Surah Al-Kahf

الكهف

Surah 18 · Makki · 110 ayahs · Juz 15–16 · pages 293–304 · 12 rukus

Revealed: Makki
Ayahs: 110
Juz: 15–16
Mushaf pages: 293–304
Words: 1,579
Order revealed: 69th (according to Ibn Abbas)
Year: 6th year of Prophethood
Prophets named: Adam, Musa

About Surah Al-Kahf (018)

The Surah answers some questions that the polytheists of Makkah posed to the Prophet ﷺ. The answers came in a very clear way and also challenged them…

The Surah answers some questions that the polytheists of Makkah posed to the Prophet ﷺ. The answers came in a very clear way and also challenged them to accept the message of Islam. In this Surah we have the stories of: the People of the Cave, the man who had two gardens and was very proud of himself, Prophet Musa with a special teacher, Dhul-Qarnain - a pious ruler. These stories are told to emphasize the value of faith, knowledge and patience and the relativity of time.

The Surah is named after the Cave which the Youth retreated to for protection, as mentioned in the Ayat, “And when you have withdrawn from them and that which they worship other than Allah, retreat to the Cave...” (18:16) There are 110 Ayat in this Surah.

Sections

The upright message of the Qur’an.
The companions of the Cave.
The proof of resurrection.
Always remember Allah. Everything depends on Allah’s will.
The parable of an ungrateful person and a grateful person.
Wealth and children are only a passing show.
Satan and his progeny they are the open enemies of human beings.
Allah’s mercy is available all the time.
Prophet Moses’ search for a teacher.
The pious ruler Dhul-Qarnain. Gog and Magog
The real losers and winners.

This surah is published a ruku at a time — the Quran's own reading portion — so each page stays short enough to study properly. Pick where you want to begin.

The 12 rukus of Surah Al-Kahf

Each ruku is a reading portion. This is what each one covers — click any line to open it.

Ruku	What it covers	Ayahs
1	Those who say Allah has begotten a son are uttering a monstrous lie Story of the Companions of the Cave	1–12
2	They were young men who declared the truth about the Oneness of Allah They had to run away and take refuge in a cave	13–17
3	They were in a state of sleep They were awakened by Allah after hundreds of years Their identity was disclosed to resolve the disputed issue of life after death: What a shame that instead of getting the point, people were disputing about their numbers	18–22
4	Whenever you promise to do something in the future, always say: "Insha Allah (If Allah wills)." No one is authorized to change the Word of Allah 18[27] Be content with those who cry unto their Lord 18[28] Proclaim: "Truth from Allah has come, choice is yours: believe it or disbelieve."	23–31
5	Parable of a believer and a disbeliever	32–44
6	Similitude of worldly life and its relationship with the life of the Hereafter Fate of those who follow the Shaitân and commit shirk	45–49
7	Summary being added	50–53
8	Allah has given all kinds of examples in the Qur'an so that the people may understand His Message	54–59
9	The Prophet Musa travelled to find Khizr to learn some of the knowledge given to him by Allah Almighty and Khizr warned Musa that he would not be able to bear with him	60–70
10	The Prophet Musa could not resist questioning Khizr when he made a hole in the boat, and when he killed a boy with no apparent reason The STORY of the Prophet Musa and Khizr	71–82
11	The STORY of king Zul-Qarnain	83–101
12	Fates of the Mushrikeen and the believers on the Day of Judgment Words of Allah are countless and can not be recorded Muhammad (pbuh) is but a human being like you	102–110

Themes of Surah Al-Kahf (018)

Protection from Fitnah (trials and tribulations); Fitnah in religion: In the story of the youth and their tyrant King Fitnah in wealth: In the story…

Protection from Fitnah (trials and tribulations); Fitnah in religion: In the story of the youth and their tyrant King Fitnah in wealth: In the story of the one with two gardens (18:44), Fitnah in knowledge: In the story of Musa and Khidr (18:82), Fitnah in governance: In the story of Dhul Qarnayn (18:83).

Key words of Surah Al-Kahf

Arabic builds its words from a three-letter root; change the pattern around the root and the meaning changes with it. These are the roots this surah keeps returning to, and the words built on each — every word links to the ayah it sits in. More in the Grammar Guide.

Root	Times	Words in this surah
قول	58	قَالُواSay يَقُولُونَThey say فَقَالُواAnd they said
ربب	38	رَبَّنَاOur Lord بِرَبِّهِمْIn their Lord رَبُّIs the Lord
كون	22	كَانُواWere وَكَانَAnd is تَكُنْWas
اله	20	لِلَّهِIs for Allah اللَّهُAllah has taken إِلَهًاAny god
جعل	15	يَجْعَلْHas made جَعَلْنَاWe have made لَجَاعِلُونَWill surely make
اخذ	15	اتَّخَذَAllah has taken اتَّخَذُواHave taken لَنَتَّخِذَنَّSurely we will take
شيا	15	لِشَيْءٍOf anything يَشَاءَAllah wills شَاءَWills
بين	14	بَيِّنٍClear بَيْنَهُمْAmong them بَيْنَهُمَاBetween both of them
اتي	13	آتِنَاGrant us يَأْتُونَThey come فَلْيَأْتِكُمْAnd let him bring to you
كهف	6	الْكَهْفِOf the cave كَهْفِهِمْTheir cave
غدر	2	نُغَادِرْWe will leave behind يُغَادِرُLeaves
فجو	1	فَجْوَةٍThe open space

Introduction and themes from The Qur’an Companion (Qur’an Wiki), Institute of Qur’anic Studies, reproduced unchanged. Key roots are their selection; every word, meaning and count shown here is from ILMHUB’s own Quran database.

Published 21 August 2026