وَرَبَطْنَا عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ إِذْ قَامُوا فَقَالُوا رَبُّنَا رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَنْ نَدْعُوَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِلَهًا لَقَدْ قُلْنَا إِذًا شَطَطًا ﴿۱۴﴾ هَؤُلَاءِ قَوْمُنَا اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ آلِهَةً لَوْلَا يَأْتُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِسُلْطَانٍ بَيِّنٍ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا ﴿۱۵﴾ وَإِذِ اعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ فَأْوُوا إِلَى الْكَهْفِ يَنْشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ وَيُهَيِّئْ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَمْرِكُمْ مِرْفَقًا ﴿۱۶﴾

﴾14﴿ Wa rabatnaa 'alaa quloo bihim iz qaamoo faqaaloo Rabbunaa Rabbus samaawaati wal ardi lan nad'uwa min dooniheee ilaahal laqad qulnaaa izan shatataa
﴾15﴿ Haaa'ulaaa'i qawmunat takhazoo min dooniheee aalihatal law laa yaatoona 'alaihim bisultaanim baiyin; faman azlamu mimmaniftaraa 'alal laahi kazibaa
﴾16﴿ Wa izi'tazal tumoohum wa maa ya'budoona illal laaha faawooo ilal kahfi yanshur lakum Rabbukum mir rahmatihee wa yuhaiyi' lakum min amrikum mirfaqa

﴾14﴿ And We made firm their hearts when they stood up and said, Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. Never will we invoke any deity other than Allah; otherwise, we would have certainly spoken an excessive transgression
﴾15﴿ These are our people who have taken gods other than Allah. Why do they not bring a clear proof for them, So who is more unjust than one who invents a lie against Allah
﴾16﴿ And when you withdraw from them and from what they worship other than Allah, seek refuge in the cave; your Lord will spread out for you of His mercy and will make easy for you your affair in comfort

[14] In this verse, their need for Allah Most High in strengthening their hearts is mentioned.
And the strengthening of the heart is the state of strong patience, which becomes evident during severe trials.
This is a divine favor (karamah) from Allah for His righteous servants, as seen in verse 10 of Surah Al-Qasas.
Its opposite is the sealing of the heart, which is the final state for those who are stubborn in enmity.
(قَامُوا) – They stood firm. The king was a polytheist. When he heard of them, he summoned them and asked them several questions in order.
First question: “Who is your Lord?” They replied: (رَبُّنَا رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ) – “Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth.”
Second question: “Besides this Lord, is there anyone else worthy of being called upon or sought for help?” They replied: (لَنْ نَدْعُوَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِلَهًا) – “We will never call upon any god besides Him.”
The first answer is about Tawheed of Lordship, and the second is about Tawheed of Worship.
Third question: “If someone seeks a need from other than Allah Most High, what is the ruling on that?”
They answered: (لَقَدْ قُلْنَا إِذًا شَطَطًا) – “Then we would indeed have said an outrageous thing.”
Shatat means to go beyond bounds; falsehood and lies are referred to as shatat when they exceed the limits of truth.
[15] This too is included in their statement, meaning it is the fourth question: “Why do you oppose your elders?”
They answered: (لَوْلَا يَأْتُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِسُلْطَانٍ بَيِّنٍ) – “Why do they not bring clear proof for the divinity of others besides Allah?”
Fifth question: “If someone follows the elders without clear proof, what is the crime?”
The answer is: (فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا) – “Who is more unjust than the one who fabricates a lie against Allah?”
This means that such an act is a great injustice.
And what can result from this great injustice?
It leads to misguidance, the rejection of truth, and divine punishment—both in this world and the Hereafter.
[16] When the king gave them a reprieve, they separated themselves from their fathers and relatives, knowing that the king would either force them back to his religion or stone them to death, as mentioned in verse 20.
So, they consulted with one another to migrate to the cave in order to save their religion.
They said (وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ) to clarify that their separation from their people was not for worldly reasons, but purely for the sake of monotheism.
And in this verse, there is an indication that a migrant must place their trust in the mercy of Allah Most High.
The intended meaning of mercy here is rescue and protection from their people, similar to what occurred in the Cave of Thawr during the migration of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace).
The phrase (وَيُهَيِّئْ لَكُمْ) points to the fact that after trials, Allah Most High brings ease and tranquility.