The honor of Sayyedna Mawla Ali
bin abi Talib
(Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem)with reference to Ashaab-e-Kahf
Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib (Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem) gave rare
details about the Ashaab-e-Kahf, a group of 7 wali's of ALLAH who retired to a
cave to escape the persecution of the King of that time who was forcing them to
convert to polytheism and Shirk.
This group of 7 muqqaribeen wali's are mentioned in the Quran and are a source
of much knowledge and learnings when it comes to the teachings and practice of
Tassawwuf.
Once a group of Jews came to Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib (Karram ALLAHu
wajhahul kareem) and asked him such rare questions regarding them that no one
else except ALLAH and HIS Beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) knew and
his (Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem)'s replies are mentioned below:
The Jewish man said: Tell me the story of a group of people who in the distant
past, slept for 309 years and then were raised to life by God! Sayyedna Mawla
Ali bin abi Talib said: They were the companions of the cave about whom God
Almighty revealed verses to our prophet with their description. I will tell you
the whole story from the Holy Qur’an if you are interested in it. The Jewish man
said: O (Sayyedna Mawla )Ali bin abi Talib! I have heard about the Qur’an. Tell
me about them if you know their names, the names of their fathers, the name of
the city, the king, the dog, and their cave! Wrapping the Holy Prophet’s cloak
round himself, Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib said: O Jewish brother! My
beloved, the Messenger of ALLAH told me the story as such:
In Rome, there was a city by the name of Ephesus or Tartus (before Islam, it was
Ephesus and after the advent of Islam it was Tartus) ruled by a benefactor man.
After a long time, the ruler passed away and the situation in that city became
chaotic. The news of chaos reached a Persian king who was oppressor and
unbeliever. With his military expedition to that city, he seized the city in a
short time, and made that city his capital where he built a glorious palace. The
Jewish scholar who was all ears, listening to what Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi
Talib said, interrupted him, saying: O (Sayyedna Mawla )Ali bin abi Talib!
Should you know anything about that palace, describe it more elaborately?
Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib said: O Jewish brother! The palace had been
built of flat marble stones, one farasang long and one farasang wide with four
thousand gold columns from which a thousand gold condyles with chain silvers
hanging. The palace was illuminated with the best and most aromatic lamp oil. On
the eastern side of the palace, there were two hundred windows and the same
number on the western side. The sun lit the palace from morning till evening. A
throne of gold measuring eighty meters long and forty meters wide, adorned with
different precious Jewels, had been built. On the right side of the throne,
there were eighty chairs on which senior officers who had ten thousand army men
under their command were sitting at his beck and call.
On the left side of the throne too, there were eighty chairs on which scholars
and judges were sitting, waiting for his command.
Then the king sat on the throne and put the royal crown on his head. The Jewish
scholar once again interrupted Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib and said: If you
know anything about that crown, elaborate on it! Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi
Talib said: The royal crown was made of melted gold having nine bases on which
there was a pearl which radiated in night like a lamp. Fifty slaves who were the
sons of senior officers with red silk coat and beautiful green breeches, a crown
on head, bracelet on hand, ankle-ring on feet, with each having a club of gold
in hand were standing over the king’s head ready to carry out his orders. Out of
six sons of scholars who were younger, three stood on the right side and the
other three on the left side. They were special cancellers without whose
consultation the king did not decide on anything. The Jewish scholar said: O (Sayyedna
Mawla )Ali bin abi Talib, what were the names of those six persons? Sayyedna
Mawla Ali bin abi Talib said: My beloved, the Messenger of ALLAH said: The names
of those standing on the right side were Amlikhius, Maximinyanius, and Motyanius,
and those standing on the left side were Danius, Yanius, and Mertus.
When he sat on the throne and people gathered in the palace, three slaves
entered from entrance. In the hand of the first slave, there was a gold chalice
full of musk. In the hand of the second slave, there was a silver chalice full
of rosewater and in the hand of the third slave, there was a bird which with a
call started flying dipped its wings in the rosewater chalice. At another call,
the bird started flying again, dipped its wings in the musk chalice, and with
the last call, the bird started flying and sat on the royal crown, sprinkling
rosewater and musk on the head and face of king.
Decius ruled over that territory for 30 years with peace of mind. During this
time, no sorrow or pain afflicted him. This made him feel so arrogant that he
claimed to be God. Hence, he called all the chiefs of tribes and associates,
telling them about his claim. Whoever accepted his claim, he would be honored
and given royal garments and whoever disobeyed him, would be murdered. Given
that situation, people accepted his claim and started worshipping him instead of
God either out of greed for royal garment or out of fear for death. This
situation continued until a festival day when Decius was sitting on the throne
with his royal crown on his head that one of the officers entered the palace and
reported that the Persian army was quickly advancing towards them with the
intention of war! Hearing this, Decius was so upset that he almost fainted. The
crown fell off his head and he rolled on the ground from the throne. At this
time, one of the three youths sitting on the right side of him, called Temlikha
who was wiser than the others became pensive, saying to himself: If Decius is
really God, as he claims, why he eats, drinks, and defecates like human beings
whereas these acts are not Godly? Those six youths gathered in one another’s
house, ate, drank, and enjoyed themselves. When the event happened to Decius,
they happened to be in Temlikha’s house. The other five youth were eating and
drinking but Temlikha abstained from eating or drinking. When he was asked the
reason, he said: O brothers! A new idea has found its way into my heart which
stops me from eating and drinking. They asked: What is that idea? He said: I
have long been thinking as who is holding the sky which is spread like a canopy
over our heads or what pillars are under it? Who is it that has made the sun and
moon move and has decorated the sky with stars? I think the same about the
earth. Who is linking the seas and the sky-touching mountains to stop from
falling off? I ask myself who brought me to this world from my mother’s womb,
gave me daily food, and nourished me.
After pondering, I have come to the conclusion that this world has a maker other
than the tyrant and oppressive Decius! Hearing this, all the other youths bowed
to him, kissed him, and said: Whatever has passed in your heart has passed in
our hearts too. Now tell us what should be done! Temlikha said: O brothers! We
have no option other than seeking refuge to the Lord of the heavens and the
earth and fleeing this territory!
The other five youths said: Your decision is right. After this, Temlikha sold
some of the dates of his palm-groove for three Dirhams, wrapped it in his cloak,
saying to his companions: Ride on your horses so as to set out for a desert! The
youths mounted their horses and went as far as three miles from their city.
Temlikha said: We were in danger of being chased by the tyrant up to here but
from now on we are safe. We should dismount our horses and let them go. We
should go on our path in this desert till God will guide us on the right path.
The youths walked for seven Farsakhs but since they were not used to walking,
their feet were bleeding. On their way, they met a shepherd from whom they asked
for milk or water! Seeing their handsome faces, the shepherd said: What you want
is with me. But you do not look like common people. You must be princes who have
fled your country. Tell me your story. The youths said: O shepherd! We have a
religion which does not prescribe telling lies! Will you keep our secret if we
tell you the truth? The shepherd said: Yes, indeed. The youths told him the
whole story.
Hearing their story, the shepherd while bowing to them, kissed them and said:
What has gone into your heart, has gone into my heart too. I ask you now to give
me a chance to return this flock of sheep to their owners and then to accompany
you! The youths agreed. The shepherd returned the flock of sheep to their owners
and joined the six youths with his dog.
Here the Jew once again interrupted Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib (Karram
ALLAHu wajhahul kareem) and asked about the color and name of the dog. Sayyedna
Mawla Ali bin abi Talib(Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem)said: O Jewish brother, my
beloved, the Messenger of ALLAH, informed me that the dog was black and white
though black was prevailing and its name was Qatmir.
Seeing the dog was following them, one of the youths said: This dog with its
barking may betray us. We would better drive it away to be safe from any
possible danger. Nevertheless, however much they tried to drive it away, the dog
did not take distance from them. Seeing that they insisted to expel it, the dog
sat on its claws saying in human speech: Why are you driving me away while I
bear witness that God is one and has no partner. Let me be with you and keep
watch on you, hoping that I will get close to my Lord! Hearing this, the youths
stopped driving it away and continued their way. The shepherd led the youths to
the top of mountain till they reached a cave.
The Jewish scholar asked another question: O `Ali! What are the names of that
mountain and the cave? Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib(Karram ALLAHu wajhahul
kareem) said: The name of mountain is “Yankloosh” and the name of the cave is “Wasid.”
Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib(Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem) continued the
story as such: There were fruitful trees and springs with wholesome water near
the cave. They ate from the fruits of trees, drank from the wholesome water of
springs, went to the cave at night and slept. The dog too slept at the entrance
of the cave, keeping watch on them. At that time, God Almighty gave the angel of
death a mission to grasp their souls. When this was done, God appointed two
guardian angels for each to turn them from one side to the other and ordered sun
to shine on the cave every morning and afternoon. The sun too carried out its
mission accordingly.
When Decius returned to his palace from the venue of festival, he saw no sign of
those six youths. Hence, he asked after them. A man who knew about the escape of
the youths, said: Your majesty, they have fled your territory and have a God
other than you! Hearing this, Decius who was furious, pursued them with a
thousand army men and tracked them down to the top of mountain where the cave
was. When they reached the entrance to the cave, having the impression that they
had gone to sleep, Decius arrogantly said: They have been afflicted with a
punishment worse than the one I wished to carry out about them. He immediately
ordered the entrance to the cave to be blocked with stone and plaster, saying to
his companions: If this heaven and earth has a God, let him save them from this
situation!
The believing youths slept in that cave for 309 years without any soul. Then God
Almighty at a dawn of a day, when the sun started shining, blew spirit into
their bodies. They immediately rose up and saying to one another: Last night, we
defaulted out prayer to God. Let us go to the spring of water! Going to the
spring, they amazingly found that the spring had disappeared and the trees had
dried up! They said with amazement: Has something happened during the night as a
result of which the springs and green trees have dried up!?
At this time, God made them feel hungry. So one of them said: Which one of you
will go to city to buy some bread? Be careful the bread is not mixed with the
fat of pig! In this relation, God states: “Now send one of you with this silver
(coin) of yours to the city, then let him see which of them has purest food”
(18:19).
Temlikha said to them: You stay here, for no one but I can buy the bread. He
then said to the shepherd: Give me your clothes and I will give you my clothes.
He put on the shepherd’s clothes and headed for the city. On his way, he saw
scenes and ways he had never seen before. Reaching the gate of the city, he
caught sight of a green banner with the inscription: “There is no god but ALLAH,
Jesus is ALLAH’s messenger” installed over the gate!
Looking with amazement at the banner, and rubbing his eyes, Temlikha said to
himself: Am I dreaming? He paused there for a long time and then entered the
city. He passed by a group of people who were reading Gospel (Injil) and saw
people he did not know. At any rate, he decided to go to the market to buy
bread. He asked the baker: What is the name of this city? He said: Ephesus.
Temlikha asked: What is the name of the king? He said: `Abd al-Rahman. Temlikha
said: If what you say is the truth, then I am facing a strange situation!
Temlikha gave the money to him, saying: Give me bread for the value of this
money. As Temlikha’s Dirhams were bigger and heavier than the current ones, the
baker was surprised!
The Jew interrupted Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib(Karram ALLAHu wajhahul
kareem) for the fourth time, saying: O `Ali, what was the weight of those
Dirhams? Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib(Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem) said:
My beloved, the Messenger of ALLAH informed me of it. The weight of each Dirham
was equal to the weight of ten and one third of Dirhams.
The baker said: I believe you have found a treasure! Should you not give some of
it to me I will surrender you to the king. Temlikha said: I have found no
treasure. The Dirhams you see with me is the money for the dates I sold three
days back and fled the city of the tyrant Decius! Being furious and surprised,
the baker said: You have found a treasure, do not give anything from it to me,
making fun of me, and mentions the name of a tyrant man who claimed to be God
and died more than three hundred and odd years ago!
Then, the baker caught his hand to take him to the king. A large group of people
gathered round them too. At this time, the king who was a wise and farsighted
man arrived and asked about the event. People said: This man has found a
treasure! The king asked Temlikha: If you have found any treasure, it will be
yours. We follow the religion of Jesus. He has instructed us to receive only one
fifth of it! So do not fear, for we will not harm you. Temlikha said: Your
majesty! I assure you that I have not found a treasure. I am a native of this
city. The king asked: Are you really a native of this city? Temlikha said: Yes.
The king said: Name some of the people you know. Temlikha named a thousand
persons whom neither the king nor the people knew! The king said: We do not know
these people, for they do not live in our time. Then the king asked: Do you have
a house in this city? Temlikha said: Yes, send someone with me to show him my
house. The king appointed an agent to go with people to Temlikha’s house. They
went from one street to another and from one alley to another till they reached
the highest building. Temlikha said: This is my house and knocked the door. An
old man whose eyebrows had fallen on his eyes due to senility appeared at the
threshold. Being horrified, he said: What do you want from me? The king’s agent
said: This young man claims this house belongs to him! The old man said angrily:
What is your name? The young man said: Temlikha the son of Festin. The old man
said: Say it again! He repeated his name and that of his father. All of a
sudden, the old man hugged and kissed him, saying: By the Lord of Ka`bah, this
young man is my grandfather. He is one of the six men who fled the tyrant Decius
and took refuge with the Lord of the heaven and the earth. The proof is that
Prophet Jesus (a.s) has told us about them saying: One day they will be raised
to life. They told the story to the king who rode on the horse heading for them.
Reaching Temlikha, the king dismounted from the horse and put Temlikha on his
shoulder. People kept on kissing his hands and feet, asking him: O Temlikha!
Where are your friends? Temlikha said: They are safe and sound in the cave.
In those days, the city of Ephesus was jointly run by a Muslim and a Christian.
They mounted their horses and accompanied Temlikha up to the cave. Addressing
them, Temlikha said: You wait here. I fear that if my friends hear the sound of
horses’ hooves, feeling that Decius is chasing them, they will faint. Stay here
for a short while so that I will inform them. People stopped outside the cave.
Temlikha went to his friends who were pleased to see him, hugged him and said:
Thanks God, you are safe from the evil of Decius. Temlikha said: Forget Decius
and tell me how long you were in this cave. They said: One day or less than a
day. Temlikha said: It is not so. We have been sleeping in this cave for 309
years! Now I should tell you that Decius is dead and the people of Ephesus
believe in God after the passage of three centuries and they are now waiting to
see you outside the cave! His friends said: Temlikha, are you going to put us to
test by people? Temlikha said: What do you desire? They said: Raise your hands
for prayer. They raised their hands for the same purpose, saying: O Lord!
Through what you cast in our hearts and showed us, make us die and do not
disclose our secret to anyone.
God gave the death angel the mission to grasp their souls and then God hid the
entrance to cave in a way that the two Muslim and Christian men went round the
cave for seven days but found no trace of the cave. They were ascertained that
this event depended on the grace of God so that these youths will be a lesson
for us and others. At that time, the Muslim governor said: These youths died in
my religion, hence, a mosque must be built on the site of the cave, and the
Christian man said: They died in my religion and a covenant must be built there!
The dispute between the two ended in fighting and finally the Muslim man became
victorious. Therefore, they built a mosque there. In this relation, the Holy
Qur’an says: “Those who prevailed in their affair said: We will certainly raise
a Masjid over them” (18:21). When the story came to here, Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin
abi Talib(Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem) said: O Jewish man! This was the story
of the companions of cave. Is this story conforming to your Torah? The Jewish
man said: Yes, it conforms to the letter, but Abul Hasan, do not call me a Jew
from now, for I bear witness that there is no god but ALLAH and Muhammad is HIS
messenger and you are the most knowledgeable man of this Ummah.