as My supporters.
[52] On the day Our rule becomes established it will be said to them, call on
those for help whom you assumed to be My partners in sovereignty of this
kingdom. They will call them but will receive no answer. That is how We let
animosity arise and increase between them because of harm and destruction
they inflict upon each other.
[53] The criminals will see the fire of hatred they themselves have been
igniting and realize that they are going to fall victim to it and going to be
consumed by it but will find no way to escape.
[54] We have given all kinds of examples in this Qur’an to make the people
understand this message yet mankind is exceedingly contentious.
[55] However nothing should stop people from committing to working for
peace now that guidance of their Lord has come to them for their protection
and prosperity unless they wait for the similar fate that overtook the people of
the past or unless they wish to see themselves in terrible painful suffering
before they before they realise the truth of this message.
[56] We send Our messengers only to proclaim good news for those who will
do good for others and to deliver warnings to those who inflict harm and
destruction upon each other but with self defeating arguments the opposers of
Our guidance seek to defeat this truth and that is how they take Our set out
goals and guidelines and warnings for them for a laugh.
[57] Who is more harmful and destructive than the one who when reminded of
the guidelines of his Lord, turns away from them in order to hide what harms
his own hands have done to others? We let their arrogance based ignorance
be the veil over their minds because they do not bother to understand this
Quran and so they have become heedless. Call them all you like towards Our
guidance, they will never be guided because they will keep on ignoring Our
guidance.
[58] Your Lord is protector of mankind because He is Lord of blissful program
for them. Had He seized people instantly for their wrong doings against each
other then He would have hastened their consequences without any respite
but instead He has set up a respite time after which they can find no refuge.
[59] All those nations whom We let destroy themselves for their own
wrongdoings to each other were given respite and a period of time for their
own salvation or destruction.
[60] Call to mind when Moses said to his party of supporters, I will not give up
making effort until I unite two masses of people fighting each other even if I
have to spend ages on this journey.
[61] At last when they reached unity between them both, the length/condition
of their life increased/improved as a united community that set itself on a new
course of action for the mass of people heading for the same goal of peace
and prosperity.
[62] When they had made some progress Moses said to his company, let us
refresh ourselves about the program so that our journey for reconciliation
turns this program into a reality. 63] One of the party said, you see, since we have based ourselves upon solid
foundation, I have noticed that our life has improved, I should never forget this
unless the harmful and destructive leadership prevents me from striving
according to His program. This program has made possible reconciliation of
the masses in a surprising way.
[64] Moses said, that is the state of affairs we were looking for and that is how
the divided groups retraced their footsteps back to unity. Thus reversal of
process of disunity leads back to unity.
[65] All because they found one of Our subjects whom We blessed with
blissful information from Us and whom We gave intelligence from Us for
handling various affairs.
[66] Moses requested him, will you let me accompany you for a time so that
you let me see how you have been given the wisdom to deal with things
properly?
[67] He said, surely but you do not look to me a keen observer
[68] and how can you be a keen observer when you do not yet have the full
information about the subject matter under your observation before you
respond to the situation?
[69] Moses said, you will surely find me keen observer and I will not interfere
in anything you do so long as you do things according to the rule of Allah.
[70] He said, if you insist on accompanying me for mere observation as to
how I do things then you are not to interfere with anything I do unless I ask for
your help about it myself.
[71] So they set off on a venture till they met a party of people in similar
situation broken into factions quarrelling among themselves. Moses said to
the leaderships of the factions, you are going to ruin the people of this nation
of yours. You have done a very wrong thing.
[72] The wise man said, did I not say that you do not look to me a keen
observer?
[73] Moses said, pardon my forgetfulness and please do not hold it against
me.
[74] So they carry on their journey till they come across a very energetic man
so he gave him a good verbal thrashing or a very critical lecture, Moses said, you have thumped a person with a very critical lecture who has done nothing
wrong to anyone. Surely you have done an undesirable thing!
[75] Wise man said, did I not say that you do not look to me a keen
observer?
[76] Moses replied, if I interfere in your business again after this then you are
under no obligation to keep me in your company and I will have no complain
against you.
[77] So they carry on their journey until they reach a people of a township who
became divided into two factions and were about to fall into civil war. They
asked them for participation in their program to unite them but they tried to
refuse them the role of mediators but they did not that is how when they found
in that township unity among people falling apart they repaired it by removing
the reasons from among them for rifts. The response of Moses to their refusal
of their role for mediation was, let them suffer the consequences of their
actions if they do not wish to unite.
[78] The wise man replied, this is the parting of company between you and me
but first I should explain to you those acts of mine which you could not bear to
watch patiently.
[79] As for party of the people quarrelling with each other, it belonged to the
very same peaceful community that worked as one mass of people so I
decided to remove the rift between them that was caused between them by a
king who was keen on taking over every good community through causing
rifts and dissentions among them.
[80] As for the energetic man, he was leader of a community who ought to
take care of his young and old because they were true followers of divine
guidance and we feared lest he harms them due to his harmful and
destructive mind set and attitude so we put him in the right frame of mind and
attitude.
[81] It was our wish that their Lord should change him for the better for them, a son of community who keeps community free of rifts and keeps them on
road to prosperity.
[82] As for the community that was about to fall victim to civil war, it belonged
to two individuals contesting for leadership of the community in the township
after the death of their community leader because under the umbrella of
united community laid great benefit for both the factions. Since their
community father was a good leader who kept community free of rifts and
dissensions, your Lord desired that these successors of his should raise their
thinking level through my help so that they could rediscover their treasure that
lies in community life. All this was done by me according to blissful program of
your Lord and not as per my own personal desire. That is the explanation of
my those actions about which you did not stay out of my business just as an
observer with patience.
[83] They will inquire of you about a man who could bring two warring factions
of people together (zu al qarnain). Say, let me tell you some things about
him.
[84] Indeed We let him establish himself in the land that is how We gave him
all things essential for this purpose.
[85] That is why he set himself on a fact finding path
[86] till he arrived in the west whereat he was stopped by the marshes
whereby he found a community of people. We said, O Zulqarnain, you have
the option either to let these people suffer the consequences of their own
actions (leave them to themselves) or to show them kindness by doing
something that benefits them.
[87] He said, anyone who commits any crime against others we will put him
through due process of a set law for punishment that is how we will refer
regarding him to law of his Lord to be punished according to set out law by
Him.
[88] As for such who commits to working for peace and acts to remove
problems from the community, he will have a reward that brings improvement
in the community and that will make it easy for him to accomplish Our
mission.
[89] In time after that he set out on another exploration trip
[90] till he arrived in the east whereat he became aware of a community for
whom We had not provided any security other than its reliance upon itself.
[91] That is how things should be so he left them as they were, We had full
knowledge whatever the task lay before him.
[92] That is why he set out on a yet another expedition
[93] till he arrived among two multitudes of people whereat he found no other
people than these two multitudes of people, one of which could hardly be
made to understand what was said.
[94] The other people said, O Zulqarnain, people given to loot and warfare
have ravaged this land so should we pay you tribute in order for you to build a
strong barrier between us and them?
[95] Zul-Qarnain said, the program which my Lord has granted me is more
than enough just help me with worker-force to spread it and I will build a
strong bridge between you and them.
[96] Bring me pages of the criterion for building a relationship between you. Finally when he had bridged the gap between the two multitudes, he said, keep fanning this relationship to keep it alive. They did so until the standard
became well entrenched in their minds then he said, bring me some top
people among you so that I could set them on this job of monitoring it as an
extra security measure
[97] so that either of the people do not transgress against it or destroy the
constitution agreed between them bit by bit.
[98] He said, this is the blissful program from my Lord. That is how when the
program of my Lord becomes established throughout the world He will level
out all crookedness from the human community. The program of my Lord
always proves true.
[99] On that day We will let the people free to surge like waves to merge with
one another. That is how we will put a new life into mankind when We will
assemble the mankind all together under Our constitution
[100] because We will lay the life of hell bare before the opposers of Our
program
[101] who had turned a blind eye to My mission and a deaf ear to My
warning.
[102] Do the opposers of My rule think that they can take My subjects as their
rulers instead of Me? Certainly We let such opposers of Our guidance prepare
for themselves hell for their own entertainment.
[103] O Muhammad say to them, should We tell you the worst kind of losers
regarding their deeds?
[104] Those whose all efforts in the life of this world have strayed from the
right goal but all along they were under their self created delusion that they
were doing good for themselves the while they were inflicting harm on
others.
[105] They are the ones who oppose the goal and guidelines of their Lord
instead of meeting His requirements therefore their deeds become void of any
benefit for mankind so they carry no weight to avert the day of uprising.
[106] Therefore the result of actions of such people is life of pain and suffering
because they oppose My rule and because they take My guidelines and My
messengers for a laugh.
[107] However those who commit to working for peace and work hard to
remove rifts and dissensions from among people they are sure to be
entertained in the highly blissful kingdoms
[108] to live therein for as long as they live that way and they will not desire
any change in that environment.
[109] Say, program of my Lord will become a reality even if the opposing
masses helped each other to eliminate the words of my Lord, the masses will
become obsolete long before the words of my Lord even if We helped them
with more of the same.
[110] Say, I am a human being just like you but the message is sent to me by
Allah to proclaim it to you the mankind that your ruler is only one therefore, whoever wants to meet the guidelines of his Lord, let him take action to
remove causes for rifts from among people to unite them and not to take any
of the subjects of Allah as sovereigns in his kingdom.