Tafseer of The Cave · Al-Kahf · 18:11
So We cast [a cover of sleep] over their ears within the cave for a number of years.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The discourse on the explanation of the saying of the Exalted: فَضَرَبْنَا عَلَى آذَانِهِمْ فِي الْكَهْفِ سِنِينَ عَدَدًا (So We struck upon their ears in the cave for a number of years.) (11)
By His saying فَضَرَبْنَا عَلَى آذَانِهِمْ فِي الْكَهْفِ , the Exalted means: We struck sleep upon their ears in the cave — that is to say: We caused sleep to descend upon them. This is like when one says: "Allah struck him with paralysis (al-fālij)" — with the meaning: Allah afflicted him therewith and sent it upon him. And His saying سِنِينَ عَدَدًا means: a counted number of years. The word al-ʿadad is in the accusative on account of the word فَضَرَبْنَا .
