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
قَالَ هَـٰذَا رَحْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّى ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعْدُ رَبِّى جَعَلَهُۥ دَكَّآءَ ۖ وَكَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّى حَقًّا
[Dhul-Qarnayn] said, "This is a mercy from my Lord; but when the promise of my Lord comes [i.e., approaches], He will make it level, and ever is the promise of my Lord true."
وَكَذَٰلِكَ بَعَثْنَـٰهُمْ لِيَتَسَآءَلُوا۟ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ قَالَ قَآئِلٌ مِّنْهُمْ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ ۚ قَالُوا۟ رَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثْتُمْ فَٱبْعَثُوٓا۟ أَحَدَكُم بِوَرِقِكُمْ هَـٰذِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ فَلْيَنظُرْ أَيُّهَآ أَزْكَىٰ طَعَامًا فَلْيَأْتِكُم بِرِزْقٍ مِّنْهُ وَلْيَتَلَطَّفْ وَلَا يُشْعِرَنَّ بِكُمْ أَحَدًا
And similarly, We awakened them that they might question one another. Said a speaker from among them, "How long have you remained [here]?" They said, "We have remained a day or part of a day." They said, "Your Lord is most knowing of how long you remained. So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the city and let him look to which is the best of food and bring you provision from it and let him be cautious. And let no one be aware of you.
وَلَا تَقُولَنَّ لِشَا۟ىْءٍ إِنِّى فَاعِلٌ ذَٰلِكَ غَدًا
And never say of anything, "Indeed, I will do that tomorrow,"
قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِىَ صَبْرًا
[Al-Khiḍr] said, "Did I not say that with me you would never be able to have patience?"