Surah Al-Kahf (18): Read Online and Download - English Translation

It was said in verse 7: إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى الْأَرْ‌ضِ زِينَةً لَّهَا (Surely, We have made what is on earth an adornment for it) with reference to all living forms, vegetation, mountains, minerals and everything else present on the earth. They are its embellishment. That there are snakes, scorpions, beasts and many harmful and fatal things may lead someone to doubt as to how can they be called 'an adornment for it.' This doubt is unfounded because everything in this world considered harmful, fatal or plain bad may be so in a restricted sense but, in terms of the totality of creation, nothing is bad. Everything, no matter how bad, has been invested with many benefits by Allah Ta’ ala on other counts. The medical use of poisonous and fatal life forms in the interest of human beings is an example. Therefore, things that are considered even bad are not that bad in terms of the function of this entire universe.

Lexical Explanation

Kahf is a large mountainous cave or cavern. If not large, it will be a ghar. The word: الرَّ‌قِيمِ (al-Raqim) literally denotes: اَلمَرقُوم (al-marqum) that is, something written. What does it mean at this place? The sayings of commentators differ about it. Dahhak, Sudiyy and Ibn Jubayr following the authority of Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ declare it to mean a written tablet on which the ruler of the time had inscribed the names of the People of Kahf and had it fixed on the entrance to the Cave. For this reason, the People of Kahf are also called the People of al-Raqim (the inscribed ones). Qatadah, ` Atiyyah, ` Awfi and Mujhid have said that Raqim is the name of the valley adjoining the mountain in which the hollow cavern of the People of Kahf was located. Some others have identified this mountain itself as the Raqim. ` Ikrimah says, "I have heard Sayyidna ibn ` Abbas رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہما saying - I do not know whether Raqim is the name of some inscribed tablet or some town." Ka'b al-Alahbar and Wahb ibn Munabbih report from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ that Raqim is the name of a town near Ailah, that is, 'Aqabah, situated in the kingdom of the Romans.

Fityah (فِتْيَةُ ) in verse 10 is the plural of: فَتٰی : fata, which means a young man.

The expression: فَضَرَ‌بْنَا عَلَىٰ آذَانِهِمْ (translated as 'so, We veiled their hearing [ putting them to sleep ] ' - 11) literally means to plug ears to prevent someone from hearing. It is used to convey the sense of deep sleep. When sleeping, eyes close first but ears remain active. Sounds are heard. When sleep takes over completely, ears stop functioning. Later, when awake, ears resume their function first for sound startles the person sleeping who then comes out of his sleep.

Commentary

The story of the People of Kahf and Raqim

There are a few subjects of study in this story. First of all, it needs to be determined whether People of Kahf and People of Raqim are two names of the same group, or these are two separate groups. Though, no clarification of this appears in any Sahih Hadith, but Imam al-Bukhari, in his Sahih, has given two separate chapter headings - Ashab al-Kahf and Ashab al-Raqim. Then, under Ashab al-Raqim, he mentions the well-known story of three persons being locked shut into a cave with no way out, which opened later through prayers, and which is there in details in all books of Hadith. From this innovative device of Imam al-Bukhari, it is gathered that, according to him, the People of Kahf are one group, and the appellation of the People of Raqim has been used for those three persons who had taken shelter in the cave at some earlier time. Then a huge rock from the mountain fell on the entrance to the cave and blocked it totally, making it impossible for them to come out. At that moment, it was with reference to whatever righteous deeds they each had done in life that the three of them supplicated before Allah: Our Lord, if we had done this thing for Your good pleasure, please open the passage for us. Following the prayer of the first person, the rock moved a little and light started coming in. By the prayer of the second one, it moved a little more. Then, by the prayer of the third one, the passage opened up fully.

But, Hafiz ibn Hajar has made it clear in Sharh al-Bukhari that, in the light of Hadith reports, there is no clear-cut proof about the People of Raqim being the name for the three persons referred to above. What has happened here is that some narrators have added to the report of Sayyidna Nu` man ibn Bashir ؓ ، a reporter of the incident of the cave, by saying that Sayyidna Nu` man ibn Bashir while mentioning the story of the cave said, 'I heard the Holy Prophet ﷺ mentioning Raqim. He was relating the story of the three who got shut into the cave.' This addition appears in the report of al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani as quoted by Fath-al-Bari. But, to begin with, none of the reports from the usual narrators of this Hadith which are available in details in the six Sahihs and other books of Hadith have included this sentence of Sayyidna Nu` man ibn Bashir ؓ . Even the report of al-Bukhari itself does not have this sentence in it. Then, even within this sentence, it has not been made clear whether or not the Holy Prophet ﷺ had called those three persons who got shut into the cave by the name of the People of Raqim. In fact, the words are: 'he was mentioning Raqim.' Those three were mentioned as a corollary to this statement. As for the difference in the sayings of the Sahabah, 'Tabi` in and commentators in general concerning the meaning of Raqim, it is by itself a proof that there was no Hadith reported from the Holy Prophet ﷺ about the meaning of Raqim as determined by him. Otherwise, how was it possible that once the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself determines the meaning of a word, the Sahabah, Tabi` in and other commentators opt for some other saying contrary to it? Therefore, Hafiz ibn Hajar, the commentator of al-Bukhari, denies that the People of Kahf and the People of Raqim are two separate groups. According to him, the correct position is that both these names apply to one single group. The mention of three persons getting shut into a cave could have been made with the mention of Raqim. It does not necessarily follow from it that these very three persons were 'the Ashab al-Raqim' (the People of Raqim).

Hafiz ibn Hajar has also clarified at this place that the very context of the story of the People of Kahf as described by the Qur'an tells us that the People of Kahf and Raqim are but one group. This is why the majority of commentators and Hadith experts agree that they both are one and the same.

The second issue to be determined here is that of the details of the story. It has two parts. Part one is the spirit of the story, and the real objective. It provides an answer to the question asked by the Jews, and guidance and good counsel for Muslims as well. The second part deals with the historical and geographical aspects of the story. As for the delin-eation of the objective, it plays no role there, for instance: When and where did this event come to pass, who was the infidel king these people ran from and hid in the cave? What were his beliefs, what did he actually do to them because of which they were compelled to run and hide in the cave? How many were they? Exactly how long did they remain asleep? Are they still alive or are they dead?

The Holy Qur'an, under its wise principles and unique methodology, has not related any story in all its detail and order throughout the Qur'an (with the sole exception of the story of Sayyidna Yusuf علیہ السلام) - a common method used in books of history. Instead, it has introduced only a part of each story that was appropriate to the occasion and was partic-ularly related to guiding and teaching human beings. (The reason for excluding the story of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) from the parameter of this method appears in the Tafsir of Surah Yusuf included in Volume V, pages 24, 25)

The same method was used in relating the story of the People of Kahf. Here, the Qur’ an has described its particular parts that were relevant to the real objective. No mention was made of the remaining parts that were purely historical or geographical. Of course, mention was made of the number of the People of Kahf. The questions regarding the period of time they remained asleep were certainly alluded to, even an indication was released towards the answer but, along with it, an instruction was also given that it was not appropriate to investigate and debate such issues. These should be entrusted with Allah Ta` ala. This is the reason why the Holy Prophet ﷺ who was duty-bound to explain the meanings of the Holy Qur’ an never related those parts of the story in any Hadith. It is on the grounds of this Qur'anic methodology that great men among the Sahabah and Tabi` in have declared the essential policy guideline in such matters by saying:

اَبھَمُوا مَآ اَبھَمَہُ اللہُ (الاتقان للسیوطی)

What Allah has left undetermined, you too leave it undetermined. (a1-Itqan li-Suyuti)

This approach and conduct of leading Sahabah and 'I'abi` in required that, in this Tafsir too, those parts of the story should be ignored as ignored by the Qur'an and Hadith. But, this is a time when historical and geographical breakthroughs are taken as great achievements. Therefore, later day scholars of Tafsir have described those parts as well in varying lengths. As far as Tafsir Ma` ariful-Qur'an is concerned, the parts of the story that have already been mentioned in the Qur'an will be covered under the explanation of its verses. The remaining historical and geographical parts of the story are being described here within the limits of their need. However, the truth of the matter is that, even after this description, the end result will remain the same - that is, it is impossible to arrive at a categorical decision in these matters. The reason is that writings in Islamic, and then Christian history, relating to this subject are so different, even contradictory, that one writer determines something in the light of his investigation, opinion and evidence while the other prefers something else.

Events relating to hiding in caves to protect faith have been many and widespread

One major reason for differences existing among historians lies in the great importance attached to monasticism by adherents to the faith brought by Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) . As a result, there were several instances spread around different regions and countries of the world where some people took shelter in caves to devote themselves to the worship of Allah Ta’ ala living there for the rest of their lives. Now, where so ever some such event has occurred, it was not so far out for a historian to suspect it to be that of the People of Kahf.

People of Kahf: Place and Period

Tafsir authority al-Qurtubi of al-Andulus (Spain) has reported some events at this juncture in his Tafsir. Some of these events, that belong to different cities, he had heard or seen himself. First of all, he says on the basis of a report from Dahhak that al-Raqim is the name of a town in Rum (the Greco-Roman territory) where twenty-one men are lying in a cave as if they are sleeping. Then, he reports from Tafsir authority, Ibn ` Atiyyah that he had heard from many people that there was a cave in Sham (Syria) which had some dead bodies in it. Attendants said that they were the ones called the People of Kahf. And adjacent to the cave, there was the structure of a mosque and residential house called Raqim. In addition to the dead bodies, the skeleton of a dead dog was also present there.

Then, al-Qurtubi writes about another event relating to al-Gharnatah (Granada) in al-Andulus (Spain), again reporting from Ibn ` Atiyyah who says, 'there is a cave in Lawshah (Lojah), a village outside al-Gharnatah. It has some dead bodies and along with these there is the skeleton of a dead dog as well. Most of the dead bodies have no flesh left reducing them to bare skeletons. However, some do have signs of flesh and skin still being there. Centuries have passed over this. But, nothing is known about them authentically. Some people say that they were the People of Kahf. Ibn ` Atiyyah further says, 'when I heard this news, I personally went there in the Hijrah year 504. On arrival there, I really found those bodies in the same state. Close by there is a mosque and a structure of the Roman period called Raqim. It seems to have been some palace from the remains of several walls still there. This thing is located in an unpopulated area with wild growth around. He also said, 'remains of an old city are found in the area characterized by higher altitudes in al-Gharnatah. It is Roman in style. The name of the city is said to be Raqyus. We have seen many graves and strange things in its ruins.' From what has been said here it will be realized that al-Qurtubi who lived in Spain avoids calling anyone as the People of Kahf definitely, despite that he has described these events as reported. Then, there is the case of Ibn ` Atiyyah who, despite his personal observation, did not claim that they were the People of Kahf. He rather limits himself to reporting what was popular. But, Abu Hayyan, the seventh century commentator from al-Andulus (Spain) was born in al-Gharnatah itself in Hijrah year 654. There he was raised and there he lived. He too mentions the cave of al-Gharnatah in his Tafsir, al-Bahr al-Muhit, very much like al-Qurtubi has done. After having written about the eye witness account of Ibn ` Atiyyah, he says, 'when I was in al-Andulus (that is, before shifting to Cairo), many people went to see this cave. They used to say that, despite that those bodies are still there and the visitors do count them out but, somehow, they always make a mistake in giving their correct number.' After that he said, 'as for the city of Raqyus mentioned by Ibn ` Atiyyah which is located on the side of al-Gharnatah that faces the Qiblah, I have myself passed by it so many times and I have seen unusually large rocks in it.' After that, he says: " و یترحج کون اھل الکھف بالاندلس لکثرۃ دین النصاریٰ بھا حتّٰی ھی بلاد مملکتھم العظمیٰ " (one reason for preferring the possibility of the People of Kahf being in al-Andulus could be that it is predominantly Christian to the extent that this particular region is their largest religious center - Tafsir al-Bahr al-Muhit, p. 102, v. 6).

Tafsir authority Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim following a report of 'Awfi from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ say that Raqim is the name of a valley which is located near Ailah ('Aqabah) south of Palestine. And the two of them along with other Hadith experts also report from Sayyidna ` Abdull ah ibn ` Abbas ؓ that he said, 'I do not know what Raqim is. But, when I asked Ka'b al-Ahbar, he said that Raqim is the name of the town where the People of the Kahf lived before going into the Cave.' (Ruh al-Ma` ani)

Ibn Abi Shaibah, Ibn al-Mundhir and Ibn Abi Hatim report Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ to have said, 'we waged a Jihad against Byzantine forces in the company of Sayyidna Mu` awiyah ؓ which is known as the battle of al-Madiq (المضیق). On this trip, we passed through the site of the Cave of the People of Kahf. The Qur'an mentions it. Sayyidna Mu` awiyah wanted to go into the cave and see the bodies of the People of Kahf. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ said, 'let us not do so because Allah Ta` ala has already prohibited someone better than you from seeing them, that is, the Rasul of Allah. Is it not that Allah says in the Qur’ an: لَوِ اطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَ‌ارً‌ا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُ‌عْبًا (If you had a look at them, you would have fled away from them and would have been filled with awe of them - 18)? But, Sayyidna Mu` awiyah ؓ did not accept this suggestion of Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ perhaps for the reason that the state in which they were portrayed by the Qur'an related to the time when they were alive and it was not necessary that they would still be found in the same state. Therefore, a few men were sent to have a look at them. They reached the cave. But, when they wanted to enter into the cave, Allah Ta` ala sent a punishing wind upon them that turned all of them out and away from the cave. (Ruh al-Ma` ani p. 227, v. 15)

The reports and narratives appearing above establish that commentators have given three locations for the site of the Cave of the People of Kahf. Firstly, in Ailah near 'Aqabah on the shore of the Gulf of 'Aqabah. Most of the narrations from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ favour this interpretation.

From the personal observation of Ibn ` Atiyyah, and Abu Hayyan's support, it seems likely that this cave is in al-Gharnatah, al-Andulus (Spain). Out of these two places, the name of a city or particular building has also been given as Raqim. Similarly, the name of the great structure in ruins close to the cave in al-Gharnatah has been cited as Raqim. Then, none of the two kinds of reports decisively say that this cave was The Cave of the People of Kahf. Both rely on popular local talk and oral tradition. As for the old name of the city where the People of Kahf lived, it has been mentioned as Ifsus (Ephesus as in the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians - Holy Bible, p. 239), with Tarsus as its Islamic name, in nearly all Tafsir reports of al-Qurtubi, Abu Hayyan and Ibn Jarir. That this city was located on the western coast of Asia Minor is a fact accepted by historians. This shows that the Cave is also within Asia Minor. Therefore, there is no proof to declare any one of these as true and the rest as false. As for probability, all three are probable. In fact, no one can deny the very probability that the events relating to these caves, despite being true, may not be relevant to the Cave of the People of Kahf that has been mentioned in the Qur’ an. May be, it is somewhere else. And it is also not necessary that Raqim at this place may exclusively be the name of some city or building. In fact, no one can reject even the probability that Raqim denotes the inscription engraved with the names of the People of Kahf on a tablet and placed on the entrance to the cave by some king.

Investigations of Modern Historians

Some contemporary historians have made considerable efforts to determine the place and time of the Cave of the People of Kahf with the help of Christian and European historical accounts.

Abul-Kalam Azad has declared the present city of Petra near Ailah ('Aqabah) - Arabicized by Arab historians as Batra - as the old city of Raqim. With reference to current historical accounts, he reports the remnants of a cave in the mountain and of some mosque adjacent to it. In confirmation, he refers to the Book of Joshua in the Old Testament (18:27) where the place has been mentioned as Raqm or Raqim. According to him, this is the place now called Petra. But, this has been considered doubtful as the reference to Raqm or Raqim in the Book of Joshua is connected with the inheritance of Bani bin Yamin (Benyamin). Then, this territory was located west of River Jordan and the Dead Sea where the city of Petra could have not possibly been located. Therefore, contemporary archaeologists are very reluctant in accepting Petra and Raqim as one and the same. (Encyclopedia Britannica 1946, v. 17, p. 658)

Commentators in general have pointed out to the city of Ifsus, a major Byzantine city on the western coast of Asia Minor the remains of which are still found twenty or twenty five miles south of the modern Turkish city of Izmir (Samarna).

Maulana Sayyid Sulaiman Nadwi while mentioning the city of Petra in his book, Ard al-Qur'an, has put Raqim in parenthesis. But, he has not given any evidence in support of the proposition that the old name of the city of Petra was Raqim. Maulana Hifzur-Rahman Sihwarwi has also adopted this view. For evidence, he refers to Torah: The book of Numbers and the book of Isaiah and gives the name of Petra as Raqimah. (Dai’ rah al-Ma’ arif al-` Arabiyah)

When a cave was discovered in a desolate jungle area close to Amman in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Archaeological Department of the Government started digging operations on that site in the year 1963. After having removed the upper strata of topsoil and rocks, they found six coffins filled with bones and stones, and two graves. Towards the south side of the cave, they found inscriptions on rocks in Byzantian script. Local people think that this is the place called Raqim close to which is this cave of the People of Kahf. Allah knows best.

My revered teacher and master, Maulana Ashraf All Thanavi (رح) ، relying on Tafsir Haqqani, has reported the following historical account of the place and time of the People of Kahf. According to this account, when the People of Kahf had escaped the tyranny of the king of the time and taken shelter in the cave, the time was the year 250A.D. Then they re-mained asleep for three hundred years. Thus, it comes to a total of 550A.D. And the Holy Prophet ﷺ was born in 570 A.D. Therefore, this event of their wakening occurred twenty years before the birth of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Then, in Tafsir Haqqani as well, their locale has been deter-mined as the city of Ifsus or Tarsus that used to be in Asia Minor. Its ruins still remain. And Allah knows best the reality of it.

These historical and geographical details have been given here from the reports of classical commentators, then from contemporary historians. This humble writer had already submitted that neither does the understanding of any verse of the Qur'an depend on these, nor does any essential part of the objective for which the Qur’ an has related this story belongs thereto. Then, relevant reports and stories and their indicators and connections are so different that, despite all investigations and efforts, it is just not possible to take any categorical decision in this mat-ter. Having preferences and inclinations is all that is left to do here. But, in our time, educated people have acquired an increased taste in historical investigations. It is for this satisfaction that these details have been reported for they, by way of introduction and hypothesis, tell us at least this much that this event came to pass after Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) close to the time of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . And that most reports seem to agree on this being near the city of Ifsus or Tarsus. Even then, Allah knows best. And the truth is that we, after all these investigations, are standing where we had started from - that there is no need to fix an exact location, nor can this be fixed with any certain modality. The Tafsir and Hadith authority, Ibn Kathir has said exactly this about it:

قد اَخبَرنَا اللہُ تَعَلٰی بذٰلِک وَاَرَادَ مِنَّا فَھمَہ وَتَدَ ؓ رَہ، وَ لَم یُخبِرنَا بِمَکَانِ ھٰذَا الکَھفِ فِی ایِّ البلادِ مِنَ الاَرضِ اِذلاَ فَایٔدَۃ لَنَا فِیہ ولا قصد شَرعِی

Allah Ta` ala has already told us about that. And He expects us to understand it and deliberate into it. And He did not tell us about the location of this Cave in a particular city out of this earth because there is nothing beneficial for us in it nor does any religious objective hinge upon it - Ibn Kathir, v. 3, p. 75.

When did the event relating to the People of Kahf come to pass and why did they take shelter in the Cave?

This segment of the story is also the same upon which neither does the understanding of any verse of the Qur’ an depend, nor does it influence the objective of the story in any significant way, nor do the Qur’ an and Sunnah make any statement about it. What we have here is no more than historical stories. Therefore, in Tafsir al-Bahr al-Muhit, Commentator Abu Hayyan has said:

وَ الرُّوَاۃُ مُختَلِفُونَ فِی قِصَصِھِم وَ کَیفَ کَانَ اِجتِمَاعُھُم وَخپرُجُھُم ولَم یَاتِ فِی الحَدِیثِ الصَّحیحِ کَیفِیَّۃ ذٰلِک وَلَافِی القُرانِ

And narrators differ in stories about them, and about how they got together and moved out, and the mode and manner of that has neither been mentioned in any authentic Hadith nor in the Qur'an - al-Bahr al-Muhit, p. 101, v. 6.

However, when we provided some information about the site of the remnants of the People of Kahf a little earlier, it was in consideration of the curiosity of contemporary temperament. For the same reason, we are providing here brief notes of information regarding the period and causes of the passing of this event from exegetic and historical reports. As for a detailed and comprehensive description of this story, the respected scholar, Qadi Thana'ulla Panipati has reported it on the authority of different narratives in his Tafsir Mazhari. But, given here is a brief version of the event that Ibn Kathir has presented with reference to many early and later commentators. He says:

“ The Ashab al-Kahf were the progeny of kings and chiefs among their people who were idol-worshippers. Once their people went out of the town to participate in some religious festival of theirs. This was a place where they met every year, worshipped their idols and sacrificed animals to please them. Their king was a tyrant. Called Daqyanus دقیانوس ، he used to force his people to worship idols. That year, when everyone had gathered together in this festival, these young men identified as the Ashab al-Kahf also reached there and saw their people taking rocks carved with their own hands as God, worshipping them and sacrificing for them. At that time, Allah Ta` ala blessed them with the good sense to shun this absurd practice of their people. Thus, when they used their reason, they arrived at the conclusion that this worship belongs to none but that supreme Power who has created the heavens and the earth and everything therein. This thought crossed the minds of those few young men simultaneously and they started moving away from there to avoid the absurd practice of their people in the fair name of worship. The first young man who withdrew went far from the crowd and sat down under a tree. After that, came another and he too sat there. Similarly, came the third, and the fourth, and each one of them kept taking a seat under the tree. But, none of them were familiar with each other, nor did they know as to why they had come there. The truth of the matter is that they were brought together on that spot by the Power that lit the light of faith in their hearts."

The real foundation of nationalism and collectivism

After having transmitted that, Ibn Kathir comments that people tend to take nationalism and common race as the cause of cohesion and union in social life. But, the reality lies in what has been said in a Hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari, that unity or disunity first germinates in souls, then it affects the bodies in this world. Souls that have experienced congruity and unity among them in 'azal (eternity) go on to become mutually connected and get molded into the form of a confraternity. As for those that did not have the experience of this mutual congruity and unity - in fact, remained separated there - they will remain separated here too. Take this very event as an example and see how the same thought crossed everyone's mind separately and it was this thought that brought everyone unconsciously together.

In short, these people got together at one place all right, but everyone was concealing his belief from the other lest this person reports him to the king and he gets arrested. After having remained there all together in silence, one of them spoke out, 'brothers, there must be some reason why all of us have broken away from our people and reached here. It seems appropriate that we all should get to know each other's thoughts.' Thereupon, one person declared, 'the truth is that the faith and worship in which I found my people involved gave me the certitude that this whole thing is false. ` Ibadah or worship should be for One Allah who is most exalted in His majesty and who has no partner or associate in the act of the creation of this universe.' This broke the ice. Others were prompted to speak out and they all declared that this was the thought, the belief that separated them from their people and brought them there.

Now they were an ideologically unified group enjoying mutual fellowship and friendship. They set up a separate House of Worship for themselves where they would assemble and worship Allah who is One and who has no partner in His divinity.

But, by and by they became the talk of the town. Backbiters told on them before the king who ordered that they all should be brought to him. When they came into the royal court, the king asked them about their belief and its mores. Allah gave them the courage to state their belief in the Oneness of Allah. In fact, they invited the king himself to believe as they did. This is precisely what has been mentioned in the verses appearing next: وَرَ‌بَطْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ إِذْ قَامُوا فَقَالُوا رَ‌بُّنَا رَ‌بُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ لَن نَّدْعُوَ مِن دُونِهِ إِلَـٰهًا (And We made their hearts firm. And when they rose, they said, "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth; and we shall never invoke any god other than Him, for then we would be saying something far from the truth. These are people of ours. They have taken to gods other than Him. Why do they not bring a proof in their favour? So, who is more unjust than the one who fabricates a lie against Allah?" - al-Kahf, 18:14, 15)

When these young men acted bold before the king and invited him to believe, he turned the call down and threatened them with drastic action. He had the princely robes they donned on their bodies taken off in reprisal so that they may think and change their behavior. In order that they actually do so, he gave them respite for a few days saying that they were young, therefore, he did not wish to kill them right away. In fact, he wanted them to have the time to think over it. Then, if they reverted to the faith of their people, they will be allowed to live as usual, other-wise they would be killed.

It must have been the mercy of Allah Ta’ ala on His believing servants that this respite given to them opened an escape door for them. They ran from there and took refuge in a cave.

Usual reports carried by commentators agree that these people were followers of the faith of Sayyidna ` Isa Masih (علیہ السلام) . Ibn Kathir and most commentators have mentioned it. However, Ibn Kathir has not accepted it. According to him, had these people been the followers of the Christian faith, the Jews of Madinah would have not suggested that a question be asked about them just because of their mutual hostility and thus would have not given them that importance. But, this is not a sufficient basis because of which all reports should be rejected. When the Jews of Madinah proposed that such a question should be asked, they were simply looking at it as a unique event - very similar to the question about Dhul-Qarnain which was also on that basis. That there was no Jewish-Christian prejudice involved in questions of this nature is fairly obvious here.

In Tafsir Mazhari, based on a report from Ibn Ishaq, these people have been identified as monotheists who, after the decline of the original Christian faith, were among the rare remnants still adhering to the true faith of the Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) and to pure monotheism. In this report of Ibn Ishaq too, the name of the oppressive king has been given as Daqyanus while the city in which these young men lived before they went into hiding in the cave has been called Ifsus.

Then, the event has been described in the same manner in the report of Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ as well and the name of the king has been given as Daqyanus. The report of Ibn Ishaq also adds that the name of the king of the people who were followers of the faith of Sayyidna Masih and had taken over the country at the time the Ashab al-Kahf woke up was Baidusis.

So, at least the strong likelihood of the People of Kahf being committed to the true faith brought by Sayyidna ` Isa Masih (علیہ السلام) stands proved from the reports as a whole, and that they belong to the post-Masih period, and that the Mushrik king they ran from was called Daqyanus. At the time they woke up after three hundred and nine years, the name of the righteous and believing king who ruled the country has been named as Baidusis in the report of Ibn Ishaq. If this is seen in conjunction with the contemporary calendar, it is possible to determine their period, at the least as a matter of conjecture and approximation. Trying to determine it any more than that is needless, nor there exist the means to acquire this knowledge.

Are the People of Kahf still alive?

In this matter, the correct and obvious approach is that they have died. Tafsir Mazhari carries the detailed report of Ibn Ishaq. According to this report, when the People of Kahf woke up, their unique event be-came the talk of the town. They went to meet the king. When they took leave of king Baidusis, they bid farewell to him and prayed for him. The king was still there when they went back to the place only to lie down where they had been lying for such a long time. And that was exactly when Allah Ta’ ala sent death to them.

At this stage, the following report from Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ has been reproduced by Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir and many more from among the commentators:

قال قتادَۃُ غَزَا ابنُ عَبَّاس مَعَ حَبیبِ بنِ مَسلَمَۃ فَمَرُّوا بِکَھفِ فِی بِلَادِ الرُّومِ فَرَأوا فیہ عِظَاماً فقال ھٰذِہٖ عِظَامَ اَھلِ الکَھفِ فقال ابن عَبَّاسِ ؓ لَقَد بَلِیَت عِظَامُھُم مِّن اکثَرَ مِن ثلٰثمِایٔۃِ سِنَۃِ (ابن کثیر)

Qatadah says that Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ participated in a Jihad in the company of Habib ibn Maslamah when they passed by a cave in the Roman territory. There they saw bones in it. Then someone said, 'These are the bones of the People of Kahf.' Thereupon, Ibn ` Abbas ؓ said, 'The bones of them have already become dust more than three hundred years ago' – Ibn Kathir.

These were particular segments of the story that were neither described by the Qur'an, nor by the Hadith of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . In addition to that, neither does some specified purpose of this event or the understanding of any verse of the Qur'an depend on it - nor can any categorical decision be arrived at in these matters on the basis of historical reports. As far as the remaining segments of the story already described within the text of the Qur'an are concerned, their details appear under the commentary on relevant verses.

Up to this point, the Qur'an had mentioned this story in brief. Details follow.

Commentary

The word: فِتْيَةٌ(fityah) in: إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ (They were young men - 13) is the plural of: فَتٰی (fata) which means someone young. According to Tafsir scholars, this word indicates that the time ripe for correction of deeds and morals, and the inculcation of guidance and righteousness, is invariably the time when one is young. When old, formerly acquired deeds and morals become so deeply rooted that - no matter how evident becomes the truth against these - it is very difficult to break loose from their shackles. Those among the noble Companions who responded to and believed in the call of the Holy Prophet ﷺ were, after all, mostly young people. (Ibn Kathir, Abu Hayyan)

The first sentence of verse 14: وَرَ‌بَطْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ (And We made their hearts firm) refers to the event described by Ibn Kathir a little earlier. This tells us that Allah made the hearts of these people firm when the king who was cruel and worshipped idols summoned them in his court and questioned them. This was a matter of life and death. But, despite their apprehension for the worst, Allah Ta` ala made His love, awe and grandeur prevail over their hearts which empowered them to face any eventuality of death or distress. The outcome was that they proclaimed their belief clearly and courageously saying that they did not worship anyone or anything other than Allah and would not do that in future as well. People who firmly resolve to do something for the sake of Allah, this is how they receive help from Allah Ta’ ala.