Who are the People of the Cave and the People of the Rock?

Question:
This is a question from the listener Fatimah Ramadan Ibrahim, 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 different from them? If so, who are the People of the Rock then? And what is their story?

Answer:
Allah has clarified the People of the Cave in His great Book. The most likely view, as stated by a group of scholars, is that they were seven, and their dog was their eighth. This is the most likely and most apparent view. They were believing men, young men who believed in their Lord, and Allah increased them in guidance. They left their people because of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and kufr (disbelief). When Allah took their souls after they had slept for a long period, He took their souls upon their true religion. These are the People of the Cave, as Allah clarified in His Book: young men who believed in their Lord, and Allah increased them in guidance. They slept a long sleep by the permission of Allah, and then they died. Some of the rulers and leaders who held power there built a mosque over them.
They erred and were mistaken in that, because mosques are not to be built over graves. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade that, and said: He warned against building over graves, plastering them, and making them into mosques. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade 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 exposed, exposed to the sun and rain, with no building 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 in the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, until people changed that afterwards and built over graves. This is from ignorance and error. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "He warned against what they did." And he (peace and blessings be upon him), when Umm Habiba and Umm Salama informed him about a church in the land of Abyssinia while they were in the land of Abyssinia, which had images in it, said: Then he said: So he informed that they are the worst of creation because of their building over graves and their making images over them. We ask Allah for safety.
And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, as narrated by Jundub in Sahih Muslim: So he (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade making graves into mosques and warned against this. He clarified that whoever does the blameworthy action of those before us, 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 (associating partners with Allah). Yes.

The presenter: Regarding his question about the People of the Rock?

The Shaykh: As for the People of the Rock, they were men who went out walking, and the night and the rain took them to a cave in a mountain. When they entered, a rock slid down and blocked the door of the cave. They said among themselves: "Nothing will save you from this except that you call upon Allah with the good deeds you did for Allah." One of them said: "O Allah, I had two old parents, and I did not give milk to any family or wealth before them—al-ghuq is giving milk—so one night I went out seeking wood and did not return to them, meaning the camels, except that they had already slept. I stood with the cup waiting for them to wake up, but they did not wake up until the dawn broke, and the children were crying under my feet. O Allah, if You know that I did this seeking Your face, then relieve us from what we are in." So the rock opened a little, but they could not get out.
Then the second one said: "O Allah, I had a cousin, and I loved her as much as men love women. I wanted to take her by force, but she refused. Then a need came upon her in some of the years, so she came to me seeking me. I said to her: 'No, until you allow me to have you.' She agreed to that for one hundred and twenty dinars, so I gave them to her. When I sat between her legs, she said: 'Fear Allah, and do not break the seal except with its right.' So I got up out of fear of Allah, and left her, and left the gold for her. Then he said: 'O Allah, if You know that I did this seeking Your face, then relieve us from what we are in.' So the rock opened again, but they still could not get out.
Then the third one said: "O Allah, I hired workers and I gave every worker his right except one worker who was a share of rice, so I left it, and its produce was for him until I bought from him slaves, camels, cows, and sheep. Then he came after that and said: 'Give me my right.' I said: 'O servant of Allah, all of this is from your right.' He said: 'Fear Allah, and do not mock me.' I said to him: 'I am not mocking you, but all of this is from your right.' So he took it and drove it all away. O Allah, if You know that I did this seeking Your face, then relieve us from what we are in." So the rock opened and they walked out.
This is evidence that Allah is Able to do all things, and that He, Exalted is He, tests His servants with ease and hardship. This hadith is authentic, narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim in the two Sahihs from Ibn Umar from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is an authentic hadith containing a lesson, and it guides to humility before Allah and asking Him in times of distress and hardship. It shows that He, Exalted is He, is near and responsive, He hears the supplication of the supplicant and answers his call if He wills . And righteous deeds are among the causes of relieving distress, among the causes of making matters easy, and among the causes of removing hardship. The believer, when he falls into hardship, humbles himself to Allah and asks Him, and seeks nearness to Him through his righteous deeds, through his faith in Allah and His Messenger, through his tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and sincerity to Him, and sincerity to Allah.
These are the causes and these are the lawful means, and Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), out of His grace and kindness, answers the supplication of the one in distress, shows mercy to 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) is the One who said: [Ghafir:60] And He is the One who said (peace and blessings be upon him) : [al-Naml:62].
These were people in distress upon whom a great matter and a severe hardship descended, so they asked Allah with righteous deeds, and Allah answered their supplication. In this are benefits regarding the virtue of dutifulness to parents, and that dutifulness to parents is among the best of nearness to Allah, and among the causes of relieving distress and making matters easy. Likewise, chastity from zina (unlawful sexual intercourse) and caution against zina are among the righteous deeds, and among the causes of relieving distress and among the causes of salvation from every hardship. Likewise, fulfilling the trust and being sincere in fulfilling the trust are among the greatest causes of relieving distress and among the best of righteous deeds. So these righteous deeds are among the causes of salvation in this world and salvation in the Hereafter.

The presenter: Do you know the time in which this story happened?

The Shaykh: It was among those before us, before the sending of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). As for the time, we do not know it, but it was among those before us, before the mission of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes.

The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.