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Al-Kahf - 18:86
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حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ مَغْرِبَ الشَّمْسِ
Until, when he reached the setting place of the sun
Means, he followed a route until he reached the furthest point that could be reached in the direction of the sun's setting, which is the west of the earth.
As for the idea of his reaching the place in the sky where the sun sets, this is something impossible, and the tales told by storytellers that he traveled so far to the west that the sun set behind him are not true at all. Most of these stories come from the myths of the People of the Book and the fabrications and lies of their heretics.
وَجَدَهَا تَغْرُبُ فِي عَيْنٍ حَمِيَةٍ
He found it setting in a spring of Hami'ah
Meaning, he saw the sun as if it were setting in the ocean. This is something which everyone who goes to the coast can see:it looks as if the sun is setting into the sea but in fact it never leaves its path in which it is fixed.
Hami'ah is, according to one of the two views, derived from the word Hama'ah, which means mud.
This is like the Ayah:
إِنِّى خَـلِقٌ بَشَرًا مِّن صَلْصَـلٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ
"I am going to create a man (Adam) from dried clay of altered Hama'h (mud).
(15:28)
Which means smooth mud, as we have discussed above.
وَوَجَدَ عِندَهَا قَوْمًا
And he found near it a people
Meaning a nation.
They mentioned that they were a great nation from among the sons of Adam.
قُلْنَا يَا ذَا الْقَرْنَيْنِ إِمَّا أَن تُعَذِّبَ وَإِمَّا أَن تَتَّخِذَ فِيهِمْ حُسْنًا
We (Allah) said (by inspiration):"O Dhul-Qarnayn! Either you punish them or treat them with kindness."
Means, Allah gave him power over them and gave him the choice:if he wanted to, he could kill the men and take the women and children captive, or if he wanted to, he could set them free, with or without a ransom. His justice and faith became apparent in the ruling he pronounced.
Al-Kahf - 18:87
قَالَ أَمَّا مَن ظَلَمَ
He said:"As for him who does wrong
Meaning who persists in his Kufr and in associating others in worship with his Lord,
فَسَوْفَ نُعَذِّبُهُ
We shall punish him
Qatadah said, i.e., by killing him.
ثُمَّ يُرَدُّ إِلَى رَبِّهِ فَيُعَذِّبُهُ عَذَابًا نُّكْرًا
And then he will be brought back unto his Lord, Who will punish him with a terrible torment
Meaning a severe, far-reaching and painful punishment.
This implies a confirmation of the Hereafter and the reward and punishment.
Al-Kahf - 18:88
وَأَمَّا مَنْ امَنَ
But as for him who believes
Meaning 'who follows us in our call to worship Allah Alone with no partner or associate,'
وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا
And works righteousness
فَلَهُ جَزَاء الْحُسْنَى
He shall have the best reward
Meaning in the Hereafter, with Allah.
وَسَنَقُولُ لَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِنَا يُسْرًا
And we (Dhul-Qarnayn) shall speak unto him mild words
Mujahid said, '(words of) kindness.
Al-Kahf - 18:89 & 18:90
His Journey East
Allah tells;
ثُمَّ أَتْبَعَ سَبَبًا
Then he followed (another) way
Al-Kahf - 18:90
حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ مَطْلِعَ الشَّمْسِ
Until, when he came to the rising place of the sun
Allah tells us that Dhul-Qarnayn then traveled from the west of the earth towards the east. Every time he passed a nation, he subjugated the people and called them to Allah. If they obeyed him, all well and good, otherwise he would humiliate them and take their wealth and possessions. From every nation he took what his armies needed to fight the next nation. When he reached the place where the sun rises, as Allah says,
وَجَدَهَا تَطْلُعُ عَلَى قَوْمٍ
He found it rising on a people
Meaning a nation,
لَّمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُم مِّن دُونِهَا سِتْرًا
For whom We (Allah) had provided no shelter against the sun
Meaning, they had no buildings or trees to cover them and shade them from the heat of the sun.
Qatadah said, "It was mentioned to us that they were in a land where nothing grew, so when the sun rose they would go into tunnels until it had passed its zenith, then they would come out to go about their daily lives and earn themselves a living."
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