The companions of the cave

The companions of the cave:

 اَمْ حَسِبْتَ اَنَّ اَصْحٰبَ الْـكَهْفِ وَ الرَّقِیْمِ كَانُوْا مِنْ اٰیٰتِنَا عَجَبًا0

Translation:

"(O addressee!) Did you think that the people of the cave and the inscription were a wonder sign among our signs."

 

The companions of the cave

The Jews asked Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about the Companions of the Cave. In response to this question of the Jews, Allah revealed verses in the Holy Qur’an about the Companions of the Cave.

Companions of the Cave, period, and region:

The fact that the Jews were so interested in the story of the Companions of the Cave shows that their time was long ago. And some commentators have mentioned that the Companions of the Cave are after the time of Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him) and they were Christians in terms of religion. And the context shows that their nation was idolatrous. And the Companions of the Cave were living in a region of the Roman Empire.

Reason for hiding in the cave:

The king of the time of Companions of the Cave, whose name was Daqyanus. And he was a very cruel king. And he used to force people to worship idols. If anyone refused to worship the idols, that king would have him killed. And these Companions were convinced of the monotheism of Allah and were believers.

And they hid in the cave to save their faith and their lives from the cruelty of the king. And slept for three hundred years by the order of Allah Ta’ala.

Number of Companions of the Cave:

Allah Ta’ala has described three sayings of the Christians about the number of Companions of the Cave. And Allah said: All these are their own guesses.

For example:

There are three of them and the fourth is their dog

They are five and the sixth is their dog

They are seven and the eighth is their dog.

But according to the commentators of the Qur’an, the most correct view is that the Companions of the Cave are seven in number and the eighth is their dog.

 

Names of Companions of the Cave:

It is narrated from Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that their names are:

In Arabic	In English
مکسلیمنا	Mixalmina
تملیخا	Tamlikha
مرطونس	Martonas
نینوس	Naenoas
سار یونس	Sariyounas
ذونواس	Zonuwanas
فلستطیونس	Phalastetyounas

 

And among the Companions of the Cave was the seventh shepherd who joined them. And his dog’s name was "Qitmair" (قطمیر)

(For details see: Tafsir Tabiyan al-Qur’an, Surah Al-Kahf)

 

Blessings and Amulets of the Names of Companions of the Cave:

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, that the amulet of the names of the Companions of the Cave is beneficial for nine deeds.

1-To bring back the runaway from home. And to escape from enemies.

2-To extinguish the fire, write on the cloth and put it in the fire.

3-For crying babies and third day fever.

4-Tie on right arm for headache.

5-To secure travel by land and sea.

6-To protect property and wealth.

7-To increase intelligence.

8- for malnutrition in children

(Faiz Ul Quran with Haseen khawab Namah, Abo ul Faiz Muhammad shareef Al Qadri, page:47 in Urdu)