Surah Al-Kahf (الْكَهْف) — The Cave
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Al-Kahf is the 18th surah, 110 verses long, and the surah Muslims recite every Friday. There's a hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet ﷺ (PBUH) said whoever recites Al-Kahf on Friday will have light shining for them between this Friday and the next. That's the basis of the practice.
Most scholars including Ibn Abbas say Al-Kahf is a Makki surah. What makes it unusual is that it's built around four stories, all of them about being tested.
The first story gives the surah its name. Some young men in a town refused to give up their faith, so they hid in a cave. Allah caused them to sleep there for over 300 years, and when they woke up the world had changed. This is the Companions of the Cave. The second story is about a man who owned two beautiful gardens and got arrogant about his wealth, until Allah destroyed the gardens and the man realised what he had wasted. The third story is the famous one about Musa (Moses) travelling with a mysterious teacher named Khidr, who keeps doing things that seem wrong (sinking a boat, killing a young man, repairing a wall for free) until he finally explains why. The fourth story is about Dhul-Qarnayn, a powerful king who travelled across the world and built a wall to hold back Gog and Magog.
Each story is a different kind of test. Faith, wealth, knowledge, power. The surah is read on Friday because Friday is the day of gathering, and these are the four trials that will tend to come up in any human life.
How many verses are in Surah Al-Kahf?
One hundred and ten verses. It's the 18th surah in the Quran.
Why is Surah Al-Kahf recited on Friday?
There's a hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet ﷺ said anyone who recites Al-Kahf on Friday will have light between that Friday and the next. A lot of Muslims read the whole surah every Friday morning or evening.
What is Surah Al-Kahf about?
Four main stories, each about a different kind of test. The Companions of the Cave (faith), the Owner of Two Gardens (wealth), Musa and Khidr (knowledge), and Dhul-Qarnayn (power). The structure is what makes the surah so compelling.