The People of the Cave and the People of the Rock
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Q: This is a question from the female listener F. R. A. from Port Sudan. She says: What is the correct opinion regarding the number of the People of the Cave? Are they the People of the Rock? Or are they others? If so, who are the People of the Rock, and what is their story?
A: Allah has clarified the People of the Cave in His Great Book. The closest opinion is what a group of scholars said: that they were seven, and their eighth was their dog. This is the closest and most apparent view. They were believing young men who believed in their Lord, and Allah increased them in guidance. When Allah awoke them after they had slept for a long period, He caused them to die upon their true religion. These are the People of the Cave, as Allah has clarified in His Noble Book: young men who believed in their Lord, so Allah increased them in guidance. They slept a long sleep by the permission of Allah, and then they died afterward. Some of the rulers and leaders who held power there built a mosque over them, and they erred and were wrong in doing so; for it is not permissible to build mosques over graves. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited this and cursed whoever did it, saying:Sahih Muslim 529 He warned against building over graves, plastering them, and making them into mosques. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited all of this and cursed whoever did it.
It is not permissible for Muslims to build mosques, domes, or anything else over graves. Rather, graves should be open and exposed, not raised, with no structure over them, no dome, no mosque, or anything else. This was the state of the graves of Muslims in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, until people changed that afterward and built over graves. This is from ignorance and error, and it is one of the means to shirk (associating partners with Allah). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 529 Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “He warned against what they did.”
And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, when Umm Habibah and Umm Salama informed him that in the land of Abyssinia there were several churches containing images, he said:Sahih al-Bukhari 434 Then he said: Sahih al-Bukhari 1341 It is agreed upon that it is authentic. Thus, he informed that they are the worst of creation because of their building over graves and making images over them. I ask Allah for safety.
And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, as narrated from him by Jundub ibn Abdullah al-Bajali (may Allah be pleased with him) :Sahih Muslim 532 Muslim narrated it in his Sahih. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited in this great hadith making graves into mosques and warned against this. He clarified that it is the practice of those before us who were subjected to the anger of Allah and who were astray. It is a blameworthy act, and that is only because it is one of the means to shirk and exaggeration regarding the prophets and the righteous. It is not permissible for Muslims to make domes or mosques over the graves of their dead. Rather, this is munkar (what is wrong) and one of the means to shirk.
Likewise, it is not permissible to plaster graves, build over them, or sit on them, as established in Sahih Muslim from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited that. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) also prohibited writing on them or lighting lamps on them in other hadiths. All of this is from the category of sadd al-dhara'i' (blocking the means to harm) that leads to shirk and exaggeration. May Allah be our helper. And sitting on them involves insulting their inhabitants.
As for the People of the Rock, as came in the hadith from Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say:Sahih al-Bukhari 2272 The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih al-Bukhari 2272 The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih al-Bukhari 2272.
In this hadith is a lesson and a reminder, and an indication that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is capable of all things, and that He, Glorified and Exalted is He, tests His servants in ease and hardship, in severity and comfort, to test their patience and gratitude, and to make His signs and His great power clear to His servants. This is an authentic hadith, narrated by Muslim and al-Bukhari in the two Sahihs from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). In it is a lesson and guidance to humility before Allah and to asking Him in times of distress and severity. And that He, Glorified and Exalted is He, is near and responsive; He hears the supplication of the supplicant and answers his call if He wills . In it is an indication that righteous deeds are among the causes of facilitating matters, removing hardships, and alleviating distress. In it is evidence that it is obligatory for the believer, when he falls into severity, to be humble before Allah, to seek refuge in Him, to ask Him, and to seek nearness to Allah through his righteous deeds, such as his faith in Allah and His Messenger, his tawhid (the oneness of Allah), and his sincerity of worship to Him, and such as dutifulness to parents, fulfilling trusts, and chastity from immoralities.
These and the like of them are the lawful causes and means. And Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, out of His grace and kindness, answers the call of the one in distress, and He has mercy on His believing servant and answers his request. As He, Glorified and Exalted is He, said: [al-Baqarah: 186] And He, Glorified and Exalted is He, said: [Ghafir: 60] And He, Glorified and Exalted is He, said: [al-Naml: 62] These three were in distress, and a great matter and severe hardship befell them, so they asked Allah with righteous deeds, and Allah answered their supplication and alleviated their distress.
In it is also the clarification of the virtue of dutifulness to parents, which is among the best of the nearness to Allah and among the causes of facilitating matters. Likewise, chastity from zina (unlawful sexual intercourse) and caution against it are among the righteous deeds and among the causes of salvation from all evil. Likewise, fulfilling trusts and being sincere in them are among the greatest causes in alleviating distress and among the best of the righteous deeds. And because of the great benefit of this hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed his Ummah (the Muslim community) so that they might benefit, take a lesson, and follow those before them in righteous deeds.
And Allah is the One to be sought for help.
A: Allah has clarified the People of the Cave in His Great Book. The closest opinion is what a group of scholars said: that they were seven, and their eighth was their dog. This is the closest and most apparent view. They were believing young men who believed in their Lord, and Allah increased them in guidance. When Allah awoke them after they had slept for a long period, He caused them to die upon their true religion. These are the People of the Cave, as Allah has clarified in His Noble Book: young men who believed in their Lord, so Allah increased them in guidance. They slept a long sleep by the permission of Allah, and then they died afterward. Some of the rulers and leaders who held power there built a mosque over them, and they erred and were wrong in doing so; for it is not permissible to build mosques over graves. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited this and cursed whoever did it, saying:
Allah cursed the Jews and the Christians that they took the graves of their prophets as mosques
لعن الله اليهود والنصارى اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجدIt is not permissible for Muslims to build mosques, domes, or anything else over graves. Rather, graves should be open and exposed, not raised, with no structure over them, no dome, no mosque, or anything else. This was the state of the graves of Muslims in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, until people changed that afterward and built over graves. This is from ignorance and error, and it is one of the means to shirk (associating partners with Allah). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Allah cursed the Jews and the Christians that they took the graves of their prophets as mosques
لعن الله اليهود والنصارى اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجدAnd he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, when Umm Habibah and Umm Salama informed him that in the land of Abyssinia there were several churches containing images, he said:
If any righteous pious man dies amongst them, they would build a place of worship at his grave and make these pictures in it
أولئك إذا مات فيهم الرجل الصالح بنوا على قبره مسجدا وصوروا فيه تلك الصورThose are the worst creatures in the Sight of Allah.
أولئك شرار الخلق عند اللهAnd he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, as narrated from him by Jundub ibn Abdullah al-Bajali (may Allah be pleased with him) :
for Allah has taken me as His friend, as he took Ibrahim as His friend. Had I taken any one of my Ummah as a friend, I would have taken Abu Bakr as a friend. Beware of those who preceded you and used to take the graves of their prophets and righteous men as places of worship, but you must not take graves as mosques; I forbid you to do that.
إن الله قد اتخذني خليلا كما اتخذ إبراهيم خليلا، ولو كنت متخذا من أمتي خليلا لاتخذت أبا بكر خليلا، ألا وإن من كان قبلكم كانوا يتخذون قبور أنبيائهم وصالحيهم مساجد، ألا فلا تتخذوا القبور مساجد فإني أنهاكم عن ذلكLikewise, it is not permissible to plaster graves, build over them, or sit on them, as established in Sahih Muslim from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited that. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) also prohibited writing on them or lighting lamps on them in other hadiths. All of this is from the category of sadd al-dhara'i' (blocking the means to harm) that leads to shirk and exaggeration. May Allah be our helper. And sitting on them involves insulting their inhabitants.
As for the People of the Rock, as came in the hadith from Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say:
Three men from among those who were before you, set out together till they reached a cave at night and entered it. A big rock rolled down the mountain and closed the mouth of the cave. They said (to each other), Nothing could save you from this rock but to invoke Allah by giving reference to the righteous deed which you have done (for Allah's sake only).' So, one of them said, 'O Allah! I had old parents and I never provided my family (wife, children etc.) with milk before them. One day, by chance I was delayed, and I came late (at night) while they had slept. I milked the sheep for them and took the milk to them, but I found them sleeping. I disliked to provide my family with the milk before them. I waited for them and the bowl of milk was in my hand and I kept on waiting for them to get up till the day dawned. Then they got up and drank the milk. O Allah! If I did that for Your Sake only, please relieve us from our critical situation caused by this rock.' So, the rock shifted a little but they could not get out.
انطلق ثلاثة رهط ممن كان قبلكم حتى آووا المبيت إلى غار فدخلوه، فانحدرت صخرة من الجبل فسدت عليهم الغار، فقالوا إنه لا ينجيكم من هذه الصخرة إلا أن تدعو الله بصالح أعمالكم، فقال رجل منهم: اللهم كان لي أبوان شيخان كبيران وكنت لا أغبق قبلهما أهلا ولا مالا، فنأى بي في طلب شيء يوما فلم أرح عليهما حتى ناما، فحلبت لهما غبوقهما فوجدتهما نائمين وكرهت أن أغبق قبلهما أهلا أو مالا، فلبثت والقدح على يدي أنتظر استيقاظهما حتى برق الفجر، فاستيقظا فشربا غبوقهما، اللهم إن كنت فعلت ذلك ابتغاء وجهك ففرج عنا ما نحن فيه من هذه الصخرة، فانفرجت شيئا لا يستطيعون الخروجThe second man said, 'O Allah! I had a cousin who was the dearest of all people to me and I wanted to have sexual relations with her but she refused. Later she had a hard time in a famine year and she came to me and I gave her one-hundred-and-twenty Dinars on the condition that she would not resist my desire, and she agreed. When I was about to fulfill my desire, she said: It is illegal for you to outrage my chastity except by legitimate marriage. So, I thought it a sin to have sexual intercourse with her and left her though she was the dearest of all the people to me, and also I left the gold I had given her. O Allah! If I did that for Your Sake only, please relieve us from the present calamity.' So, the rock shifted a little more but still they could not get out from there.
وقال الآخر: اللهم كانت لي بنت عم كانت أحب الناس إلي، فأردتها عن نفسها فامتنعت مني حتى ألمت بها سنة من السنين فجاءتني فأعطيتها عشرين ومائة دينار على أن تخلي بيني وبين نفسها ففعلت، حتى إذا قدرت عليها قالت لا أحل لك أن تفض الخاتم إلا بحقه، فتحرجت من الوقوع عليها فانصرفت عنها وهي أحب الناس إلي، وتركت الذهب الذي أعطيتها، اللهم إن كنت فعلت ذلك ابتغاء وجهك فأفرج عنا ما نحن فيه، فانفرجت الصخرة غير أنهم لا يستطيعون الخروج منهاThen the third man said, 'O Allah! I employed few laborers and I paid them their wages with the exception of one man who did not take his wages and went away. I invested his wages and I got much property thereby. (Then after some time) he came and said to me: O Allah's slave! Pay me my wages. I said to him: All the camels, cows, sheep and slaves you see, are yours. He said: O Allah's slave! Don't mock at me. I said: I am not mocking at you. So, he took all the herd and drove them away and left nothing. O Allah! If I did that for Your Sake only, please relieve us from the present suffering.' So, that rock shifted completely and they got out walking.
قال الثالث: اللهم إني استأجرت أجراء فأعطيتهم أجرهم غير رجل واحد ترك الذي له وذهب، فثمرت أجره حتى كثرت منه الأموال، فجاءني بعد حين فقال: يا عبد الله، أَدِّ إلي أجري، فقلت له: كل ما ترى من أجرك من الإبل والبقر والغنم والرقيق، فقال: يا عبد الله، لا تستهزىء بي، قلت إني لا أستهزئ بك، فأخذه كله فاستاقه فلم يترك منه شيئا، اللهم فإن كنت فعلت ذلك ابتغاء وجهك فافرج عنا ما نحن فيه، فانفرجت الصخرة فخرجوا يمشونIn this hadith is a lesson and a reminder, and an indication that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is capable of all things, and that He, Glorified and Exalted is He, tests His servants in ease and hardship, in severity and comfort, to test their patience and gratitude, and to make His signs and His great power clear to His servants. This is an authentic hadith, narrated by Muslim and al-Bukhari in the two Sahihs from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). In it is a lesson and guidance to humility before Allah and to asking Him in times of distress and severity. And that He, Glorified and Exalted is He, is near and responsive; He hears the supplication of the supplicant and answers his call if He wills . In it is an indication that righteous deeds are among the causes of facilitating matters, removing hardships, and alleviating distress. In it is evidence that it is obligatory for the believer, when he falls into severity, to be humble before Allah, to seek refuge in Him, to ask Him, and to seek nearness to Allah through his righteous deeds, such as his faith in Allah and His Messenger, his tawhid (the oneness of Allah), and his sincerity of worship to Him, and such as dutifulness to parents, fulfilling trusts, and chastity from immoralities.
These and the like of them are the lawful causes and means. And Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, out of His grace and kindness, answers the call of the one in distress, and He has mercy on His believing servant and answers his request. As He, Glorified and Exalted is He, said:
And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَCall upon Me; I will respond to you.
ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْIs He [not best] who responds to the desperate one when he calls upon Him and removes evil
أَمَّنْ يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَIn it is also the clarification of the virtue of dutifulness to parents, which is among the best of the nearness to Allah and among the causes of facilitating matters. Likewise, chastity from zina (unlawful sexual intercourse) and caution against it are among the righteous deeds and among the causes of salvation from all evil. Likewise, fulfilling trusts and being sincere in them are among the greatest causes in alleviating distress and among the best of the righteous deeds. And because of the great benefit of this hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed his Ummah (the Muslim community) so that they might benefit, take a lesson, and follow those before them in righteous deeds.
And Allah is the One to be sought for help.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.