Assalam o Alaikum. Juma Mubarak. Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said, 'Friday is the best day of the week and it is the most respected by Allah. (Ibn Majah, Hadith: 1084). Recitation and understanding of Al Kahf adds immense value to this blessed day.
Today’s Ayah No 12 is linked with the previous Ayah No 11. And centuries old story of Al Kahf (Seven Sleepers in Christian tradition),from start to end, has been told in just four Ayahs (9-12). Note that Al Kahf was the story about which Meccan idolators asked Prophet PBUH as proof of 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. Ironically, when non- Israelite Prophet PBUH arrived, Jews recognised Him but couldn’t accept him because of his Ismailite lineage.
In Ayah 11, the Kahf Boys were sent to sleep and in this Ayah they woke up like fast changing scenes in a high octane drama and 309 years passed in a jiffy. If you read the translation carefully, The Sleepers, despite having slept for three centuries woke 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 Sleepers) could come close to accurate estimation of the time for which they slept.
This scene has a parallel with resurrection on The Judgement Day. 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. How much we avoid thinking about death and how frequently we go through drills of death everyday. Everyday we wake up uncertain of how long we sleep and at times slightly disoriented. Is it not the same as Kahf Boys felt on waking up.
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 ease up. Or at least we hope so, keeping firm faith in Alllah’s mercy.
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