Surah 18. Al-Kahf, Ayah 12
| ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاهُمْ لِنَعْلَمَ أَيُّ الْحِزْبَيْنِ أَحْصَىٰ لِمَا لَبِثُوا أَمَدًا |
| Asad | : | and then We awakened them:10 [and We did all this] so that We might mark out [to the world]11 which of the two points of view showed a better comprehension of the time-span during which they had remained in this state.12 |
| Malik | : | and then awakened them to find out which of the two parties (believers and nonbelievers who were arguing about the fact of life after death) could best tell the length of their stay. |
| Pickthall | : | And afterward We raised them up that We might know which of the two parties would best calculate the time that they had tarried. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | Then We roused them in order to test which of the two parties was best at calculating the term of years they had tarried! 2340 2341 |
| Transliteration | : | thumma bacathnaa -hum li- naclam 'ayy al- h.izbain ah.s.aa li- maa labitho 'amad(an) |
Note - 10Or: "sent them forth" - which may indicate a return to
the active life of this world.
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Note - 11Lit., "so that We might take cognizance of": but since
God embraces all past, present and future with His
knowledge, His "taking cognizance" of an event denotes
His causing it to come into being and, thus, allowing it
to become known by His creatures: hence, "marking it out"
to the world.
|
Note - 12Lit., "which of the two parties" - alluding,
metonymically, to the two viewpoints mentioned in verse
{19} below - "was better at computing the time-span.. .",
etc.: it should, however, be borne in mind that the verb
ahsa does not merely signify "he computed" or "reckoned",
but also "he understood" or "comprehended" (Taj
al~'Arus). Since a "computing" of the time which those
seekers after truth had spent in the cave could have no
particular bearing on the ethical implications of this
parable, ahsa has here obviously the meaning of "better
at comprehending" or "showing a better comprehension" -
namely, of the spiritual meaning of the time-lapse
between their "falling asleep" and their "awakening" (see
note [25] below).
|
Note - 2340Roused them: or raised them up from their sleep or
whatever condition they had fallen into (xviii, 18), so
that they began to perceive the things around them, but
only with the memories of the time at which they had
ceased to be in touch with the world.
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Note - 2341When they awoke to consciousness, they had lost all count
of time. Though they had all entered together, and lain
together in the same place for the same length of time,
their impressions of the time they had passed were quite
different. Time is thus related to our own internal
experiences. We have to learn the lesson that men as good
as ourselves may yet differ as to their reactions to
certain facts, and that in such matters disputes are
unseemly. It is best to say, "Allah knows best" (xviii.
19).
|
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Or: "sent them forth" - which may indicate a return to the active life of this world. |
| |
Lit., "so that We might take cognizance of": but since God embraces all past, present and future with His knowledge, His "taking cognizance" of an event denotes His causing it to come into being and, thus, allowing it to become known by His creatures: hence, "marking it out" to the world. |
| |
Lit., "which of the two parties" - alluding, metonymically, to the two viewpoints mentioned in verse {19} below - "was better at computing the time-span.. .", etc.: it should, however, be borne in mind that the verb ahsa does not merely signify "he computed" or "reckoned", but also "he understood" or "comprehended" (Taj al~'Arus). Since a "computing" of the time which those seekers after truth had spent in the cave could have no particular bearing on the ethical implications of this parable, ahsa has here obviously the meaning of "better at comprehending" or "showing a better comprehension" - namely, of the spiritual meaning of the time-lapse between their "falling asleep" and their "awakening" (see note [25] below). |
| |
Roused them: or raised them up from their sleep or whatever condition they had fallen into (xviii, 18), so that they began to perceive the things around them, but only with the memories of the time at which they had ceased to be in touch with the world. |
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When they awoke to consciousness, they had lost all count of time. Though they had all entered together, and lain together in the same place for the same length of time, their impressions of the time they had passed were quite different. Time is thus related to our own internal experiences. We have to learn the lesson that men as good as ourselves may yet differ as to their reactions to certain facts, and that in such matters disputes are unseemly. It is best to say, "Allah knows best" (xviii. 19). |
