Al-Kahf (The Cave)

17. “And (had you been there) you might have seen the sun when it rose, declining from their Cave towards the right, and when it set, leaving them away unto the left, and they were in a wide space thereof. This is of the Signs of Allah, whomever Allah guides, he is rightly guided, and whomever He leaves to stray, you shall never find for him any guiding friend.”

18. “And you might think them awake while they were asleep, and We turned them unto the right and unto the left (sides), and their dog stretching out his paws on the threshold. If you looked at them you would certainly turn back from them in flight and you would certainly be filled with terror of them.”

Through these holy couple of verses, the Qur’an has referred to the details of the wonderful life of the Companions of the Cave where it has mentioned six specialties:

1. The doorway of the Cave was set toward the north, and since its location had certainly been in the northern hemisphere, the sun did not shine directly inside the Cave, as the holy verse says:

“And (had you been there) you might have seen the sun when it rose, declining from their Cave towards the right, and when it set, leaving them away unto the left…”

Thus, the direct sunshine, whose continuation might cause their bodies to decay, did not meet them, but there was enough indirect light there from the sun.

2. The verse continues saying:

“…and they were in a wide space thereof...”

This part of the verse is an indication that the arrival of the Cave, which is usually strait, was not their dwelling-place, but they had chosen the middle parts of the Cave to be both out of sight and out of direct shining of the sun.

Here, the Qur’an ceases the thread of the current speech and pays to a spiritual conclusion, because it is the main aim of the statement of all these events.

It says:

“…This is of the Signs of Allah, whomever Allah guides, he is rightly guided, and whomever He leaves to stray, you shall never find for him any guiding friend.”

Yes, those who step in the way of Allah and struggle for Him, Allah will help them with His Grace in every single of their steps. It is not only for the basis of their work, but His Grace encompasses them in all their affairs, too.

3. Their sleep was not an ordinary sleep, because if you looked at them you might think that they were awake, but they had been sleeping.

The verse says:

“And you might think them awake while they were asleep…”

This exceptional case, perhaps, had been for the sake that harmful animals would not approach them, or for the sake that their view might become so dreadful that none would dare approach them, in a manner that this circumstance could work as a protective shield for them.

4. In order that their bodies would not decay as a result of passing a long time of years when they were in their sleep, they were turned unto the right and unto the left sides, so that their bodies could remain sound.

They were turned this side and that side for that the blood of their bodies might not concentrate in one point of the body, and the pressure and the height, which were on those muscles that were on the ground for a long time, would not affect on the body harmfully.

The verse continues saying:

“…and We turned them unto the right and unto the left (sides)…”

5. Their dog had stretched forth his two fore-legs on the threshold of the Cave, guarding them.

The verse continues saying:

“…and their dog stretching out his paws on the threshold...”

6. Another fact about them was that they had a dreadful sight, so that:

“…If you looked at them you would certainly turn back from them in flight and you would certainly be filled with terror of them.”

Explanations

1. The cave of the Companions of the Cave geographically was neither toward the East nor toward the West, but it was toward the North-eastern, where the sun would not shine into the depth of it in any season.

The ideas are divided upon the sight of the Cave. Some commentators say that it had been in the mountains around Syria which is now known as ‘the cave of the Companions of the Cave’.

Some others believe that it had been located around Omman, the capital of Jordan, where several ancient graves are found and an engraving of a dog is carved on the wall, upon which there is an old monastery, and Muslims have built a mosque thereabout, too.

However, the peculiarities of the Cave are some examples of the grace of Allah which were promised to in the previous verse

2. The Divine protection is not always seen in the form of a miracle, but sometimes the natural factors work as a means of protection.

3. The succour of Faith, leaving the people of polytheism, and taking refuge to a Cave, with those peculiarities, may not happen save by the guidance of Allah.