Asalaamu alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh
Surah al Kahf - how much boys were in the cave? Allah hints the answer to us in the Qur'an! - QuranGems.com
This ayah from surah al Kahf tells us about a debate people (Jews, christians and even Muslims) have, how much young men fled into the cave in surah al Kahf? Allah tells us only a few people know. Lets try to find out through this mini article, and
hopefully Allah spoke about us - the few - who knew how much young men were in the cave. We'll be using the Arabic language to work this out.
The Debate:
سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلَاثَةٌ رَّابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًا بِالْغَيْبِ ۖ وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌ وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ ۚ قُل رَّبِّي أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِم مَّا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ ۗ فَلَا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلَّا مِرَاءً ظَاهِرًا وَلَا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِم مِّنْهُمْ أَحَدًا
They will say there were three, the fourth of them being their dog; and they will say there were five, the sixth of them being their dog - guessing at the unseen; and they will say there were seven, and the eighth of them was their dog. Say, [O Muhammad],
"My Lord is most knowing of their number. None knows them except a few. So do not argue about them except with an obvious argument and do not inquire about them among [the speculators] from anyone." (
al Kahf 18:22)
Now lets try to find the answer from this same surah, and later get a hint from the ayah quoted above:
Two groups:
ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاهُمْ لِنَعْلَمَ أَيُّ الْحِزْبَيْنِ أَحْصَىٰ لِمَا لَبِثُوا أَمَدًا
Then We awakened them that We might show which of the
two factions (hizbayn) was most precise in calculating what [extent] they had remained in time. (al kahf 18:12)
So we see there were 2 groups amongst the young men, they were united in faith and purpose but they just had different opinions. The main thing we learn is - they were 2 groups of boys. This will be important to work out the next step.
The Number:
In Arabic, you can say; he said, they (two) said, and they (3+ people) said.
Qaala = He said
Qaalaa = they (two) said
Qaaloo = they (three + people) said.
We'll be using this to find out how much boys were in the cave.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ بَعَثْنَاهُمْ لِيَتَسَاءَلُوا بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ قَالَ قَائِلٌ مِّنْهُمْ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ ۖ قَالُوا لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ ۚ قَالُوا رَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثْتُمْ فَابْعَثُوا أَحَدَكُم بِوَرِقِكُمْ هَٰذِهِ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ فَلْيَنظُرْ أَيُّهَا أَزْكَىٰ طَعَامًا فَلْيَأْتِكُم بِرِزْقٍ مِّنْهُ وَلْيَتَلَطَّفْ وَلَا يُشْعِرَنَّ بِكُمْ أَحَدًا
And similarly, We awakened them that they might question one another. Said a speaker from among them (1 boy), "How long have you remained [here]?" They (Qaaloo [3+ boys] said, "We have remained a day or part of a day." They [3+ boys] said, "Your Lord is most knowing of how long you remained. So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the city and let him look to which is the best of food and bring you provision from it and let him be cautious. And let no one be aware of you. (al Kahf 18:19)
Summary:
1 - We see there were
2 Groups of boys (Hizb
ayn) [al Kahf - 18:12]
2 - We see there was one boy (qaa'ilun min hum - an asker from them) who asked How long they've been in the cave. [al Kahf 18:19]
3 - We see one group of the boys [3+] said 'we have remained here a day or part of a day'
4 - The other group of boys [3+] said, send one of you guys to buy something to eat.
1 + 3 + 3 = 7 boys in the cave.
Finally, if we look at ayah [18:]22 again, we see:
They will say there were
three, the fourth of them being their dog; and they will say there were
five, the sixth of them being their dog - guessing at the unseen; and they will say there were
seven, and the eighth of them was their dog. Say, [O Muhammad],
"My Lord is most knowing of their number. None knows them except a few. So do not argue about them except with an obvious argument and do not inquire about them among [the speculators] from anyone." (
al Kahf 18:22)
We see there couldn't be 3 boys because Allah's told us there were 2 groups, and we know that each group had 3 + boys in.
We also see that Allah criticises the guess of there being 5 boys by saying 'rajmam bi-l ghayb' (literally meaning: throwing stones in the dark [so even if you hit or you dont hit your target, you wont know if you're correct).
We then see that Allah doesn't criticize the number of boys being seven. So this is the final hint that the boys are 7 boys, and the 8th being their big dog.
Say, [O Muhammad],
"My Lord is most knowing of their number. None knows them except a few... (al Kahf 18:22)
QuranGems: Surah al Kahf - how much boys were in the cave? Allah hints the answer to us in the Qur'an!