Ashaab-e-Kahf (An Exclusive Event in the Islamic history)
Ashaab-e-Kahf (An
Exclusive Event in the Islamic history)
The Ashab-e-Kahf were the honest people. They had stern faith in God. They
belonged to the noble and respectable people of the city of Ufsoos. Their story
is narrated in the Holy Quran.
In their age, there was a very cruel king namely
Daqiyanoos who forced the people to worship the creation [rather than the
Creator, Allah] and would kill anyone who did not agree to it.
Ashab-e-Kahf escaped the king’s oppression in order to
protect their faith. They took refuge in a cave on a nearby mountain and fell
asleep over there. They remained sleeping in for more than 300 years. When the
king searched and came to know that they were inside the cave, he ordered to
seal the cave with a strong wall so that they would die (due to hunger and
thirst) in it and the cave would become their grave. It was their punishment.
(Reference : Siraat-ul-Jinaan, vol. 5,
pp. 541)
Ashab-e-Kahf were religious
mind. They sacrificed everything in
order to protect themselves from evils
and to protect their faith. They preferred to take refuge in a cave, rather
than worshipping anyone other than Allah.
After some time, the king Daqiyanoos died and kingships
kept changing until a very kind-hearted and just person, named ‘Baydroos’
became the king. He ruled the country for sixty eight years gloriously. During
his reign, conflicts and riots broke out and some people denied believing in
the Resurrection and the Day of Judgement. The king confined himself to a home,
alone, and implored earnestly in the court of Allah with tearful eyes: ‘O
Allah reveal such a sign that people start believing
in the Resurrection and in the Day of Judgement.’ In the same era, a shepherd
selected the same cave (in which Ashab-e-Kahf were present) to provide his
goats with shelter. With the help of a few people, he then demolished the wall.
As the wall fell, the people who demolished the wall recoiled in utter horror
and ran away. By the command of Allah Ashaab-e-Kahf (RA) happily
woke up from sleep. They were fresh, happy and lively, exchanged Salam and then
stood for Salah. (Reference : Siraat-ul-Jinaan, vol. 5 )
The person who migrates for the protection of his religion
and faith, Allah protects them with His Ghayb [i.e. unseen]
which astonishes even the intellectuals. As Ashab-e-Kahf also turned away from
the people for the sake of protecting Islam
and they took refuge in the cave, Allah protected them in it by
causing the fear of cave in the people’s hearts that’s why no one could get to
Ashab-e-Kahf.
The first thing Ashab-e-Kahf did after they had woken up
was to say Salam to each other and then they offered Salah. From this act it
has been deduced that Salam and Salah are very old acts of worship. they
have special importance and excellence in Islam.
Having offered Salah, Ashab-e-Kahf said to [one of their
companions] Yamleekha: ‘Go to the market and bring some food. Also, find out
secretly what king Daqiyanoos intends to do with us?’ So, Yamleekha went to the
market. While entering the city, he was astonished to see the signs of Islam
and different type of people over there. He couldn’t understand the matter.
Till yesterday, no one could openly state about his Islamic faith whereas
today, Islamic signs are clearly visible. After some time, he went
to a bakery to purchase food and gave the baker a coin used in the times of
Daqiyanoos. This coin had been replaced centuries ago and there was no one
alive who could recognize it. The shopkeepers assumed that perhaps these people
have discovered some old treasure. Therefore, the shopkeepers handed him over
to the ruler. The ruler was a pious person. He asked him where the treasure is.
Yamleekha said, ‘There is no treasure. This is our money.’ The king said,
‘What you are saying is
totally unbelievable because the year mentioned on this coin is more than three
hundred years ago and you are still young. We are old but we didn’t see this
coin ever.’
Yamleekha said: ‘If you answer my
questions truly, the matter will be resolved. Tell me, how is the king Daqiyanoos?’ The ruler replied,
‘Today, there isn’t any king with this name in the world. However, hundreds of
years ago, there was a dishonest king with this name.’ Yamleekha stated,
‘It was yesterday when, due to his fear, we fled to protect our lives. My
companions are in a cave that is in the nearby mountain. You people come with
me. I will make you meet them.’ Therefore, the ruler and chiefs of the city
reached near the cave in large numbers. The companions in the cave were waiting
for Yamleekha. Seeing the delay in his return, they presumed that Yamleekha
might have been arrested. When they heard the noise of people coming at the
entrance of the cave, they thought that perhaps the army of Daqiyanoos had
arrived to arrest them. Therefore, these people became occupied with the Hamd
of Allah .
In the meantime, the people of the city reached and
Yamleekha related the whole story to the remaining personages of the cave.
These personages understood that they had been sleeping for such a long time
(for more than 300 hundred years) and that they had been awakened so that they
could become the evidence and sign of resurrection for the people.
When the ruler reached the corner of the cave, he saw a
copper box. The box was opened, and a wooden board was found containing the names
of Ashab-e-Kahf and their dog.
(Siraat-ul-Jinaan,
vol. 5 )
In addition to these names, the wooden board which was
taken out from the box of Ashab-e-Kahf also contained this information that:
This group of people took refuge in this
cave for protecting their religion, having the fear of [being forced to convert
by] Daqiyanoos. When Daqiyanoos was informed about this, he ordered to erect a
wall outside the cave so that they could be confined to the cave.
‘We have mentioned this fact so that whenever the cave is
opened, people become aware of their state’. Having read the board, everyone
was astonished and started praising Allah as Allah has revealed the sign
that makes a person hold the belief of the Resurrection. The ruler of the city
informed the king Baydroos about this incident. Along with the chiefs and the
honourable people of the city, the king also went to the cave and fell into Sajdah for thanking Allah as He had answered his
Du’a. Ashab-e-Kahf embraced the king and said: We entrust you with Allah May
Allah protect you and your
country and protect [you and your country] from the evil of Jinns and humans!
The king was still standing when these people went back
to the place where they had been sleeping. They again fell asleep and Allah made them die. The king
preserved their bodies in a wooden box of a tree. Allah infused
such a dignity into the hearts of the people about Ashab-e-Kahf that no one has
the courage to go at that place. Afterwards, the king Baydroos ordered to
construct a Masjid at the entrance of the cave. He fixed an annual celebration
day, and asked the people to visit it on that day like an Eid day.
(Siraat-ul-Jinaan,
part 15, Al-Kahf, Taht-al-Ayah 9, )
For the sake of Ashab-e-Kahf, may Allah bless us with the respect
of pious saints and their true love and devotion! (Aameen)
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