(16) “And when you have withdrawn from them and from what they worship besides Allah, take refuge in the cave. Your Lord will spread His mercy over you and provide you with ease in your affair.”

That is, some of them said to the others: Now that you have separated yourselves from your people, both physically and in religion, nothing remains but to escape their harm and take the means that will lead to safety. For they have no way to fight them or to remain (1) among them while following a religion different from theirs. “Take refuge in the cave”—that is, enter it and conceal yourselves there. “Your Lord will spread His mercy over you and provide you with ease in your affair.”

Earlier, Allah stated that they had supplicated to Him, saying: “Our Lord, grant us mercy from Yourself and guide us rightly through our ordeal.” Thus, they combined disavowing reliance on their own power and strength with seeking refuge in Allah to set their affair aright and supplicating to Him for it, while trusting that Allah would indeed do so. Sure enough, Allah spread His mercy over them and provided them with ease in their affair. He preserved their religion and their bodies, made them one of His signs to His creation, bestowed upon them an honorable renown—which was part of His mercy toward them—and facilitated every means for them. Even the place in which they slept afforded the greatest possible protection. Hence He said: