Surah Al Kahf contains four main stories: Musa (AS) and Al Khidr; the The People of the Cave; the Companion of the Two Gardens, and Dhul-Qarnain. Each story is rich in meaning, and we are encouraged to recite Surah Al Kahf every Friday to remind ourselves of its message.
The Two Companions
In the Companion of the Two Gardens, there were two friends (and some accounts suggest that they were brothers), one of whom was rich and the other was poor. It is said that the poorer friend lived in the path of Allah, and contributed most of his assets towards charity, thus living a very simple and frugal existence.
The rich companion owned two lush gardens of grapes, date palms and cultivated crops, and the gardens consistently bore abundant varieties of healthy produce. Allah also caused rivers and streams to flow in between the two gardens, providing ample fresh water to irrigate the farmland. The two fertile gardens continuously yielded magnificent harvests without fail and thus became a reliable source of great income for its owner.
As with most human beings who are bestowed wealth and ease, the abundance of wealth made the richer companion arrogant and diverted him from the path of Allah. He took great pride in his abundant crops, financial and social strength and the respect that he commanded from his peers. He used to spend many hours in the two gardens, marvelling at his accomplishments, being boastful and arrogant: attitudes which are displeasing to Allah.
He frequently boasted of his wealth to his companion, rubbing into his companion’s face that the latter was not as successful as he was. In asserting his superiority, he used to remind his companion: “I am more than you in wealth and stronger in respect of men.” (Al Qur’an 18:34)
His boastful attitude also extended to his children, who outnumbered his companion’s. His conceit, in calculating his material accomplishments, made him look down on the poor.
Eventually, he became so dazzled by his wealth, that arrogance, pride and disbelief blinded his heart. He felt secure and invincible with his vast possessions and the status they brought him. He began to formulate the view that his garden was indestructible, and would never perish. He felt so secure in his materialistic cocoon that he even began to deny the coming of the Day of Judgment or the concept of resurrection before his Lord. He rationalised that even if the Day of Judgment existed, he would be granted an even better garden. He was deceived into thinking that the worldly favours bestowed on him by his Lord was because of his superiority over others, and that it would extend to the Hereafter.
His way of thinking demonstrated no true belief in the Hereafter, his meeting with his Lord or any accountability to his Lord and the people around him. He continued enjoying his riches without ever attributing his life of ease and abundance to his Creator.
His poorer companion tried to counsel him to be more grounded and humble. He reminded his rich friend of his lowly origin that applied to all human beings:
“Do you disbelieve in Him Who created you out of dust (i.e. your father Adam), then out of Nutfah (mixed semen drops of male and female discharge), then fashioned you into a man? But as for my part, (I believe) that He is Allah, my Lord, and none shall I associate as partner with my Lord.” (Al Qur’an 18:37 – 18:38)
This was also a reminder that the Lord is the Creator of all things, and that if he was capable of creating them the first time around, He could equally re-create them on the Day of Judgment.
In relation to the arrogant way the rich man strutted proudly in his garden, gloating over his riches, the poor companion recommended a better approach:
“It was better for you to say, when you entered your garden: ‘That which Allah wills (will come to pass)! There is no power but with Allah! ‘” (Al Qur’an 18:39), meaning that the richer companion should acknowledge and be aware that all these riches came from Allah, and not through his personal talents or abilities.
The poorer companion was never aggrieved that he was not as rich or bestowed with as many children as his rich friend. He accepted this as the qadr of Allah, realising there existed higher wisdom in it in this world and in the hereafter in what Allah granted or withheld from him. He was also acutely aware of the temporary and fleeting nature of any material accomplishments, and that Allah can bestow or deny in the blink of an eye. Therefore, he continued reminding his friend not to place too much emphasis on his material accumulations, for these were all subject to his Lord’s determination:
“If you see me less than you in wealth, and children, it may be that my Lord will give me something better than your garden and will send on it Husban (torment, bolt) from the sky, then it will be a slippery earth. Or the water thereof (of the gardens) becomes deepsunken (underground) so that you will never be able to seek it.” (Al Qur’an 18:40)
These words of wisdom and warning were ignored by the richer companion, and he refused to submit himself to Allah nor reduce his arrogance.
The Destruction
One day, the rich man awoke to find his garden completely ruined. All the years of hard work and cultivation were obliterated overnight, and all his crops were destroyed on their trellises, proving that they were not immune from destruction after all. The fertile grounds were devastated beyond hope of restoration, and the water in the river had been sucked back into the ground.
In modern terms, all his investments went up in smoke in an instant, and this spelt his humiliating bankruptcy and financial ruin. It also had widespread effect to his high standing in society, for all those people effectively abandoned him to fend for himself. He realised the error of his ways and regretted his actions, but by then it was too late – Allah had already decreed his destruction in this world and the next. To his dismay, he found that none of his friends, children, social connections, or in fact anyone, could help him against Allah’s will. He was even incapable of defending himself against Allah.
“And he remained clapping his hands (with sorrow) over what he had spent upon it, while it was all destroyed on its trellises, and he could only say: ‘Would that I had ascribed no partners to my Lord!‘” (Al Qur’an 18:42)
This story concludes with the following warning from Allah:
“There (on the Day of Resurrection), Al-Wilayah (protection, power, authority and kingdom) will be for Allah (Alone), the True God. He (Allah) is the Best for reward and the Best for the final end. (La ilaha illallah -none has the right to be worshipped but Allah).” (Al Qur’an 18:44)
Lessons to be learnt
Why does Allah want us to read Surah Al Kahf weekly? It is because this chapter contains a beautiful and comprehensive message for us, dunia and akhirah, and warns us what will happen if we forget the responsibility and purpose of dunia and the inevitability of akhirah. It will make us feel more responsible about our own style of life and where we are going in akhirah.
What happens when the money blinds us from knowing who the Provider and the Creator is, the purpose of life, how to share, how to be good and humble, and the responsibility towards ourselves and our societies with this money. Ultimately, we are going to die and will not be taking our treasures with us.
This message is strongly emphasized in Surah Al Kahf, when read with all the other stories in this chapter. When we read Surah Al Kahf weekly, whatever our status, we will get the message loud and clear, and understand what to do, whether we are rich or poor.
This story provides a stern warning against those who wear their wealth with pride and display arrogance to the weak and the poor. It is man’s natural inclination that when Allah grants him wealth, he attributes it to his own talent, hard work and ability, without acknowledging or attributing any of those to Allah.
We are reminded of the dangers of being blind with money. It is a fitnah for us when we start accumulating and forget all our responsibilities (may Allah save us from all the fitnah attached to status and wealth). The more blinded one becomes by his temporary decorations in this life, the further he drifts away from Allah.
It is not uncommon to see many people, once they are rich, to become arrogant against the poor and those of social inferior status to them. They walk on this earth puffed up with pride and filled with a sense of entitlement and superiority, putting themselves beyond any counsel or advice. We have seen this happen many times, where once people have accumulated enough to buy their houses and cars, and once their businesses are up and running or their careers are blooming, they forget their humble origins and take pride in their possessions. They forget that all of this bounty actually comes from Allah.
The Qur’an warns us repeatedly that worldly decorations, such as clothing, riches and even children, are superficial. They are not permanent, and cannot be brought into the hereafter. In fact, when we devote too much importance to these decorations, thinking that they grant us status, they can be a fitnah for us and lead us to our eternal destructions.
If you are rich, consider that there were generations before you, who were much better endowed, financially and intellectually. Their achievements now lie in ruins, forgotten and useless to them in the hereafter.
May Allah SWT allow us to live the message and be generous, kind and humble, and to remember who is Al-Razzaq (the provider) and to remember the responsibility attached to all this rizq (provision). May Allah make this life witness to us and not against us and allow us to know the purpose of life, insha Allah.
