The Companions of the Cave ( ashab e kahf) by khalid Rasool

The unbelieving Quraish of Makkah were in the habit of putting before the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) questions on Christian and Jewish religious issues.

They thought that the Prophet (PBUH) could not answer them and thus they could embarrass him. One of those questions was about the Christian legend of the seven sleepers of Ephesus. The Prophet (PBUH) told them the story in outlines pointing out its spiritual lessons. 





Ephesus was the famous capital of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) under the Roman emperors. Under the Pagan Romans, the Christians were persecuted for their belief in one Allah. There lived in the city a group of young, high-spirited Christians. These youths protested against paganism and declared publicly, “Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. These our people have taken for worship gods other than Him. Who doth more wrong than such as invent a falsehood against Allah?” After such a public denouncement of the Pagan gods, it could not be safe for them to stay in the city. They decided to hide themselves in a cave in the nearby mountains.

They took along some food and their faithful dog called Qitmir. The young men had complete trust in Allah's mercy and knew that He would solve their problems and give them ease and comfort.

As they went inside the cave Qitmir sat at the entrance of the cave, stretching his forelegs, and kept guard. The sun set and night covered the mountain side. The faithful Qitmir was still keeping watch. They had a good dinner and lay down on their back. Soon they fell asleep. By Allah's leave they stayed in their long sleep for more than three hundred years.

When they were awakened from their long sleep the dog was still sitting there. They questioned each other about the duration of their sleep. Some of them thought that they had slept for a day, and some others, only part of a day. They might have argued long but for the hunger which assailed them all. So one of them was sent to the town with money to buy some good food. He was warned by his companions to be careful about selection of kosher (halal) food. They also cautioned him against giving away their secret hide-out lest they be again persecuted for their faith and forced to return to the pagan cult of many gods and goddesses.

When the man from the cave came to the town, he was looking very odd to the town’s people. His old fashioned dress and speech, and the age-old money with him at once drew attention to himself. When he told the story, they were first surprised but realised slowly the power of Allah. Who else could protect his servants thus and raise them up from sleep after such a long time!

Allah's promise of mercy to those who serve Him is the surest. The companions of the cave did not know that Christianity had become the accepted religion in the city; it proved to them that their trust in Allah was the best treat they could have.

This is to explain spiritual lessons to men. The Prophet (PBUH), while relating the story, warned that details, such as the number of sleepers, five or seven, or how many days or years the sleepers were in the cave, would only lead to futile controversies of no avail. Speculations on such things were useless. The important point of the story was its spiritual content. However, scientific knowledge based on experiments and investigations must be discussed and explained for the benefit of mankind.


Source:

• jworldtimes 
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