Transliteration:( Hattaaa izaa balagha matli'ash shamsi wajdahaa tatlu'u alaa qawmil lam naj'al lahum min doonihaa sitraa )
"Until he reached the place where the sun rises [203], and he found it rising over a people who had no shelter from it [204]."
Dhul-Qarnayn’s journey now took him to the farthest eastern region, a place where civilization ended. This again refers to the end of populated areas—not a literal edge of the earth. The Qur'an acknowledges that the earth is spherical, and the sun rises everywhere, but this location marked the extreme limit of settled land in that direction.
In this remote eastern region, he encountered a people so underdeveloped that they had no shelter, no trees, no clothing, and no structures to shield them from the sun. The land was too soft for building, so construction was impossible. Their way of life was primitive:
They would hide in caves during the heat of the day
Come out only after sunset to work and collect food
Their sustenance was limited to fish, likely from nearby water sources
This highlights the vast differences in civilization and development across Dhul-Qarnayn's empire—and his encounter with humanity in its most basic form, which again reflects the scope and inclusiveness of his rule.
The tafsir of Surah Kahf verse 90 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Kahf ayat 89 which provides the complete commentary from verse 89 through 91.
(18:90) until he reached the limit where the sun rises and he found it rising on a people whom We had provided no shelter from it.[66]
66. That is, when he advanced towards the east, conquering one country after the other, he reached a territory where the limits of the civilized world had come to an end and beyond which was the territory of barbaric people, who had no shelter at all of tents or buildings.”
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