In Surat al-Kahf (If you had looked at them, you would have turned away from them in flight and been filled with terror of them), why this fear?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. May Allah benefit you. I have another question about Surat al-Kahf. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Kahf 18:18] Why, Honorable Shaykh?
The Shaykh : This is a reverence that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) casts into the hearts of those who look upon them. Otherwise, they are in the same state in which they entered the cave and were hidden there; they have not changed. But you know that Allah the Exalted casts reverence into the hearts of people regarding something that is not truly worthy of reverence, but what Allah the Exalted casts into hearts is sufficient to make that thing terrifying. This indicates that they were in the state they were in before, for when Allah the Exalted revived them after[Al-Kahf 18:25] [Al-Kahf 18:19], if they had changed from what they were when they entered the cave.
The questioner : They would not have been said to be.
The Shaykh : They did not say[Al-Kahf 18:19].
The questioner : Or part of it.
The Shaykh : And you know that people in the ranks of battle, when Allah casts terror into the hearts of the enemies, they flee turning their backs, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in
The questioner : (peace and blessings be upon him).
The Shaykh :Sahih al-Bukhari 438, meaning that his enemy is terrified of him even if there is a distance of a month between them. Do you understand now?
The questioner : Yes, indeed, Honorable Shaykh. May Allah benefit you and reward you with all good.
The Shaykh : May Allah bless you.
If you had looked at them, you would have turned from them in flight and been filled by them with terror.
لَوِ اطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًاThe Shaykh : This is a reverence that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) casts into the hearts of those who look upon them. Otherwise, they are in the same state in which they entered the cave and were hidden there; they have not changed. But you know that Allah the Exalted casts reverence into the hearts of people regarding something that is not truly worthy of reverence, but what Allah the Exalted casts into hearts is sufficient to make that thing terrifying. This indicates that they were in the state they were in before, for when Allah the Exalted revived them after
three hundred years and exceeded by nine.
ثَلَاثَ مِائَةٍ سِنِينَ وَازْدَادُوا تِسْعًاThey said, "We have remained a day or part of a day."
قَالُوا لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍThe questioner : They would not have been said to be.
The Shaykh : They did not say
We have remained a day or part of a day
لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍThe questioner : Or part of it.
The Shaykh : And you know that people in the ranks of battle, when Allah casts terror into the hearts of the enemies, they flee turning their backs, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in
The questioner : (peace and blessings be upon him).
The Shaykh :
I have been given five things which were not given to any amongst the Prophets before me. These are: -1. Allah made me victorious by awe (by His frightening my enemies) for a distance of one month's journey.
أعطيت خمسا لم يعطهن أحد من الأنبياء قبلي نصرت بالرعب مسيرة شهرThe questioner : Yes, indeed, Honorable Shaykh. May Allah benefit you and reward you with all good.
The Shaykh : May Allah bless you.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، 39- في سورة الكهف (لو اطلعت عليهم لوليت منهم فرارا ولملئت منهم رعبا) لماذا هذا الخوف — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.