Surah Al Kahf- Ayah No 19

Assalam o Alaikum 

Juma Mubarak. Time to recite and understand Al Kahf- the Cave of protection and hope.

Moving to today's Ayah No 19, the scene changes from last Ayah where the Boys were asleep and were being looked after by Allah swt. Since, the build up was about their pdotracted sleep, so they had to awaken at some at some point. They woke up after sleep three centuries. Similarly, Prophet Uzair AS also slept for a century. These are the two exceptionally long sleep durations wherein laws of physics were suspended by The Creator of physics just to make us understand the concept of awakening in the Hereafter. Also keep a note of the fact that when laws of physics are suspended 'metaphysical phenomenon' comes into play. And

we are going through the most metaphysical Surah of Quran. 300 years of sleep is not physics? More interestingly they woke up and gave the impression as if they had slept for few hours. Where were their souls all this time? How they survived this long? Questions must arise and answers must be sought. 

The Boys took to the Cave because Oneness was being challeged and the first victim of this onslaught is always the faith in Hereafter. Weakening of faith in Hereafter weakens faith in accountability. And life becomes a meaningless pastime.

Death is the greatest philosophical conundrum unless we align ourselves with the concept of the same taught by Allah swt. Accepting death as sleep solves the riddle. Death makes us ordinary mortals, whereas, continuation of life after death (in another form) makes us extraordinary immortals. 

Let's get back to our Ayah of the day. So like being  awake from any sleep, the Boys got up unaware of the time they had slept for. As natural reaction, they wanted to know how long they had slept? Again, the Boys carry the day by making a calculated guess of a day or part of it and leaving the matter totally to All Knowing to know how much they had slept. Their level of faith and its manifestation in words, actions and submission was par excellence. No wonder, to this day and in this moment, we talk about them. Now, as it happens when boys hang out, they shift their focus to food. So, they decide to get food from city and ask for it to be good one along with other provisions. Not only that, they unanimously decide to remain cautious/ polite. Interestingly, this seven alphabets word وليتلطف comes in the center of Quran. More precisely, alphbets ت and ل bifurcate Quran into two equal halves in terms of word count. How amazing, this one word with its nuances becomes complete code of life i.e. be polite and careful. 

May Allah make us polite and careful. Ameen