Surah Al Kahf - Ayah No 12

Assalam o Alaikum 

Juma Mubarak 

This Ayah is linked with the previous. And centuries old story of Al Kahf (Seven Sleepers in Christian traditio),from start to end, has been told in just four Ayahs (9-12). Remember, Al Kahf was the story about which Meccan idolators asked Prophet PBUH to prove his Prophethood. Guess who tipped them to ask this tricky question, yes, you guessed it, the Jews of Arabia. Jews came to settle in Hijaz in anticipation of arrival of the Prophet whose arrival had been prophesied in Israelite traditions. Now look at the style of The Story Teller, He swt closed the story in four strokes. Literally, the story ends when Al Kahf Boys woke up after sleeping for 309 years. For Timeless Story Teller, even three centuries don't matter because He commands everything 'To be & it is'.

Secondly, in Ayah 11, they were sent to sleep and in next line they woke up like fast changing scenes in a high octane drama. If you read the translation carefully, The Sleepers, despite having slept for three centuries wake up uncertain about how long they slept. Allah swt sketches the scene in such precise, real-time and subtle manner that it feels one is sitting in that cave or watching a movie. He swt kind of says let's see which one(s) out of you (The Slerpets) come close to accurate estimation of the time for which they slept. 

And this is exactly what shall happen at the time of resurrection on The Judgement Day. If we relate human reaction in Surah Al Zilzal (99) Ayah 3, when the earth after massive qauke will throw out human bodies buried in her womb, "Man says, 'What is with her?'" Note that, even this line is not in future tense, its present indefinite direct quote, as if it is happening right now. It is real and certain.Allah o Akbar.

This story is a refresher course on Oneness of Allah ( Tauheed). And Tauheed shall only make sense if we believe in life after death. Each one of us goes through drills of death everyday. Like above depictions, we wake up uncertain of how long we sleep and at times slightly disoriented.

It is Allah's special mercy that we get back to life each time we go to sleep including this day. And why we don't have actual sense of time because our Rooh is separated from body. Let's beg Allah swt to make it easy for all of us when we wake up in next life like Kahf Boys. Specially, pray that first night in grave is not too hard, after this one night (we don't know how long this would be) things might get easier. Ameen