THE COMPANIONS OF THE CAVE

There is a Surah after their name i.e. al-Kahf. Let us first reproduce the Ayahs of the Noble Qur’an pertaining to them:

            “Did you think the story of the Companions of the Cave and the Inscription was more marvelous than Our other miracles. When the youth sought refuge in the cave, they prayed, “Lord, grant us mercy and help us to get out of this trouble in a righteous way.”

We sealed their ears in the cave for a number of years. Then We roused them to find out which of the party had the correct account of the duration of their sleep in the cave. We tell you this story for a genuine purpose. They were young people who believed in their Lord and We gave them further guidance. We strengthened their hearts when they stood up against the idols and said, “Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We shall never worship any one other than Him lest we commit blasphemy. Our people have considered other things equal to Him. Why can they not present clear proof in support of their claim? Who is more unjust than one who invents falsehood against Allah?

(They were told), “Now that you have abandoned them and what they worship instead of Allah, seek refuge in the cave. Allah will, certainly, grant you mercy and provide you with help to get safely out of this trouble.”

(You could see that no sunlight could reach them during their sleep in the cave). You could see the rising sun decline to the right of their cave and the setting sun move its way to the left whilst they were sleeping in an opening of the cave. This is one of miracles of Allah. Whomever Allah guides receives the right guidance and you will never find a guardian or guide for those whom He causes to go astray.

You might think them (the youths) awake (with their eyes wide open) while, in fact, they were sleeping. We turned their bodies from right to left and their dog stretched its front legs on the floor of the cave. Had one looked them over, he would have run away from them in dread. We roused them from their sleep so that they would question each other about their stay in the cave. One of them said, “How long do you think we have stayed here?”

They replied, “A day or part of a day.” They added, “Your Lord knows better how long we have stayed here. Let us send one of us with this money to the city to get some pure food so that we might eat. He should be careful so that no one will know about us, they would certainly stone us to death or force us to follow their religion. Then we shall never be able to have everlasting happiness.

We caused this story to become public so that people would know that Allah’s promise was true and that there is there is no doubt the coming of the Day of Judgment.

(Muhammad), say, “My Lord has the best knowledge of their number.” (18:9-22)

Who were Ashaab-e-Kahf?

These were rich and pious young men, who were ministers in the government and who believed in the Oneness of Allah. Imam Jaffer al-Sadiq (a.s.) told his companions: “They were in the days of a king who ordered people towards idol-worshiping and would kill those who refused it. The “Ashaab-Kahf” were believers but exercised Taqiyyah. One day they escaped. On the way, they met a shepherded and invited him towards Allah but he refused the faith but his dog joined them and remained with them till the end. They prayed Allah for mercy and sought guidance. Hence Allah guided them to the Cave. Allah made them sleep for 309 years. During sleep, their eyes were open so as to keep away any man or animals. As mentioned in Ayah 18, any one who sees them would have scared and run away. By the way, their number was not certain. Ayah 22 explains this by saying “they were three and their dog was the fourth one. Ultimately the Ayah continues saying “they were seven and their dog was the eighth one.” The Ayah concludes saying “My Lord has the best knowledge of their number.” During their sleep, Allah turned their bodies from right to left (so that their blood circulation continued).

At the end of the unusual sleep, Allah wakes them up. They asked one another for how long did they sleep? One of them said one day or even part of it. They agreed to send one of them to the market to purchase pure food. The importance of pure food is evident from a hadees wherein a man came to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and requested for ways that Allah may accept his “Dua’a”. The Prophet replied: “Eat pure food and make sure that no prohibited food may enter your stomach.”

The man noticed that every thing was changed. After buying some food, the man gave a coin. The shop keeper was shocked to see the coin which was more than 300 years old. It was difficult for the people of the town to believe that dead men could be brought back to life.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the man rushed back to the cave and narrated the whole story. They were all surprised and realized that their families, parents and friends all must have been perished. So they prayed sincerely to Allah and requested for their death and Allah accepted their prayers.

After their death, people constructed a mosque at the entrance of the cave.

Similar to the Companions of the cave, there is another story of Prophet Uzayr.

He was traveling through a village when he saw that all the houses were fallen on its residents and some of the body parts were visible. Addressing Allah, He said “How will you revive these people on the Day of Judgment? Allah brought death to him for 100 years and then revived him. On coming back to life, he was asked by Allah for how long did he sleep? He replied one day or even part of the day. (2:259)

Lessons from this event:

One can realize that when the Ashaab-e-Kahf slept for 309 years but on waking up that long span of time appeared to them as a day or even shorter than a day. Hence the period of Barzaq for every one might be proportionately small.

Even young men though materially well-off were true believers; they will sacrifice the material success for the Life Hereafter.

When they seek help from Allah, He grants Mercy and Guidance to sincere believers.

Even animals feel the righteous cause. The Zul-Jenah, the horse of Imam Husayn (a.s.) also behaved in exceptional and abnormal ways. Similarly, the dog who accompanied the Companions of the Cave showed abnormal behavior.

Do not follow blindly any body.

Migrate from unholy environment.

They practiced “Taqiyyah” and escaped to the cave.

Equality in Allah’s path.

Help from Allah is always available to the believers.

Insistence on Pure (Halal) food even in adverse circumstances. Pure food affects both body and soul.

Convince believers on Resurrection of the dead on the Day of Judgment.

Reference:

The Noble Qur’an

Commentary on Surah al-Kahf                          By: Ali Abdul Rasheed