Christians Falling into the Trap of Shirk through Satan’s Deception
A Study in the Light of the Qur’an
Assoc. Prof. Engin Eren Desteli
September 2026, Istanbul
It is a fact that the Muslim world unfortunately does not have a good image. Communities that do not say “the Qur’an alone,” that divide into sects, and that do not use their reason cannot be expected to improve. In this article, which I have written for the Western world, my aim is to help readers thoroughly understand the Qur’an’s message concerning associating partners with our Exalted Allah: that this must never be done.
Has the time not come to move away from the religion of one’s forefathers and search for the truth? I would consider myself happy if I could reach even one person who is not on the right path but is searching for the truth.
Please examine the miracles of the Qur’an by checking them yourselves, and be certain that our Lord is the one and only Creator and that He can never have a partner. It is very important to recognize the evidence-based, testable miracles in the Qur’an, because only in this way can a person who uses reason see that the Glorious Qur’an is a book containing no contradiction whatsoever and containing matters related to the positive sciences such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry, as well as the future, history, and many other subjects that no human being at the time the Qur’an was revealed could possibly have known, and thus come to faith. True faith is to believe in the Lord of the Worlds without shirk and by seeing His signs in nature and within one’s own self. A book containing such evidence-based, testable miracles that human beings could never have written can only have come from the Creator of the universe and the other universes.
I will give you two links. Please take the time to examine the Qur’anic miracles there and test them yourselves. The first link I will give is in Turkish, but with the help of artificial intelligence you can translate it into English or another language, study the subjects, and carry out the analyses yourselves.
- The website is called kuranmucizeler.com. It is in Turkish and contains very detailed, scientific studies of the Qur’an. It is the website of Prof. İbrahim Esinler, who also has a YouTube channel with the same name.
- The second site is asronspace.net, which belongs to Mustafa Kılavuzoğlu. It is a website where the Qur’an is examined from a scientific perspective. The articles on the site can be read in English, French, and Arabic. There is also a YouTube channel with the same name.
When examining the issue of Christians becoming involved in shirk, we should first understand certain concepts thoroughly; this will make the subject clearer in our minds.
What Is Shirk?
Shirk means associating or making partners. It means taking, beneath the Exalted Allah, lawgivers in religion alongside His judgment (the Qur’an); taking lawgivers in religion beneath the holy scriptures; and adopting books in religion other than the Qur’an.
Prayer is directed only to the Exalted Allah. In calling/prayer, no one other than the Exalted Allah is ever called upon to act as an intermediary. Saying things such as “for the sake of so-and-so” is entirely shirk. Only tayyib/good words reach Him. Accepting books of hearsay/hadith, all of which are conjecture, or tales such as the Talmud or the letters of Paul, as lawgiving authorities in religion is shirk.
Servitude is an unavoidable and necessary condition. The choice is not whether or not to be a servant, but to whom one’s servitude will be directed. Servitude is either devoted exclusively to Allah or directed to things other than Allah. Devotion exclusively to Allah is freedom; devotion to anything other than Allah—whether power, worldly possessions, one’s own desires, political authority, an idea, a person, and so on—is slavery. If tawhid is not realized in the choice of servitude, everything concerning faith loses its meaning and importance, and life and belief turn into shirk. There is no area of human life that lies outside servitude. For a Muslim, servitude is a conscious attachment and orientation toward Allah with one’s entire spiritual and physical being. ‘Ibadah (worship) is the verbal-noun form of servitude.
What Is Hadith?
Hadith means “word” or “statement.” The Qur’an and the other books sent down by the Exalted Allah are also words, but they are the words of the Exalted Allah. Statements written 200 years or even longer after the death of the Prophet Muhammad and attributed to the Prophet—that is, hadiths—are of doubtful authenticity; therefore, such hadith books can never be sources of religion.
What Are Zulm/Oppression and Being a Zalim/Oppressor in Qur’anic Terminology?
The greatest zulm (wrongdoing/oppression) is to associate partners with the Exalted Allah—to commit the sin of shirk. It is to take as lawgivers in religion things to which the Exalted Allah has never granted authority. The greatest zulm is to abandon the holy scriptures proclaimed, declared, and recited by the messengers. It is to follow, apart from the holy scriptures, books that are entirely conjectural, such as the letters of Paul, the Talmud, and books of hearsay/hadith.
According to the Glorious Qur’an, what are the minimum/basic/lowest criteria or conditions for entering the Gardens of Paradise?
Faith in Allah: to believe in the Exalted Allah without associating partners with Him, as a monotheist, a hanif, a muwahhid. This is the first condition of salvation. No one who fails to meet this condition can attain salvation. Believing in the Exalted Allah means believing that there is one Creator, that He created the entire universe/universes, and that everything is solely under His control and judgment. It is clear that religion and sovereignty must be devoted exclusively to the Exalted Allah. From hundreds of verses in the Qur’an, we understand that faith in the Exalted Allah must be free of shirk. In short, faith in the Exalted Allah must be without shirk. To believe in the Exalted Allah while associating partners with Him from beneath Him is not faith in the Exalted Allah; its name is shirk. Shirk renders all deeds worthless. Faith in the Last Day means believing in the judgment that will take place in the Hereafter and in its rules. Believing in fabricated things outside the rules of judgment stated in the holy scriptures, placing hope in them, and denying the rules of the Last Day is shirk. Believing that messengers will intercede and become saviors on the Last Day is the greatest shirk. One must know that judgment will be carried out individually and that even an atom’s weight of good and evil will be brought forth. One must believe that, following judgment, people will enter the eternal Gardens or the eternal Hell as immortals. One must perform salihat: corrective, restorative, peace-oriented deeds. Note: the sin of shirk is not forgiven. A person who believes while associating partners with the Exalted Allah is a mushrik. A person who dies as a mushrik cannot enter the Gardens; that person will be made to enter Hell. Taking books that are entirely conjectural as lawgiving authorities in religion beneath the holy scriptures (the Talmud after the Torah, tales written by human hands after the Gospel, and books of hadith/hearsay after the Qur’an) is associating partners with the Exalted Allah. Our Exalted Lord will never forgive this sin. All the deeds of such people will come to nothing. The sin of shirk multiplies everything by zero.
A mushrik is a human being or jinn who commits the act of shirk.
According to our Glorious Qur’an, among the People of the Book (Jewish, Christian, or Muslim) there are also monotheists who have not become involved in shirk, have not become mushriks, and say that only the holy scriptures are authoritative.
What Is a Mutahhir?
It means “those who are purified.” The Exalted Allah describes mushriks—those who believe while associating partners with the Exalted Allah—as filth/impurity (rijs). We understand that purification means removing these impurities. Today, for Muslims, these impurities are hadiths. Belief in hadiths only makes a person a mushrik and diverts that person from the Qur’an. The impurities can be cleansed only by the Qur’an. Just as a person whose entire body is covered in tar must be cleaned not with water but with thinner, a person immersed in hadiths can be cleansed only by the Qur’an. A person who reads only the Qur’an as religion (with understanding!) has purified himself or herself. The same rule applies to Judaism and Christianity. Whatever is accepted as a lawgiving authority in religion other than the books sent down by the Exalted Allah causes the person who follows it to become involved in shirk and become a mushrik.
What Are Awthan?
They are idols: objects, people, or things valued to the level of associating partners with the Exalted Allah; those regarded—God forbid—as having authority to give rulings in religion outside the books of the Exalted Allah; things or people elevated to the level of worship.
Who Are the Nasara?
Christians who followed only the Gospel: those who followed the book brought by a messenger born in Nasara and did not go astray by following books of tales written by human hands after the Gospel. They have nothing whatsoever to do with present-day Christians.
What Does It Mean to Take Prophets as Lords?
The warning of the Exalted Allah is never in vain. Our Lord, knowing that people would one day take prophets as lords, warns us. Our Lord knew that there would be Christians who would take Jesus as Lord and people who would take Muhammad as Lord. Today, everyone who does not say “the Qur’an alone,” who does not submit only to the Qur’an, yet calls himself or herself a Muslim, is a mushrik. The literal meaning of the word rabb is “lord/master.” All those who follow statements beginning with “Our Prophet, our master/lord, said…”—hearsay/hadiths that are entirely conjectural—have become disbelievers and have committed kufr.
What Does It Mean Not to Distinguish Between the Prophets?
The clearest diagnostic sign of mushrik belief is that mushriks distinguish one prophet from the others. Despite the clear command of the Exalted Allah, these people set the prophets in competition with one another. Christians regard the Prophet Jesus—God forbid—as the son of the Exalted Allah, or even as Allah Himself. They attempt to give Mary the title “Mother of God.” The majority who think they are Muslims but are mushriks make the Prophet Muhammad—God forbid—the beloved of the Exalted Allah. What great heedlessness it is not to read the Qur’an with understanding.
Who Are Those Who Divide into Sects and Denominations?
Although clear and plainly explained holy scriptures came to them, they abandoned them and followed books of hadith/hearsay. Jews divided into sects by following the Talmud instead of the Torah; Christians by following tales written by Paul instead of the Gospel; and many people who think they are Muslims by following hadith books instead of the Noble Qur’an.
Shirk is a grave offense that our Lord never forgives.
Surah An-Nisa / 116
The God does not forgive that he be made a partner to him amdhe forgives what (is) other than that to wyom he wants/wills, and who shares/makes partners with God, so he has misguided a distant misguidance.
اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ اَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِه۪ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذٰلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَٓاءُۜ وَمَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللّٰهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالاً بَع۪يداً
İnnallahe la yagfiru en yuşrake bihi ve yagfiru ma dune zalike li men yeşau. Ve men yuşrik billahi fe kad dalle dalalen baida.
The verses of Surah Al-Kahf hold an important place in the Qur’an with regard to Christianity.
Surah Al-Kahf (The Cave)
The First 26 Verses — Qur’an 18:1–26
English translation by Ahmad Samira
18:1 The praise/gratitude (is) to God who descended on His worshipper/slave The Book, and He did not make/create for it crookedness/indirectnes.
18:2 A straight/valuable (Book) to warn/give notice (of) a severe power/might from at Him, and (it) announces good news (to) the believers those who make/do the correct/righteous deeds, that (E) for them (is a) good/beautiful reward .
18:3 (They) are remaining/residing in it forever/eternally (E).
18:4 And He/it warns/gives notice (to) those who said: “God took/received a child (a son).”
18:5 Nothing from knowledge (is) to them with it (they have no knowledge of it) and nor to their fathers, a word/speech/sermon became big (that) emerges from their mouths, that they say except lies/denials/falsifications (about God).
18:6 So maybe/perhaps you (are) exhausting/destroying yourself from anger sorrowfully/angrily on their tracks, if they do not believe with this the information/speech.
18:7 We have made/put what (is) on the earth/Planet Earth (as) decoration/beauty for it, to test them which of them (is) better (in) a deed.
18:8 And We are making/putting (E) what (is) on it destroyed/infertile dust.
The story of the Companions of the Cave begins with verse 9 and continues through verse 26.
18:9 Or (have) you thought/supposed that (E) the cave’s and The Book’s/inscription’s owners/company , were (in) astonishment/amazement from Our verses/signs/evidences? (Did you think that the cave’s and The Book’s people were strange or amazing?)
18:10 When the youths/servants took shelter/refuge to (in) the cave, so they said: “Our Lord give/bring us from at You mercy and prepare/make possible for us from our matter/affair (a) correct/right guidance.”
18:11 So We stamped/resided/palpitated (refer to in dictionary) on their ears in the cave numerous years.
18:12 Then We sent/resurrected/revived them to know which (of) the two groups/parties (is) more counting/controlling to what time they remained/waited.
18:13 We narrate/inform on (to) you their information/news with the truth, that they truly are youths/servants, they believed with their Lord, and We increased them guidance.
18:14 And We strengthened/braced, on their hearts/minds, when they stood/kept up , so they said: “Our Lord, Lord (of) the skies/space and the earth/Planet Earth, we will never/not call from other than Him, a god, (what) we had then said (is) being unjust/excess of the limit .”
18:15 Those (are) Our nation they took from other than Him gods, if only they come on them with a proof/authority, clear/shown/explained, so who (is) more unjust/oppressive than who fabricated/cut and split on (about) God lies/denials/falsifications?
18:16 And when you separated/isolated/withdrew yourselves from them and what they worship, except God, so takeshelter/refuge to the cave, your Lord spreads/extends for you from His mercy, and He prepares/makes possible for you from your matter/affair convenience/benefit/help.
18:17 And you see the sun when it rose/ascended/appeared, it bends and curves/visits on their cave that of the right, and when it departed/declined/set, it parallels/crosses/passes them that of the left, and they are in an opening from it; that (is) from God’s verses/signs/evidences; whom God guides so he is the guided, and whom He misguides/who misguides (others) so you will never/not find for him a guardian/ally a correct/right guide.
18:18 And you think/suppose them (to be) awake/alert, and they are asleep/lying down, and We turn them/turn them around that of the right (side), and that of the left (side), and their dog (is) spreading/extending its two arms (paws) at the cave/doorstep/mountain, if you saw/looked on/over them you would have turned away from them escaping/fleeing/running away, and you would have been filled (by) terror/fright from them.
18:19 And as/like that We sent/resurrected/revived them to ask/question each other between them, a speaker from them said: “How much (have) you stayed/remained?” They said: “We stayed/remained a day or part of a day.” They said: “Your Lord (is) more knowledgeable with what you stayed/remained, so send one of you with this your paper/money to the city/town so he looks/watches/waits (E) which/what (is a) more pure/correct food, so he comes to you with a provision/means of livelihood from it, and (he) should be courteous/polite , and do not make anyone feel/know/sense with (about) you.”
18:20 That they truly if they see and know of/overcome on you, they stone you, or they return you in (to) their religion/faith, and you will never/not win/succeed then ever (E).
18:21 And as/like that We made be stumbled upon on them (We made them be stumbled upon) to know that God’s promise (is) truth, and that (E) the Hour/Resurrection (there is) no doubt/suspicion in it, when they dispute/argue their matter/affair between them, so they said: “Build/construct on them a building/structure, their Lord (is) more knowledgeable with (of) them.” Those who defeated/overcame on their matter/affair said: “We will take (E) on them a mosque/place of worshipping God.”
18:22 They will say: “Three, their fourth (is) their dog.” And they say: “Five, their sixth (is) their dog.” An unsubstantiated guess with the unseen/absent, and they say: “Seven and their eighth (is) their dog.” Say: “My Lord (is) more knowledgeable with (of) their number, none knows them except few/little, so do not argue/discuss in (about) them, except apparent/visible argument/discussion, and do not take (an) opinion/a clarification (of)anyone from them in (about) them.”
18:23 And do not say (E) to a thing: “That I am making/doing that tomorrow/(in the) future.”
18:24 Except that (E) God wills/wants, and mention/remember your Lord if you forgot, and say: “Maybe/perhaps that (E) my Lord guides me to nearer/closer than that (a) correct/right guidance.”
18:25 And they stayed/remained in their cave three hundred years and they were increased (by) nine (years).
18:26 Say: “God (is) more knowledgeable with what they stayed/remained , for Him (are) the skies’/space’s and the earth’s/Planet Earth’s unseen/invisible , see/look/understand with Him, and make (to) hear/listen, (there is) none for them from other than Him (as a) guardian/ally , and He does not share/make partners in His judgment/rule anyone.
In verse 4 of Surah Al-Kahf, the Exalted Allah says that it is to warn those who say, “Allah has taken a child.” In the following verse 5, the Exalted Allah reminds us that they have no knowledge of this, that what they say is an enormous statement, and that it is a lie.
Al-Kahf, 18:4
And He/it warns/gives notice (to) those who said: “God took/received a child (a son).”
وَيُنْذِرَ الَّذ۪ينَ قَالُوا اتَّخَذَ اللّٰهُ وَلَداًۗ
Ve yunzirellezine kaluttehazellahu veleda.
Al-Kahf, 18:5
Nothing from knowledge (is) to them with it (they have no knowledge of it) and nor to their fathers, a word/speech/sermon became big (that) emerges from their mouths, that they say except lies/denials/falsifications (about God).
مَالَهُمْبِه۪مِنْعِلْمٍوَلَالِاٰبَٓائِهِمْۜكَبُرَتْكَلِمَةًتَخْرُجُمِنْاَفْوَاهِهِمْۜاِنْيَقُولُونَاِلَّاكَذِباً٥
Ma lehum bihi min ilmin ve la li abaihim, keburet kelimeten tahrucu min efvahihim, in yekulune illa keziba
The story of the Companions of the Cave, from which the surah takes its name, begins in verse 9. From the story, it is understood that these Companions of the Cave were in danger because of their beliefs and took refuge in a cave. Verse 9 reminds us that what happened in the cave was among the miracles/signs of the Exalted Allah (the word ayah in the Qur’an can mean both “evidence/sign” and, depending on context, “miracle”). It is also seen that angels called the Companions of al-Raqim accompanied the Companions of the Cave. These angels are honored messengers in hyperspace, in a higher dimension of our universe, who also came to the Prophet Abraham, Mary, and the Prophet Lot. As far as can be understood from the story, their number is more than three (as understood according to a rule of Arabic grammar).
In verse 10, the youths pray to the Exalted Allah: “Our Lord, grant us mercy from Yourself so that we may be rightly guided in our affairs.” In verse 11, the miracles begin: our Lord causes the youths to sleep for 300 solar years, 309 lunar years. By increasing gravitation, our Lord slows time. I thank Mr. Mustafa Kılavuzoğlu, who has carried out an excellent scientific analysis of the subject. For a comprehensive physical/scientific evaluation, please click the link to read the analysis on his website.
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Verse 13 reminds us that the youths believed in their Lord without shirk and that the Exalted Allah increased them in guidance. In the following verse 14, we understand that the youths were monotheists, that they never believed in any partner beneath the Exalted Allah, and that they knew such a thing would be an excessive transgression.
In verse 15, the Christians of that period who had become involved in shirk had taken deities beneath Allah (we know from the earlier verse—verse 4—that they attributed a child to the Exalted Allah).
In this way, we understand that the mushriks and slanderers who falsely attributed to the Exalted Allah that the Prophet Jesus was the son of the Exalted Allah were Christians of that period who had become mushriks. The Exalted Allah describes shirk in the Qur’an as zulm/wrongdoing, and in this verse our Exalted Allah asks, “Who could be more unjust than these people?”
In verse 16, it is understood that the angels from the Companions of al-Raqim speak with the youths and direct them to the cave. Honored messengers like Gabriel are helping the youths.
In verse 17, our Exalted Allah gives us the location of the cave and the position of the youths within it. Please click the link concerning the subject. The article is in Turkish, but I recommend copying it, translating it into English, and reading it. I am sharing a link from Prof. İbrahim Esinler’s own website, where he derives from the Glorious Qur’an the geographical coordinate values of the cave in which the Companions of the Cave were put to sleep by our Lord for exactly 300 solar years. I recommend reading it.
In verse 18, our Lord gives information about the condition of the youths in the cave. For a scientific examination of this information, I strongly recommend studying the story of Al-Kahf on the websites asronspace.net and kuranmucizeler.com.
In verse 19, after the youths are awakened, it is understood that the honored angels, the Companions of al-Raqim, are with them. They ask the youths, “How long did you remain?” Thus, it is understood that there are two groups; if the youths had been speaking only among themselves, they would have had to ask, “How long did we remain?” It is understood from the verse that these beings do not eat human food and that they warn the youths to be careful.
In verse 20, it is seen that the honored messenger-angels, the Companions of al-Raqim, continue to warn the youths.
In verse 21, there is a reference to the Hour, that is, the Resurrection. It is also stated that a place of worship will be built over the cave.
Verse 22 reminds us that, apart from our Lord, only very few people can know the number of the youths.
In verse 23, our Lord reminds us that a human being cannot know the unseen.
In verse 24, our Lord reminds us that something will happen if the Exalted Allah wills, and that we should say: “Perhaps my Lord will guide me to what is most right.”
Verse 25 reminds us that the youths remained in the cave for 300 years and that 9 years were added to this. This is a beautiful indication from our Lord that 300 solar years correspond to 309 lunar years. According to the Uthman Mushaf, and excluding the final two verses of Surah At-Tawbah, the Qur’anic sequential number of this verse is 2163; since 309 × 7 = 2163, our Lord indicates to us that the number of the youths was 7.
In verse 26, our Lord states that He will not associate anyone beneath Him in His judgment.
The story ends with this verse. Interestingly, in the next verse, 18:27, our Lord tells us that no one can ever change His words. The word “word” in this verse is important because there are miracles concerning word counts in the surah; it also gives us our Lord’s guarantee that not even a single word of the Qur’an will be changed.
Miracles of Surah Al-Kahf Related to Word Counts
There are exactly 336 words between verse 9, where the story of Al-Kahf begins, and verse 26, where it ends. 336 lunar years correspond to 325 solar years, and the year 325 is the very important year in which the Council of Nicaea convened. Unfortunately, the claim that the Prophet Jesus was the son of the Exalted Allah was formally established in Christianity at this council. Through the word count in Surah Al-Kahf, our Lord has given the date of this important council, at which the mushriks—whom the Exalted Allah indicates in the Qur’an will never enter Paradise—distorted the religion of the Exalted Allah.
2147|18|9|أَمْ حَسِبْتَ أَنَّ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلْكَهْفِ وَٱلرَّقِيمِ كَانُوا۟ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِنَا عَجَبًا
2148|18|10|إِذْ أَوَى ٱلْفِتْيَةُ إِلَى ٱلْكَهْفِ فَقَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا
2149|18|11|فَضَرَبْنَا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ فِى ٱلْكَهْفِ سِنِينَ عَدَدًا
2150|18|12|ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَٰهُمْ لِنَعْلَمَ أَىُّ ٱلْحِزْبَيْنِ أَحْصَىٰ لِمَا لَبِثُوٓا۟ أَمَدًا
2151|18|13|نَّحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ نَبَأَهُم بِٱلْحَقِّ إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِرَبِّهِمْ وَزِدْنَٰهُمْ هُدًى
2152|18|14|وَرَبَطْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ إِذْ قَامُوا۟ فَقَالُوا۟ رَبُّنَا رَبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَن نَّدْعُوَا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ إِلَٰهًا لَّقَدْ قُلْنَآ إِذًا شَطَطًا
2153|18|15|هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ قَوْمُنَا ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ ءَالِهَةً لَّوْلَا يَأْتُونَ عَلَيْهِم بِسُلْطَٰنٍۭ بَيِّنٍ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا
2154|18|16|وَإِذِ ٱعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ فَأْوُۥٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلْكَهْفِ يَنشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّن رَّحْمَتِهِۦ وَيُهَيِّئْ لَكُم مِّنْ أَمْرِكُم مِّرْفَقًا
2155|18|17|وَتَرَى ٱلشَّمْسَ إِذَا طَلَعَت تَّزَٰوَرُ عَن كَهْفِهِمْ ذَاتَ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَإِذَا غَرَبَت تَّقْرِضُهُمْ ذَاتَ ٱلشِّمَالِ وَهُمْ فِى فَجْوَةٍ مِّنْهُ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ مَن يَهْدِ ٱللَّهُ فَهُوَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُۥ وَلِيًّا مُّرْشِدًا
2156|18|18|وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًا وَهُمْ رُقُودٌ وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ ٱلشِّمَالِ وَكَلْبُهُم بَٰسِطٌ ذِرَاعَيْهِ بِٱلْوَصِيدِ لَوِ ٱطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًا
2157|18|19|وَكَذَٰلِكَ بَعَثْنَٰهُمْ لِيَتَسَآءَلُوا۟ بَيْنَهُمْ قَالَ قَآئِلٌ مِّنْهُمْ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ قَالُوا۟ لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ قَالُوا۟ رَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثْتُمْ فَٱبْعَثُوٓا۟ أَحَدَكُم بِوَرِقِكُمْ هَٰذِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ فَلْيَنظُرْ أَيُّهَآ أَزْكَىٰ طَعَامًا فَلْيَأْتِكُم بِرِزْقٍ مِّنْهُ وَلْيَتَلَطَّفْ وَلَا يُشْعِرَنَّ بِكُمْ أَحَدًا
2158|18|20|إِنَّهُمْ إِن يَظْهَرُوا۟ عَلَيْكُمْ يَرْجُمُوكُمْ أَوْ يُعِيدُوكُمْ فِى مِلَّتِهِمْ وَلَن تُفْلِحُوٓا۟ إِذًا أَبَدًا
2159|18|21|وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَعْثَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَأَنَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهَآ إِذْ يَتَنَٰزَعُونَ بَيْنَهُمْ أَمْرَهُمْ فَقَالُوا۟ ٱبْنُوا۟ عَلَيْهِم بُنْيَٰنًا رَّبُّهُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ غَلَبُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَمْرِهِمْ لَنَتَّخِذَنَّ عَلَيْهِم مَّسْجِدًا
2160|18|22|سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلَٰثَةٌ رَّابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًۢا بِٱلْغَيْبِ وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌ وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ قُل رَّبِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِم مَّا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ فَلَا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلَّا مِرَآءً ظَٰهِرًا وَلَا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِم مِّنْهُمْ أَحَدًا
2161|18|23|وَلَا تَقُولَنَّ لِشَا۟ىْءٍ إِنِّى فَاعِلٌ ذَٰلِكَ غَدًا
2162|18|24|إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ وَٱذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ وَقُلْ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّى لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَٰذَا رَشَدًا
2163|18|25|وَلَبِثُوا۟ فِى كَهْفِهِمْ ثَلَٰثَ مِا۟ئَةٍ سِنِينَ وَٱزْدَادُوا۟ تِسْعًا
2164|18|26|قُلِ ٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثُوا۟ لَهُۥ غَيْبُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ أَبْصِرْ بِهِۦ وَأَسْمِعْ مَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ مِن وَلِىٍّ وَلَا يُشْرِكُ فِى حُكْمِهِۦٓ أَحَدًا
In 18 verses, there are 1,390 letters and exactly 336 words.
The word count can be performed in the analysis section of the kuranmucizeler.com website.
The year AD 325 is extremely important in Christianity because it was the year of the First Council of Nicaea, and so it is hidden within the verses of Surah Al-Kahf. It is important to remember that, in the fourth verse of the same surah, Allah warns those who believe that “Allah has taken a son.” It is evident that Almighty God is warning, in this surah, the Christian world that later fell into shirk (associating partners with God). Verse 4 indicates to us that the subject being addressed is the Christian world. The young Companions of the Cave had not become polytheists; rather, they were monotheistic believers of their time.
Shirk and polytheism, among the most frequently addressed themes in the Qur’an, are highlighted here by Allah through the date of the Council of Nicaea—a council at which a son was attributed to Him and, from that point onward, this Son came to be defined as being of the same essence as Him. Allah gives the date of the Council through the total number of words in the 18 verses in which the story is narrated.
Since the lunar calendar was used at that time, when we convert the word count of 336 into solar years, we arrive at 325, the year of the Council.
Regarding the conversion of lunar years into solar years, we can cite verse 25 of the same surah as an example. The verse states: “They remained in their cave for three hundred years, and added nine.” Three hundred and nine lunar years correspond to approximately three hundred solar years, which may also be regarded as a sign from our Lord.
Now, let us briefly examine the impact of the Council of Nicaea on Christianity.
The Council of Nicaea (AD 325): Its Process, Decisions, and Impact on Christian Understanding of Jesus’ Relationship with God
The First Council of Nicaea, convened in AD 325, was one of the most important events in the history of Christianity. Its principal significance was not the creation of the Bible or the first invention of belief in Jesus as the Son of God. Rather, the council addressed a major dispute about how Jesus Christ, already called the Son of God in earlier Christian tradition, should be understood in relation to God the Father. The council’s most influential decision was to affirm that the Son was homoousios—“of the same substance” or “of one essence”—with the Father.
In the early fourth century, a major theological controversy developed, particularly in Alexandria, over the nature and status of Jesus Christ. Arius and those associated with his theological position argued that the Son was not eternal in the same sense as the Father. His opponents argued that such a view threatened the full divinity of Christ.
The controversy became so serious that Emperor Constantine I sought a general settlement. Bishops from across the Christian world were brought together at Nicaea in AD 325. The gathering is traditionally regarded as the first ecumenical council.
The Central Question at Nicaea
The essential theological question was not simply, “Is Jesus the Son of God?” Christians had used this language long before AD 325. The central dispute was: What does it mean to say that Jesus is the Son of God, and what is the Son’s relationship to God the Father?
Two broad positions can be summarized as follows:
The position associated with Arius: The Son was not eternal in the same way as the Father and could not simply be identified as sharing the Father’s divine status or essence.
The Nicene position: The Son is fully divine and shares the same divine essence with the Father.
The Main Decision: Homoousios
The council adopted the Greek term homoousios. The term is commonly translated “of the same substance” or “of one essence.” The Nicene Creed of 325 described Jesus Christ as “begotten, not made” and homoousios with the Father.
This language was intended to reject the idea that the Son was merely a creature or a being belonging to a fundamentally different order from God. In the creed’s formulation, Christ was described as “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,” and as being of the same substance with the Father.
What Exactly Was Accepted at the Council?
The most important outcomes included:
Adoption of the Nicene Creed of AD 325, including the affirmation that the Son is homoousios with the Father.
Condemnation of teachings associated with Arius that denied the Son’s full and eternal divine status.
Acceptance of anathemas directed against propositions such as the claim that there was a time when the Son did not exist or that the Son was a creature.
Adoption of approximately twenty disciplinary canons dealing with matters of church order, clergy, reconciliation, and other practical questions.
Important decisions concerning the common celebration and calculation of Easter.
What Was the Council’s Effect on the Understanding of Jesus as the Son of God?
The Council of Nicaea did not create the idea that Jesus was the Son of God. The title and belief are found in Christian writings that predate the council, including the New Testament.
Its decisive effect was doctrinal clarification. Nicaea gave authoritative conciliar expression to the claim that the Son was not merely an exalted creature, nor a being fundamentally different in essence from God the Father. By declaring the Son homoousios with the Father, the council established a foundational formula for the full divinity of Christ within what later became Nicene Christianity.
Therefore, it is historically more accurate to say that Nicaea defined and defended a particular understanding of Jesus as the divine Son rather than saying that Nicaea first made Jesus the Son of God.
The theological controversy continued for decades after AD 325. The Nicene formula was debated, interpreted, opposed, and defended. The process that began at Nicaea reached another major stage at the Council of Constantinople in AD 381, which reinforced the Nicene theological direction.
Thus, Nicaea should be understood as a decisive turning point rather than as the instant at which every Christian immediately accepted a single theological formula.
Nicaea and the Formation of the New Testament
The Council of Nicaea did not formally select the twenty-seven books of the New Testament or choose the four canonical Gospels. Historical research finds no reliable contemporary evidence that the canon of the New Testament was a subject of decision at the Council of Nicaea.
The formation of the New Testament was a gradual process. Christian writings were composed, copied, circulated, read publicly, and increasingly recognized as authoritative over several centuries. The four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—were already widely recognized before AD 325.
An important later milestone is Athanasius’s Festal Letter of AD 367, which is widely noted as the earliest surviving document listing exactly the twenty-seven books of the modern New Testament.
The Overall Historical Importance of Nicaea
The importance of the Council of Nicaea lies principally in Christology: the Christian understanding of who Jesus Christ is and how he relates to God the Father.
It did not invent Christianity.
It did not create the New Testament canon.
It did not introduce the title “Son of God” for Jesus for the first time.
It did, however, give unprecedented conciliar authority to the formula that the Son is of the same substance (homoousios) as the Father.
It therefore became a foundational event for the development of Nicene and later mainstream Trinitarian Christianity.
In conclusion, the First Council of Nicaea in AD 325 was mainly convened to resolve a crisis concerning the relationship between Jesus Christ and God the Father. The council rejected the theological position associated with Arius and affirmed that the Son was homoousios—of the same substance or essence—with the Father.
Consequently, Nicaea’s importance for the Christian understanding of Jesus is immense. It did not create the belief that Jesus was the Son of God, since that belief was already present in earlier Christianity. Instead, it decisively shaped the official theological meaning of that claim within the emerging Nicene tradition by affirming the Son’s full divinity and his unity of essence with the Father.
Sources
Wolfram Kinzig, “The Creed of Nicaea,” The Ecumenical Review (2023)
A scholarly study of the origin, wording, purpose, and later legacy of the Nicene Creed.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/erev.12782
The Cambridge Companion to the Council of Nicaea, Chapter: “The Creed”
A scholarly discussion of the origins, wording, biblical background, and reception of the Nicene Creed.
Primary text: The Creed and Canons of the First Council of Nicaea
Provides the text of the Nicene Creed of 325 and the council’s disciplinary canons.
“The First Nicene Council and the New Testament Canon,” Taylor & Francis (2025)
A scholarly study examining and rejecting the popular claim that the Council of Nicaea selected the New Testament canon.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21692327.2025.2564797
JSTOR: “The Trinitarian Controversy,” including the Creed and Canons of Nicaea
Provides scholarly access to historical documents concerning the Arian controversy and the Council of Nicaea.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1hqdhpx
Tarmo Toom, “The Synodal Creed of Nicaea (325) and Synodal Orthodoxy”
Recent scholarly analysis of the 325 creed and its role in affirming the full divinity of the Son.
The second miracle concerning words relates to the occurrences of the word “Kahf” (Cave).
The Exalted Allah begins to tell us about the youths who took refuge in the cave in verse 9 and tells us in verse 25 that these youths remained in the cave for 309 years.
From the word “cave” (الْكَهْفِ) in verse 9 of Surah Al-Kahf through and including verse 25, which tells us how many years the youths remained in the cave—“They remained in their cave for three hundred years and added nine”—there are exactly 309 words. The Exalted Allah tells us that the youths remained in the cave for 309 years and, miraculously, uses exactly 309 words, thereby showing the relationship between the cave and 309.
To test the word counts, copy the verse and paste it into the program below.
| Word Count | Qur’an Verse No. | Surah No. | Verse No. | Verse ((ٱلْكَهْفِ) Kahf, the word “Cave,” occurs 6 times in the Qur’an, all in Surah 18. It occurs for the first time in verse 9.) |
| 6 | 2147|18|9|ٱلْكَهْفِ وَٱلرَّقِيمِ كَانُوا۟ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِنَا عَجَبًا……. |
| 16 | 2148|18|10|إِذْ أَوَى ٱلْفِتْيَةُ إِلَى ٱلْكَهْفِ فَقَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا |
| 7 | 2149|18|11|فَضَرَبْنَا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ فِى ٱلْكَهْفِ سِنِينَ عَدَدًا |
| 9 | 2150|18|12|ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَٰهُمْ لِنَعْلَمَ أَىُّ ٱلْحِزْبَيْنِ أَحْصَىٰ لِمَا لَبِثُوٓا۟ أَمَدًا |
| 11 | 2151|18|13|نَّحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ نَبَأَهُم بِٱلْحَقِّ إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِرَبِّهِمْ وَزِدْنَٰهُمْ هُدًى |
| 19 | 2152|18|14|وَرَبَطْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ إِذْ قَامُوا۟ فَقَالُوا۟ رَبُّنَا رَبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَن نَّدْعُوَا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ إِلَٰهًا لَّقَدْ قُلْنَآ إِذًا شَطَطًا |
| 18 | 2153|18|15|هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ قَوْمُنَا ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ ءَالِهَةً لَّوْلَا يَأْتُونَ عَلَيْهِم بِسُلْطَٰنٍۭ بَيِّنٍ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا |
| 19 | 2154|18|16|وَإِذِ ٱعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ فَأْوُۥٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلْكَهْفِ يَنشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّن رَّحْمَتِهِۦ وَيُهَيِّئْ لَكُم مِّنْ أَمْرِكُم مِّرْفَقًا |
| 34 | 2155|18|17|وَتَرَى ٱلشَّمْسَ إِذَا طَلَعَت تَّزَٰوَرُ عَن كَهْفِهِمْ ذَاتَ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَإِذَا غَرَبَت تَّقْرِضُهُمْ ذَاتَ ٱلشِّمَالِ وَهُمْ فِى فَجْوَةٍ مِّنْهُ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ مَن يَهْدِ ٱللَّهُ فَهُوَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُۥ وَلِيًّا مُّرْشِدًا |
| 22 | 2156|18|18|وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًا وَهُمْ رُقُودٌ وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ ٱلشِّمَالِ وَكَلْبُهُم بَٰسِطٌ ذِرَاعَيْهِ بِٱلْوَصِيدِ لَوِ ٱطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًا |
| 38 | 2157|18|19|وَكَذَٰلِكَ بَعَثْنَٰهُمْ لِيَتَسَآءَلُوا۟ بَيْنَهُمْ قَالَ قَآئِلٌ مِّنْهُمْ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ قَالُوا۟ لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ قَالُوا۟ رَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثْتُمْ فَٱبْعَثُوٓا۟ أَحَدَكُم بِوَرِقِكُمْ هَٰذِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ فَلْيَنظُرْ أَيُّهَآ أَزْكَىٰ طَعَامًا فَلْيَأْتِكُم بِرِزْقٍ مِّنْهُ وَلْيَتَلَطَّفْ وَلَا يُشْعِرَنَّ بِكُمْ أَحَدًا |
| 13 | 2158|18|20|إِنَّهُمْ إِن يَظْهَرُوا۟ عَلَيْكُمْ يَرْجُمُوكُمْ أَوْ يُعِيدُوكُمْ فِى مِلَّتِهِمْ وَلَن تُفْلِحُوٓا۟ إِذًا أَبَدًا |
| 32 | 2159|18|21|وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَعْثَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَأَنَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهَآ إِذْ يَتَنَٰزَعُونَ بَيْنَهُمْ أَمْرَهُمْ فَقَالُوا۟ ٱبْنُوا۟ عَلَيْهِم بُنْيَٰنًا رَّبُّهُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ غَلَبُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَمْرِهِمْ لَنَتَّخِذَنَّ عَلَيْهِم مَّسْجِدًا |
| 33 | 2160|18|22|سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلَٰثَةٌ رَّابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًۢا بِٱلْغَيْبِ وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌ وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ قُل رَّبِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِم مَّا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ فَلَا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلَّا مِرَآءً ظَٰهِرًا وَلَا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِم مِّنْهُمْ أَحَدًا |
| 7 | 2161|18|23|وَلَا تَقُولَنَّ لِشَا۟ىْءٍ إِنِّى فَاعِلٌ ذَٰلِكَ غَدًا |
| 17 | 2162|18|24|إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ وَٱذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ وَقُلْ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّى لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَٰذَا رَشَدًا |
| 8 | 2163|18|25|وَلَبِثُوا۟ فِى كَهْفِهِمْ ثَلَٰثَ مِا۟ئَةٍ سِنِينَ وَٱزْدَادُوا۟ تِسْعًا |
| Total = 309 words |
The English translation of the verses is Ahmad Samira’s translation
Allah knows best.
Assoc. Prof. Engin Eren Desteli
September 2026, Istanbul
