The Core Conflict: Faith Versus Materialism

One of the secrets of this chapter, of this sūrah, as many scholars have brought out, is set down in a fine book translated into English as Faith versus Materialism. It was written originally in Urdu, and is called Maʿrakat al-Īmān wa al-Māddiyyah — māddiyyah meaning materialism, and maʿrakah the tension, the constant battle, between materialism and faith.

And subḥān Allāh, one cannot speak for earlier generations and earlier times, but this sūrah is relevant today, truly relevant today; and it must have been as relevant then. Its relevance now is extreme, because there is at present a vast materialism, a very great difficulty. It has always been a difficulty; but now, with capitalism and consumerism, materialism is a very great difficulty indeed: men's dependence upon it, and the sheer measure of material advancement in general, are far advanced.

So whoever ponders this sūrah will find food enough in it to be guided in understanding what happens in this life, and the general struggle between the dunyā and its materialism, the world and its materialism, and the holding fast to one's faith. That is the main theme of Sūrat al-Kahf; and the account of the cave in particular is one of those which drives the point home and brings it out. So when people read it, let them read it, and if they can, let them go on to understand it, and that will have a far more profound effect, because it will then carry a direct benefit.

It begins with al-ḥamdu li-llāhi alladhī anzala ʿalā ʿabdihi al-kitāb — all praise to Allah, who revealed upon His servant the Book — wa lam yajʿal lahu ʿiwajā, in which there is no crookedness. Again, a discussion of the Qur'an. And then Allah (swt) turns to the sleepers of the cave.

There are in this sūrah more than three stories. There are, it may be said, three larger stories, and then three examples; and some of the examples may themselves be counted short stories, so that it might well be said there are about four, pushed to four. But many others have said there are three main stories here and three examples, and that will become clear as they are gone through. The first must be Aṣḥāb al-Kahf, the people of the cave.