Regarding the timing and contextual background of the revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl), it is an earlier Meccan surah, which means it was revealed before Muhammad's hijrah to Medina, instead of after.

[13] Q18:45 Imam Musa al-Kadhim narrates in Kitab al-Kafi that Ali would bequeath his companions to view this world with the vision of an ascetic because it dislodges its residents.

Ali provides them with the parable of a lush, green garden with scented dew that accumulates under the blades of grass but then gets separated from it in the morning, as Allah has said, The third main story within the chapter (verses 60–82[15]) is that of Musa (Moses) traveling to gain knowledge from another servant of God who is never mentioned by name, in tafsir of ibn Kathir he is called Al-Khidr.

[16] Finally, the surah mentions in verses 83–98[17] a man who traveled a great deal and reached the east and the west of the earth – namely, Dhul-Qarnayn (Arabic: ذو القرنين, lit.

In one part of the story, Dhul-Qarnayn helps a tribe of people build a massive wall of iron between two mountains to protect them from the nations of Gog and Magog.

According to Ibn Ishaq, Muhammad's tribe, the powerful Quraysh, were greatly concerned about their tribesman who had started claiming prophethood and wished to consult rabbis about the matter.

There is a hadith in Sahih Muslim that states that Muhammad said (Concerning The False Messiah, Al-Masih ad-Dajjal): "He who amongst you would survive to see him should recite over him the opening verses of Sura Kahf"Another Hadith in Sahih Muslim states: "If anyone learns by heart the first ten verses of Surah Al-Kahf, he will be protected from the Dajjal" The story of believers falling asleep in a cave for a long time is present also in the Christian tradition, see Seven Sleepers.