Surah 18. Al-Kahf

And thereupon We veiled their ears in the cave⁹ for many a year,

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., God caused them to remain cut off - physically or metaphorically - from the sounds and the bustle of the outside world. The classical commentators take the above phrase to mean that God "veiled their ears with sleep".

So We put upon their ears a cover (put them into a deep sleep) for a number of years in the cave,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So We caused them to fall into a dead sleep¹ in the cave for many years,

  - Mustafa Khattab

 lit., We cast a cover of ˹deep˺ sleep over their ears.

Then We sealed up their hearing in the Cave for a number of years.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Then We drew (a veil) over their ears for a number of years in the cave (so that they heard not): ²³³⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Drew (a veil) over their ears: i.e., sealed their ears, so that they heard nothing. As they were in the Cave they saw nothing. So they were completely cut off from the outer world. It was as if they had died, with their knowledge and ideas remaining at the point of time when they had entered the Cave. It is as if a watch stops at the exact moment of some accident, and any one taking it up afterwards can precisely fix the time of the accident.

and then We awakened them:¹⁰ [and We did all this] so that We might mark out [to the world]¹¹ which of the two points of view showed a better comprehension of the time-sup during which they had remained in this state.¹²

  - Mohammad Asad

Or: "sent them forth" - which may indicate a return to the active life of this world.

Lit., "so that We might take cognizance of": but since God embraces all past, present and future with His knowledge, His "taking cognizance" of an event denotes His causing it to come into being and, thus, allowing it to become known by His creatures: hence, "marking it out" to the world.

Lit., "which of the two parties" - alluding, metonymically, to the two viewpoints mentioned in verse {19} below - "was better at computing the time-span.. .", etc.: it should, however, be borne in mind that the verb ahsa does not merely signify "he computed" or "reckoned", but also "he understood" or "comprehended" (Taj al~'Arus). Since a "computing" of the time which those seekers after truth had spent in the cave could have no particular bearing on the ethical implications of this parable, ahsa has here obviously the meaning of "better at comprehending" or "showing a better comprehension" - namely, of the spiritual meaning of the time-lapse between their "falling asleep" and their "awakening" (see note [25] below).

and then awakened them to find out which of the two parties (believers and nonbelievers who were arguing about the fact of life after death) could best tell the length of their stay.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

then We raised them so We may show which of the two groups would make a better estimation of the length of their stay.¹

  - Mustafa Khattab

 The People of the Cave themselves disagreed on how long they had slept in the cave. See 18:19.

And afterward We raised them up that We might know which of the two parties would best calculate the time that they had tarried.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Then We roused them in order to test which of the two parties was best at calculating the term of years they had tarried! ^{2340 2341}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Roused them: or raised them up from their sleep or whatever condition they had fallen into (xviii, 18), so that they began to perceive the things around them, but only with the memories of the time at which they had ceased to be in touch with the world.

When they awoke to consciousness, they had lost all count of time. Though they had all entered together, and lain together in the same place for the same length of time, their impressions of the time they had passed were quite different. Time is thus related to our own internal experiences. We have to learn the lesson that men as good as ourselves may yet differ as to their reactions to certain facts, and that in such matters disputes are unseemly. It is best to say, "Allah knows best" (xviii. 19).

[And now] We shall truly relate to thee their story:¹³ Behold, they were young men who had attained to faith in their Sustainer: and [so] We deepened their consciousness of the right way¹⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., without the many legendary embellishments which, in times past, have obscured the purport of this story or parable.

Lit., "We increased [or "advanced"] them in guidance".

Now We tell you their real story. They were young men who believed in their Rabb, and on them We had bestowed Our guidance.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

We relate to you 'O Prophet' their story in truth. They were youths who truly believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.

  - Mustafa Khattab

We narrate unto thee their story with truth. Lo! they were young men who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

We relate to thee their story in truth: they were youths who believed in their Lord and We advanced them in guidance: ²³⁴²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Their Faith carried them higher and higher on the road to Truth. Faith is cumulative. Each step leads higher and higher, by the grace and mercy of Allah.

and endowed their hearts with strength, so that they stood up¹⁵ and said [to one another]: "Our Sustainer is the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth. Never shall we invoke any deity other than Him: [if we did,] we should indeed have uttered an enormity!

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "when they stood up" - i.e., stood up to their misguided fellow-men, or to the rulers who persecuted the believers (see note [7]).

We put courage in their hearts when they stood up and declared: "Our Rabb is the Rabb of the heavens and the earth, we shall never appeal to any other deity except Him, for if we do, we shall be saying something improper.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We strengthened their hearts when they stood up and declared, 'Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We will never call upon any god besides Him, or we would truly be uttering an outrageous lie.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And We made firm their hearts when they stood forth and said: Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We cry unto no god beside Him, for then should we utter an enormity.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

We gave strength to their hearts: Behold they stood up and said: "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and of the earth: never shall we call upon any god other than Him: if we did; we should indeed have uttered an enormity!" ^{2343 2344}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

So that they were not afraid to speak out openly, and protest the truth of the Unity which they clearly saw in their own minds and hearts.

We may suppose them to have taken their stand and made a public protest before they betook themselves to the Cave (xviii. 16). The story really begins at xviii. 13, and the verses xviii. 9-12 may be considered as introductory. As the emphasis is on spiritual lessons, the facts stated in the introductory part are passed over lightly in the story.

These people of ours have taken to worshipping [other] deities instead of Him, without being able to¹⁶ adduce any reasonable evidence in support of their beliefs;¹⁷ and who could be more wicked than he who invents a lie about God?¹⁸

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "Why do they not.. .", etc., in the form of a rhetorical query introducing a new sentence.

Lit., "any clear evidence [or "authority"] in their support". The adjective bayyin ("clear", "obvious", "manifest") implies an evidence accessible to reason.

I.e., invents imaginary deities and thus gives the lie to the truth of His oneness and uniqueness, or even denies His existence altogether.

These people of ours have taken for worship other gods besides Him; if they are right, why do they not bring forth any convincing proof of their divinity? Who is more wicked than the one who invents a lie about Allah?"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'Then they said to one another,' 'These people of ours have taken gods besides Him. Why do they not produce a clear proof of them? Who then does more wrong than those who fabricate lies against Allah?

  - Mustafa Khattab

These, our people, have chosen (other) gods beside Him though they bring no clear warrant (vouchsafed) to them. And who doth greater wrong than he who inventeth a lie concerning Allah?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"These our people have taken for worship gods other than Him: why do they not bring forward an authority clear (and convincing) for what they do? Who doth more wrong than such as invent a falsehood against Allah? ²³⁴⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Besides the heathen gods, the cult of the Emperors also became fashionable in the Roman Empire in the first three centuries of the Christian Era. The statue of Diana (Artemis) at Ephesus had been one of the wonders of the ancient world. The city was a great seaport and the capital of Roman Asia. We may therefore imagine how the heathen cults must have flourished there. St. Paul spent three years preaching there, and was mobbed and assaulted, and compelled to leave (Acts, xix. 1-4).

Hence, now that you have withdrawn from them and from all that they worship instead of God, take refuge in that cave: God will spread His grace over you, and will endow you - whatever your [outward] condition - with all that your souls may need!"¹⁹

  - Mohammad Asad

The term mirfaq signifies "anything by which one benefits", whether concrete or abstract; in this context it has obviously a spiritual connotation, marking the young men’s abandonment of the world and withdrawal into utter seclusion.

Then in their mutual consultation they said: Now that we have withdrawn from them and denounced those deities whom they worship beside Allah, let us take refuge in some cave; our Rabb will extend to us His mercy and facilitate us in disposing of our affairs."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Since you have distanced yourselves from them and what they worship besides Allah, take refuge in the cave. Your Lord will extend His mercy to you and accommodate you in your ordeal.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And when ye withdraw from them and that which they worship except Allah, then seek refuge in the Cave; your Lord will spread for you of His mercy and will prepare for you a pillow in your plight.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"When ye turn away from them and the things they worship other than Allah betake yourselves to the Cave: your Lord will shower his mercies on you and dispose of your affair towards comfort and ease." ²³⁴⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

That is, 'do not be afraid of anything: put your whole case in the hands of Allah: at present you are being persecuted; he will solve your difficulties and give you ease and comfort'. The public protest ends at verse 15. In verse 16 they are taking counsel among themselves. After they go into the Cave, verse 17 introduces us to the scene where they are lying in the midst of the Cave in tranquil confidence in Allah.

And [for many a year] thou might have seen the sun, on its rising, incline away from their cave on the right, and, on its setting, turn aside from them on the left, while they lived on in that spacious chamber,²⁰ [bearing witness to] this of God's messages: He whom God guides, he alone has found the right way; whereas for him whom He lets go astray thou canst never find any protector who would point out the right way.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "while they were in a broad cleft thereof". The cave evidently opened to the north, so that the heat of the sun never disturbed them: and this, I believe is an echo of the many Qur'anic allusions to the happiness of the righteous in paradise, symbolized by its "everlasting shade" (see, in particular, surah {4}, note [74], on the metaphorical use of the term zill in the sense of "happiness").

If you could look at them in the cave, it would appear to you that the rising sun declines to the right of their cavern, and as it sets, passes them on the left, while they lay in an open space in between. This is from the signs of Allah. He whom Allah guides is rightly guided; but he whom He lets go astray, you will find no guardian to lead him to the Right Way.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And you would have seen the sun, as it rose, inclining away from their cave to the right, and as it set, declining away from them to the left, while they lay in its open space.¹ That is one of the signs of Allah. Whoever Allah guides is truly guided. But whoever He leaves to stray, you will never find for them a guiding mentor.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 While they slept in the open space of the cave, fresh air blew through the cave, but they were protected from the heat of the sun.

And thou mightest have seen the sun when it rose move away from their cave to the right, and when it set go past them on the left, and they were in the cleft thereof. That was (one) of the portents of Allah. He whom Allah guideth, he indeed is led aright, and he whom He sendeth astray, for him thou wilt not find a guiding friend.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Thou wouldst have seen the sun when it rose declining to the right from their Cave and when it set turning away from them to the left while they lay in the open space in the midst of the Cave. Such are among the Signs of Allah: he whom Allah guided; but he whom Allah leaves to stray for him wilt thou find no protector to lead him to the Right Way. ^{2347 2348}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In the latitude of Ephesus, 38 degrees north, i.e., well above the sun's northern declination, a cave opening to north, would never have the heat of the sun within it, as the sunny side would be the south. If the youths lay on their backs with their faces looking to the north, i.e., towards the entrance of the Cave, the sun would rise on their right side, declining to the south, and set on their left sides, leaving them cool and comfortable.

The youths, having faith and trust in Allah, found safety and refuge in the Cave. They were protected from the persecution and violence of the heathen. Their prayer (xviii. 16) was heard.

And thou wouldst have thought that they were awake, whereas they lay asleep. And We caused them, to turn over repeatedly, now to the right, now to the left; and their dog [lay] on the threshold, its forepaws outstretched. Hadst thou come upon them [unprepared], thou wouldst surely have turned away from them in flight, and wouldst surely have been filled with awe of them.²¹

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., an accidental onlooker would immediately have felt the mystic, awe-inspiring aura that surrounded the Men of the Cave, and would have become conscious that he stood before God's elect (Tabari, Razi, Ibn Kathir, Baydawi).

If you could see them, you might have thought them awake, though they were asleep. We turned them about to their right and left sides, while their dog lay stretched out with his forepaws at the entrance. Had you looked at them you would have certainly turned your back and their sight would have made you flee in terror.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And you would have thought they were awake,¹ though they were asleep. We turned them over, to the right and left, while their dog stretched his forelegs at the entrance. Had you looked at them, you would have certainly fled away from them, filled with horror.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 This is because, during their long sleep, their eyes were open, their hair grew long, and their bodies rolled over to the right and left to prevent bedsores.

And thou wouldst have deemed them waking though they were asleep, and we caused them to turn over to the right and the left, and their dog stretching out his paws on the threshold. If thou hadst observed them closely thou hadst assuredly turned away from them in flight, and hadst been filled with awe of them.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Thou wouldst have deemed them awake whilst they were asleep and We turned them on their right and their left sides: their dog stretching forth his two forelegs on the threshold: if thou hadst come up on to them thou wouldst have certainly turned back from them in flight and wouldst certainly have been filled with terror of them. ^{2349 2350 2351}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Perhaps their eyes were open, even though their senses were sealed in sleep. They turned about on their sides as men do in sleep.

The name of their dog is traditionally known as Qitmir, but see n. 2336 above.

This graphic picture of the sleepers explains the human mechanism by which their safety was ensured by Allah from their Pagan enemies.

And so, [in the course of time,] We awakened them;²² and they began to ask one another [as to what had happened to them].²³ One of them asked: "How long have you remained thus?" [The others] answered: "We have remained thus a day, or part of a day."²⁴ Said they [who were endowed with deeper insight]: "Your Sustainer knows best how long you have thus remained.²⁵ Let, then, one of you go with these silver coins to the town, and let him find out what food is purest there, and bring you thereof [some] provisions. But let him behave with great care and by no means make anyone aware of you:

  - Mohammad Asad

See note [10] above.

It seems to me that the prefix li in li-yatasa'alu (which most commentators take to mean "so that they might ask one another") is not a particle denoting a purpose ("so that") but, rather, a lam al-'aqibah-that is, a particle indicating no more than a causal sequence-which in this context may be brought out by the phrase "and they began...", etc.

Cf. {2: 259}, where exactly the same question is asked and exactly the same wondering answer is given in the parable of the man whom God caused to be dead for a hundred years and thereupon brought back to life. The striking verbal identity of question and answer in the two passages is obviously not accidental: it points, in a deliberately revealing manner, to the identity of the idea underlying these two allegories: namely, God's power to "bring forth the living out of that which is dead, and the dead out of that which is alive" ({3: 27}, {6: 95}, {10: 31}, {30: 19}), i.e., to create life, to cause it to disappear and then to resurrect it. Beyond this, the above verse alludes to the deceptive, purely earthbound character of the human concept of "time".

I.e., they understood - in contrast to their companions, who were merely concerned about what had actually happened to them - that the lapse of time between their "falling asleep" and their "awakening" had no reality of its own and no meaning, just as it has no reality or meaning in connection with a human being's death and subsequent resurrection (cf. 17:52 and the corresponding note [59]): and this explains the reference to the "two viewpoints" (lit., "two parties") in verse {12} above.

In the same miraculous way We woke them up from sleep so that they could question one another. One of them asked: "How long have you been here?" The others answered: "Maybe we have been here for a day or part of a day." Finally they concluded: "Our Rabb knows best how long we have stayed here. Anyhow let one of us go to the city with this silver coin, and let him find who has the purest food and bring us something to eat. Let him behave with caution and let him not disclose our whereabouts.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And so We awakened them so that they might question one another. One of them exclaimed, 'How long have you remained 'asleep'?' Some replied, 'Perhaps a day, or part of a day.' They said 'to one another', 'Your Lord knows best how long you have remained. So send one of you with these silver coins of yours to the city, and let him find which food is the purest, and then bring you provisions from it. Let him be 'exceptionally' cautious, and do not let him give you away.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And in like manner We awakened them that they might question one another. A speaker from among them said : How long have ye tarried? They said: We have tarried a day or some part of a day, (Other) said: Your Lord best knoweth what ye have tarried. Now send one of you with this your silver coin unto the city, and let him see what food is purest there and bring you a supply thereof. Let him be courteous and let no man know of you.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Such (being their state) We raised them up (from sleep) that they might question each other. Said one of them "How long have ye stayed (here)?" They said "We have stayed (perhaps) a day or part of a day." (At length) they (all) said "Allah (alone) knows best how long ye have stayed here...Now send ye then one of you with this money of yours to the town: let him find out which is the best food (to be had) and bring some to you that (ye may) satisfy hunger herewith: and let him behave with care and courtesy and let him not inform anyone about you. ^{2352 2353 2354}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This is the point of the story. Their own human impressions were to be compared, each with the other. They were to be made to see that with the best goodwill and the most honest enquiry they might reach different conclusions; that they were not to waste their time in vain controversies, but to get on to the main business of life; and that Allah alone had full knowledge of the things that seem to us so strange, or inconsistent, or inexplicable, or that produce different impressions on different minds. If they entered the Cave in the morning and woke up in the afternoon, one of them might well think they had been there only a few hours-only part of a day. This relative or fallacious impression of Time also gives us an inkling of the state when there will be no Time, of the Resurrection when all our little impressions of this life will be corrected by the final Reality. This mystery of time has puzzled many contemplative minds. Cf. "Dark time that haunts us with the briefness of our days" (Thomas Wolfe in "Of Time and the River").

They now give up barren controversy and come to the practical business of life. But their thoughts are conditioned by the state of things that existed when they entered the Cave. The money they carried was the money coined in the reign of the monarch who persecuted the Religion of Unity and favoured the false cults of Paganism.

Best food:, i.e., purest, most wholesome, perhaps also most suitable for those who rejected idol worship, i.e., not dedicated to idols. For they still imagined the world in the same state in which they had known it before they entered the Cave.

for, behold, if they should come to know of you, they might stone you to death or force you back to their faith - in which case you would never attain to any good!"²⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

During their "sleep", time had stood still for the Men of the Cave, and so they assumed that the outside world had remained unchanged and was, as before, hostile to them. - At this point, the story as such ends abruptly (for, as we know, the Qur'an is never concerned with narratives for their own sake) and is revealed in the sequence as an allegory of death and resurrection and of the relativity of "time" as manifested in man's consciousness.

For if they find you out, they will stone you to death, or force you back into their faith and in that case you will never attain felicity."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

For, indeed, if they find out about you, they will stone you 'to death', or force you back into their faith, and then you will never succeed.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

For they, if they should come to know of you, will stone you or turn you back to their religion; then ye will never prosper.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"For if thy should come upon you they would stone you or force you to return to their cult and in that case ye would never attain prosperity." ^{2355 2356}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

They think that the world had not changed, and that the fierce persecution they knew. was still raging, under which a man had to pay by his life for his religious faith, if he could not conform to Pagan worship.

That is, never succeed in keeping your religion. To become a renegade, to give up the Truth which you have won, simply on account of the fear of men, is the most despicable form of cowardice, and would rightly close the door of salvation if strict justice were to be done. But even then Allah's Mercy comes to the coward's aid so long as the door of repentance is open.

AND IN THIS way²⁷ have We drawn [people's] attention to their story,²⁸ so that they might know - whenever they debate among themselves as to what happened to those [Men of the Cave]²⁹ - that God's promise [of resurrection] is true, and that there can be no doubt as to [the coming of] the Last Hour. And so, some [people] said: "Erect a building in their memory;³⁰ God knows best what happened to them." Said they whose opinion prevailed in the end: "Indeed, we must surely raise a house of worship in their memory!"

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., by means of the legend which has grown up around the Men of the Cave and, more particularly, by means of the allegoric use which the Qur'an makes of this legend.

Lit., "given knowledge about them [to others]".

Lit., "debate their case (amrahum) among themselves": an indication of the fact that the legend of the Men of the Cave occupied men's minds for a long time, leading to many discussions and conflicting interpretations. The next sentence explains why God has "drawn [people's] attention" to this story in the context of the Qur'an.

This, to my mind, is the meaning of the expression 'alayhim (lit., "over them") occurring here as well as in the subsequent reference to the building of a house of worship at the suggestion of those "whose opinion prevailed in the end" (alladhina ghalabu 'ala amrihim).

Thus did We reveal their secret to the people so that they might know that the promise of Allah is true and that there is no doubt about the coming of the Hour of Judgement. (But what a pity that instead of considering the Hour of Judgement) they started arguing among themselves about the companions of the cave. Some said: "Erect an edifice over their remains." Their Rabb is quite aware of them. Those who finally prevailed over their matter said: "Let us erect a place of worship over them."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

That is how We caused them to be discovered so that their people might know that Allah's promise 'of resurrection' is true and that there is no doubt about the Hour.¹ When the people disputed with each other about the case of the youth 'after their death',² some proposed, 'Build a structure around them. Their Lord knows best about them.' Those who prevailed in the matter said, 'We will surely build a place of worship over them.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Their antique silver coins gave them away. People rushed to the cave to greet the youths, who finally passed away and were buried in the cave. The King decided to build a place of worship at the cave to commemorate their story.

 Some pagans suggested that a wall should be built to seal off the cave, whereas the believers decided to build a place of worship at the cave to honour those youths.

And in like manner We disclosed them (to the people of the city) that they might know that the promise of Allah is true, and that, as for the Hour, there is no doubt concerning it. When (the people of the city) disputed of their case among themselves, they said: Build over them a building; their Lord knoweth best concerning them. Those who won their point said: We verily shall build a place of worship over them.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Thus did We make their case known to the people that they might know that the promise of Allah is true and that there can be no doubt about the Hour of Judgment. Behold they dispute among themselves as to their affair. (Some) said "Construct a building over them": their Lord knows best about them: those who prevailed over their affair said "Let us surely build a place of worship over them." ^{2357 2358}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Thus: in this way, by these means, i.e., by the sending out of one of the Sleepers with the old money to the town to buy provisions. His old-fashioned dress, appearance, and speech, and the old uncurrent money which he brought, at once drew the attention of people to him. When they learnt his story, they realised that Allah, Who can protect His servants thus and raise them up from sleep after such a long time, has power to raise up men for the Resurrection, and that His promise of goodness and mercy to those who serve Him is true and was exemplified in this striking way. On the other hand, to the men of the Cave themselves, it became clear that Allah can change the situation before we are aware, and our hope in Him is not futile, and that even when we are on the brink of despair, a revolution is surely working in the world before the world itself realises it.

The perversity of man is such that as soon as ever a glimpse of truth becomes manifest, men fall into controversies about it. The Sleepers could not judge about the duration of their stay in the Cave, but they wisely left the matter and attended to the urgent business of their lives. The townsfolk could not agree as to the significance of the event; they fell to discussing immaterial details. What sort of a memorial should they raise?-a house or a place of worship or a tablet? The place of worship was built. But the real significance was missed until explained in the Qur-an.

[And in times to come] some will say,³¹ "[They were] three, the fourth of them being their dog," while others will say, "Five, with their dog as the sixth of them" - idly guessing at something of which they can have no knowledge - and [so on, until] some will say, "[They were] seven, the eighth of them being their dog." Say: "My Sustainer knows best how may they were. None but a few have any [real] knowledge of them. Hence, do not argue about them otherwise than by way of an obvious argument,³² and do not ask any of those [storytellers] to enlighten thee about them."

  - Mohammad Asad

The future tense in sayaqulun points once again to the legendary character of the story as such, and implies that all speculation about its details is irrelevant to its parabolic, ethical purport.

I.e., for the sake of the self-evident ethical lesson to be derived from their story: an allusion to the first paragraph of verse {21} above.

Now some will soon say: "They were three and their dog was the fourth." The others will guess: "They were five and their dog was the sixth," and there are still others who will say: "They were seven and their dog was the eighth." Say: "My Rabb Alone knows their number. None but a few really know their correct number." Therefore, do not enter into discussion with them about their number except in a cursory way, nor ask anyone about the companions of the cave.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Some will say, 'They were three, their dog was the fourth,' while others will say, 'They were five, their dog was the sixth,' 'only' guessing blindly. And others will say, 'They were seven and their dog was the eighth.' Say, 'O Prophet,' 'My Lord knows best their 'exact' number. Only a few people know as well.' So do not argue about them except with sure knowledge,¹ nor consult any of those 'who debate' about them.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Based on what has been revealed in the Quran.

(Some) will say: They were three, their dog the fourth, and (some) say: Five, their dog the sixth, guessing at random; and (some) say: Seven, and their dog the eighth. Say (O Muhammad): My Lord is best aware of their number. None knoweth them save a few. So contend not concerning them except with an outward contending, and ask not any of them to pronounce concerning them.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

(Some) say they were three the dog being the fourth among them; (others) say they were five the dog being the sixth doubtfully guessing at the unknown; (yet others) say they were seven the dog being the eighth. Say thou: "My Lord knoweth best their number; it is but few that know their (real case)." Enter not therefore into controversies concerning them except on a matter that is clear nor consult any of them about (the affair of) the Sleepers. ^{2359 2360 2361 2362}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The controversy in after ages raged about the number of the Sleepers: were they three or five or seven? People answered, not from knowledge, but from conjecture. Gibbon's version, which has now become best known, makes the number of Sleepers seven. The point was immaterial: the real point was the spiritual lesson.

The true significance of the story is known only to a few. Most men discuss futile details, which are not in their knowledge.

It is unprofitable to enter such immaterial controversies and many others that have been waged about Religion by shallow men from time immemorial. Yet, if there is a matter of clear knowledge from experience that matters, we must openly proclaim it, that the world may be brought to listen to Allah's Truth.

Vulgar story-mongers as such know little of the true significance of stories and parables. We have a clear exposition in the Qur-an. What need is there to go into details of the number of men in the Cave, or of the time they remained there?

AND NEVER say about anything, "Behold, I shall do this tomorrow,"

  - Mohammad Asad

Never say of anything "I will certainly do it tomorrow"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And never say of anything, 'I will definitely do this tomorrow,'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And say not of anything: Lo! I shall do that tomorrow,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Nor say of anything "I shall be sure to do so and so tomorrow"

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

without [adding], "if God so wills."³³ And if thou shouldst forget [thyself at the time, and become aware of it later], call thy Sustainer to mind and say: "I pray that my Sustainer guide me, even closer than this, to a consciousness of what is right!"

  - Mohammad Asad

According to almost all of the commentators, this parenthetic passage (verses {23-24}) is primarily addressed to the Prophet, who, on being asked by some of the pagan Quraysh as to what "really" happened to the Men of the Cave, is said to have replied, "I shall give you my answer tomorrow" - whereupon revelation was temporarily withheld from him in token of God's disapproval; in the second instance, this exhortation expresses a general principle addressed to all believers.

without adding: "If Allah wills!" And if you forget to say this, then call your Rabb to mind and say: "I hope that my Rabb shall guide me and bring me ever closer than this to the Right Way."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

without adding, 'if Allah so wills!' But if you forget, then remember your Lord, and say, 'I trust my Lord will guide me to what is more right than this.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Except if Allah will. And remember thy Lord when thou forgettest, and say: It may be that my Lord guideth me unto a nearer way of truth than this.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Without adding "So please Allah!" And call thy Lord to mind when thou forgettest and say "I hope that my Lord will guide me ever closer (even) than this to the right road." ^{2363 2364}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Verses 23 and 24 are parenthetical. We must never rely upon our own resources so much as to forget Allah. If by any chance we do forget, we must come back to Him and keep Him in remembrance, as did the Companions of the Cave.

In geometry the perfect circle is an ideal. Any given circle that we draw is not so perfect that we cannot draw one closer to the ideal. So in our life, there is always the hope of drawing closer and closer to Allah.

AND [some people assert], "They remained in their cave three hundred years"; and some have added nine [to that number].³⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

This obviously connects with the "idle guesses" mentioned in the first paragraph of verse {22} above - guesses refuted by the subsequent statements, "My Sustainer knows best how many they were" in verse {22}, and "God knows best how long they remained [there]" in verse {26}. This was, in particular, the view of 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud, whose copy of the Qur'an is said to have contained the words, "And they [i.e., some people] said, 'They remained...'," etc. (which was probably a marginal, explanatory remark added by Ibn Mas'ud), as well as of Qatadah and of Matar al-Warraq (Tabari, Zamakhshari and Ibn Kathir). My interpolation, at the beginning of the verse, of the words "some people asserted" is based on the word qalu ("they said") used by Ibn Mas'ud in his marginal note.

Some say they stayed in their cave three hundred years and some add another nine.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

They had remained in their cave for three hundred years, adding nine.¹

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Three hundred years in the Gregorian calendar equal three hundred and nine years in the Islamic lunar calendar.

And (it is said) they tarried in their Cave three hundred years and add nine.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

So they stayed in their Cave three hundred years and (some) add nine (more). ²³⁶⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This verse should be read with the next verse. In the floating oral tradition the duration of time in the Cave was given differently in different versions. When the tradition was reduced to writing, some Christian writers (e.g., Simeon Metaphrastes) named 372 years, some less. In round numbers 300 years in the solar Calendar would amount to 309 in the lunar Calendar. But the next verse points out that all these are mere conjectures: the number is known to Allah alone. The authority on which Gibbon relies mentions two definite reigns, that of Decius (249-251 A.D.) and that of Theodosius 11 (408-450 A.D.). Taking 250 and 450, we get an interval of 200 years. But the point of the story does not lie in the name of any given Emperor, but in the fact that the beginning of the period coincided with an Emperor who persecuted: the Emperor's name at the end of the period may be taken as approximately correct, because the story was recorded within two generations afterwards. One of the worst Emperors to persecute the Christians was Nero who reigned from 54 to 68. If we took the end of his reign (A.D. 68) as the initial point, and (say) 440 A.D. as the final point, we get the 372 years of Simeon Metaphrastes. But none of these writers knew any more than we do. Our best course is to follow the Quranic injunction, "Say, Allah knows best how long they stayed" (xviii. 26). There is also a rebuke implied: 'do not imitate these men who love mischievous controversies!' After all, we are given the narrative more as a parable than as a story.