Surah Al-Kahf Verse 1

2325 See n. 2324 to 17:111. The theme of the last Surah, that Allah is good and worthy of all praise from His creatures, to whom He has granted a clear revelation, is continued in this Surah. The spirit of man makes gradual progress upwards, through the grace and mercy of Allah. 2326 Some people's idea of a Sacred Book is that it should be full of mysteriesdark corners, ambiguous expressions, words so far removed from human speech that they cover anything or nothing. Pagan oracles were couched in language which suggested one meaning to the hearer and claimed to have the very opposite meaning in the light of events which actually happened subsequently. They were distinctly crooked, not straight. In the next verse, the word "Straight" (qayyim) is used to characterise the Qur'an, in contrast to this word "crooked" ('iwaj). See also 19:36, n. 2488.