Day 15 | Ayat 16-18 | The Sleepers of the Cave

This session, I cover 3 ayat from the time the young men decided to seek refuge in a cave to their time asleep and all the Allah does for them (and likely more that isn't mentioned or fully understood) during their sleep to keep them healthy and protected. The thing that stands out for me in these three ayat are three things: One that Allah mentions that the sleepers of the Cave is a proof and a sign meaning this is a miracle of Allah and would not have been possible any other way (personal reflection, cryogenically freezing your body in hopes of awaking in the future is not possible). The second point is the idea that those who turn away and go astray, they will have no Wali (guiding friend). Personally, this is terrifying as we are utterly lost without Allah's guidance both to thrive in this life and to have the best life in the hereafter. The final point is that of people running from the sleepers in terror if they should happen upon them. While I didn't read or listen to any tafsir that mentions my personal reflections, I thought I would mention them here. Allah first mentions what He (swt) does for the young men: turning them from side to side, appearing awake, the position of the cave and the sun's path across the sky and their dog standing guard. Certainly Allah is All-Knowing and these are the things He (swt) mentioned. There could be many other things Allah did to protect the men. My personal reflections come in this way. The idea that someone would 'flee in terror' upon seeing the young men reminds me of the time when Abu Jahl tried to kill the Prophet (saw) while he prayed in front of the Kaaba early on in the message. Abu Jahl fled in terror upon approaching the Prophet (saw) as a huge chasm appeared between him and the Rasul (saw) and within that trench were terrifying winged creatures.