Transliteration:( Wa tahsabuhum ayqaazanw wa hum ruqood; wa nuqallibuhum zaatal yameeni wa zaatash shimaali wa kalbuhum baasitun ziraa'ayhi bilwaseed; lawit tala'ta 'alaihim la wallaita minhum firaaranw wa lamuli'ta minhum ru'ba )
"And you might deem them awake while they are asleep [31], and We turn them about to the right and to the left [32], and their dog has stretched his forelegs at the threshold [33] of the cave. If you had looked at them, you would have turned away from them in flight [34], and would have been filled with terror of them [35]."
This indicates that the Companions of the Cave are still asleep, not dead. Their eyes remain open, creating the illusion of wakefulness to any onlooker.
A dead body cannot be referred to as "asleep", hence this verse is proof of their being alive in a sleep-like state.
They are turned to the right and left, either:
Twice a year, according to Hazrat Abu Huraira, or
Once a year on the day of Ashurah, according to Hazrat Abdullah ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما).
From this emerge two important points:
The acts of special servants of Allah are attributed to Allah, even if carried out by angels — here, the turning is done by angels but Allah says We turn them.
This again proves their being alive, because only the living are turned from side to side. If Allah willed, He could have kept them in one position without their bodies decomposing, but He chose this as a sign.
The dog of the Companions lay at the mouth of the cave, and even it gained eternal significance due to their company.
The sand did not decompose its body.
People began to mention and even use its name in amulets.
This emphasizes that companionship of the righteous is more beneficial than many forms of worship, and this applies even to animals.
So, imagine the reward for those who remain in the company of the Prophet ﷺ!
Had anyone seen them, they would have:
Fled in fear, and
Been overwhelmed with awe.
This awe was a miraculous sign from Allah Almighty and a form of divine protection.
This aura and dread served to protect them from intruders. A famous incident is mentioned:
During the Battle of Rome, Hazrat Amir Muawiyah (رضي الله عنه) approached the cave.
Hazrat Abdullah ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه) recited this verse and stopped him.
Despite this, a group was sent into the cave, but they were burned to ashes (Tafseer Khazainul Irfaan).
It is understood that this warning in the verse is for the believers, not for the Holy Prophet ﷺ. For instance:
"The eye deviated not nor crossed the limit" (Surah An-Najm 53:17)
— i.e., The Prophet ﷺ did not waver even upon seeing Allah Almighty during the Me’raaj.
And in some traditions, it is mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ saw the Companions of the Cave during Me’raaj, further affirming his spiritual vision and closeness to divine realities.
18. And you would have thought them awake, whereas they were asleep. And We turned them on their right and on their left sides, and their dog stretching forth his two forelegs at the Wasid. Had you happened upon them, you would certainly have turned back from them in flight, and would certainly have been filled with awe of them.
Some of the scholars mentioned that when Allah caused them to sleep, their eyelids did not close, lest disintegration took hold of them. If their eyes remained open to the air, this would be better for the sake of preservation. Allah says:
(And you would have thought them awake, whereas they were asleep.) It was mentioned that when the wolf sleeps, it closes one eye and keeps one eye open, then it switches eyes while asleep.
(And We turned them on their right and on their left sides,) Ibn `Abbas said: “If they did not turn over, the earth would have consumed them.”
(and their dog stretching forth his two forelegs at the Wasid) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr and Qatadah said: “The Wasid means the threshold.” Ibn `Abbas said: “By the door.” It was said: “On the ground.” The correct view is that it means on the threshold, i.e., at the door.
(Verily, it shall be closed upon them) ﴿104:8﴾ Their dog lay down at the door, as is the habit of dogs. Ibn Jurayj said, “He was guarding the door for them.” It was his nature and habit to lie down at their door as if guarding them. He was sitting outside the door, because the angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog, as was reported in As-Sahih, nor do they enter a house in which there is an image, a person in a state of ritual impurity or a disbeliever, as was narrated in the Hasan Hadith. The blessing they enjoyed extended to their dog, so the sleep that overtook them overtook him too. This is the benefit of accompanying good people, and so this dog attained fame and stature. It was said that he was the hunting dog of one of the people which is the more appropriate view, or that he was the dog of the king’s cook, who shared their religious views, and brought his dog with him. And Allah knows best. Allah says:
(Had you happened upon them, you would certainly have turned back from them in flight, and would certainly have been filled with awe of them.) meaning that Allah made them appear dreadful, so that no one could look at them without being filled with terror, because of the frightening appearance they had been given. This was so that no one would come near them or touch them until the appointed time when their sleep would come to an end as Allah willed, because of the wisdom, clear proof and great mercy involved in that.
(18:18) On seeing them you would fancy them to be awake though they were asleep; and We caused them to turn their sides to their right and to their left,[14] and their dog sat stretching out its forelegs on the threshold of the Cave. Had you looked upon them you would have certainly fled away from them, their sight filling you with terror.[15]
14. That is, if someone could have looked at the seven persons from outside and seen them turning from one side to the other at intervals, he would have thought that they were not asleep but were relaxing themselves.
15. Allah had so arranged their refuge that none dared go inside the cave and know about them for it was pitch dark in the cave and the dog was keeping watch at the entrance. If someone ever looked into the cave and saw the sleepers, he took them for some robbers and at once turned on his heels. This was the reason why their refuge remained a secret to the outer world for such a long period.
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