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Young Enlightened
Submitters |
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During the first centuries of Christianity there was a lot of pressure
on the followers of the new religion. Jesus Christ was sent as
a prophet of God to the people to ask them to worship God alone.
He came to correct all the mistakes done by the followers of the Jewish
faith and to guide them back to the true religion of worshipping God alone.
In a city called Ephesus, located in today's Turkey, the Emperor at
that
time, several hundred years ago, was not a believer and refused to
believe in God alone. He did not like the new religion and was punishing
those who do not listen to him or follow him. Many of the Christians at this
time were punished, expelled from their homes or killed
for refusing to obey him.
Some young men, 3, 5 or 7 men, no one really know how many of them then,
refused to obey the Emperor and want to continue to worship God alone.
They were afraid that the Emperor may kill them if they stayed
around or force them to obey him. They took their dog with them and
escaped the city and found a cave outside the city. They decided to hide
in the cave. God decided to put them to sleep for 300 years until the
Emperor and his children die and the good believing Christian
take control of the city. When they woke up after 300 years they felt
hungry and sent one of them to buy them food from the city.
When he went to the city and bought the food, he gave them the old money
he had.
The people of the city then realized this person is one of the youths
who escaped to the cave and were delighted to find them.
They treated them well and allowed them to worship
God alone, freely until they died and buried them in the cave.
The story of the sleepers of Ephesus is told in the Quran
in Sura 18 that is called "The Cave".
Picture of the cave
Quran
I seek refuge in God from Satan the
rejected
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most
Merciful
[18:1]
Praise GOD, who revealed to His servant this scripture,
and made it flawless.
[18:2]
A perfect (scripture) to warn of severe retribution
from
Him, and to deliver good news to the believers who
lead a
righteous life, that they have earned a generous
recompense.
[18:3]
Wherein they abide forever.
[18:4]
And to warn those who said, "GOD has begotten a
son!"
[18:5]
They possess no knowledge about this, nor did their
parents. What a blasphemy coming out of their mouths!
What they utter is a gross lie.
[18:6]
You may blame yourself on account of their response
to
this narration, and their disbelieving in it; you
may be
saddened.
[18:7]
We have adorned everything on earth, in order to
test
them, and thus distinguish those among them who
work
righteousness.
[18:8]
Inevitably, we will wipe out everything on it, leaving
it
completely barren.*
[18:9]
Why else do you think we are telling you about the
people
of the cave, and the numbers connected with them?
They
are among our wondrous signs.
[18:10]
When the youths took refuge in the cave, they said,
"Our
Lord, shower us with Your mercy, and bless our affairs
with Your guidance."
[18:11]
We then sealed their ears in the cave for a
predetermined
number of years.
[18:12]
Then we resurrected them to see which of the two
parties
could count the duration of their stay therein.
[18:13]
We narrate to you their history, truthfully. They
were
youths who believed in their Lord, and we increased
their
guidance.
[18:14]
We strengthened their hearts when they stood up
and
proclaimed: "Our only Lord is the Lord of the heavens
and
the earth. We will never worship any other god beside
Him. Otherwise, we would be far astray.
[18:15]
"Here are our people setting up gods beside Him.
If only
they could provide any proof to support their stand!
Who
is more evil than the one who fabricates lies and
attributes them to GOD?
[18:16]
"Since you wish to avoid them, and their worshiping
of
other than GOD, let us take refuge in the cave.
May your
Lord shower you with His mercy and direct you to
the
right decision."
[18:17]
You could see the sun when it rose coming from the
right
side of their cave, and when it set, it shone on
them
from the left, as they slept in the hollow thereof.
This
is one of GOD's portents. Whomever GOD guides is
the
truly guided one, and whomever He sends astray,
you will
not find for him a guiding teacher.
[18:18]
You would think that they were awake, when they
were in
fact asleep. We turned them to the right side and
the
left side, while their dog stretched his arms in
their
midst. Had you looked at them, you would have fled
from
them, stricken with terror.
[18:19]
When we resurrected them, they asked each other,
"How
long have you been here?" "We have been here one
day or
part of the day," they answered. "Your Lord knows
best
how long we stayed here, so let us send one of us
with
this money to the city. Let him fetch the cleanest
food,
and buy some for us. Let him keep a low profile,
and
attract no attention.
[18:20]
"If they discover you, they will stone you, or force
you
to revert to their religion, then you can never
succeed."
[18:21]
We caused them to be discovered, to let everyone
know
that GOD's promise is true, and to remove all doubt
concerning the end of the world. The people then
disputed among themselves regarding them. Some said,
"Let
us build a building around them." Their Lord is
the best
knower about them. Those who prevailed said, "We
will
build a place of worship around them."
[18:22]
Some would say, "They were three; their dog being
the
fourth," while others would say, "Five; the sixth
being
their dog," as they guessed. Others said, "Seven,"
and
the eighth was their dog. Say, "My Lord is the best
knower of their number." Only a few knew the correct
number. Therefore, do not argue with them; just
go along
with them. You need not consult anyone about this.
[18:23]
You shall not say that you will do anything in the
future,
[18:24]
without saying, "GOD willing."* If you forget to
do this,
you must immediately remember your Lord and say,
"May my
Lord guide me to do better next time."
[18:25]
They stayed in their cave three hundred years, increased
by nine.
[18:26]
Say, "GOD is the best knower of how long they stayed
there." He knows all secrets in the heavens and
the
earth. By His grace you can see; by His grace you
can
hear. There is none beside Him as Lord and Master,
and He
never permits any partners to share in His kingship.
The rest of Sura 18 is great for the kids as well. Read the rest of the sura
later in Shaa Allah.
Vocabulary
flawless= has no mistakes.
scripture = sacred book, for example the Quran
and the Bible.
retribution= receiving of punishment or
reward.
recompense= reward.
Abide= live in.
blasphemy= insult.
distinguish= know the difference.
inevitably= for sure.
barren = not good for anything.
narrate= tell the story.
portent= marvel, miracle.
fetch= find.
Quiz
| (1) How many people were in the cave
? |
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| (2) Why did the sleepers of the cave hide in
the cave? |
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| (3) How many years did the sleepers of the cave
sleep ? |
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| (4) What should you say, if you plan to do something
in the future ? |
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| (5) What did Jesus ask the people to do
? |
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