حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ مَطْلِعَ ٱلشَّمْسِ وَجَدَهَا تَطْلُعُ عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ لَّمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُم مِّن دُونِهَا سِتْرًا 90
Translations
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.
Transliteration
Hatta idha balagha matla'a ash-shamsi wajadaha tatlu'u 'ala qawmin lam naj'al lahum min doonihaa sitrah
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes Dhul-Qarnayn's journey eastward until he reached the point where the sun rises over a people who had been given no protection from its intense heat. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as a people living near the equator or in extremely hot regions, exposed to the sun's rays without shelter, dwelling in harsh geographical conditions. The verse emphasizes the diversity of Allah's creation and the varied circumstances in which different peoples live across the earth.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative of Dhul-Qarnayn (often identified with Alexander the Great or a righteous king) in Surah Al-Kahf, a Meccan surah. The broader context describes his three journeys: westward to the setting sun, eastward to the rising sun, and northward to build the wall against Gog and Magog. This verse is thematically connected to demonstrating Allah's power over creation and the vast diversity of His world.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly addresses this specific ayah, related narrations discuss the signs of the Hour and the emergence of Gog and Magog (mentioned later in the same surah). Sahih Bukhari contains hadiths about Dhul-Qarnayn and the wall, though they provide limited additional detail beyond the Quranic account.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us of the remarkable diversity of Allah's creation and how different peoples adapt to vastly different environmental conditions, encouraging appreciation for the complexity and wisdom of divine providence in sustaining all humanity.
Related Ayahs
قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَنَا۠ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ أَنَّمَآ إِلَـٰهُكُمْ إِلَـٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ ۖ فَمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ لِقَآءَ رَبِّهِۦ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَـٰلِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِۦٓ أَحَدًۢا
Say, "I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed that your god is one God. So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone."
قَالَ ذَٰلِكَ مَا كُنَّا نَبْغِ ۚ فَٱرْتَدَّا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَارِهِمَا قَصَصًا
[Moses] said, "That is what we were seeking." So they returned, following their footprints.
۞ مَّآ أَشْهَدتُّهُمْ خَلْقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا خَلْقَ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَمَا كُنتُ مُتَّخِذَ ٱلْمُضِلِّينَ عَضُدًا
I did not make them witness to the creation of the heavens and the earth or to the creation of themselves, and I would not have taken the misguiders as assistants.
ٱلَّذِينَ ضَلَّ سَعْيُهُمْ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَهُمْ يَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ يُحْسِنُونَ صُنْعًا
[They are] those whose effort is lost in worldly life, while they think that they are doing well in work."