Page 124 - An Index to the Qur'an

Do you not see what your Lord did with the here?’ They replied, ‘We have been here for a
Companions of the Elephant? (105:1) day or part of a day.’ They said, ‘Your Lord knows
best how long you have been here. Send one of
COMPANIONS OF THE CAVE your number into the city with this silver you
(ASHAB AL-KAHF) have, so he can see which food is purest and
Do you consider that the Companions of the bring you some of it to eat. But he should go
Cave and Ar-Raqim were one of the most re- about with caution so that no one is aware of
markable of Our Signs? When the young men you, for if they find out about you they will stone
took refuge in the cave and said, ‘Our Lord, give you or make you revert to their religion and then
us mercy directly from You and open the way for you will never have success.’ Accordingly We
us to right guidance in our situation.’ So We made them chance upon them unexpectedly so
sealed their ears with sleep in the cave for a num- they might know that Allah’s promise is true and
ber of years. Then We woke them up again so that there is no doubt about the Hour. When they
that we might see which of the two groups would were arguing among themselves about the mat-
better calculate the time they had stayed there. ter, they said, ‘Wall up their cave, their Lord
We will relate their story to you with truth. They knows best about them.’ But those who got the
were young men who believed in their Lord and better of the argument concerning them said,
We increased them in guidance. We fortified ‘We will build a place of worship over them.’
their hearts when they stood up and said, ‘Our They will say, ‘There were three of them, their
Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth and dog being the fourth.’ They will say, ‘There were
We will not call on any god apart from Him. We five of them, their dog being the sixth,’ guessing
would in that case have uttered an abomination. at the Unseen. And they will say, ‘There were
These people of ours have taken gods apart from seven of them, their dog being the eighth.’ Say:
Him. Why do they not produce a clear authority ‘My Lord knows best their number. Those who
concerning them? Who could do greater wrong know about them are very few.’ So do not enter
than someone who invents a lie against Allah? into any argument concerning them, except in
When you have separated yourselves from them relation to what is clearly known. And do not
and everything they worship except Allah, take seek the opinion of any of them regarding them.
refuge in the cave and your Lord will unfold His Never say about anything, ‘I am doing that to-
mercy to you and open the way to the best for morrow,’ without adding ‘If Allah wills.’
you in your situation.’ You would have seen the Remember your Lord when you forget, and say,
sun, when it rose, inclining away from their cave ‘Hopefully my Lord will guide me to something
towards the right, and, when it set, leaving them closer to right guidance than this.’ They stayed in
behind on the left, while they were lying in an their Cave for three hundred years and added
open part of it. That was one of Allah’s Signs. nine. Say: ‘Allah knows best how long they
Whoever Allah guides is truly guided. But if He stayed. The Unseen of the heavens and the earth
misguides someone, you will find no protector belongs to Him. How perfectly He sees, how
for them to guide them rightly. You would have well He hears! They have no protector apart from
supposed them to be awake whereas in fact they Him. Nor does He share His rule with anyone.’
were asleep. We moved them to the right and to (18:9-26)
the left, and, at the entrance, their dog stretched
out its paws. If you had looked down and seen COMPANIONS OF THE ELEPHANT
them, you would have turned from them and run (ASHAB AL-FIL)
and have been filled with terror at the sight of Do you not see what your Lord did with the
them. That was the situation when we woke Companions of the Elephant? Did He not bring
them up so they could question one another. all their schemes to nothing, unleashing upon
One of them asked, ‘How long have you been them flock after flock of birds? (105:1-3)
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