islam

In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful. We will continue now the story of the Companions of the Cave[1].



We mentioned that they were 6 or 7 young men who had a message and a dream to reform their country and inform their people of the Oneness of Allah[2] (God). However, their king[3] did not approve that, and a call for their arrest was issued. Thus they decided to flee to the cave in order to plan what they will do next. This is the image of the cave they lived in 300 years.



The events in the Cave and the Trustee's arrangements for them:



When you look at the Cave, you will be amazed at how its 90 meters were created to accommodate such a righteous company. First, the cave was designed as would an air-conditioned apartment be designed. There is a reception ahead of where they slept their 300 years. Then there is an opening in the cave, allowing the entry of air and sunlight. The opening faced the South-East as if designed to be away from the sun during the day, but allow the light flow of sunrays and warmth around dusk. Which trustee could have designed a palace to conserve people for 300 years, to take care of them, as did The Ultimate Trustee?



Allah says what can be translated as, "And you might have seen the sun when it rose, declining from their cave towards the right; and when it set, it went past them towards the left while they were in a broad fissure of (the cave). That was one of the signs of Allah. Whomever Allah guides, then he is right-guided, and whomever He leads away into error, then you will never find for him a right-minded patron. " (TMQ, 18: 17). This was the first mercy bestowed on them.

Secondly, Allah's soldiers (the sun and air, and the heat and cold) were ordered not to harm them. Brothers and sisters, when we ask The Ultimate Trustee, we are asking The Creator of all the soldiers that can work for our sake. Scorpions and snakes were not to enter the cave for over 300 years. Who can protect you like that?



This cave was a mercy from Allah to them. Their people were guided by their sleep in the cave and disappearance, more than they could have ever been guided by their presence. They moved to point B, and then Allah allowed them to rest while their work progressed on its own!



Allah allowed them to sleep for 309 years, by muting their hearing! Allah says, "Then We struck upon their ears for a (great) number of years in the cave," (TMQ, 18:11), and then says, "And We turned them about towards the right and towards the left," (TMQ, 18:18). They were not dead, but only asleep. This is one of the very miraculous signs in this story. Allah changed the characters of sleep to accommodate 7 sixteen year olds because they trusted in Him.



Fourthly, noise and disturbance was prohibited around the Cave. The king's soldiers informed him where the young men were located, and they were ordered to block the apparent entrance of the Cave so he could get rid of the young men by suffocating them inside, but this was only another part of Allah's settings that the young men not be disturbed! "And in no way does anyone know the hosts of your Lord except He," (TMQ, 74: 31). "And they were scheming, and Allah was scheming; and Allah is The Most Charitable of schemers," (TMQ, 8: 30).



The importance of al-Waseed:



Allah says, "And their dog stretching out his two fore-legs (Literally: his two arms) on the threshold (Waseed)," (TMQ, 18: 18). Waseed is the step near the entrance of the Cave. The young men's dog laid there for 309 years, as if a sign was saying, "Beware! Do not trespass!"



The importance of turning them in their sleep:



A statement which strikes you with the essence of His care to them is, "And We turned them about towards the right and towards the left," (TMQ, 18: 18). When you sleep, you turn in bed more than 30 times every night. Medicine tells us the importance of that is preventing a disease known as bed sores. Sleeping too long on one side of the body can cause continuous pressure on that side, leading to pain and loss of the skin's vitality. The skin dies and ulcers are the result. This normally happens to those unconscious, as those bed-ridden in coma. Thus medical staff in hospitals will go in to coma patients and continuously turn them in bed to prevent ulcers of their backs and legs.



They were only 7 young men and not prophets, and they were granted all that care because of their trust. Whoever lives his life for Allah's sake, Allah will truly ensure for him such mercies. On the other hand, people who live for their own selves and desires will not sense such meaningful signs in their lives.



Similarly, in this verse Allah says, "If you look at them, indeed you would have turned away from them in flight and indeed been filled with horror of them" (TMQ, 18: 18). This verse is showing another defense for them. Those young men went to the Cave afraid from the king's corruption. Here Allah says that those who trust Allah and sense His presence will be lead to peace and serenity while those who transgress will be in fear from this same serenity! If you sleep while trusting Allah in mind, then sleep entirely and never be scared.



Have we now realized the meaning of the verse, "Or even do you reckon that the Companions of the Cave and Ar-Raqîm (It is the name of a leaden plate, on which were written the names of the seven sleepers) were among Our signs a wonder?" (TMQ, 18: 9).



Events going on Outside the Cave:



What happened outside the cave? What happened to their people? Their Families had searched for them a lot, the young men had disappeared suddenly, and their families and the town had a doubt that the king was the reason for their disappearance and that he might have hurt them.



As for the King, since that day his image had been shaken, because all the people were thinking that he is the one who killed the young men whom were 15 years of age. Notice that the king is the one who introduced the message and that because the seven young men were presenting good deeds for the people and time was not on their side to spread their monotheistic beliefs among the people. Then the King announced that the young men had faith, and he had spread his guards everywhere. So the people said: “Did those righteous young men want to inform us that there is no god but Allah? Why does the king want to hurt them?" By this way the people were introduced to the new message.



The Inscribed Tablet:



People have engraved the names of the seven young men on a wooden or a copper tablet, so that they would be always remembered for the coming generations, and no one would forget them. Good deeds that are done are never a waste, and for that came the famous ayah[8] “Surely the ones who have believed and done deeds of righteousness, surely We do not waste the reward of him who does fair deeds” (TMQ, 30:18). The way the young men disappeared made people love them and made their names live eternally and the Inscribed Tablet was passed to the future generations for the period of 300 years. Allah rewards for the good deeds and any one of you who makes a good thing for the sake of Allah, the Inscribed Tablet is there.






The Weakness of the power of Decius:



The power of Decius started to weaken because of the seven young men and his image started to change in front of the people and in front of his army. Then later on he died, and his son came and he felt that oppression is not working, so he started to spread justice between the people, and they began to feel relieved. The Inscribed Tablet appeared and the seven young men have become the fuel that awakes every one, and people advised their children to become like those young men because people always love the one who sacrifices for them.





The Awakening of the companions of the cave:



After 300 years, a new king who believed in Christianity took charge and he made all the people believe in it too. The Inscribed Tablet appeared and it became a symbol to them. After change took place, Allah wanted the companions of the cave to wake. But why would they wake after all this time? They woke to teach people that Allah completed their journey and to leave a mark in the Qur’an that Allah does not waste the reward of those who make good deeds.



Allah inspired a farm owner which is located near the cave, to take from the rocks that are in front of the cave to build a fence for his farm, so the door of the cave was opened. Then the noise started outside and the dog was awake and so were the companions of the cave.



The Ayah starts in narrating the story of the awakening of the companions of the cave from their sleep: “And thus We made them rise again that they might ask one another (Literally: among themselves). A speaker from among them said, “How long have you lingered?” They said, “We have lingered a day, or part (Literally: some “part” of a day) of a day.” (Others) said, “Your Lord knows best how long you have lingered. So send one of you forth with this money to the city, then let him look for whichever of them has the purest (Literally: most cleansed) food, so let him come up to you with a provision thereof, and let him be courteous, and definitely let no man be aware of your (presence)” (TMQ, 19:18).



They did not know for how long they stayed asleep, they thought it was a day or half a day, and when they woke, they were very hungry since they went to the cave suddenly without taking their food. We notice that they were not very poor and wanted to eat good food, and at same time, they were religious with a mission.

One of the seven young men went down feeling that life had changed all around him and that place was not the same place he came from yesterday, he thought that those houses were not there yesterday and that he got lost because of their sleep yesterday, but he remained silent He went to town hiding because he thought that for sure the guards of Decius were searching all over the town for them now. He reached a seller from whom he wanted to buy food, and while he was giving him the paper money, the man looked at the money and knew that it goes back to 300 years ago, to the period of Decius .



The seller thought that the young man had found a treasure and he said to the young man: “Either you tell me the place of the treasure, so that we can share it or I will tell the police”. The young man said: "Which treasure?" The seller replied: "This currency goes back to 300 years ago". The young man was surprised because he though he has just run away from Decius yesterday. People started to gather around him laughing and they thought he was crazy. I am imagine that he told them,: "Please stop gathering people around me so that the guards of Decius do not find me". In the middle of the people’s laughter, the young man said: "Truthfully, we are Christian believers". The gathering said: "We are all like you, and even the king believes in god too". The young man could not believe it. One of the men of wisdom asked the young man about his name and the names of his friends. When the man of wisdom heard the names, he knew then that these were the seven young men who disappeared, and whose names were written on the Inscribed Tablet.



People informed the king about him, and went to the cave to see his friends.

Imagine the whole town going to the cave now telling the seven young men, "We are all believers now, and you are the ones who directed us to the right path". Imagine their invoking to Allah “ O The Generous, O The Ultimate Trustee”. Imagine the moment when they found out the truth saying, "How did the dream come true? O Allah you have fulfilled our dream”.



The ayah says what can be translated as,: “And thus We made the (people of the city) discover them that they might know that the promise of Allah is true and that the Hour, there is no suspicion about it. As they were contending among themselves their Command, (The Command of Allah concerning Resurrection; or: their affair) (then) they said, “Build over them a structure; their Lord knows them best.” (But) the ones who prevailed over their Command (Literally: overcame them in their Command; or: in their affair) said, “Indeed we will definitely build (Literally: take to ourselves) over them a mosque” (TMQ, 21:18).

By their awaking we learn that The Ultimate Trustee never leaves his worshippers like he said (SWT), whoever lives his life for the sake of Allah, Allah helps him to complete his dream. We also learn that the One who awakened them after 300 years will awaken all of us on the Day of Judgment. Therefore, we need to be prepared for that day.



End of The story:



After people found and recognized the people of the cave, they died because it will be very difficult for them to live in the four centuries later from their time. Now they have become just a memory. They died and their graves are now in the cave.

[1] Translator's note: This story is known in Christian tradition as the Story of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus.

[2]ِ Allah = The word Allah is the Arabic term for God. Although the use of the word "Allah" is most often associated with Islam, it is not used exclusively by Muslims; Arab Christians and Arabic-speaking Jews also use it to refer to the One God. The Arabic word expresses the unique characteristics of the One God more precisely than the English term. Whereas the word "Allah" has no plural form in Arabic, the English form does. Allah is the God worshipped by all Prophets, from Adam to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.

[3] Translator's note: Extra-Qur'anic tradition has stated that the king was the Emperor Decius, Emperor of Rome from years 249-251 of the Christian era.

[4] SWT = Subhanahu wa Ta'ala [Glorified and Exalted Be He].

[5] TMQ=Translation of the Meaning of the Qur'an. This translation is for the realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an. Reading the translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed.



[6] Surat = A chapter; the Qur’an is comprised of 114 surahs.

[7] SAWS = Salla Allah alayhe Wa Salam [All Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him]

8 ayah = A verse in the Qur'an.