Christian version of Ashaab e Kahf is different. The Ashaab e kahf seven sleepers were from Ephesus(which is now in Turkey) according to Christians.
The king 300 years ago was Decius who believed in Greek mythology and multiple gods. He had statues of zeus, apollo, armades in the city of Epiphesus. He built these monuments and build them in the middle of the city. This king expected the whole town to bow to these gods and worship them. If anybody refused to pay respect to them, he was slaughtered.7 young men refused to do it. We believe in Jesus as god. They were arrested and given a death sentence and supposed to be publicly executed.
These men managed to escape from the jail and run off into a cave. The king finds them, and the king put rocks on the mouth of the cave to bury them alive as it was a very small cave. Some people years later made a large stone tablet in honour of them as they died for the sake of faith and they put it on the mouth of the cave.
In Year 448 AD, (120 years before birth of Prophet SAWW), a shepherd moved some rocks from a cave in order to build a shed for his sheep and then he saw light enter a cave, and saw some men sleeping inside wearing ancient clothes. They woke up and sent one of them into the city to get bread and their coins had decius on them so they and the people realised they had slept for 300 years. At that point when they woke up, the area was dominated by Christianity and there were crosses everywhere. They had clothes and currency of over 300 years ago. The king honoured them greatly. They again proclaimed the greatness of jesus and told their story and then died in front of them.
In christianity there was a debate going on whether or not when we are raised on the day of judgement, is god going to raise the soul or both the soul and the body. A lot of Christian theologians said that only the soul will be raised. The king Theodosius was not sure. He heard both sides of the argument. When these seven sleepers were discovered, the debate was over because it was a proof that the body and soul are resurrected together.
A major christian scholar used this story to write a text on aqeedah. He called them martyrs. He said that their souls and bodies have direct access to heaven. He said that because they are already in heaven, they are saints and asking them for help is a means of getting into paradise. They have hymns about the people of the cave. They called them Ashaab ul kahf. The christians used to celebrate the seven sleepers like we celebrate EID.
The Quraysh went to the Jewish scholars to ask them to tell them some difficult questions that they could ask about ashaab e kahf from Prophet SAWW. Their intention was to trick the Prophet SAWW into saying that the ashaab e kahf were saints and this would indirectly validate Christianity because in the Christian version, the ashaab e kahf were saints who believed in Jesus.
Sahih International
[All] praise is [due] to Allah , who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance.
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[He has made it] straight, to warn of severe punishment from Him and to give good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward
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They have no knowledge of it, nor had their fathers. Grave is the word that comes out of their mouths; they speak not except a lie.
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Then perhaps you would kill yourself through grief over them, [O Muhammad], if they do not believe in this message, [and] out of sorrow.
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Indeed, We have made that which is on the earth adornment for it that We may test them [as to] which of them is best in deed.
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And indeed, We will make that which is upon it [into] a barren ground.
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Or have you thought that the companions of the cave and the inscription were, among Our signs, a wonder?The youth changes a lot with changing trends. Trends keep changing in every field. Youth goes through a lot of phases. But Allah has made it clear that trends can change all they want but Allah's guidance will never change. It is eternal and what was applicable in 600 AD is still applicable in 2015. It is just as relevant now as it was back then. We feel the pressure to say things and do things to fit in and tone down the words of the Quran and make it digestible. Allah says QAYYIMAN. (This is one word which is as if someone said Soccer is the best sport, and the other person says Soccer?Basketball! Basketball is a single word which conveys that basketball is the best) Similarly Allah says Qayyiman after Iwajan and this word is enough. The Quran will not compromise.
Baas refers to the time before war. Allah says this book will continue to stand even during tough and difficult times. Allah goes on to say that they will have a reward in the form of Jannah. This implies that we won't get reward and compensation for everything immediately. The reward will be after patience. Whatever thing we acquire in this world, we get tired of it after a while. We just want to move to one thing after another. Allah says he will give us a reward which will be forever. Maakis means to sit in anticipation for something. It means that you are always excited for it. The excitement does not die after a while. We will never get bored in Jannah. Some people argue that people will get tired of Jannah and living forever. Allah is negating that idea. You will never get used to something and lose interest.
Allah gave this book to warn Christians who argued that Allah had a son. In their version of the story, they made Ashaab ul Kahf saints and according to them, the seven sleepers declared Jesus as their lord and this is the reason they were buried alive and then they woke up after hundreds of years and declared Jesus is their lord. Allah makes it clear that their ancestors had no clue of the statement they are making. What huge blasphemy comes out of their mouth. The words of shirk are so offensive that the Earth and skies would split apart if Allah had not held them together. It is the biggest sin.
But this does not mean that we become intolerant of Christians. Anger belongs to Allah SWT. Allah has the right to be angry. But we cannot become God.We need to have hikmat. But we shouldn't endorse them.
Perhaps you are going to kill yourself out of grief. You worry so much about what they say about Allah that you have become depressed. Why don't they reason and believe in Allah?
No doubt, we furnished whatever is on the Earth as a means of beautification that belongs to it. The decoration of akhirah will outlast it. This implies that certain products, status, company, trends etc will be so beautified for you that you will want to have it no matter what. People don't even care how they will get that thing. They just want it so badly. I just want to go there, no matter how I get there. People sometimes earn haram and try to purify it through sadaqa. Peoples goals become so beautified for them that they are willing to do the ugliest things to reach there. We need to do the right thing. The book will stand firm and whoever holds this book will stand just as firm. Then we will take everything that is on earth and convert it into slippery mud/desert land/marsh land which is absolutely useless. Juruz is a kind of land in which no vegetation can grow. All the skyscrapers will turn into dust.
Now the story begins.Allah says did you actually think/assume that the story of the people of the cave is something that stands out as a miracle? Allah says that as amazing as you think the story of the cave is, it is not that big of a deal in front of the Ayah Allah just said. The inscription is not that big of a sign as the sign Allah just mentioned.
The miraculous help of Allah can come to anyone, not just Prophets, especially to young people who decide to stand up for Allah. Allah is saying that His miraculous help to young people in times of fitnah is so natural that it is not even surprising. It is just like a law of nature.
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Sahih International
[Mention] when the youths retreated to the cave and said, "Our Lord, grant us from Yourself mercy and prepare for us from our affair right guidance."
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So We cast [a cover of sleep] over their ears within the cave for a number of years.
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Then We awakened them that We might show which of the two factions was most precise in calculating what [extent] they had remained in time.
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It is We who relate to you, [O Muhammad], their story in truth. Indeed, they were youths who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.
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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 besides Him any deity. We would have certainly spoken, then, an excessive transgression.
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These, our people, have taken besides Him deities. Why do they not bring for [worship of] them a clear authority? And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allah a lie?"Those young people ran away from prison. They asked Allah for special rehmah (Ladun). These young men understood that Allah is always Raheem but they wanted something more special than normal,something extraordinary because of the circumstances. If anybody found them, they would be killed. They didn't complain. They asked with the attitude that they were already being showered with love but they need more. But we as muslims complain when we are in trouble and ask Why is it always me? Rahmah comes from Rahm and it refers to love and care, and the closest thing to Allah's love is that of a mother's love.
Why do I have to go through this? Hayya means to furnish/change the shape of our situation or to facilitate. Change the reality/shape of this situation. Their entire families are muslims who have compromised on their religion. So these young men do not want to become overwhelmed by that pressure and need Allah's help to change the situation. They were WANTED so they could not run away. They were in a similar situation as we often face as muslims. We have pressure of those who dislike us for practising deen and the pressure of family and people who discourage us for making our lives difficult by following deen. They asked Allah for help so that their hearts stay firm.
They finally found a cave. Allah says He struck their ears and caused them to sleep for hundreds of years, just like a mother strokes her children's ear to make them sleep. This is a demonstration of Allah's love.Struck could also mean that they couldn't hear anything as when you strike the ear, you cannot hear for some time. They slept for many years. Allah used the word adad but Allah did not tell the number to create a mystery. There was a debate among christians about how many years they slept.
Ba-a-sa is used which is used for raising up from death and sleep is like raising from death in Islam. This was mentioned to make it clear that both body and soul was raised. This was a reference to the theological debate going on at that time.
Allah decided to record even the smallest of their conversations out of love. The Quran has nothing without a reason. Every trivial detail is for a reason. Allah even recorded what they said to each other when they woke up.Allah goes on to say that WE will tell you their story accurately.
No doubt about it they were YOUNG MEN who believed in Allah. Allah highlights the fact that they were youth. This surah is about the end of times and fitnas,especially the fitna of dajjaal. Dajjal beautifies the world and performs miracles and the youth gets caught up in these trends the most. He makes people forget the next life. This is the fit of dajjaal. That is why the story of these young men is so important. We need to remember that the youth is supposed to be the strength of the ummah and not the weakness of the ummah. This is what this story emphasises.
Allah goes on to say that they believed in their Lord but he does not specify who the lord is. The Christians took jesus as their lord. Allah says that he will increase them in guidance. Allah guides those who believe in Him. There is a guidance which comes after we have conviction and faith in Allah. Allah gives so much guidance that you cannot possibly imagine it. Allah creates paths where there was no way out.
The youth were dragged in front of the king,in court, in front of all the people, with the fear of being sentenced to death. They had to explain themselves. They were nervous and terrified so they could not speak. Allah gave strength to their hearts and tied their hearts up so that they could speak up for themselves. Their crime was that they did not believe in false gods.
They said: Our Lord is the lord of the heavens and the earth, we are not going to call anyone else our master, and calling someone else our master is extremely stupid. So indirectly they called the king stupid.The whole town was gathered there so this was insulting for the king. They said to the people why do you follow these gods and continued to say that YOU should be on trial because you do not have any evidence for the gods you worship.You're afraid of this king, what about THAT king (Allah SWT). . They still had love for their nation and continued to call them their nation despite the strong opposition from them. We are supposed to hate the sin, but not the sinner.
Sahih International
[The youths said to one another], "And when you have withdrawn from them and that which they worship other than Allah , retreat to the cave. Your Lord will spread out for you of His mercy and will prepare for you from your affair facility."
Sahih International
And [had you been present], you would see the sun when it rose, inclining away from their cave on the right, and when it set, passing away from them on the left, while they were [laying] within an open space thereof. That was from the signs of Allah . He whom Allah guides is the [rightly] guided, but he whom He leaves astray - never will you find for him a protecting guide.
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And you would think them awake, while they were asleep. And We turned them to the right and to the left, while their dog stretched his forelegs at the entrance. If you had looked at them, you would have turned from them in flight and been filled by them with terror.Islam is a religion that put restraints on you and disciplines you. If you don't have Islam into life, you can do anything you like. It is a life free of restrictions. Freedom versus restriction: Most people will pick freedom and pick the easy way out. These young men chose prison and life in a cave in exchange of freedom.
They said let's go to THE cave, and not A cave. That means they had been there before on one of their adventures. The cave could have been full of dangers. But Allah changed reality for them and made it a Mirfaq(Mirfaq is a pillow in which we can find comfort). It is the same root word as Rafeeq, a friend you can find comfort in. This means that they were not looking at the reality in front of them but they had absolute tawakkul on Allah. They were thinking of rocks as a Mirfaq.
The sun bends around them to the right when it rises, and when it is setting it turns towards left. Allah bent the rays of the sun so that they could sleep comfortably. Allah changed the laws of physics and the laws of nature for them. The sun would do them a favour (taqridhum). They were in a big open space so there was more possibility of sun rays entering but this is one of Allah's miracles. Allah did not increase the light so much that they could be spotted from outside but he gave them just enough light to protect them from dangerous animals etc. Whoever Allah guides, his always rightly guided and whoever Allah misguides cannot find any other guidance.
If you went there, you would have imagined that they are awake although they were in deep sleep. Allah even turned them in their sleep. People can develop bed sores and get muscle atrophy if they stay in one posture for long. It could also mean that when came at them in one direction, they were turned to the other direction and vice versa. There was a dog with them whos two paws could have been seen on the mouth of the cave. Even if somebody had climbed up to the cave, they would have ran away out of fear after seeing those paws. You would have even turned others away from the cave:Don't even go near there! (because this is laazim and mutaddi).This statement is hypothetical, because nobody even went near that cave (Lau implies that).
Sahih International
And similarly, We awakened them that they might question one another. Said a speaker from among them, "How long have you remained [here]?" They said, "We have remained a day or part of a day." They said, "Your Lord is most knowing of how long you remained. So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the city and let him look to which is the best of food and bring you provision from it and let him be cautious. And let no one be aware of you.
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Indeed, if they come to know of you, they will stone you or return you to their religion. And never would you succeed, then - ever."
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And similarly, We caused them to be found that they [who found them] would know that the promise of Allah is truth and that of the Hour there is no doubt. [That was] when they disputed among themselves about their affair and [then] said, "Construct over them a structure. Their Lord is most knowing about them." Said those who prevailed in the matter, "We will surely take [for ourselves] over them a masjid."
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They will say there were three, the fourth of them being their dog; and they will say there were five, the sixth of them being their dog - guessing at the unseen; and they will say there were seven, and the eighth of them was their dog. Say, [O Muhammad], "My Lord is most knowing of their number. None knows them except a few. So do not argue about them except with an obvious argument and do not inquire about them among [the speculators] from anyone."
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Except [when adding], "If Allah wills." And remember your Lord when you forget [it] and say, "Perhaps my Lord will guide me to what is nearer than this to right conduct."
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And they remained in their cave for three hundred years and exceeded by nine.
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Say, " Allah is most knowing of how long they remained. He has [knowledge of] the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth. How Seeing is He and how Hearing! They have not besides Him any protector, and He shares not His legislation with anyone."
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And recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. There is no changer of His words, and never will you find in other than Him a refuge.When they got up, they started arguing about how long they slept. But then one of them said they need food, so they collected cash and sent one person back to the city to get food. They picked someone who had an idea about restaurants and they asked him to pick the best food and not get too much food. Walk really carefully and be extra nice to not draw unnecessary attention to yourself. And if you get caught, don't reveal our location. You need to be smart and cautious. If they find out about you, they will either stone you to death or return you to their religion. It means that we should never be overconfident in your religion. Be humble and always beg Allah that your hidaya remains till your last moment. Do not deliberately put yourself in difficult and faith-challenging situations. Protect your Imaan and don't go looking for trouble. Don't be over confident in faith and put yourself in fitnah. Allah recorded this small trivial conversation which is a proof that Allah listens to all of our conversations. In Quran, the true followers of Isa AS call themselves muslims, so even though these people were before the time of Prophet SAWW, they were still heroes of islam. Allah came to the aid of their legacy by dignifying them in Quran.
But when he set out, he spoke a different dialect, was dressed in clothes 300 years old, had old currency and he drew a lot of attention to himself. The whole town had become christians. The promise of ALLAH is true. Isa AS did not resurrect them, Allah did. This is the Islamic concept. The christian scholars were disputing at that time about whether the soul is raised or both body and soul. Allah said we resurrected them so that people would know the promise of Allah is true. It shows that Allah SWT is the one who raised them and raised their body and soul.
The Christian king Theosodisus said, build a monument for them. (According to the Christian version, they refused the monument and they also refused to come out of the cave. They died in the cave).
They turned it down because they were people of Tawhid and not of shirk. These people probably died in the cave then to escape from shirk. Then the people said, lets build a Masjid here. Masjid is a place where you do sajdah. So sajdah still existed in Christianity back then.
The people forgot the debate about resurrection and afterlife and instead made an issue out of making a monument or a masjid. Our ummah has become caught up in debates and issues about things that don't matter much and forget the core of Islam. We have beautified our masjids and monuments and ignored the fundamentals of deen.
Listen to a story. There is a professor of business who made millions. He decides to teach business courses. He tells his class:There is a man who has to start a business. He picks a location. He checks which products people need and he stocks those products. He manages branding,finances,customer services,presentation etc. One student asks: Whats his name? What does he eat for lunch? That is such an irrelevant and ridiculous question which suggests that the students missed the entire point of the story. Allah also told this whole story and those people missed the point and began arguing about the number which was entirely irrelevant. Allah commands the prophet saww to tell them that Allah knows best and you don't know and it's none of your business. You are focused on the number and Allah is focused on THEM. We sometimes forget the moral and point of the story and focus on things which are entirely irrelevant. Allah says hum and not haa although iddatun was moanas taa marboota. Allah is trying to emphasise that the number is not important (None but of you actually know THEM).
Don't debate about them.Mirya means to argue so don't get into a debate to remove doubt. The only thing you should debate about is the things that are obvious and not the minor details. Allah made their beliefs obvious so we should debate about them and not their number. We should focus on the point. We need to learn to ask the right questions. Three stories follow this story in Surah kahf and people end up asking the same kind of irrelevant questions. Allah wanted to correct our thinking in the beginning.
The jews asked the Prophet SAWW: who is zulqarnain, who are the people of the cave and who is the rooh? THE Prophet SAWW said he will tell tomorrow but Allah sent what after 15 days.
Now Allah emphasises the importance of saying InshaaAllah. And Allah links it to the idea that may it bring us closer to guidance. Our imaan fluctuates and our relationship with Allah goes up and down so Allah has tied InshaaAllah to the idea that may Allah bring us closer to Him whenever you do that thing. May you be in a better state of Imaan when it happens, no matter what you say InshaaAllah for.
Then Allah gives a vague number,300 and 9 but does not specify nine to teach us to be humble. We cannot know everything. Allah knows the unseen and He knows more than you can ever know. Allah is the best protector. Allah goes back to the point. He says He knows the exact figure. Allah puts us back in our place.
You have no protector except Allah. That is a major lesson for us. We need to have tawakkul on Allah.
Then Allah goes on to say that Allah's words will never be changed. The story of christians were changed, but Allah's words never change.
