By Asma Bint Shameem
It’s to be reminded REPEATEDLY of some VERY IMPORTANT LESSONS contained in the Surah.
LESSON 1: YOU’LL BE TESTED IN YOUR FAITH
The first story that Allaah mentions is the story of the young men of the Cave or Kahf in Arabic (Hence the name al-Kahf)
They was a group of young men who believed in the Oneness of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala while the rest of the community committed shirk.
When these young Muslims were persecuted beyond limit, they decided to flee to a cave from the harms of the people.
Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala miraculously hid them in that cave and protected them for several hundred years.
This beautiful story reminds us *every week* that one of the most common trials that we, as Muslims, will face is the trial of FAITH.
So know, for sure that we will be tested when we *practice* our Deen.
But if we are strong in our Imaan just like these young men and not waver, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala Himself will shower us with His Mercy, protect us and provide for us from ways we can’t even imagine.
As Allaah says:
وَإِذِ اعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ فَأْوُوا إِلَى الْكَهْفِ يَنشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّن رَّحْمَتِهِ وَيُهَيِّئْ لَكُم مِّنْ أَمْرِكُم مِّرْفَقًا
“And when you withdraw from them, and that which they worship, except Allaah, then seek refuge in the Cave, your Lord will open a way for you from His Mercy and will make easy for you your affair.” (Al-Kahf, 18:16)
So remind yourself every Friday of this *cardinal* lesson...
The tests will come but don’t let that daunt you.
Just ignore the people, their snide remarks, their hateful stares.
Don’t worry if they mock your beard or laugh at your hijaab.
And don’t give it a second thought if they give you a hard time.
You’re obeying Allaah and He will protect you and show you Mercy.
He will reward you for your patience and find ways of provision for you.
And He will grant you relief from your difficulties from sources you did not even know existed.
BELIEVE.
Then Stand STRONG.
NOTHING can stand in your way if He’s with you.
LESSON TWO: The Trial of Wealth
The next story in Surah al-Kahf is about a wealthy man who Allaah had blessed with abundance.
He had two flourishing gardens, continuously yielding plenty of quality fruit and produce, gushing rivers that naturally flowed through his property providing irrigation, along with servants, attendants and children.
In other words, a life of prosperity, ease and luxury.
But instead of attributing his success to Allaah, he became arrogant and even belittled his companion who advised him to be grateful to his Rabb.
He thought this wealth and blessing is a sign that Allaah is pleased with him and it will last forever.
And “IF” he is ever resurrected he will receive even MORE blessings.
After all, hasn’t Allaah blessed him in this world? Then surely He will bless him EVEN MORE later.
So what happened to his garden and wealth?
Allaah *destroyed* it overnight.
Down to nothing.
Gone completely.
All his arrogance, his wealth, his entourage.
Why?
Because of the man’s arrogance.
His lack of gratefulness.
His foolish belief that wealth is a sign of Allaah’s pleasure.
And his disbelief in the Hereafter.
Wealth is not a sign of Allaah’s Pleasure or Displeasure.
Rather it’s a TEST to see HOW we will behave and react to this wealth.
Will we be grateful to our Rabb?
Will we earn it in a halal way?
Will we spend it in His obedience?
Will we become arrogant and look down upon others who don’t have as much?
Will we spend it in Allaah’s way?
For our needy relatives, for the poor and destitute, for our oppressed brothers and sisters all over the world?
Or will we hoard it for ourselves?
So REMIND yourself EVERY FRIDAY when you read al-Kahf:
1. KNOW that ALL WEALTH belongs to Allaah Alone.
It is HIS.
And He can GIVE it to whoever He wants and TAKE IT AWAY from WHOEVER He wants, WHENEVER He wants.
2. This wealth is a TEST for you.
Allaah is giving it to you to see how you will handle it. And how you will react to it.
3. So always be GRATEFUL to your Rabb.
And THANK Him for granting you blessings you know and blessings you don’t know.
Blessings you can’t even count.
4. Don’t let the wealth get to your head.
Always be HUMBLE and know that the *True Giver* is only Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala. And you deserve NO CREDIT for what you own or have.
5. SPEND in the path of Allaah for His sake, on your needy relatives, community members and the poor Muslim brothers and sisters
6. Be MODERATE in spending on yourself and don’t be EXTRAVAGANT
7. KNOW that it’s not wealth or property that Allaah looks at.
It’s your GOOD DEEDS and SINCERITY to please Him that will bring Allaah’s Mercy.
8. ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND that this dunya is TEMPORARY and the REAL LIFE is the life of the Hereafter.
Don’t ever let this thought slip your mind.
So prepare for it NOW before the time comes when we return to our Creator.
الْمَالُ وَالْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْبَـقِيَاتُ الصَّـلِحَاتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلاً
“Wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world. But the good righteous deeds that last, are better with your Lord for reward and better for hope”.
(Surah al-Kahf: 46)
Lesson three: The Trial of Knowledge
Every week, when we read Surah al-Kahf, we’re reminded again and again about how Allaah tests people in their Faith and in their Wealth.
Another lesson that we’re reminded of again and again every week is that we may also be tested in our *Knowledge*.
The story resolves around Musa and his meeting with al-Khidr Alaiyhimas-Salaam.
Someone asked Musa Alaiyhis-Salaam about the most knowledgeable person on earth at that time.
Musa Alaiyhis-Salaam thought that since he was a Prophet of Allaah, he would be the most knowledgeable.
And so without thinking, he hastily said,
“I am”.
And he didn’t refer that knowledge to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala.
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
“Allaah rebuked him because he did not refer knowledge to Him. So Allaah revealed to him: “There is a slave of Mine at the junction of the two seas who is more knowledgeable than you.”
(al-Bukhaari, Muslim)
So Musa Alaiyhis-Salaam set out with a servant to look for the one who had more knowledge than him, namely, al-Khidr, and then asked to accompany him.
With al-Khidr, Musa Alaiyhis-Salaam set out on a strange and amazing journey where he experienced three confusing incidents, because of which he was not able to keep his promise not to ask any questions.
And thus this wondrous journey comes to an end.
But it taught Musa Alaiyhis-Salaam (and us) some very important lessons
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
“Would that Moosa had been patient so that Allaah could have told us more about their story.” (al-Bukhaari)
Lessons learnt
- Knowledge is also a fitnah if you don’t attribute it to the right source.
So Always, ALWAYS attribute your knowledge, your blessings, your success to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala.
It’s not your doing.
It’s the bestowal of the One Who gives.
- No one and that means NO ONE, has ALL the knowledge of everything, EXCEPT al-Aleem al-Khabeer, the All Knowing, even if they’re prophets.
- it’s not demeaning or insulting to learn from others and it’s in no way degrading, even if you’re very knowledgeable yourself.
- Don’t let knowledge make you arrogant.
And just because you have more knowledge than someone, does not make it right for you to look down upon them.
In fact you may learn from anyone.
- No matter how knowledgeable you are, there’s still room for improvement.
There are still things to learn, facts to master, skills to conquer.
- if you’re sincere in attaining knowledge, you have to learn to be patient.
Nothing is achieved with haste. Everything requires hard work and perseverance.
- Sometimes things happen in life that APPARENTLY seem hurtful, or wrong or unfair, but in reality, Allaah is looking out for you.
Whatever He decrees is best for you even if you don’t understand it.
That’s because it is He Who has the Ultimate Knowledge about everything and we don’t.
These are only some_of the lessons that one can learn from these noble ayaat. And there are more....
Remind yourself of these important lessons every time you read Surah al-Kahf.
After all, there’s a reason why it’s Sunnah to repeat it every Friday
LESSON FOUR: Trial of POWER
Last week we learnt that the reason why we are supposed to read Surah every week is to repeatedly remind ourselves that Allaah will test us with the blessings of Faith, Wealth and Knowledge.
Another blessing that Allaah will test us with is the blessing of POWER.
And that’s mentioned in the next story of Dhul-Qarnayn.
Dhul-Qarnayn was a powerful king and leader who Allaah had blessed with knowledge, might, authority..... basically everything necessary to become a conqueror and ruler of the world.
Yet, all that power, all that might, all those blessings did not corrupt him.
Instead he established the sovereignty of Allaah upon earth wherever he went and shouldered the responsibility of a ruler with Fairness, Justice and Wisdom.
Dhul-Qarnayn ruled with the Laws of Allaah and rewarded those who did good and punished the bad.
At the same time, he was also kind, and caring and protected the weak and oppressed against their transgressors.
And when they offered him monetary help, he refused and was not greedy.
Rather, he humbly associated all his successes with Allaah and recognized that power and authority come from Allaah Alone.
Lessons learnt
1. Never let power corrupt you.
Even if the whole world is under your control, always... always refer your blessings back to Allaah.
Your position, your authority, your control...
it’s all a TRUST.
And it’s all a TEST....
A test to see how you behave, how you react, who you turn to.
Always remember, it’s only Allaah that gave you this position, this power.
And just like He gave it to you, He can also take it away whenever He wants.
So be humble as Dhul-Qarnayn was humble.
And say... *Alhamdulillaah*.
2. Just like Dhul-Qarnayn, every single one of us plays a leadership role in one setting or another.
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
“Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock.” (al-Bukhaari, Muslim)
Meaning we all are ‘leaders’ in our own way, in our own little settings and have responsibilities that we’ll be held accountable for in front of Allaah.
Are we fulfilling those responsibilities that Allaah has placed on us as ‘shepherds’ over our ‘flock’?
Are we keeping Allaah’s Laws in mind when dealing with them?
Are we kind and caring to the people under our care?
Do we treat them fairly?
As parents, are we fulfilling the rights of our children?
Are we giving them an Islaamic upbringing?
Tnese questions apply to all who are in a ‘leadership’ position....as a husband, a parent, a teacher, an employer, a business owner, a doctor....
The list goes on.
3. Always do your best to *help* out whenever you can.
Be it the weak and oppressed or someone in need.
Or someone in your family.
Or even a complete stranger.
If you’re in a position to help them and solve their problem, then do so.
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
“The Muslim is the brother of his fellow Muslim; he does not wrong him or let him down. The one who meets the needs of his brother, Allaah will meet his needs.
Whoever relieves a Muslim of distress, Allaah will relieve him of distress on the Day of Resurrection.”
(al-Bukhaari, Muslim)
4. Always be Fair and judge by Allaah’s Laws
Always rule by Allaah’s Rules when dealing with your spouse, kids, parents, families, employees, students, colleagues, neighbors.
Be fair and just.
Always do the right thing.
Do that which pleases Allaah and stay away from what displease Him.
These are only some of the morals we learn from this beautiful story.
Remember these and other lessons when you read al-Kahf every Friday.
Get *inspired* by Dhul-Qarnayn’s pious commitment to Allaah’s Commands.
*Learn* from this legendary king by striving to emulate his personal qualities of *humility, compassion, self-control and his sincere dedication to justice. *
After all, there’s a reason why it’s Sunnah to repeat it every Friday
And Allaah knows best.
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