Authored By: Mg. Er. Shoaib Mohammed
31-Oct-2014 (Fri), 7-‘Muharram’-1436 (Yaum al-Jumu‘ah)
Kolkata, Bengal, India
Islamic Spirituality and Suwrah Kahf
Suwrah Kahf is the most important Suwrah of Akhiruzzaman. The reading of Suwrah Kahf protects us from the greatest Fitnah – the Fitnah of the Dajjal.
To understand how it does so, we need to understand the link between Islamic Spirituality and Suwrah Kahf.
When we walk in the path of Islamic Spirituality, Allah (s) fills our heart with nuwr.
This nuwr in our heart helps us to understand the truth (and filter out the falsehood), it helps us to understand the reality (as opposed to ‘appearance’).
It is this nuwr that helps us understand the reality of the modern age, and the Fitnah of the Dajjal.
And, it is this understanding that protects us from the Dajjal.
The reading of Suwrah Kahf is an act which helps us to walk in the path of Islamic Spirituality.
The Prophet (s) said,
Read – Suwratu al-Kahfi. This act will protect you from the fitnah of the Dajjal.
[Hadiyth]
This statement of the Prophet (s) is present (with variant readings) in several Hadiyth narrations.
Let us bring to the table all such narrations.
Read the Full Chapter of the Cave
Ali (a) said that the Messenger of Allah (s) said: “Whoever reads (Suwratu al-) Kahf on Yawm al-Jumu’ah, he is immune for 8 days from all fitnah that will happen. When the Dajjal comes out, he will be immune to him.”
[Ibn Mardwiyah; Daiya’ in Al-Mukhtaar]
“It has reached us that whoever recites Suwratu al-Kahf on Jumu’ah’s will be protected from the Dajjal.”
[Shafi`I in al-Umm 1:239]
Abu Sa’īd al-Khudri reports that the Prophet said: “Whoever recites Suwratu al-Kahf on Yawm al-Jumu’ah would have illumination from the light from one Jumu’ah to the next (or light shall shine forth for him between the two Jumuah’s).”
[Tirmīdhi 2175; Nasā’I; Hākim 2/399 – Sahih; Related by Bayhaqi; As-Sunan Baihaqī 3/249 – Sahih (same narrators as Hakim but a different chain); Bayhaqi transmitted it in Kitāb al-Da’wah al-Kabīr; Ibn Hajar said in Takhreej al-Adhkaar that this is a hasan hadeeth and he said this is the strongest report that has been narrated concerning reading Suwratu al-Kahf; Ibn Hajar in Talkhis al-Habīr; Fayd al-Qadeer 6/198; It was classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’ 6470]
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (r) said: The Messenger of Allah (s) said: “Whoever reads Suwratu al-Kahf on Yawm (the day of) al-Jumu’ah, a light will shine for him from beneath his feet to ‘Aden in the heavens (the clouds/peak of the sky), which will shine for him on the Day of Resurrection (the Last Day), and he will be forgiven (his sins) between the two Jumu’ah’s.”
[Related by Ibn Mardwiyah/Mardwwiyah; Al-Mundhiri said this was narrated by Abu Bakr ibn Mardawayh (Ibn Mardwiyah) in his Tafseer with an isnaad with which there was nothing wrong (al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, 1/298); Sayyed Sāqib in ‘Fiqh as-Sunnah’ declares that this Hadiyth is related by Ibn Mardwwiyah with a faultless chain]
Abu Sa’īd al-Khudri said that the Messenger of Allah (s) said, “Whoever reads Suwratu al-Kahf has a light for him from ‘maqaamahu’ his place (where he is standing) to Makkah; and whoever reads 10 ayaat from the end of it (the last 10 ayaat) then the Dajjal comes out, he will not be harmed by him.”
[Tabarani in Al-Awsat; Haakim in Mustadrak and who declared it sahih; Ibn Mardwiyah; Baihaqi; Diyaa’]
From Abu Sa’īd al-Khudri, who said: “Whoever reads Suwratu al-Kahf on the night of Jumu’ah, will have a light that will stretch between him and the Ancient House (the Ka’bah).”
[Narrated by al-Daarimi 3407; This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami 6471]
Al Baraa’ said a man was reading Suwratu al-Kahf in his home and there was an animal in it (he did not specify if it was a cat or dog or goat – he just used the general term for animal) that started to become uneasy or nervous. He looked up and saw a mist or a cloud and it deceived him. He mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah (s) and he said, “Read (he said the person’s name) for verily sakiynah (tranquillity) descends for (the recitation of) Quran.”
[The person who was reading was ‘Aseed bin Hadheer as Tabarani explained; Bukhari; Muslim; and others]
On the authority of Aiesha (r) the Messenger of Allah (s) said, “Shall I not inform you of a suwrah which is so full of greatness it reaches between the heaven and earth and it has blessings written for it of similar proportions (from the sky to earth) whoever reads it on Yawm al-Jumu’ah is forgiven what occurred between that Jumu’ah and the next, in addition to 3 days (i.e. 10 days in all) and whoever reads the last 5 ayaat of it when he goes to sleep, Allah will send him that night what he wants? They said, Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He said: Suwratu Ashaabu al-Kahf.”
Read the First 10 or the Last 10 Verses of Suwratu al-Kahf
Abū Darda reported that Allah’s Messenger said, “If anyone memorizes the first 10 verses of Suwratu al-Kahf, he would be protected from the Dajjāl.”
[Sahīh Muslim, Book-4 (The Book of Prayers – Kitab Al-Salat), Chapter-135 (Excellence Of Surah Al-Kahf And Ayat Al-Kursi), Hadiyth-1766; Abu Dawud; Nasai; and others]
This hadith has been transmitted by Qatada with the same chain of transmitters. But Shu’bah (one of the narrators) said: “From/At the end of Surah al-Kahf.” But Hammam said: “At the beginning of Surah al-Kahf.”
[Sahīh Muslim, Book-4 (The Book of Prayers – Kitab Al-Salat), Chapter-135 (Excellence Of Surah Al-Kahf And Ayat Al-Kursi), Hadiyth-1767; Abu Dawud; Nasai; Ahmad; Ibn Hibban]
In another version it says, “10 ayaat from the beginning of it or 10 ayaat from the end of it.”
[Tirmīdhi – Sahih]
Abu Darda’ said the Messenger of Allah (s) said, “Whoever reads the last 10 ayaat from Suwratu al-Kahf, he will be immune from the fitnah (corruption) of the Dajjal.”
[Ahmad, Muslim, Abu Dawud, An-Nisaa’ie, and Ibn Habban]
Read the First 3 Verses of Suwratu al-Kahf
“He who among you will survive to see him (the Dajjāl) should recite over him the opening verses of Suwratu al-Kahf.”
[Sahīh Muslim, Book-41 (The Book Pertaining to the Turmoil and Portents of the Last Hour – Kitab Al-Fitan wa Ashrat As-Sa`ah), Chapter-18 (Account Of The Dajjal And His Features And What Would Be Along With Him), Hadiyth-7015]
Narrated Abū Darda’: Allah’s Messenger (s) said, “He who recites three verses at the beginning of al-Kahf would be protected from the trial of the Dajjāl.”
[Tirmīdhi, Book-48 (Book on Virtues of the Quran), Chapter-6, Virtues of Suwratu al-Kahf, Hadiyth-2895 – Sahih; Mundhiri in al-Targhib wa’l Tarhib 2172-2173]
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