The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 636
CH. 18 AL-KAHF of the Cave were no object of wonder but were only a sign of God, many commentators of the Quran have woven fantastic legends around them. Who were these Dwellers of the Cave, where did they live and what were the conditions and circum- stances under which they had to live, are some of the questions that have agitated the minds of commentators for hundreds of years. A good clue to the solution of these baffling questions is to be found in some of the stories related by Muslim historians, Ibn Isḥāq being most prominent among them. These stories are summarized below: 1. Ibn Ishaq relates that when idolatry first found its way among Christians, those of them who were strict monotheists being sorely distressed over the condition of their coreligionists renounced their company. This happened in the time of the Roman Emperor Decius, who was a great persecutor of Christians. Some Christian young men who refused to worship idols were arrested and brought before him. He asked PT. 15 pursuers to the mouth of the cave but no one could muster enough courage to enter it. The Emperor was counselled to raise a wall before its mouth. He accepted the advice and the mouth of the cave was sealed up. (Ma‘ānī, vol. v, p. 16). 2. There is another story to the effect that a disciple of Jesus arrived in a town of which the ruler had commanded that every newcomer, before entering the town, should prostrate himself before the idol at its entrance. The disciple refused to carry out the king's command. On the contrary, he began to preach against idol-worship which led to many inhabitants of the town becoming Christians. One day, as the result of a scuffle between the king's son and the owner of a hammām (bath) the former was killed. The owner of the hammām fled. Some young men who had embraced Christianity, apprehending arrest, also fled and along with a landlord, who too had embraced Christianity, took refuge in a cave. The story then proceeds as narrated above by Ibn Isḥāq (Ma‘ānī, vol. v, p. 19). 3. Ibn 'Abbās is reported to have said that he was with Mu'awiyah in an expedition against the Romans when they saw the cave in which believed to have lived. Mu‘āwiyah them to think over and revise their attitude and himself went on a journey. Instead of submitting to the Emperor's command they sought safety in flight and took refuge in a cave. On his return from the journey the Emperor ordered these young (Dwellers of the Cave) were men to be brought before him. They feared that they would be found out and killed. So they prayed long and fervently in the cave and had hardly finished their prayer when they fell into a deep sleep. Their belongings lay beside them and their dog kept watch at the entrance of the cave. The which seemed to be 300 years old search for them brought their | (Manthūr; vol. 4, pp. 22, 214). sent some of his men to enter the cave but a storm suddenly arose and prevented them from entering it. According to another narration Ibn Abbās is reported to have said that he had even seen the remains of 1844