The treasures of Surat Al-Kahf: the cave (episode 17: epilogue; vs99-108)

• Episode 17: Epilogue; VS99-108

The previous episode allowed us to reach the end of Moses/Dhū – Qarnayn. By the same, it was obviously the last story proposed by Sura 18, Surate The cave/Al – Kahf. It thus obviously appears that the last verses of Surah are from the point of view of its composition in a different logic. Currently, vs 99-108 make a epilogue while the VS101-110 form the conclusion.

Here is an extract from our Literal exegesis of the Koran(1) As for this chapter II. The text of this passage is given according to our Literal translation of the Koran(2) published in 2024:

Epilogue

99. We will let one that day intertwine to others like the waves … Then we will ring the horn and we will bring them together, totally.
100. We will present the Gehenna to the Dénégators that day, amply,
101. They whose people were in concealment as to my recall and did not want to be hearing.
102. The denials expected to take my worshipers as masters! In truth, for the denials we have prepared Gehenna as a accommodation.
103. Say : Would we advise you on those who in fact works are the greatest losers?
104. These are those whose effort was lost in life here below when they thought they were acting excellently!
105. These are those who denied the signs of their Lord as well as his meeting, their works will therefore have been in vain and, on the day of appearance, we will not give them any weight, in no way.
106. This is so, their salary will be gehenna because they are distinguished and they took my verses and my messengers.
107. In truth, those who have believed and worked in good, the gardens of the paradisiacal immensity will be their accommodation.
108. They will remain timelessly and will not desire any change.

وَتَرَكْنَا بَعضَهُمْ يَوْم fles ي يَمُوجُ في بَعضٍ وَنُف! جَهَنَّمَ يَوْم fles ل ل sale passes politsever عاishes عَرضًا (100) الَذذ assذ attack كَانَتْ أَعْي sol يَسْت fles طونَ سَمْعًا (101) أَفَحَسany policy الَذذ assذ attack ranceAS كَرُوا أَنْ يَت foldsخ attacks sol. أ politiquenuesincْنَا جَنَّمَ ل sale passes politstersاف OFTEN STAGE نُلًا (102) قُلْ هَلْ نُنَب shuttle ض politل politّ سَعْيُهُمْ في الْحَيَا gentaires sale الدُنْنْنْنْustoms وَهُمْ يَحْسَبُونَ أَن troublesّهُمْ يُحْس sale settle كَرُوا بآَيَاتishes shutout ره shuttle. (105) ذَلcing shuttle جَزَاؤههُمْ جَمُ ب pressement كَ Our كَرُوا ( وَعَمOU mechanism hospital. حcingatti sale (108)

As a reminder, here is the V98 : ” He says: This is a mercy of my Lord, but when my Lord’s promise will be, he will pulverize him; My Lord’s promise will be, truly. We underlined it in the previous episode, this verse gave the conclusion of the third journey of Moses/DHūL – L – Qarnayn. We will now note that it could not be connected by the meaning and the function to the V99 which in fact is the first verse of this epilogue; We come back to this point further on this point.

Explicitly therefore, the VS99-108 form a epilogueconstruction that we meet for example in the Sura 12 Joseph It too a sura built on the story and which, in a remarkable way, also concerns qurayshites and their attitude towards the Prophet. Now, we must keep in mind that the present Surah is also addressed to the Meccan idolaters, VS4-8as a message highlighting the relationships between illusory appearances and proven reality, here accentuated by the reality of the theme already treated with VS45-53. These qurayshites peddled the prophet of stories relating in particular to ” Caverne companions “And to” DHū–L – Qarnayn »With an intention to threatening accents, see at V28. The Koran, after having in its counter-recovery evoked the simple historical reality of these legendary facts, now recalls what will be the reality of their future. The Koranic epilogues therefore synthesize the general philosophy of the theme treated in their suras.

– Thus, we can see in this epilogue that all of this remarks concern the fate of ” denial/Al – Khasfirīn “, VS100 And 102those ” which denied the signs of their Lord “, VS105 And 106and who in short ” were in concealment “, V101. They live in illusion ” in the life here below when they thought they had to excel “, V104taking ” beyond “God of” worshipers “From God” as masters “, V102. Their voluntary interpretation of ” Signs “, V105of the ” verses “And” Messengers “, V106corresponds to their denial of realities and their ” primary meaning/ta’wīL “, V78that they refer to the only area of ​​interpretative appearances by play and voluntary ignorance. They consider them ” mockingly “, V106to the point that their own life will only be apprehensive and illusions and that it is said of them: ” would we advise ourselves of those who in fact works are the greatest losers “, V103.

– It is therefore in the perspective of the final reality that the V99 understands: ” We will let one that day intertwine to others like the waves … Then we will ring the horn and we will bring them together, totally. However, we have detailed it, the exegesis voluntarily assimilated the fantasy projections of the destructive return of the Gog and Magog at the end of time as imagined by Judaism and Christianity, and we have seen V92 the theological intentions that presided. As a result, our commentators have linked the V98 At V99 and following. This V99 was therefore interpreted as follows: ” We (God) let them leave them (i.e. gog and magog)that day, surge (on earth to destroy the nations) like the waves on each other, and we will blow in the trunk (It will be the beginning of the end of time after a reign of peace under the domination of Islam guided by Jesus) And we will bring them together (On the day of judgment) “, Standard translation, the comment included is us.

– However, apart from the fact that the Koranic subject in contrast to these eschatological hallucinations inscribes this story in a short historical period since then and disappeared, we have clearly demonstrated that the V98 As a conclusion of stories of Moses/DHūL – L – Qarnayn is necessarily independent of what follows. To achieve its ends, exegesis has therefore Messinterprété the V99 that it has also connected to S21.V96 just as grataled as we justify ad loc. Currently we will only indicate that the verb ” swing »Is not mentioned in this V99it is added by the standard translation to create the illusion of the surge of Gog and Magog imagined by the exegesis in particular in S21.V96. Literally, the verb used is MhasJhas that means wavesbut as it is given in addition ba’ḍa-hum fī ba’ḍ In the sense of: each otherthe meaning wanted is indeed ” some intertwine to others like the waves ». Consequently, this evokes nothing other than the image of the mass outlet of all the dead from the earth emerging in successive waves and pell-mell before the last horn bell sounds and that they are all gathered for ” The appearance/Al – qiyhasmy “, V105for the last judgment: ” then we will ring the horn and we will bring them together, totally ».

– Finally, the facts mentioned in this epilogue are all formulated in the verbal mode of the past, the accomplished, when we could have expected what they are in the future. However, this process is frequent when there are evoked scenes taking place after the destruction of the earth and the heavens in another ontological reality in which the presence of God and the angels indicates that there is neither space nor time. This again confirms that it is not a question of evoking the emergence of Gog and Magog before the end of time, because the said end of time is an eschatological moment still in our space-time.

– ” In truth, those who have believed and worked in good, the gardens of the paradise paradise will be their accommodation “, V107.

We have returned the term firdaws by ” paradise immensity ». However, it was supposed that the word firdaws would come from old Persia Pairidæza signifier enclosure,, parkthen that he would have been arabized in the form farhassay who recalling an Arab plural would then have been used for the formation of the singular firdaws. Others make it a borrowing from Hebrew forgives or to the Aramaic pardons signifier garden. Some, Hellenizing, consider that it is a loan from the Greek paradèisos Although this term is very likely to be borrowed from one of these semitic languages. However, on the one hand, there would be a duplicate of meaning here between ” Gardens/Jannhast And the word firdaws If it depended on one of these etymologies attaching it all to the idea of ​​the garden. On the other hand, this etymological link would assume that ” Gardens Paradise is closed and consequently limited, which cannot be the case. We note then that in this verse as in its second Koranic occurrence in S23.V11, firdaws is grammatically available as an Arabic word and it would therefore be less speculative to suppose that this term derives from the quadrilateral verbal root ferds in the sense of fulfill. From there drifts the noun pardas :: extent,, widthAnd firdaws According to a regular scheme would indicate ” paradise immensity “Said” gardens ». This perfectly characterizes paradise, unlimited, immeasurable, infinite, as described allegorically in the Koran. Finally, it is regularly asserted that the firdaws would be the highest degree in paradise, but we can see in this V107 that this is the award of ” Those who have believed and acted in good », Which corresponds only to the general attribution. In addition, there cannot be a hierarchy in paradise since it is only the allegory of the bliss of souls elected in God on this last point, cf. Our study: Paradise according to the Koran and in Islam. In any event, this is therefore the purpose to be sought beyond the appearances of reality.

*****

Dr Al Ajamî

(1) For our Literal exegesis of the Korancf. https://www.alajami.fr/ouvrages/

(2) For our Literal translation of the Korancf. https://www.alajami.fr/produced/le-coran-le-message-a-lorigine/