Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that: 

The Prophet (SAW)said: "The best day that the sun has risen upon is Friday. On it Adam was created, on it he entered Paradise, and on it, he was expelled from it. And the Hour will not be established except on Friday." [1]

According to several hadith, reading Surah Kahaf on Friday is highly recommended. One hadith says that if a person reads Surah Kahah on Friday, a Noor (Light) would shine for him during two Fridays(i.e. all week long).

Why has Surah Kahaf been so commended to be recited on Friday? Because Surah Kahaf has several lessons, in form of stories, that we need to go through often and to take heed from. It is a reminder that we need to give ourselves every now and then, to become good Muslims and good Human beings.

The tests that have been mentioned in Surah Kahaf are:

1.        Test of Faith:

The story of the People of the Cave shows the test of faith. According to this story, a group of young men accepted the true message of Allah SWT, when everyone around them denied the truth. They felt that if they stayed in their city any longer, either they would be made to denounce their faith, or religion; or would be made to suffer and would be killed ultimately. They were strong in their faith and feared for their life. This made them decide to leave the city and take refuge in a cave. The young men had a dog, too. Allah made them go into a deep slumber that lasted 309 years. When they woke up, they sent one of them in the city to get food for them, not knowing that they had slept for so long. When people came to know of their existence(That they had been sleeping for several hundred years) they took them as a sign of Allah's greatness, and started thinking of making a structure, or a mosque over the cave where they had slept for so long. The story shows the test of faith of the young men, where they passed with flying colours.

2. Test of Wealth:

This story is about two men who own a garden each. One man is quite rich and has a beautiful garden having everything that one can imagine. The other is quite poor and has a garden that does not give much produce. The rich owner is proud and thinks that he deserves everything, is proud,  and doesn't take it as blessing from Allah. The poor owner tries to tell him to be humble, and grateful, but the other doesn't pay any attention. In the morning, when the rich man returns to his garden, Allah's wrath has ruined his garden , and he is left with nothing. This shows the test of wealth for the rich owner where he fails miserably.

3. Test of Knowledge:

This story is about Prophet Must (AS) and Khidr. Once when  Musa (AS) took himself as the most knowledgeable person. But Allah SWT sent him to Khidr. They  travelled together for sometime;  Several occurrences showed Musa (AS) that Khidr had much more knowledge than him. This was just to show that there is no limit to knowledge. For every person, there's someone better than him, and that the source of all knowledge is Allah SWT Himself.

4. Test of Power:

This is the story of Dhulqarnain and Yajooj Majooj. Yajooj Majooj thought themselves to be invincible and created chaos everywhere they went. DhulQarnain built a wall of iron between Yajooj Majooj and the rest of the world, to protect others from their evil. This was a test of power, and DhulQarnain chose to be just, and helped others utilising his power.

Ayah 50 of Surah Kahaf shows that all these trials initiate  when Shaytaan wants us to deviate from the straight path that leads to Allah SWT. How can we come out with flying colours, should we encounter any of these trials? There are many tools that have been mentioned in Surah Kahaf.

1.        Be righteous and strong in your faith:

Say, "I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed that your god is one God. So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone." (18:110)

2. Be patient and make loads of Dua:

"And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance. …" (18:28)

3. Remember the Day of Judgement, and prepare for it.

"And the record [of deeds] will be placed [open], and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, "Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?" And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does injustice to no one."(18:49) 

How can we gain more reward of reciting Surah Kahaf?

By ensuring that we are reading Surah Kahaf correctly. Taking Quran lessons online can be really helpful in this regard. By taking Quran lessons online, we can get help of a Quran tutor, who is qualified, experienced and trained. Quran lessons online would result in reading Surah Kahaf with correct Tajweed. That would help us to gain rewards instead of reaping sins in case of incorrect tajweed. Quran lessons online, the easy way to improve Tajweed!

2.             By ensuring that we totally understand what we are reading. For this, we can take Quran lessons online that would help us learn Arabic, so that we can learn what Quran actually is saying.

3.             By ensuring that we are acting upon all the lessons learnt from Surah Kahaf. May Allah SWT Help us to understand His Message, and act upon it. Ameen.

References:

[1]Narrated by Jami at-Tirmidhi , Hadith 488