Allah—w. n. b. e.—has said: ‘Dost thou consider that the companions of the cave and Al Rakim were [one] of Our signs, [and] a [great] miracle?’* It is the opinion of some historians that the companions of the cave had entered it before the mission of I’sa, and that they awoke after his ascension to heaven. Others believe that all their adventures took place after his ascent. There is also a difference of opinion about their going to the cave, their circumstances, and their number. Narrators of traditions have stated that the companions of the cave belonged to Ephesus, a town in Greece, and their professing Islâm is by some explained as follows: When Jalinus [Galen] the physician, who dwelt in that country, had heard that I’sa healed persons blind from birth, and lepers, he said: ‘Such acts are performed by skilful physicians also.’ Hearing that I’sa also resuscitated the dead, Jalinus said: ‘Deeds of this kind are above the power of men, and if I’sa revives dead persons his claims to prophecy must be considered to be true.’ After these rumours had spread, Jalinus proceeded by way of the sea to meet the lord I’sa and to wait upon him. During the voyage, however, he was attacked with colic, and felt the agonies of death. On that occasion his pupils spoke to him as follows: ‘Allah be praised! By the aid of thy blessed inspirations all diseases are healed. What secret is it that thou art now unable to cure thyself?’ Jalinus replied: ‘I shall cure myself with what I know.’ Accordingly he ordered an earthen vessel full of water to be produced, into which he threw the remedy he had prepared against his colic; but when he again called for the vessel after an hour had expired, it was found to have burst and the liquid congealed therein, so that it could by no means be made to flow. Jalinus then said: ‘It is the nature of water to freeze, but there is no remedy against a mortal disease; destiny cannot be understood, fate cannot be contended against.’ Jalinus ordered his disciples on his deathbed to go after his demise and burial to I’sa, and to acknowledge him as a prophet. They complied, paid a visit to I’sa, were ennobled by the happiness of professing Islâm and monotheism. Then they returned to their country, informed the people of the last injunctions of Jalinus, whereon the Ephesians repented of their past lives, which they had spent in error, and all of them professed the Faith.
In some legends it is related that the companions of the cave, with all the inhabitants of Ephesus, were converted by one of the apostles sent to them by Shima’ûn-us-safa. At that time there reigned a tyrannical king, Deqianus by name, who had arrived from Rûm, or the country of Bâbel. The inhabitants of every country under his sway were compelled either to worship idols or to suffer the punishment of death. When he vanquished the region of Ephesus, where the companions of the cave lived, he invited the people to follow his religion. Some obeyed him, and some rebelled; but the professors of monotheism fled and concealed themselves in all directions. The wicked persecuted the righteous, hunted them, and brought them to Deqianus, who ordered their limbs to be cut off.
Seven individuals, the sons of grandees of that country, were sitting in their houses with locked doors, engaged in worshipping the Omnipotent Nourisher of mankind, and beseeching Him to remove the tyranny of Deqianus. On a festival set apart by the oppressor for the adoration of his futile idol, he ordered that any person not making his appearance at the altar to sacrifice, or to worship the idol, should be cut to pieces. He likewise summoned the above-mentioned seven individuals to his presence, and asked: ‘What is your reason for resisting a command which must be obeyed, and for abstaining to sacrifice and to worship the idol?’ Mithana, who was at that time their chief, replied: ‘O king, thou invitest us to worship a thing made with hands. It can neither hear nor see, we can expect from it neither profit nor harm; indeed, such a block is very far from being omnipotent. How could we prostrate ourselves before it? Leave off these insinuations, for we can never commit such a deed!’ Deqianus said: ‘If you will not adore my deity, then tell me what you are worshipping.’ They continued: ‘Our Lord is the Lord of heaven and earth; we will by no means call on any god besides Him.* He is our Lord, and the Lord of all mankind.’ When the tyrant heard these words, he threw away the reins of self-restraint from his hands and ordered them to be slain. Mithana perceived the signs of fear and terror on his friends, and exclaimed: ‘O king, entrust us to the keeping of thy officials, and respite us this night. If we profess thy religion to-morrow, pardon us, or else deal with us as thou pleasest.’ Deqianus agreed to this proposal, and imprisoned the professors of monotheism, but they watched their opportunity, and escaped during the night.
Another tradition is that, when the turn of Deqianus came to rule in Ephesus, he himself claimed to be the Deity, and invited the people to worship him. The companions of the cave, who were the sons of nobles and grandees, had been admitted into his service and company; but after performing their duties, they used to assemble together in one house. At that time Deqianus heard of one of his enemies having arrived with an army, and overrunning the plains and mountains, with the intention of wresting the country from him. The tyrant became melancholy and depressed at this news, and consulted his ministers with his councillors about the means of repelling the attack. When the just-mentioned youths became aware of the apprehensions of Deqianus, they knew that he was like other created beings, subject to the decrees of fate; whereon they determined to worship only that God besides whom there is no other, and said to each other: ‘The circumstances are favourable; we must abandon this mendacious pretender, leave this town, and find a retreat where no one knows us.’ When they were about to depart, they took as much baggage with them as they were able conveniently to carry, departed secretly in the night, and travelled with great fear along a way unfrequented by anyone. During that journey they met a shepherd who was skilled in the art of physiognomies, and asked them as follows: ‘Who are you, for I perceive the marks of fear and apprehension on your brows?’ They rejoined: ‘What need hast thou to examine us? Rather give us some food, if thou art able.’ The shepherd then brought some milk, and after flattering them a great deal, inquired: ‘Inform me of your circumstances, because love for you has taken possession of my heart, and it is my intention to serve you during the rest of my life.’ Accordingly they made the shepherd swear an oath not to reveal anything he might hear. Then they explained to him their case, and the shepherd, having acknowledged the unity of God, returned the sheep to their owners, and accompanied with his dog, named Qattmir, the above-mentioned youths. One of the latter, being apprehensive that possibly the voice of the dog might betray them, threw, with the approbation of his companions, a stone at him to drive him away, whereon Qattmir burst out in the following words: ‘It is wonderful that you should throw a stone at me, whereas I have known the Nourisher of the world before you.’ Hereon the companions repented of their deed and allowed Qattmir to follow them. Then all entered under the guidance of the shepherd the cave called Rakim, intending to leave it again as soon as a favourable opportunity presented itself.
There is a discrepancy among chroniclers concerning the companions after they had entered the cave, some being of opinion that they went into it with the intention of remaining, whilst others allege that they felt comforted, and that they had sent Tamlikha, who was the youngest and handsomest, to bring food, drink, and everything needful, and that he had, after disguising himself, girded up the loins of service to his friends.
When Deqianus had finished the war against his opponents, and had returned to his capital, he reproved the nobles of the country and the fathers of the companions, ordering them to produce their sons. They, however, excused themselves, saying: ‘We are innocent of this matter, for they have, without our knowledge, taken large sums of money and have absconded.’ Accordingly Deqianus allowed them to depart, and after having heard that the fugitives had gone in the direction of the cave Al Rakim, he caused it to be proclaimed in the city that the king is proceeding to such and such a place, and that no one is to refuse to accompany him. On this occasion Tamlikha had sorrowfully and in disguise entered the city; but when he heard this proclamation he returned hastily, and informed his friends of what was going on, whereon those monotheists exclaimed with the greatest indignation: ‘Allah is our surety, and the best advocate!’ And when they had completed their meal, God—whose name be blessed and exalted—sent a deep sleep upon them. Allah the Most High has said: ‘Wherefore We struck their ears [with deafness, so that they slept without disturbance] in the cave for a [great] number of years.’* The Most Glorious and High also said: ‘Their dog stretched forth his forelegs in the mouth of the cave.’* When Deqianus had come out of the city, and arrived at the opening of the cave, Mârnus, his treasurer—who had concealed his secret, and had not revealed his faith to the tyrant—knew that the youths had fallen asleep. Having shouted much, without succeeding in awakening them, he perceived that sleep had overcome them as a protection from the wrath of Deqianus.
Hemistich: Blessed is the sleep which is better than wakefulness.’
Mârnus then came out from the cave, and declared that the refractory fellows had died of hunger in this desolate place, and had surrendered the deposit of life to the grasper of souls, and that the king might return if convenient. Deqianus, being pleased with this news, then ordered the entrance to the cave to be obstructed, whereon the treasurer, having been vouchsafed a revelation that this event was one of the signs of Divine power, which would one day become evident to His servants, ordered a tablet of lead to be inscribed with the names and titles of the companions, together with the date [of the day and year], to be inserted into the aperture of the gate before it was shut up.
After Deqianus had for some time continued to reign, he hastened to the infernal regions. He was, according to the inconstant ways of this world, succeeded by a series of kings, who sat one after the other on the throne of dominion, until the turn of sovereignty reached a righteous and pious king who believed in the prophetship of I’sa. Instead of idol-temples he built churches and convents, and during his reign the companions of the cave, whose members and limbs the Most High had kept from being separated, again returned to a state of wakefulness.
In short, during three hundred and nine years of their sleep in the cave, the incomparable Lord sent Jebrâil every year twice, to translate the companions of the cave from the winter to the summer dormitory, and so turn them from one side to the other, lest they should be attacked by [putrefaction from] the earth. Allah the Most High has said: ‘They remained in the cave three hundred years and nine years over.’* He whose name be glorified has also said: ‘We caused them to turn themselves to the right hand and to the left.’* The Beneficent Lord and Giver so kept their eyes open, that no injury could affect them. He whose name be glorified has said: ‘Thou wouldst have judged them to be awake while they were sleeping.’*
It is related that a short time before the companions awoke a shepherd had opened the door of the cave to shelter his flock, but that he fled in dismay at the awful aspect of the locality. The Sempiternal Will having decided that the sleepers should recover their senses, they awoke from their heavy sleep, and said to each other: ‘Wonder how long we have been sleeping?’ ‘They answered, We have tarried a day,’* but when they beheld the sun they said, ‘Or part of a day.’* After they had prostrated themselves, and adored the Creator, they told Tamlikha to go to the city and to bring food, but to be very careful in going and in returning. When Tamlikha reached the entrance [of the cave], he beheld marks of its having been obstructed and again opened, and wondered how all this [work] could have been done in one day. On approaching the city, he perceived none of the marks on the road which he had noticed when he first came and went, and was still more astonished. Having arrived close to Ephesus, he beheld on the site of an idol-temple a church with the figure of I’sa painted on its ceiling and walls. He then exclaimed: ‘Praise be to God! During one night and day they have rased the idol-temple, and have erected the house of the Self-existent in lieu thereof!’ When he reached the gate of the town, he perceived that the whole locality had been changed; and no one knew him in Ephesus. He also saw the people wearing other costumes, and, wondering at the spectacle, exclaimed:
Hemistich: O Lord! do I see this in my sleep or am I awake?
He perceived two men, one of whom was swearing by the Messiah and the other by God. From these he asked the way to a baker’s shop, after finding which he offered a dirhem of Deqianus for a loaf of bread. When the baker saw a large dirhem, bearing the marks of antiquity, he asked Tamlikha: ‘Where hast thou found a treasure?’ The latter replied: ‘I have found no treasure.’ The baker, however, continued his inquiries till a crowd was attracted by their vociferations, and conveyed Tamlikha to the Qâdhi Nastus, who, on being apprised of what had taken place, said: Q. Do not be afraid; but show us the treasure.— T. I am free from this imputation. Q. Then whence hast thou brought this dirhem?—T. I took it from my father’s house. Q. Who is thy father?—T. So-and-so, the son of So-and-so. Q. We know neither the name nor the genealogy of this man.
Tamlikha then called various inhabitants who he believed had known his father, to bear witness; but all present asserted that they possessed no knowledge of such a man, and accused him of wishing by means of this trick to appropriate the treasure to himself. The Qâdhi, who was undecided what to do, sent Tamlikha to the king, but whilst on the road the former began to plead for mercy, saying: ‘As soon as Deqianus sees me, he will kill me.’ Then the people asked him who Deqianus was. He replied: ‘The governor of this town.’ They rejoined: ‘Thou must forsooth be mad, because many years have elapsed since he is occupying high dignity in hell.’ When he heard this, the amazement of Tamlikha increased even more; and on being conveyed to the foot of the throne, he beheld a youth sitting thereon, engaged in praising God the most Magnificent and Glorious, and mentioning the Messiah—to whom greeting. Tamlikha looked inquisitively upon the throne, and the king asked him: ‘Who art thou, and where is thy dwelling?’ He replied: ‘My name is this, and I am the son of so-and-so. I am one of the principal inhabitants of the city; my house is situated in such and such a quarter, in such and such a street, where also my father dwells.’ None, however, of the persons present remembered any of the names mentioned by Tamlikha. Then the king exclaimed: ‘Thou art either a fool or a cheat, who desirest by these tricks to extricate thyself from our grasp. Now, tell the truth.’ Accordingly Tamlikha narrated in detail his story, and that of his friends, whereat all who heard it were astonished. For the purpose of removing all doubts, the king assembled the Christian U’lâma, and explained this weighty matter to them. The priests said: ‘There is a tradition of the Messiah—to whom be greeting—that in the beginning of the reign of Deqianus such rebels had concealed themselves, and that they will at present make their appearance.’ After having received this information, the king asked Tamlikha: ‘Where are thy friends?’ He replied: ‘They are in the cave Rakim.’ The king with his army then followed Tamlikha, and arrived near the cave, which the latter entered first, by the permission of the king, to inform his friends of the professors of Islâm, and of what he had seen, whereon they prostrated themselves in adoration. The king entered the cavern with his followers, and beheld the tablet, whereon the names and circumstances of the companions of the cave had been inscribed at the request of Mârnus, the treasurer of Deqianus. The king then approached this company, and each having prayed and raised his head from adoration, the pious king kissed the hands and feet of every one, and was greatly edified. The table servants having produced a copious repast, his majesty dined with the companions, after which they praised the Beneficent Sovereign, and besought him to leave them to themselves. The king complied with their request, whereon the companions of the cave again fell back into their former state on their couches; A’zrayil*
was ordered to grasp their souls, and the king, having got them all shrouded, put each of them into a golden coffin Afterwards his majesty heard in a dream the companions of the cave saying to him: ‘O king, take us out from thy clothes and shrouds, and put us into the shrouds of paradise.’ Accordingly the king ordered them to be taken out from the biers and shrouds, and to be dressed in their former clothes. He also built a church at the entrance of the cave, and ordered the day on which he had met the companions of the cave to become a great festival, at which all the people annually assembled in great numbers near the cave.
It is necessary to know that the fact of this tradition is based on the statements of historians, who imagine that the concealment of the companions of the cave had taken place before the mission of I’sa—to whom salutation. Another statement is, that the companions of the cave had entered it before the mission of I’sa—t. w. s.—the son of Mariam. They said: ‘O Lord, grant us mercy from before Thee, and dispose our business for us to a right [issue].’* Then they ate some of their provisions, and laid down their heads, and God struck their ears with deafness, so that they slept three hundred and nine years. After the expiration of that time they sent Tamlikha to the town, where he was suspected of having found a treasure, was led before the king, and related his case. His majesty thereon called for some learned men whom he examined on this subject. The priests stated that the case of the companions of the cave had been alluded to in the Gospel, in the words of I’sa: ‘After my ascension God will revive their memory, that they may bear witness to the truth of my prophecy.’ When the king had heard this tradition from the priests, he became anxious for an interview with the companions of the cave, and sent Tamlikha to inform them of the coming of the professors of Islâm. When Tamlikha had reached his companions, and informed them that the king was coming, they were much dismayed, because they thought he was Deqianus, but he pacified them, saying: ‘After we had entered the cave, a prophet was sent, whose name is I’sa, the son of Mariam. Centuries have elapsed since he appeared, and the king, together with the inhabitants of this town, who are coming here, believe in him.’ Accordingly they also believed in I’sa, and prayed to return to their former state. When, therefore, the king arrived, he saw them all sleeping; and after he had wondered at the spectacle he returned, and caused the aperture of the cave to be obstructed.
There is a tradition of Ebn A’bbâs, that the above narrative is the most correct; but Muhammad Ebn Esahâq states that when some time had elapsed after the death of Deqianus, and the turn to reign of a just and Musalmân king had come, a difference of opinion had arisen at Ephesus, because some persons utterly denied the resurrection, whilst others only denied that of the body, restricting it to the soul. The monotheists were of opinion that the souls will be resuscitated together with the bodies. The king, however, fearing that the adherents of falsehood would prevail over those of the truth, entered a hermitage, dressed himself in sackcloth, and having excluded soldiers as well as civilians from his company, prayed with humility and tears that God—w. n. b. e.—would make this matter plain, both to the monotheists and to the infidels.
The petition of this righteous sovereign having been responded to, it occurred to one of the inhabitants of Ephesus that it would be proper to destroy the door of the cave, and to make it a stable for his sheep. He accordingly hired a man to displace the bricks, but the Lord of Glory so struck the employer and the labourer with fear, that they had not the boldness even to look in that direction, and therefore still less to lodge the sheep in the cave. It is also related that some heroes of the said period had approached the cave, but again fled in terror. When, however, the time of the mission of the seven companions had arrived, they received new life, rose from their [sleeping] places, and imagined that they had been sleeping in the usual way. When they had thus awoke, they sent Tamlikha to the headman and the Qâdhi, as has been related above. In the same tradition it is, however, narrated that an interview took place between Tamlikha and the Qâdhi. When the headman and the latter were apprised of the case, they sallied forth with a great multitude to the cave, the door to which they opened, and beheld a tablet, containing the whole statement about the companions of the cave; after reading which the Musalmâns greatly rejoiced at this manifestation of the Divine power, and at this sign of omnipotence. The officials of the king met the companions of the cave, examined them about their case, and found it to agree with the record on the tablet. Thereon they sent a message to the king, with the request to repair immediately to the spot, and to witness one of the miracles of God as a convincing proof of the truth of the resurrection. Accordingly his majesty set out on the wings of celerity and reached that blessed locality. When his exalted glances alighted on the companions of the cave, he prostrated himself in adoration to the Almighty and wept. On that occasion it became evident to kings, as well as to beggars, to the rich and to the poor, that the resurrection of the body, as foretold by prophets, is a truth. After that the companions of the cave returned by Divine inspiration to their sleeping-place, and, according to the well-known tradition, surrendered their spirits to their Maker. The king had shrouds and coffins made for them of pure brocade and of gold; but after the companions had in a dream spoken to him as follows, ‘O king, we have been created of earth, and we request thee to restore us to the earth,’ his majesty ordered their bodies to be taken out from their coffins, and to be buried in the bowels of the earth. After that, He who is aware of all that is open or concealed removed those blessed individuals from the sight of men. It is related that Moa’viah, the son of Abu Sofiân, had in one of his campaigns arrived in that country, and had been informed that a certain mountain pointed out to him contained the cave of the companions. This he wished to see, but Ebn A’bbâs—may Allah reward him— said to him: ‘You will never experience that happiness, because the Lord had said to a greater man than you are, “If thou wert to behold them, thou wouldst turn away from them, fleeing and terrified.’”* Moa’viah replied: ‘If I cannot see the companions of the cave, I may at least have the honour to behold their cavern.’
Some have related that the Creator of life and death will, before the day of the resurrection at the [second] advent of I’sa—t. w. s.—revive the companions of the cave for a season, when they will associate with the Messiah, and will then again partake of the goblet of annihilation from the hand of the cupbearer of destiny. It is hoped the intelligent reader will discriminate between what the author and what Muhammad Bin Jarir-ut-Tabari and other historians have written on this subject, and that he will, on perceiving the discrepancy of the narratives, attribute it to the contradictory traditions.