سورة الكهف

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Basir narrates: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: The reason for the revelation of Surah al-Kahf was that the Quraysh sent three men to Najran — al-Nadr ibn al-Harith ibn Kaladah, Uqbah ibn Abi Muayt, and al-As ibn Wa'il al-Sahmi — so that they might learn from the Jews of that region certain questions with which to test the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). These three set out to Najran and asked the Jewish scholars. The scholars of the Jews said: "Ask him three questions. If he answers you concerning them in accordance with what we have, then he is truthful. Then ask him about one further question — if he claims to know it, he is a liar." They said: "What are these questions?" They replied: "Ask him about young men who lived in the earliest times and went out [from their people] and then fell asleep — how long they remained in their sleep until they awoke, how many were they in number, what was with them besides themselves, and what became of them? And ask him about Musa (peace be upon him): when Allah commanded him to follow the learned man and to learn from him — who was that learned man, how did he follow him, and what was the story of Musa (peace be upon him) with him? And ask him about the story of one who traversed between the east and the west of the world until he reached the barrier of Ya'juj and Ma'juj — who was he, and what became of him?" Then they dictated to them the answers to these three questions and said to them: "If Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) answers you with what we have written for you, then he is truthful; and if he answers with something contrary to it, do not believe him." They said: "And what is the fourth question?" They said: "Ask him when the Hour will be established — if he claims to know it, he is a liar; for the time of the Hour is known only to Allah the Exalted." So they returned to Makkah and gathered around Abu Talib and said: "O Abu Talib! Indeed, your nephew claims that tidings come to him from the heavens, and we shall ask him questions — if he answers us, we will know that he is truthful, and if he does not answer us, we will know that he is a liar." Abu Talib said: "Ask him whatever you wish." So they asked him those three questions. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Tomorrow I will inform you." In this regard he made no exception [he did not say "In sha Allah"]. So the revelation did not descend upon the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) for forty days, until the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) became grieved, and the group of his companions who had believed in him fell into doubt. The Quraysh began to rejoice and mocked the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and hurt him. Abu Talib was also distressed. But after forty days, Jibril brought down Surah al-Kahf, and the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) asked the reason for the delay. Jibril said: "We descend only by the permission of Allah [and bring the verses]." So Allah the Exalted revealed this verse: O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! Did you think that the Fellows of the Cave and the Inscription were among Our wonderful signs?! Then He related their story and said: Remember the time when those young men took refuge in the cave, and said: رَبَّنا آتِنا مِنْ لَدُنْکَ رَحْمَةً وَ هَیِّئْ لَنا مِنْ أَمْرِنا رَشَداً ["Our Lord! Grant us mercy from Yourself, and provide us a way out for our affair"]. (al-Kahf/10) Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Indeed, the Fellows of the Cave and the Inscription lived in the time of a tyrannical, oppressive king who called the people of his realm to the worship of idols; whoever refused to accept his call, he would put to death. These (the Fellows of the Cave) were a group of believers who worshipped Allah the Exalted. The king had stationed guards at the gate of the city, and they would not allow anyone to leave the city unless he prostrated before the idols. This group left the city under the pretence of hunting. On their way they came across a shepherd, and they invited him to their religion, but he did not accept. With the shepherd was a dog, and the dog accepted their invitation and thus the dog left the city with them. Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Only three animals will enter Paradise: the donkey of Balaam ibn Ba'ura, the wolf of Yusuf, and the dog of the Fellows of the Cave." The Fellows of the Cave left the city under the pretence of hunting and fleeing from the religion of that king. When night came, they entered that cave while the dog was also with them. So Allah cast sleep upon them, as Allah the Exalted says in this verse: فَضَرَبْنا عَلَی آذانِهِمْ فِی الْکَهْفِ سِنِینَ عَدَداً [So We drew (a veil) over their ears in the cave for a number of years]. (al-Kahf/11) So they fell into sleep until Allah destroyed that king and the people of his land, and that era and time passed, and another age and another people came. Then they awoke, and asked one another: "How long have we slept here?" They looked at the sun, which had risen high, and said: "We have slept a day or part of a day." Then they said to one of themselves: "Take this money and go into the city in disguise so that no one recognises you, and buy some food for us; for if they become aware of us and recognise us, they will either kill us or return us to their religion." That man came to the city and saw that this city was not the city he had known, and he saw people who were different from those people, and he did not know them; he did not understand their language and they did not understand his language. They said to him: "Who are you? And where have you come from?" So he related the matter to them. The ruler of that city set out with his companions towards the cave while that man was also with them, until they reached the cave and peered inside to obtain news of it. One said: هَؤُلَاءِ ثَلَاثَةٌ وَ رابِعُهُمْ کَلْبُهُمْ [They were three, the fourth of them being their dog]! (al-Kahf/22) Another said: هُمْ خَمْسَةٌ وَ سادِسُهُمْ کَلْبُهُمْ [They were five, the sixth of them being their dog]. (al-Kahf/22) Another said: هُمْ سَبْعَةٌ وَ ثامِنُهُمْ کَلْبُهُمْ [They were seven, the eighth of them being their dog]. (al-Kahf/22) They are seven and the eighth of them is their dog. Allah had cast fear into their hearts, so that no one except the companion of the Fellows of the Cave dared to enter upon them. When that man entered the cave, he saw that his friends were fearful that they might be from the companions of Daqyanus. Their companion told them that they had been in sleep for this long period of time and that they were a sign and a miracle for the people. So they wept and asked Allah to put them back to sleep as before. Then the king said: "It is fitting that we build a mosque here, so that it may be a place of visitation for us, since these are a people of faith." So they used to turn twice a year from one side to the other. For six months they would sleep upon their right side, and for another six months upon their left side, while their dog spread out its two forelegs at the threshold of the cave.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) — Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) said: When Umar ibn al-Khattab took over the caliphate, a group of Jewish scholars came to him and said, "O Umar! After Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), are you the one in charge of affairs?" Umar said, "Yes." They said, "We wish to ask you about certain matters. If you inform us of them, we will embrace the religion of Islam and know that the religion of Islam is true and that Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is a prophet; and if you do not inform us of them, we will know that the religion of Islam is false and that Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) was not a prophet." Umar said, "Ask us whatever comes to your mind." They asked, "What are the locks of the heavens and the keys of these locks?" They asked, "Which grave carried its occupant about? Who is the one who warned his people, being neither of the jinn nor of humankind?" They asked, "What are the five things that walked upon the earth and were not created in wombs?" They asked, "What does the waterfowl say in its call, and what does the rooster say in its crowing? And also, what does the sparrow say in its chirping, the frog in its croaking, the horse in its neighing, and the donkey in its braying?"

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Umar lowered his head, then raised it toward Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) and said, "O Abul Hasan! I think only you can answer them; if these questions have an answer, respond to them." Ali (peace be upon him) said to them, "Ask whatever comes to your mind, but I have a condition." They said, "What is your condition?" Ali (peace be upon him) said, "If I inform you of what is in the Torah, you will embrace our religion." They said, "Yes." The Imam said, "Ask me the matters one by one."

They asked, "What are the locks of the heavens?" He said, "It is associating partners with Allah (shirk), for if a man and a woman are polytheists, Allah does not raise up any deed from them. That is the lock of the heavens." They asked, "What is the key to these locks?" He said, "Their keys are: 'I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.'" They asked, "Which grave is it that moves its occupant?" He said, "That is the grave of the fish that swallowed Yunus ibn Matta (peace be upon him) and carried him through the seven seas." They asked, "Who is the one who warned his people [and frightened them], being neither of humankind nor of jinn?" He said, "It was the ant of Sulayman, which said: 'O ants, enter your dwellings, lest Sulayman and his hosts crush you.'" They asked, "What are the five things that walked upon the earth and were not created in wombs?" He said, "Adam, Hawwa, the she-camel of Salih, the ram of Ibrahim, and the staff of Musa." They asked, "What does the waterfowl say?" He said, "It says: 'Allah prevails over the Throne.'" They asked, "What does the rooster say?" He said, "It says: 'Remember Allah, O heedless ones.'" He asked, "What does the horse say?" He said, "It says: 'O Allah, grant victory to Your believing servants over Your disbelieving servants.'" They asked, "What does the donkey say?" He said, "It curses the tax-extortioners and brays in the faces of the devils." They asked, "What does the frog say?" He said, "It says: 'Glory be to my Lord, the Worshipped, who is glorified in the depths of the seas.'" They asked, "What does the sparrow say?" He said, "It says: 'O Allah, curse the enemy of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and the enemies of the family of Muhammad and the enemies of the companions of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family).'"

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) said: They were three men; two of them stood up and said, "We bear witness that Allah is One, and we bear witness that Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is His servant and Messenger." And the other scholar remained standing and said, "O Ali (peace be upon him)! Like my other companions, faith has settled into my heart, but one question remains: tell me about a people from past nations who were dead for three hundred and nine years, then Allah brought them back to life. What is their story?"

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) began speaking and recited: "Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim. الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِی أَنْزَلَ عَلَی عَبْدِهِ الْکِتَابَ [Praise be to Allah who sent down the Book upon His servant]." When the Imam wished to recite Surah al-Kahf, the Jewish man said, "How much we have listened to your Qur'an! If you are able to answer us, then inform us of their story and their names, their number, the name of their dog, the name of their cave, the name of their king, and the name of their city."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said, "There is no might and no power except with Allah. O brother of the Jews! My beloved Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) told me: In the land of Rome there was a city called Aqsus, which had a righteous king. He passed away, and the affairs of the people fell into disarray and their unity broke apart. A king from the kings of Persia named Daqyanus, with one hundred thousand fighting men, entered Aqsus, made it the capital of his kingdom, and built a palace in it one farsakh in length and one farsakh in breadth. Inside this palace he arranged a sitting hall for himself, one thousand cubits in length and breadth, and he built it of tall polished glass (mirrors). He placed in this hall four thousand columns of gold and a thousand lamps of gold with chains of silver, kindled with the finest fragrant oils. On the east side of the hall he made eighty windows and on the west side eighty, so that whenever the sun rose, it would circle within the hall wherever it went. He had a throne made of gold, eighty cubits long and forty cubits wide, with legs of silver studded with jewels, and above it were special cushions. To the right of the throne he placed eighty chairs of gold studded with green emerald, upon which his patricians sat, and to the left of the throne eighty chairs of silver studded with red ruby, upon which he seated his commanders (Heraclitans). Then he mounted the throne and placed the crown upon his head."

The Jew jumped up and asked, "O Commander of the Faithful, of what was his crown made?" He said, "There is no might and no power except with Allah. His crown was made of latticed gold, having seven pillars, and on each pillar a white pearl that shone like a lamp on a dark night. He had selected fifty youths from the sons of the Heraclitans; he adorned them with earrings of red brocade and clothed them in trousers of green fabric called 'farand', crowned them, put armlets and anklets on them, and gave them staffs of gold, and stood them above his head. He also selected six youths from the sons of the learned and made them his ministers, placing three on his right and three on his left."

The Jew said, "What were the names of the three on his right and the three on his left?" He said, "As for the three who were on his right, their names were Tamlikha, Maksalmina, and Majsalina; and as for the three who were on his left, their names were Marnus, Dayrnus, and Shadharnus. He would consult them in all his affairs."

He said, "This king would sit each day in the courtyard of his palace, with his patricians on his right and his Heraclitans on his left. Three youths would enter: in the hand of one was a golden cup filled with ground musk, in the hand of another a silver cup filled with rosewater, and in the hand of the third was a white bird with a red beak. When the king looked at the bird and whistled to it, the bird would fly and fall into the cup of rosewater and roll about in it, then fall into the cup of musk and carry with its feathers and wings what was in the cup. Then he would whistle to it a second time and the bird would fly onto the king's crown and shake off what was in its feathers and wings upon the king's head. When the king saw this, he became arrogant, tyrannical, and claimed lordship besides Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. He summoned the notables of his people to this; everyone who obeyed him he gave gifts, clothed, and favored, and everyone who did not follow him he killed. A group of people responded to him, and he appointed for them a festival once a year.

"One day, while he was in his festival with the patricians on his right and the Heraclitans on his left, one of his patricians came to inform him that the armies of the Persians had come upon him. He was so severely grieved by this that the crown fell from his head. One of the three who were on his right, called Tamlikha, looked at him and said to himself, 'If Daqyanus were a god as he claims, he would not grieve, nor be alarmed, nor urinate, nor defecate, nor sleep and wake — these are not the acts of a god.'

"The six youths would each day eat and drink at the home of one of them, and on that day they were at Tamlikha's. He prepared for them the finest food and the most delicious drink. They ate and drank, then he said, 'O brothers, something has entered my heart that has kept me from food, drink, and sleep.' They said, 'What is it?' He said, 'I have thought long about this heaven and said: Who raised its roof, preserved without any support from above and no pillars from below? Who set the sun and moon coursing in it as two shining signs? Who adorned it with stars? Then I thought long about this earth and said: Who spread it out over the deep swelling water? Who anchored it with mountains so that it does not sway with everything upon it? Then I thought long and said: Who brought me forth from my mother's belly? Who nourished me and raised me in her belly? This surely has a Maker and Manager other than King Daqyanus, and this is none but the King of kings and the Compeller of the heavens.'

"The youths fell upon his feet and kissed them, saying, 'Through you Allah has guided us from misguidance; advise us.' Tamlikha rose, sold dates from an orchard of his for three thousand dirhams, wrapped them in his sleeve, and they mounted their horses and left the city. When they had gone three miles, Tamlikha said, 'O brothers, the kingdom of the Hereafter has come and the kingdom of this world has gone and its rule has passed away. Dismount from your horses and walk on your feet, that perhaps Allah may bring you a way out and relief.' So they dismounted from their horses and walked seven farsakhs that day, until their feet began to drip with blood.

"A shepherd came upon them and they said, 'O shepherd, is there a drink of milk or a drink of water?' The shepherd said, 'I have what you wish, but I think your faces are the faces of kings, and I think you are none but fugitives from King Daqyanus.' They said, 'O shepherd, lying is not permissible for us, so let truthfulness save us from you.' He said, 'Yes.' Then they told him their story, and the shepherd fell upon their feet, kissing them, and said, 'O people, what has entered your hearts has entered mine as well; but give me respite to return the sheep to their owners and I will join you.' So they stopped for him. He returned the sheep and came running back, followed by his dog."

The Jew said, "O Ali, what was the color of the dog and what was its name?" Ali (peace be upon him) said, "There is no might and no power except with Allah, the Mighty. As for the color of the dog, it was piebald with black, and as for its name, it was Qitmir. When the youths looked at the dog, they said to one another, 'We fear this dog may expose us with its barking,' and they pelted it with stones. When the dog saw them insisting on driving it away, it sat upon its tail, stretched, and spoke with a clear, eloquent tongue, calling out, 'O people, why do you drive me away? I bear witness that there is no god but He, having no partner. Let me be, that I may guard you from your enemy.' So they hurried to him and carried him upon their shoulders.

"The shepherd kept traveling with them until he led them up a mountain and brought them down to a cave called al-Wasid. Facing the cave was a spring and fruit-bearing trees. They ate from the fruit and drank from the water, and night overtook them, so they took shelter in the cave. Then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed to the Angel of Death to take their souls, and Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, appointed for each of them two angels to turn them from the right side to the left and from the left side to the right, and Allah revealed to the keepers of the sun that it should incline away from their cave to the right and pass them by on the left.

"When Daqyanus returned from his festival, he asked about the youths and was told that they had fled. He mounted with eighty thousand horsemen and kept following their tracks until he ascended the mountain and came down to the cave. When he looked at them, they were asleep. The king said, 'If I wished to punish them with anything, I could not punish them with more than what they have punished themselves with.' Then he ordered the builders to be brought and he sealed the door of the cave with lime and stones. Then he said to his companions, 'Tell them: let them ask their god in the heavens to save them from what has befallen them if they are truthful, and to bring them out of this place.'"

Then Ali (peace be upon him) said, "O brother of the Jews! They remained there three hundred and nine years. When Allah wished to bring them back to life, He commanded His angel Israfil to breathe the spirit into them. He breathed it in and they arose from their sleep. When the sun rose, they said to one another, 'We have been heedless of the worship of the Allah of the heavens this night.' They arose, and behold, the spring had dried up and the trees had withered in a single night. They said to one another, 'Our situation is truly wondrous — that such an abundant spring has dried up in a single night!' Then hunger touched them, and they said, 'Send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the city and let him see which of them has the purest food and bring you provision from it, and let him be discreet and let no one become aware of you.'

"Tamlikha said, 'No one else should go for your needs but me — but O shepherd, hand me your clothes.' The shepherd gave him his clothes, and he set off for the city. He began to see places he did not recognize and roads he did not know, until he came to the gate of the city, upon which was a green banner inscribed in yellow: 'There is no god but Allah, Isa is the Messenger of Allah and His Spirit (peace be upon him).' He kept looking at the banner and rubbing his eyes, saying, 'It is as if I am asleep.' Then he entered the city and came to the marketplace, where he saw a baker. He said, 'O baker, what is the name of this city of yours?' He said, 'Aqsus.' He said, 'What is the name of your king?' He said, 'Abdur Rahman. O you — shake me, it is as if I am asleep.' The baker said, 'Are you mocking me? You are speaking to me while asleep?' Tamlikha said to the baker, 'Give me food for this coin.' When the baker took the dirhams, he was astonished at their weight and size."

The Jew jumped up and said, "O Ali, what was the weight of each dirham?" He said, "Ten dirhams and two-thirds of a dirham." Then he said, "The baker said, 'O you, you have found a treasure!' Tamlikha said, 'This is nothing but the price of dates I sold three days ago; I left this city while people were worshipping King Daqyanus.' The baker became angry and said, 'Will you not give me some of it and save yourself, instead of speaking of a wine-drinking man who claimed lordship and has been dead for more than three hundred years?' Tamlikha stood firm, until the baker brought him before the king, who said, 'What is the matter with this youth?' The baker said, 'This man has found a treasure.' The king said to him, 'Do not fear, O youth. Our prophet Isa (peace be upon him) has ordered us to take only one-fifth from treasures, so give a fifth of it and go safely.' Tamlikha said, 'Look, O king, into my case — I have not found any treasure; I am one of the people of this city.' The king said to him, 'You are one of its people?' He said, 'Yes.' He said, 'Do you know anyone from it?' He said, 'Yes,' and Tamlikha then named nearly a thousand men, of whom the king did not recognize a single one. The king said, 'What is your name?' He said, 'My name is Tamlikha.' He said, 'What are these names?' He said, 'The names of the people of our time.' He said, 'Do you have a house in this city?' He said, 'Yes; ride with me, O king.' The people rode with him, and he brought them to the highest door of any house in the city. Tamlikha said, 'This is my house.' He knocked at the door, and an old man with white hair came out and said, 'What is your business?' The king said to him, 'Something wondrous has come to us: this youth claims that this is his house.' The old man said, 'Who are you?' He said, 'I am Tamlikha ibn Qustin.' The old man fell upon his feet, kissing them, and said, 'He is my grandfather,' and then said to the king, 'These are the six who fled from King Daqyanus.' The king dismounted from his horse and carried Tamlikha upon his shoulder, and the people rushed to him and were kissing his hands and feet. Then he asked Tamlikha, 'Where are your companions?' He said, 'They are in the cave.'

"At that time there were two kings in the city, one Muslim and one Christian. They both mounted their horses with their entourage and set out for the cave. When they drew near the cave, Tamlikha said, 'O people, I fear that my companions may hear the hoofbeats of the horses and think that King Daqyanus has come after them. It is better that you remain here while I go inform them.' So Tamlikha entered the cave. When his companions saw him, they embraced him and said, 'Praise be to Allah, who has saved you from Daqyanus.' Tamlikha said, 'How long do you think we have stayed here?' They said, 'A day or part of a day.' He said, 'Rather, we have stayed here three hundred and nine years, and Daqyanus has died, and generations have passed, and Allah has sent a prophet named Isa ibn Maryam, then took him up to Himself. Now the king and the people have come here to see you.' They said, 'O Tamlikha, do you wish to make us a trial for the people?' Tamlikha said, 'Then what shall I do?' They said, 'Call upon Allah, and we too shall call upon Him with you, that He take our souls and grant our supper with Him in Paradise.' Then they raised their hands to heaven and said, 'By the truth of the faith we have brought to You, secure us and command that our souls be taken.' Then Allah commanded, and their souls were taken, and He concealed the door of the cave from the sight of the people. The two kings circled the door of the cave for seven days but did not find any door. Then the Muslim king said, 'They died upon our religion; I shall build a mosque at the door of the cave,' and the Christian said, 'No, rather they died upon our religion; I shall build a monastery at the door of the cave.' They fought over it, and the Muslim overcame the Christian and built a mosque there."

Then the Imam (peace be upon him) asked the Jew, "I ask you by Allah! Was my account in agreement with the Torah?" The Jew said, "Yes, and it did not have a single letter more or less." Then he said, "Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah wa anna Muhammadan rasul Allah wa annaka ya Amir al-Muminin wasiyyu rasul Allah haqqan. I bear witness that Allah is One and that Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is the Messenger of Allah, and that you, O Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), are truly the successor of the Messenger of Allah."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abdullah ibn Yahya narrates: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) mentioned the People of the Cave and said, "If your people compelled you to do what the people of the People of the Cave compelled them to, what would you do?" He was asked about this, "What did the people of the People of the Cave compel them to do?" He said, "They compelled them to associate partners with Allah the Exalted. So they outwardly professed shirk (associating partners with Allah) before their people, but concealed their faith in their hearts until relief came to them."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Indeed the likeness of Abu Talib (may Allah have mercy on him) is like the likeness of the Fellows of the Cave; they concealed their faith and displayed shirk (polytheism), and for this reason Allah gave them their reward twice.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The Fellows of the Cave concealed their faith and displayed kufr (disbelief), and the reward and merit for their displaying kufr was greater than that for concealing their faith.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): No one's taqiyya (dissimulation) has ever reached the taqiyya of the Fellows of the Cave. They tied the zunnar (belt worn by non-Muslims) like the others and took part in their festivals, and Allah granted them their reward twice over.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The Fellows of the Cave left [the city] without any prior acquaintance or appointed plan, and when they reached the open country they made covenants and pledges with one another and became united in word and purpose. Then they said: "Declare your intent," and they declared it, and they set out upon a single purpose.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): أَمْ حَسِبْتَ أَنَّ أَصْحَابَ الْکَهْفِ وَ الرَّقِیمِ کَانُوا مِنْ آیَاتِنَا عَجَبًا [Or, do you think that the Fellows of the Cave and the Inscription were of Our wonderful signs?] — they were a people who fled, and the king of that time inscribed their names and the names of their fathers and their kinsfolk on tablets of lead. [And this is the meaning of أَصْحَابَ الْکَهْفِ وَ الرَّقِیمِ.]

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): A great multitude of people have returned to this world after death, such as the Fellows of the Cave, whom Allah caused to die for three hundred and nine years, then raised them up in the time of a people who denied the resurrection, in order to complete the proof against them and show them His power, and so that they would know that the resurrection is true.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Al-Qaim (may Allah hasten his noble return) will appear from behind the Ka'bah together with twenty-seven men: fifteen from the people of Musa (peace be upon him), those who guide by the truth and by it act justly, and seven from the Fellows of the Cave, and Yusha ibn Nun (peace be upon him), and Abu Dujana al-Ansari, and al-Miqdad, and Malik al-Ashtar, who will be before him as helpers or as governors.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)- Anas said: A carpet from a village called "Bahandaf" was brought as a gift for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). Then Ali (peace be upon him), Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Zubayr, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf and Sa'd sat [upon it]. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "O Ali (peace be upon him)! Say: O wind, carry us!" Ali (peace be upon him) said: "O wind, carry us!" So the wind carried them until they came to the Companions of the Cave. Abu Bakr and Umar gave the greeting of peace but they did not reply to their greeting. Then Ali (peace be upon him) stood up and gave the greeting, and they replied to his greeting. Abu Bakr said: "O Ali! What is the matter with them that they replied to you and did not reply to us?" Ali (peace be upon him) said [this] to the Companions of the Cave and they said: "After death, we do not reply to anyone except a prophet or the successor of a prophet." Then Ali (peace be upon him) said: "O wind! Carry us!" So it carried us. Then he said: "O wind! Set us down!" So it set us down, and he struck the ground with his foot [and water came out], and Ali (peace be upon him) performed ablution and we performed ablution. Then he said: "O wind, carry us!" So it carried us and we came to Medina, and the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was in the morning prayer, and he was reciting: أَمْ حَسِبْتَ أَنَّ أَصْحابَ الْکَهْفِ وَ الرَّقِیمِ کانُوا مِنْ آیاتِنا عَجَباً [Or, do you think that the Fellows of the Cave and the Inscription were of Our wonderful signs?]. When the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) finished the prayer, he said: "O Ali! Will you inform me of your journey, or would you like me to inform you?" They said: "Rather, you inform us, O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)!" Anas said: "The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) recounted our story as though he had been with us."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him)- کَانُوا مِنْ آیَاتِنَا عَجَبًا [They were of Our wonderful signs]; We have given you signs more wondrous than the story of the Companions of the Cave. The Companions of the Cave were youths who lived in the interval between the prophethood of Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) and Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). And as for al-Raqim, it was two copper tablets on which the story of the youths, the matter of their embracing Islam, the demand of Daqyanus from them, and their ultimate fate were inscribed.