to the King, and said: 'These people will surely have a great affair after today... people who left without it being known where they went, without any treachery or anything known [about them]!!' So he called for a tablet of lead and wrote their names on it, then placed it in his treasury. That is the word of Allah: 'Or do you think that the Companions of the Cave and the Inscription...' The Inscription is the tablet upon which he wrote. They set out until they entered the cave, and Allah cast slumber upon their ears, and they stood. Had the sun risen upon them, it would have burned them, and had they not been turned over, the earth would have consumed them. That is the word of Allah: 'And you see the sun...' [to the end of the] verse. He said: 'Then that King passed away, and another King came who worshipped Allah, abandoned those idols, and was just toward the people. So Allah resurrected them for whatever He intended. One of them said: "How long have you stayed?" Some of them said: "A day." Some of them said: "Two days." And some of them said: "More than that." Their leader said: "Do not disagree, for no people ever disagreed but they perished. So send one of you with this silver of yours to the city." He saw a sign he did not recognize and saw structures he did not recognize. Then he approached a baker and threw a dirham to him; their dirhams were like the hooves of a young she-camel—meaning the offspring of a camel. The baker did not recognize the dirham and said: "Where did you get this dirham from? You have found a treasure; either you guide me to it or I will report you to the Prince." He said: "Are you trying to frighten me with the Prince?" The Dehkan [district leader] was brought to the Prince. He asked: "Who is your father?" He said: "So-and-so." He did not recognize him. He asked: "Who is the King?" He said: "So-and-so." He did not recognize him. The people gathered around them, and he was taken to their scholar, who asked him, and he informed him. He said: "Bring me the tablet." It was brought, and he named his companions, such-and-such and such-and-such, and they were written on the tablet. He said to the people: "Allah has guided you to your brothers." They set out and rode until they reached the cave. When they drew near the cave, the young man said: "Stay where you are until I enter upon my companions, and do not rush in lest they be alarmed by you, for they do not know that Allah has brought you [to them] and accepted your repentance." They said: "You will surely come out to us." He said: "Yes, if Allah wills." He entered, and they did not know where he had gone. It was hidden from them, and they sought them and urged [entry] but could not enter upon them. They said: "Let us build a place of worship over them." So they built a place of worship over them, and they began to pray for them and seek forgiveness for them.

12721 - From 'Ikrimah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Companions of the Cave were the sons of kings. Allah granted them Islam, so they sought refuge in their religion and withdrew from their people until they ended up at the cave. Allah sealed their ears, and they remained for a long time until their nation perished, and a Muslim nation came, and their King was a Muslim. They differed concerning the soul and the body. One person said: "The soul and the body are resurrected together." And another said: "The soul is resurrected, but as for the body, the earth consumes it so it becomes nothing." Their disagreement troubled their King, so he went and wore coarse garments and sat on the ashes, then he called upon Allah and said: "O Lord, You see the disagreement of these people, so send them a sign that clarifies it for them." Allah then resurrected the Companions of the Cave, and they sent one of them to buy food for them. He entered the market, and when he looked, he began to fail to recognize the faces while recognizing the paths, and he saw faith visibly in the city. He went while concealing himself until he came to a man to buy food from him. When the man looked at the silver, he did not recognize it—I think he said it was like the hooves of a young she-camel—meaning young camels. The young man said: "Is your King not so-and-so?" The man said: "Rather, our King is so-and-so." That continued between them until he took him to the King, who called out to the people and gathered them, saying: "You have differed concerning the soul and the body, and Allah has sent you a sign; this man is from the people of so-and-so—meaning the King who was before him." The young man said: "Take me to my companions." The King rode, and the people rode with him until he reached the cave. The young man said: "Let me enter to my companions." When he saw them and they saw him, [Allah] sealed their ears. When they found his return delayed, the King and the people entered with him, and there were bodies, nothing of which was decaying, except that they had no souls in them. The King said: "This is a sign Allah has sent to you." Ibn Abbas then went on an expedition with Habib ibn Maslamah, and they passed by the cave, and there were bones in it. A man said: "These are the bones of the Companions of the Cave." Ibn Abbas said: "Their bones have been gone for more than three hundred years."

His saying: 'Which of the two factions counted for how long they stayed, an amount.'

12722 - From Mujahid (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding His saying: 'Which of the two factions'—he said: 'From the people of the youths'—'counted for how long they stayed, an amount'—he said: 'a number.'

12723 - From Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding His saying: 'So that We may know which of the two factions counted for how long they stayed, an amount'—he says: 'Neither of the two parties had knowledge, neither their disbelievers nor their believers.'

His saying: 'Indeed, they were youths who believed in their Lord'

12724 - From Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both): Allah never sent a Prophet except that he was a young man, and no scholar was given knowledge except that he was a young man. And he recited: "They said: 'We heard a youth who mentions them, called Ibrahim,'" and: "When Musa said to his servant," and: "Indeed, they were youths who believed in their Lord."