Quraysh’s Dialogue with the Messenger and the Explanation of Surah al-Kahf

Islam continued to spread among Quraysh, among men and women. Quraysh detained those it could seize and tried to turn Muslims away from their religion. The account continues from ‘Utbah’s meeting: he had heard the Messenger recite Qur’an and advised Quraysh to leave him alone, but the persecution did not cease.

Ibn Ishaq related from Ibn ‘Abbas that a group of Quraysh leaders gathered near the Ka‘bah after sunset, including ‘Utbah and Shaybah ibn Rabi‘ah, Abu Sufyan, al-Nadr ibn al-Harith, Abu al-Bakhtari, al-Aswad ibn al-Muttalib, Zam‘ah, al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah, Abu Jahl, ‘Abd Allah ibn Abi Umayyah, al-‘As ibn Wa’il, and others. They invited Muhammad, hoping to negotiate. They accused him of insulting their forefathers, criticizing their religion and gods, and dividing their community. They offered to make him the wealthiest among them, their leader, or their king. If an apparition troubled him, they would pay for treatment.

The report’s transmitters and several names differ among manuscripts. The word used for an apparition refers to a being thought to follow a person from among the jinn. The notes explain that the leaders said they wanted to establish their case before taking action.

The Messenger replied that he had not come seeking their wealth, status, or kingship. Allah had sent him as a Messenger and revealed a Book to him; he had conveyed his Lord’s message and counselled them. If they accepted it, it would benefit them in this life and the next; if they rejected him, he would patiently await Allah’s judgment. Quraysh then asked him to pray that the mountains be moved away, their land widened, rivers like those of Syria and Iraq be made to flow, and their forefathers, including Qusayy ibn Kilab, be raised so they could ask them whether Muhammad spoke truth.

Al-Suhayli explains that the demanded signs were requests for coercive, immediate proof, whereas the purpose of revelation is that people recognize and affirm the truth through reflection and choice. He cites Qur’an 17:59 and 21:107 in discussing why the Messenger was sent as a mercy and why rejecting demanded signs would have brought immediate punishment.

The leaders next asked the Messenger to obtain a companion angel who would confirm his words, gardens and palaces of gold and silver, and freedom from the need to work in the markets. The Messenger said he would not ask his Lord for these things and had not been sent with them; he was sent as a bearer of good news and a warner. They demanded that the sky fall upon them in pieces. He replied that this was for Allah to decide. They accused a man in al-Yamamah, whom they called al-Rahman, of teaching him, and threatened not to leave him alone until they overcame or destroyed him. Some said they worshipped angels as Allah’s daughters and would not believe until they saw Allah and the angels.

The commentary discusses why Allah did not grant every demand for a sign and cites the source’s argument that immediate, unavoidable knowledge would remove the test of belief and the basis for reward. It also records another report that Quraysh asked for al-Safa to be turned to gold, then declined when warned that denial after witnessing such a sign would bring swift punishment.

As the Messenger left, his cousin ‘Abd Allah ibn Abi Umayyah followed him. He said that Quraysh had offered him wealth and leadership, asked him for signs to confirm his standing with Allah, and asked him to hasten the punishment he warned them about; he had refused everything. ‘Abd Allah swore he would never believe unless the Messenger climbed a ladder to heaven while he watched, returned with four angels to testify, and thereby proved his claim. The Messenger returned home saddened by their rejection and by the loss of the hope he had placed in them.

Abu Jahl said he would wait for the Messenger the next day with a large stone and strike his head when he prostrated. He asked Quraysh either to hand him over afterward or protect him; they promised not to abandon him and told Abu Jahl to do as he wished.

The report identifies ‘Abd Allah ibn Abi Umayyah as the son of the Messenger’s paternal aunt ‘Atikah. The notes also preserve a later report about his acceptance of Islam.

The next morning Abu Jahl took a stone and waited. The Messenger prayed facing toward Syria, with the Ka‘bah between him and that direction. When the Messenger prostrated, Abu Jahl approached with the stone, then retreated in terror, his color changed and his hands stiff around it. He dropped it. Asked what happened, he said a huge camel had appeared between him and the Messenger, unlike any he had ever seen, and seemed ready to devour him. Ibn Ishaq was told that the Messenger said it was Gabriel and that, had Abu Jahl come nearer, the angel would have seized him.

After hearing Abu Jahl’s account, al-Nadr ibn al-Harith stood and warned Quraysh that a grave matter had come upon them. Muhammad had once been the young man they trusted most, truthful and reliable. Now, when he had grown older and brought them a message, they called him a sorcerer, soothsayer, poet, and madman. Al-Nadr insisted that none of these descriptions fit and urged them to consider the matter carefully.

The source records variant descriptions of the Ka‘bah’s corners and of the apparition Abu Jahl saw. A separate hadith report describes a trench of fire and angels between him and the Messenger. Genealogical variants are given for al-Nadr.

Al-Nadr had travelled to al-Hirah and learned accounts of Persian kings, Rustam, and Isfandiyar. When the Messenger spoke to people about Allah and warned them of the punishment that befell earlier nations, al-Nadr would take his place afterward and say, “I tell better stories than Muhammad.” He entertained Quraysh with tales of Persia and asked how Muhammad’s stories could be better than his. Ibn Hisham associates al-Nadr with the claim, “I can bring down something like what Allah has sent down.” Quraysh then sent al-Nadr and ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu‘ayt to the Jewish scholars of Medina to ask them about Muhammad.

Quraysh told them to describe the Messenger and his message to the scholars, saying that the People of the Book possessed knowledge they did not. The two men travelled to Medina and presented their questions.

The notes identify variants in the Persian names and quote Qur’anic passages associated with al-Nadr. They explain the sorcerers’ knots and breath, the forms of poetry, and the meanings of several rare words in the verses.

The Jewish scholars told al-Nadr and ‘Uqbah to ask about young men of an earlier age with an extraordinary story, a traveller who reached the east and west of the earth, and the spirit. If Muhammad answered, they said, he was a sent Prophet; if not, Quraysh could decide what to do. Al-Nadr and ‘Uqbah returned to Makkah and told Quraysh they had brought a decisive test.

Quraysh asked the Messenger about the young men, the world-traveller, and the spirit. He said, “I will tell you tomorrow,” but did not add “if Allah wills.” They left.

The manuscripts differ over the wording of the Messenger’s promise. Reports differ about how long revelation was delayed; this account says fifteen nights, while other reports say three days. The notes explain the expression for spreading alarming rumors.

The delay in revelation saddened the Messenger, and people in Makkah began to spread rumors. Gabriel then came with Surah al-Kahf, addressing his grief and bringing the account of the young men, the traveller, and the spirit. When the Messenger said Gabriel had been absent, Gabriel replied with Qur’an 19:64: “We do not descend except by the command of your Lord. To Him belongs what is before us, what is behind us, and what is between; your Lord is never forgetful.”

Ibn Ishaq explains the opening praise, “Praise belongs to Allah who sent down the Book upon His servant” (18:1), as affirming Muhammad’s Prophethood. The Book is straight, without contradiction; it warns of a severe punishment and gives believers who do good the promise of lasting reward. It warns those who claim that Allah has taken a son, including Quraysh’s claim that the angels are His daughters. The claim is grave and unsupported by knowledge. The passage then tells the Messenger not to destroy himself with grief if people reject the message (18:6).

Ibn Hisham explains that “destroying oneself” means perishing from grief and cites Arabic poetry using the verb. The commentary preserves variants in the timing of the pause in revelation.

The Qur’an describes the People of the Cave and the Inscription as one of Allah’s signs, though other signs are greater (18:9). The young men sought refuge in the cave and prayed for mercy and right guidance. Allah caused them to sleep for a number of years and then awakened them so it would be known which group best reckoned their period of stay (18:10–12). They were young men who believed in their Lord, and Allah increased them in guidance and strengthened their hearts. They declared that their Lord is the Lord of the heavens and earth and that worshipping any other deity would be an unjust excess (18:13–15).

The passage says that the sun leaned away from their cave at sunrise and passed them on the left at sunset, while they lay in an open space within it (18:16–17). Ibn Hisham explains that the sun’s movement is described as turning aside and that the cave’s open space gave them room.

The Inscription is explained as a record of their story, though other interpretations are recorded, including the cave’s mountain or village. Ibn Hisham glosses “excess” as going beyond the truth and explains the rare words describing the cave’s spaciousness.

The Qur’anic account continues: had a person looked upon the sleepers, he would have turned away in fear. People differed over their number, guessing without knowledge; Allah knows their number best, and the Messenger is told not to dispute about them except openly or ask others for hidden knowledge (18:18–22). The Messenger is instructed not to promise that he will do something tomorrow without saying “if Allah wills,” to remember Allah if he forgets, and to ask for guidance to what is nearer to right (18:23–24). Their stay is given as three hundred years, with nine added (18:25). Allah knows best how long they remained, for the unseen of the heavens and earth belongs to Him (18:26).

The account then turns to the question of the man who travelled widely: “They ask you about Dhu al-Qarnayn. Say: I will recite to you a report about him” (18:83). Allah established him in the land and gave him means to travel.

Ibn Hisham explains the cave’s entrance and records variant interpretations of the Inscription and the sleepers’ number. The commentary discusses the phrase “three hundred years and nine” and its grammatical form.

Ibn Ishaq relates that Dhu al-Qarnayn was given extraordinary means and travelled to the furthest east and west, ruling the peoples he reached. A report from transmitters of Persian accounts names him Marzuban ibn Mardubah, a Greek from the descendants of Yunan ibn Japheth ibn Noah. Ibn Hisham identifies him as Alexander, builder of Alexandria. Another report describes him as a king who traversed the earth by means placed at his disposal.

The editors note that accounts differ widely over Dhu al-Qarnayn’s identity and say that a fuller survey would be inconclusive. A report from ‘Umar disapproves of calling people by angelic names; al-Suhayli explains that ‘Umar’s objection concerned excess, since the Prophet himself gave some Companions such kunyas.

The Qur’an asks about Dhu al-Qarnayn, saying Allah established him in the land and gave him means to travel (18:83–85). Ibn Ishaq reports that he travelled to the furthest east and west and ruled the peoples he reached. One tradition calls him Marzuban ibn Mardubah, a Greek descended from Yunan ibn Japheth; Ibn Hisham identifies him as Alexander, builder of Alexandria. Another report describes him as a king who traversed the earth by means Allah placed at his disposal.

The editors note that traditions differ widely about Dhu al-Qarnayn’s identity and that the disagreement is inconclusive. A report from ‘Umar disapproves of calling people by angelic names; al-Suhayli explains that ‘Umar objected to excess, since the Prophet himself gave some Companions such kunyas.

Ibn Ishaq recounts a report that Dhu al-Qarnayn was given extraordinary means and travelled across the earth. The text then turns from the world-traveller to the remaining question Quraysh had asked: the spirit.

Ibn Ishaq says Allah knows whether the Messenger himself said that Dhu al-Qarnayn was a king who traversed the earth. Concerning the question about the spirit, the Qur’an says: “The spirit is of the command of my Lord, and you have been given only a little knowledge” (17:85).

A report from Ibn ‘Abbas says that Jewish scholars in Medina asked whether “you have been given only a little knowledge” referred to them or to Quraysh. The Messenger replied, “Both.” They pointed to the Torah’s claim to explain all things. He said that, in relation to Allah’s knowledge, what they knew was little, even if it would suffice them were they to act by it. The account cites Qur’an 31:27: even if every tree on earth were pens and the sea, replenished by seven seas, were ink, Allah’s words would not be exhausted.

The commentary preserves disagreement about the application of the verse on limited knowledge and discusses scholarly views on personal names and kunyas.

The account says that Quraysh asked for the mountains to be moved, the land opened, rivers made to flow, and their dead ancestors raised. The response cited is: “If there were a Qur’an by which mountains were moved, the earth split, or the dead addressed, the command belongs wholly to Allah” (13:31). The Messenger’s signs were not granted at the demands of his opponents; he delivered what Allah had sent him with.

In response to their demand that he acquire gardens, palaces, treasure, and an angelic witness, the Qur’an asks: “What is the matter with this Messenger that he eats food and walks in the markets? Why was an angel not sent with him? Or a treasure given to him, or a garden from which he could eat?” (25:7–10). The passage says that earlier messengers also ate food and walked in markets, and that people are a trial for one another (25:20).

The notes explain the imagery of a spring, the words for pieces falling from the sky and witnesses appearing in person, and the rare vocabulary of the Qur’anic responses. They record variants in the transmitted wording.

Ibn Hisham explains rare words in the requests for a spring, a golden house, and witnesses appearing in person, with examples from Arabic poetry. He records variant readings in the verses and their commentary.

The Qur’an responds to demands for a spring, a garden with rivers, the sky to fall in pieces, Allah and the angels to appear, a house of gold, and a written book brought down from heaven (17:90–93). The answer says, “Glory be to my Lord! Am I anything but a human messenger?”

Quraysh claimed that a man in al-Yamamah called al-Rahman taught Muhammad. The Qur’an answers that the Messenger recites revelation from Allah even though they disbelieve in the Most Merciful (13:30).

The Qur’an addresses Abu Jahl’s attempt to stop the Messenger from praying: “Have you seen the one who forbids a servant when he prays? Have you considered whether he is upon guidance or commands righteousness? … If he does not stop, We will seize him by the forelock, a lying, sinful forelock. Let him call his assembly; We will call the guards of Hell. Do not obey him, but prostrate and draw near” (96:9–19).

Ibn Hisham explains that the threat to seize someone by the forelock means to pull and take hold of him. He explains that the “assembly” is where a group gathers and manages its affairs, and that the “guards” are the stern keepers of Hell. The notes identify al-Rahman in this report with Musaylimah, who had used that name.

The Qur’an answers the offer of wealth with: “Say: Whatever payment I have asked of you is yours; my reward is only with Allah, and He is witness over all things” (34:47).

Although Quraysh recognized the truthfulness of the Messenger and the knowledge of the unseen conveyed in his answers, envy kept them from believing. They persisted in disbelief and urged one another: “Do not listen to this Qur’an; make noise over it, so that you may prevail” (41:26).

Abu Jahl mocked the report that nineteen angels guard the Fire, asking whether each hundred Quraysh men could not defeat one. Quraysh dispersed whenever the Messenger recited aloud in prayer. Anyone who wished to listen did so secretly, fearing the others’ harm.

Ibn ‘Abbas said that “Do not recite your prayer too loudly or too quietly, but seek a way between” (17:110) was revealed concerning those listeners: the Messenger should not recite so loudly that Quraysh dispersed, nor so quietly that a person hoping to hear could not benefit. The account then begins the next section, naming ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud as the first to recite the Qur’an aloud in Makkah after the Messenger.