وَإِذِ ٱعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ فَأْوُۥٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلْكَهْفِ يَنشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّن رَّحْمَتِهِۦ وَيُهَيِّئْ لَكُم مِّنْ أَمْرِكُم مِّرْفَقًا
Commentary:
The verse brings to light the fact that those monotheistic young men were no scattered individuals but they formed part of an organized and disciplined religious community whose members met frequently in private.
The word کھف (Cave) used here shows that when these young men talked of taking shelter in "the cave" they had some specific cave in mind. This cave seems to have already been used as a place of refuge by Roman slaves who had fled from their cruel masters.
It also appears from this verse that before they took refuge in "the cave" these young men had decided that they would repair to that particular cave for shelter when persecution exceeded all bearable bounds and it became impossible for them to live any longer among their people. The words, And now when you have withdrawn from them, show that they had already been the victims of a severe social boycott and had lived apart from their people in a separate group of their own.
The verse brings to light the fact that those monotheistic young men were no scattered individuals but formed part of an organized and disciplined religious community whose members met frequently in private. The verse shows that when these young men talked of taking shelter in the Cave they had some specific Cave in mind. This Cave seems to have already been used as a place of refuge by Roman slaves when they fled from their cruel masters. The words, And now when you have withdrawn from them, signify that they had already been the victims of a severe social boycott and had lived apart from their people in a separate group of their own.