ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَٰهُمْ لِنَعْلَمَ أَىُّ ٱلْحِزْبَيْنِ أَحْصَىٰ لِمَا لَبِثُوٓا۟ أَمَدًا
Then We awakened them that We might show which of the two factions was most precise in calculating what [extent] they had remained in time.
Al-Kahf 18:12
Juz 15 · Page 294Context
Questions from the rabbis: the People of the Cave
9–26According to Ibn Ishaq, the Quraysh sent an-Nadr ibn al-Harith and Uqba ibn Abi Mu'ayt to the Jewish scholars of Yathrib (Medina) to test the Prophet. The scholars said: "Ask him about the young men of old who took refuge in a cave, about the traveller who reached the east and the west of the earth (Dhul-Qarnayn), and about the spirit; if he knows these, he is a prophet." In response to these questions the relevant sections of Surah al-Kahf were revealed; verses 9-26 relate the story of the young men of the cave.
İbn İshâk, Sîre; Taberî, Câmiu'l-beyân
Revelation context of the surah
Surah-wideAl-Kahf is Meccan. According to classical reports, it was revealed in response to questions the Quraysh put to the Prophet at the prompting of Jewish scholars in Medina, concerning the People of the Cave, Dhul-Qarnayn and the spirit. Through the stories of the People of the Cave, Moses and Khidr, and Dhul-Qarnayn, it offers guidance on faith, knowledge and power.
Klasik tefsir mukaddimeleri; İbn İshak ve esbâb-ı nüzul rivayetleri