Stories of Al Kahf #02 – The Seven Sleepers Part 02

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh today, us hope you're well in sha Allah. This is another episode from the stories of alkaff. Today we will be going through the story of the Seven Sleepers with us today. Chef Sajid Omar salaam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato.

100 viewers with you again, it's definitely good to see.

So last week we went through the story of the Seven Sleepers. Where does this story start in the sort of Allah calf article avec La Romana Rahim al hamdu Lillah wa Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah are they early he or sotheby woman wala. All in the name of Allah. And All praise belongs to Allah subhanho wa Taala and peace of salutations be upon the final messenger jacala here, it's good to be blessed by Allah to have another episode to continue this. Yeah. So last week, we summarized and if we look in Surah alkaff, we find that the first story is the story of the seven steeples. And after an introduction, God Almighty Allah subhanho wa Taala takes us into the story of the Seven Sleepers

when he says I'm hussy butter and us herbal coffee we're rocking. Can we mean it that I Jabba? So he reveals to his messenger Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam saying that?

Do you think that the story of the Seven Sleepers is from our most amazing events are science, right? It's sort of, it's putting it in a rhetorical way. It's not really asking the question like, do you think as a question, but it's, it's more rhetorical? Do you think this is the most amazing thing? This is how God Almighty starts the story. And just to recap for the viewers, and even for yourself. We mentioned that the reason why the story exists was because the messenger of peace and blessings be upon him was asked about it by his own people in the attempt to discredit him. And they received this question from the Jewish settlers in the Arabian Peninsula. So because they asked the

question,

the story actually exists because the story was revealed in answer to the question. And

the Quran or the final testament didn't come down as one chunk. It came down piecemeal, meaning in stages over a period of 23 years, as per need based on divine wisdom. So this question was pitched was coined, and the Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wasallam came up with the story. But the point is, why why do we say it's a rhetorical question? And perhaps that's what you're thinking?

The reason is, because, you know, we've got to go back to context. Right? And if you look at the context of the people of the messenger, sallAllahu, Alayhi, wasallam. They were, you know, they were not convinced they were like, you know,

how are we going to be resurrected again? What do you mean, there's going to be a day of judgment? What do you mean, there's a here after? Are you telling us after we tend to bones we're going to get we're going to be returned back to flesh and having a mind etc, etc, after we tend to bonds. Right? And here, you you know, you you come in the pitching this question to him. And Allah subhanho wa Taala is saying, in answer to the question that you think the story is the most amazing thing, look at the creation of the heavens and the earth, look at the sky above you, almost to reassure him. Well, to reassure and also to, to, to put a point that you guys can see the sky above you, right, it

has no breakage, it has no cracks. It's perfectly set above you, you sleep every night, a peaceful sleep, not thinking maybe this guy will fold up. Right? So it's there for you to see. And, and you know, how possible is it for that to just be so if you can believe that is there you got to believe that there's a God. Right? And if Allah can do that, and a God can do that, then surely he can resurrect you from nothing. Right? So it's putting it in a rhetorical way that already questioning the messenger bot the seven step because obviously they had an agenda, they were trying to discredit him, he will know the story. So let's say you're not a prophet. But obviously, he proved that he was

a prophet, but in the same instance, God Almighty is, is addressing the people that this is the reality that they don't believe in his message. They don't believe in resurrection. Because remember, we said in the last episode, that this revelation was a McCann revelation was much before migration. And if you look at the Quran, revelation that came down in this period was addressing specific points.

Number one, establishing monotheism. Number two, establishing the reality that there's a here after there's a life after death. Number three bettering the character of people. Better the characters were three, they are the

messages that we can,

you know, deduce from Revelation that came early on. But fundamentally, these three messages were, what were the underlying points in all of revelation that came down to this period monotheism, better, you know better your character and belief in the hereafter. And this is how it starts because you got to chisel on the hearts of people that have been shackled in disbelief, right? It's so you chiseling you chiseling over a period of time and establishing the most fundamental points. So even in this way, God Almighty is speaking to these people saying you questioning the messenger denying all these things. Do you think this was a great sign this greatest signs around you?

Right. And obviously, everything is easy for God Almighty to make somebody sleep for 300 years and wake him up again. This is easy, right? This is easy. So God Almighty saying you denied resurrection. And again, you know, in the story of the Seven Sleepers, because we said last week in our summary that they slept for 300. Yes. And then cardamine resurrected. This is proof against you. Because you asking us about the Seven Sleepers in this story is the evidence that there is life after death, that you can be resurrected, that you can be put to sleep for for 300 years, or more or less or whatever, as God wills. So

this is basically the discussion to the point that you shed 100 there's so this is the start, right? Yeah. And then, you know, as you you move on. After this particular verse, you see God Almighty, revealing pieces of the story.

So let's move on to the next part of the story. inshallah, I believe that you said that the first I started with the first verse was I have vast number nine, that was what I decided that he was not so then we could assume that the rest will come straight after it or there's a comment to bits.

If you did sort of from after nine, as you move on after verse number nine, verse 10 1112, so on so forth, staccato mighty mentioned the particulars of the story. But those particulars that matter, it's important that we realize this, right? That the Quranic stories don't just mention to us, you know, once upon a time, it was a sunny day, and there's no time to waste. And here's the story. But everything mentioned in it is a lesson for you if you ponder if you deliberate if you contemplate these lessons that will help you become established on earth in the period that you're living in, irrespective of when you read the story.

SubhanAllah. So when was the door made by these, these young group of people at the time? Yeah, so

yeah, so you Okay, so I'm following you, I'm following you. So basically, just to put some context for the viewers, we have seven people living in a period of disbelief, they take a stance against the people. And this king who's an oppressive king, he decides to threaten them, he decides to tell them that you know, what, and some of the commentators have said, and this is additional information, not necessarily to the benefit, but just to create context, that this king was a powerful King. And when he understood that I have the seven rebellious people, his instruction was, I'm going out somewhere by the time I get back, make sure this disbelief is matthay sorted.

Otherwise, there will be consequences, right? I'm just making it light. So when this happened, this happened, said, You know what, there's no way we're going to give up our values. Right? We're going to get out of here before he gets back. So they went and when they went, they pray to God Almighty, they prayed to God Almighty. They said they made they pray to God Almighty and say, or our Lord.

provide for us from your dominion. urashima mercy.

Everything. That's mercy.

Well, let me I'm Rena, Rashida and provide for our steadfastness in our affairs. That's what they prayed. It was very, from the context of the rep, from our revelation, our version of the story, this is very early on, and there's lessons in this, the lessons in this right, because

quickly, you can deduce from this that number one, we should constantly supplicate to God Almighty. Number two, all success is from God Almighty.

Right? All successes, which means we must ask for there's no way we're going to help ourselves in our affairs before we ask God Almighty for all

right. And this teaches us that the piety of the seven that it wasn't that they they will just like you know, believe us by name, though they were believers by reality. That in all this, they turn into God Almighty and saying, assist us in our affairs that we will take the means but our means mean nothing. This departure from our people means nothing. You know, the

The blessings of leaving these people mean nothing. If you don't accept it from us, if you don't assist us, because they were threatened with death, they had to leave. Now, what's also interesting from this prayer just for the benefit of the viewers is that

they said, grant us mercy. They didn't give a list that oh, you know, oh, God Almighty, please give us A, B, C, D, E, F, G, you know, they asked for details of everything. They just said, Give us mercy. And they and they, they they asked this in the in depth in the indefinitely, but the definitely in the indefinite in the sense that they didn't ask for specifics. The basic, it's as if they saying, God Almighty give us everything you considered to be merciful. And they left it was God Almighty, and we will do what we will do. But we want you to grant our steadfastness and in everything that we do, and make the result of everything we do a mercy from you. That's what they

said. And God Almighty gave them better than they dreamt Why? Because God Almighty, as we travel through the story, we see God Almighty gave them a cave, and not just any cave, a spacious cave, right? Because that's the difference between, you know, we always hear a heart and we hear

what's the difference?

is like an enclosed area on the calf is more of a cave. Or was it to expand on that? What do you mean by enclosed, like more of a claustrophobic almost more like a tight? tighter? Yes. Yeah, that's a fair explanation. So the scholars say that ahar is, is a cave that has an entrance, but when you entered you have to go down. So the space of the cave is below the entrance.

Right, which naturally makes it a tighter fit. Right? And if you there's the story of the messenger peace and blessings be upon him, when he was,

you know, migrating to Medina. And the idea leaders were pursuing him to kill him. So he took refuge in in our heart, the heart of thought, right? He took refuge in this cave. And in it, what did Abu Bakr say it because he was Abu Bakar, his companion, right. And we know that the pursuers the courageous people wanted to kill him, they actually walk right to the face of that came to the face of it to the entrance of it. Or what did you say to him

and said,

Oh, Prophet of Allah, if one of these guys were to look at the place of his feet, he would see us, which means what, which means because it's a rar. When you enter, you go below, so but if you look straight into the energy, not gonna see somebody good have to bend to see what's there. But a calf is different. A calf is is a place that you enter, and the space is at the same level as the entrance like a room when you enter your room, you don't go down, you will go up to the same level, which makes an actually spacious of God Almighty didn't give them a cave, we gave them a spacious cave. So Han Allah subhana wa Kakashi is very interesting to know that the Arabic language has so

much depth to it. That even goes into you know, the specifics of the dimensions of a cave. So Paulo is very interesting to know that, you know, it's not just, you know, what you see from the translation is, you know, upon us to understand the language that the book has been revealed to us in. And with that note, I would like to close up this part of the episode, shout out our desert molossia and we hope to see after the break

Assalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. Welcome back viewers, to the second segment of the show in sha Allah, we're gonna carry on with the story of the Seven Sleepers. Now chef, just looking over the English translation of the ayat I've come across i 11, which states so we prevented them from hearing in the K for a number of years. Now, I had you previously said it was approximately 300 years that they were indicated. We know that it was approximately 300 years.

Yeah. So

God Almighty tells us that these Seven Sleepers

they were threatened by the people that run away. So they run away, and they pray to God Almighty shall upon them His mercy, mercy, and showered upon them steadfastness

in the affairs,

and then, from the mercy that God Almighty showered upon them was that he gave them a cave, and he made them sleep for 300 soldiers, which equates to 309 Luna Yes. Where do we know this from from the final testament from the story of the Seven Sleepers in Surah alkaff in the chapter of a calf God Almighty actually mentioned it in verses later is actually mentioned in the story. Okay, okay.

So even the next idea that we come to a state, then we raise them up, that we might know of which of the two parties was best able to compute the time for which they remained. Why is it that Allah subhanaw taala chose to raise them up and to state that we might know, Allah subhanaw taala is indeed all knowing. Why is it that Allah subhanaw taala needs to go about doing this? This is this is a good question. So as alized revealing the story, and telling us what's happened, God Almighty is adding context. So he's saying we made them sleep. And then we raised them up, Lina and Emma. Right, Allah says, We raised them up so that in your translation, that you just shared it, say, so

that we might know which of the two parties

is correct. So let me just add context will for for our viewers, which number, which first number is this? That would be verse number 12, verse number 12. So if our viewers are following at home, with their copies of the Quran, in verse number 12, for an ayah, number 12. God Almighty is, again is adding context. And yes, you're absolutely right. What you know is right, God Almighty knows everything he is knowledge is, is infinite. And he knows everything, even before it happens.

Right? He knows everything even before it happens, he doesn't need it to happen. So that he knows what will happen if it happens like you and I. Because he created time. He created time is not governed by present tense, past tense and future tense is not. But I mean, obviously, the confusion might come about from the translations end to end towards the end of the last episode, you mentioned an interesting point or the last segment, just before the break, you said that it's important that we learn the Arabic language when we discussed the difference between the two caves, right. Because in the in the translation, we might say, cave and cave, but in the Arabic language, they call one

101 a curve, because the different two different types of caves, know that the Arabic language is very rich. And the difficulty comes in when you're translating from Arabic to English, is going to be a difficulty.

And this is natural. This is natural.

Excuse me, it's an actual difficulty, because the Arabic language by default is a richer language, it has depth. That doesn't mean the English language doesn't have depth, but not at the same level. So basically, what is being said here? Is God Almighty saying that we made them sleep, and we woke them up to see which of the two parties

was more correct. Right. And just to add further context, so we understand what happened was when God Almighty resurrected them,

they deferred, how long have we been?

asleep?

Right. Right. And God Almighty, who mentioned this, that some said, maybe it was for part of a day, you know, etc. There are different views. So who was more which of the two parties was most correct in terms of how long they were asleep for? So that is what is being referenced here? It's in regards to the people of the cave. Yeah, the commentators, some of them say it's, it's the one party refers to the people of the cave, the other party refers to the people of the city, then they run away from the side. Why? Because 300 years later, when you wake up, it's a different group of people that I got to receive. Right? People don't I could live for that long. And when they woke up 300 years

later, that was the case. The case was there was a new group of people, the previous regime, and the previous people passed away. And this new group of people were upon belief, actually.

And if you just go up a few verses, to verse number nine, what does Allah say? Or do you think that the fellows of the cave and the inscription we have our wonderful science? Yes. So this is how Allah began the story. Now Allah says, the people of the cave and the scripture inscription, what does inscription mean? Now, this is a translation of a regime. Some people have said, a regime refers to the place, some people have said, rakeem refers to something recorded on a tablet or in a specific way. It's, it's, it's, it's more, it's recorded in a specific way. Some say with lead. There's different expressions of this, but let's focus on the point. The point is, is that it's inscribed,

which means that when this incident happened, God Almighty inspired it, inspired such that it will it became inscribed. So generations after read about these two service peoples from this city, that these people disappeared, like, for example, somebody disappears now, and the police look for him and everyone looks for him, and he was just with you two hours ago, and no, it's a mystery. Right? So it gets recorded, maybe social media groups opened up, you know, please find so and so and then the whole

story is listed right now, generations by dy and that page might still be online. So people will come, you know, every new generation will come and read and say, You know what, from the city, there was this person, and you know, this is what happened and he disappeared, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, then this person might appear after 300 years, what was best for you say, Well, this was, this is the person we've been reading about. That makes sense. So

some scholars have said, the two groups here, we're not going calm, it says, We raised them up to see which of the two groups were more correct in speech. These two groups refer to the people of the cave versus the people in the city that found out about them again.

And some scholars have said, No, it refers to the people in the cave that they broke into two groups. Right? And I think given the context of meaning, following the way this The story is listed to us in our revelation, if we follow it this way, then it actually gives the impression that it was the two people in the cave, actually having this discussion that different. So God Almighty, saying we resurrected them.

In your translation, it says, to see which one of the two parties are most correct. Now, does that mean that God Almighty does things so that he can learn as this translation might allude to? And the answer to that is no. answer that is no. So if that is the case, what is God Almighty saying here? Or how should we translate the verse? What number verses that that would be number two of verse number 12? So how can we understand verse number 12? Well, we understand verse number 12, to say the following, that then we resurrected them to make manifest, to make clear to the people of the cave, and to the people of the city, which of the two parties were most correct in, in understanding how

long they were actually asleep. So to make manifest with the people in this in this scenario, not to God Almighty, because God Almighty already knows the answer. And proof of that is God Almighty reveals exactly how long they were asleep for. So every time God Almighty you read in the Quran, Allah subhana wa Taala says something. And then he says, Lina Allah, Rena Anima. Now, it's always loosely translated, so that we might know so that we may not understand it as so that we can make known to the people make known to you or Mohammad, make known to your people make known to those reading the Quran, or make known to the people of the context,

the reality. That is why this happens, that this knowledge was in the knowledge of Allah now, it's become another visualise made apparent to the people. And that's normal, for example, matters of the unseen, this is known to Allah. But Allah son was revealed to a certain matters of the unseen. So now it's not only known to a liaison to a land

and the people, does that make sense? So that's exactly what's happening here. I usually it's making sense. Yes, no.

Because if you're not with me, then I don't know about our viewers. Right? All right. hamdulillah. No, no, it's very interesting that you say that, because the translation alone when read in this manner, suggests that Allah subhanaw taala doesn't know and needs to, you know, perform an act in order to prove it. But obviously, this is not the case is not the case. Absolutely not. Allah knows everything that was, he knows everything that is, he knows everything that will be, he knows everything that will not be, he knows everything, he knows how everything will be. And even those things that are not meant to be if they happen to be then how they will be he also knows that

subhana wa Taala. That's the reality of his knowledge. But this particular verse and verses alike, actually reference making manifest making apparent to the people, the people didn't know now they know. Okay, what was the word they use land, and you use a different way in order to translate that that phrase was Atlanta.

Lee in the versus Dena Anima Nina alamanda is also in the versus Dena Anima. But in context, we don't translate it as the inner animal so that Allah may not be translated as so that Allah may make manifest to the people so that the people now know may know Okay, now just

now. So if we go to the to the next I and number 13. It starts off International. Now if we translate directly into English, I think it translates to we now who is Allah referring to any sorry, let's let's read the whole I know, we relate to that their story with we relate to you their story with the truth? Surely they were used to be believed in the Lord and we increase them in guidance. Excellent, excellent. So God Almighty here, this is verse number 13. God Almighty here is Nunu is actually referring to God Almighty. But we don't understand when God Almighty refers to himself as we, we don't understand it as God Almighty being three. No.

When God Almighty uses the term nano then in the English language, this is equivalent to the Royal way

The person of authority says we, right we they're not referring to themselves as more than what they're referring to themselves in the plural because of royalty. Right? So this is the same context, okay?

Also, it says that the youth so these Group of Seven Sleepers were youth. How is that important? This is a brilliant question. And this is,

you know, very important for our young or younger.

listeners.

That column it highlights this because we always have, we've recovered. We've said this many a time, and everything you find revealed is important. So if God Almighty is telling us that they will use this is an important piece of information, because an important would have to say people, right? So we learn from this, that you know, what?

You never too young to act. You're never too young to take a stance upon the truth. Right. We learn from the state being highlighted God Almighty saying here that, you know, the younger people of society, they are not obsolete. They have a role to play in society's development. They have a role to play in making the world a better place. Does that come along here on us? Hello. A wonderful way to end today's episode, like to thank all of the viewers at home for joining us today. And a special thank you to chef for helping us going through all of the gems that we can pick from the surah and we hope to see you next week from the stories of ice cafe Sharla

Baraka lousy,