The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 645
PT. 15 R. 3. AL-KAHF CH. 18 over to the right and to the left, b وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًا وَ هُمْ رُقُودُةٌ Thou mightest deem them. 19 awake, whilst they are asleep; وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ and We shall cause them to turn وَكَلْبُهُمْ بَاسِطَ ذِرَاعَيْهِ بِالْوَصِيدِ their dog stretching out his لَوِ اطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًا ,thout hadst had a look at them وَلَمُلِنتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًا forelegs on the threshold. If thou wouldst surely have turned away from them in fright, and wouldst surely have been filled with awe of them. 2059 shows that the Cave covered a vast area. The catacombs at Rome which still exist confirm this view. They enclose a vast area, which has been estimated variously as extending over as many as 870 miles. It also appeals that the catacombs admitted very little light. The Cave was made in such a way as to serve as a hiding place. St. Jerome who visited the catacombs in the 4th century says, "It is all so dark that the language of the Prophet (Ps. 55. 15) seems to be fulfilled, 'let them go down quick into Hell'. Only occasionally is light let in to mitigate the horror of the gloom, and then not so much through a window as through a hole" (Enc. Brit. , 11th edition, vol. 5, p. 491). By pointing to the position of the Cave which faced northward, God intended to warn Muslims that they had an enemy in northern regions about whom they should particularly be on their guard. Muslims disregarded this timely warning and fell easy victims to the machinations of their enemy. Instead of presenting 1853 a united front they fell out among themselves and facilitated his task. The intrigues of the Abbasids of Baghdad and their unseemly approaches to the Byzantine Empire of Constantinople for help on the one hand and the intrigues of the Moors in Spain with the Vatican on the other, led to their progressive decline and ultimate destruction. The solidarity of Islam suffered a fatal blow from these internal dissensions. 2059. Important Words: يقظ awake) is the plural of) ايقاظا (yaqizun) which is derived from be (yaqiza) which means, he awoke; he did not sleep. (yaqizun) means, a man waking; a man vigilant, wary, cautious, or in a state of preparation; having his attention roused and possessing knowledge and much intelligence (Lane & Aqrab). راقد asleep) is the plural of) رقود which which is derived from means, he slept. They say. . he abstained or held back from the affair; he neglected it.