فَضَرَبْنَا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ فِى ٱلْكَهْفِ سِنِينَ عَدَدًا 11
Translations
So We cast [a cover of sleep] over their ears within the cave for a number of years.
Transliteration
Fadarabna ala adhanihim fil-kahfi sinin adada
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah caused sleep to overtake the Companions of the Cave, sealing their ears so they remained unconscious for a prolonged period numbering in years. According to classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this miraculous sleep was a divine mercy that preserved them from persecution by their disbelieving king, allowing them to escape harm through supernatural means. The phrase 'sinin adada' (numbered years) emphasizes the precise divine knowledge of the duration, which remained hidden from the young men themselves until their awakening.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the Surah Al-Kahf's central narrative about the Companions of the Cave (Ashab al-Kahf), a story revealed in Mecca that addresses persecution of believers. The context describes how these young believers fled their city to preserve their faith, and Allah miraculously protected them through this prolonged sleep as they sought refuge in a cave, demonstrating divine protection for those who prioritize faith over worldly pressures.
Related Hadiths
The story of the Companions of the Cave is referenced in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, with scholars noting that the Quran itself is the primary source for this account. A related hadith in Sahih Bukhari discusses how reciting Surah Al-Kahf protects from the trials of the Dajjal, connecting the protective theme of this narrative.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that when believers face persecution for their faith, Allah's protection can come through means beyond human understanding, and that trusting in Allah's wisdom often means accepting His divine plan even when circumstances seem desperate. It reassures modern Muslims that steadfastness in faith, even in isolation or difficulty, is witnessed and rewarded by Allah in ways that transcend ordinary comprehension.
Related Ayahs
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ مَطْلِعَ ٱلشَّمْسِ وَجَدَهَا تَطْلُعُ عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ لَّمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُم مِّن دُونِهَا سِتْرًا
Until, when he came to the rising of the sun [i.e., the east], he found it rising on a people for whom We had not made against it any shield.
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِفَتَىٰهُ لَآ أَبْرَحُ حَتَّىٰٓ أَبْلُغَ مَجْمَعَ ٱلْبَحْرَيْنِ أَوْ أَمْضِىَ حُقُبًا
And [mention] when Moses said to his boy [i.e., servant], "I will not cease [traveling] until I reach the junction of the two seas or continue for a long period."
۞ قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكَ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِىَ صَبْرًا
[Al-Khiḍr] said, "Did I not tell you that with me you would never be able to have patience?"
فَوَجَدَا عَبْدًا مِّنْ عِبَادِنَآ ءَاتَيْنَـٰهُ رَحْمَةً مِّنْ عِندِنَا وَعَلَّمْنَـٰهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا عِلْمًا
And they found a servant from among Our servants [i.e., al-Khiḍr] to whom We had given mercy from Us and had taught him from Us a [certain] knowledge.