'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī
تفسير : (and in like manner we disclosed them (to the people of the city)) the city of ephesus, the believers among them and the disbelievers, and their king of the time was a believer called yustafad, the king decius had died long before that (that they might know) both the believers and disbelievers (that the promise of allah) resurrection after death (is true) takes place, (and that, as for the hour, there is no doubt concerning it. when (the people of the city) disputed of their case among themselves) when their words differed among themselves, (they said) i.e. the disbelievers said: (build over them a building) a church because they are followers of our religion; (their lord knoweth best concerning them. those who won their point said) those whose argument did not prevail, i.e. the believers: (we verily shall build a place of worship over them) because they are followers of our religion; their difference being about this point.
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī
تفسير : and so, just as we aroused them, it was that we disclosed them, [to] their people and the believers, that they, that is, their people, might know that god’s promise, of resurrection, is true: by virtue of the fact that one who has the power to make them sleep for [such] a long period of time, or sustain them in that state without nourishment, also has the power to resurrect the dead; and that, as for the hour, there is no doubt, no uncertainty, concerning it. behold (idh adverbially qualifies a‘tharnā, ‘we disclosed’) they were disputing, that is, the believers and the disbelievers, among themselves their affair, the affair of the youths, with regard to building something around them [as a monument]; so they, the disbelievers, said, ‘build over them, that is, around them, a building, to cover them up; their lord knows them best.’ those who prevailed regarding their affair, the affair of the youths, namely, the believers, ‘we will verily set up over them, around them, a place of worship’, for prayers to be performed therein. and this indeed took place at the entrance of the cave.
Sahl al-Tustari
تفسير : …those who prevailed regarding their affair said…he said:its outward meaning is a reference to authority [and the power of those who held sway] (wilāya), and its inner meaning refers to the spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ), the understanding of the intellect(fahm al-ʿaql) and discernment of the heart (fiṭnat al-qalb) [which hold sway] through the remembrance of god, mighty and majestic is he.his words, exalted is he:
