Tafseer of The Cave · Al-Kahf · 18:22
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."
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: سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلاثَةٌ رَابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًا بِالْغَيْبِ وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌ وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ قُلْ رَبِّي أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِمْ مَا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلا قَلِيلٌ فَلا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلا مِرَاءً ظَاهِرًا وَلا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِمْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا (Some will say: three, their fourth being their dog. Others will say: five, their sixth being their dog — guessing at the unknown. And they will say: seven, and their eighth being their dog. Say: my Lord knows best their number; only a few know them. So do not dispute about them, except a superficial disputation, and do not ask anyone of them for a ruling concerning them.) (22)
The Exalted says: some of the people who delve into the matter of the youths of the cave will say: they are three, their fourth being their dog; others will say: they are five, their sixth being their dog. رَجْمًا بِالْغَيْبِ — He says: guessing at the unknown, without sure knowledge — as the poet said:
"And I make for myself the truth a guessed-at unknown."
In accordance with what we have said about this, the exegetes have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, from Qatāda, concerning His saying سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلاثَةٌ رَابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًا بِالْغَيْبِ — he said: "that is: guessing at the unknown."
Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, from Qatāda, concerning رَجْمًا بِالْغَيْبِ — he said: "guessing at the unknown (ẓann)."
And His saying وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌ وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ — He says: and some will say: they are seven and their eighth is their dog.
قُلْ رَبِّي أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِمْ — the Exalted says to His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: say, O Muhammad, to those who utter these statements about the number of the youths of the cave — guessing at the unknown: رَبِّي أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِمْ مَا يَعْلَمُهُمْ — He says: no one knows their number إِلا قَلِيلٌ of His creation.
As Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, from Qatāda, concerning مَا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلا قَلِيلٌ — he said: "a small portion of the people."
Others said: by al-qalīl (the few) are meant the People of the Book.
* Mention of who said that:
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, from Ibn Jurayj, from ʿAṭāʾ al-Khurāsānī, from Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning مَا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلا قَلِيلٌ — he said: "the People of the Book." Ibn ʿAbbās used to say: I am one of those whom Allah has excepted, and he said: their number is seven.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Isrāʾīl related to us, from Simāk, from ʿIkrima, from Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning مَا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلا قَلِيلٌ — he said: "I am of the few; they were seven."
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, from Qatāda: "we were told that Ibn ʿAbbās used to say: I am of those few whom Allah has excepted; they were seven and their eighth was their dog."
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me: Ibn Jurayj said: Ibn ʿAbbās said: "their number is seven and their eighth is their dog, and I am of those whom Allah has excepted."
Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, from Qatāda, concerning مَا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلا قَلِيلٌ — he said: "Ibn ʿAbbās used to say: I am of the few; they are seven and their eighth is their dog."
And His saying فَلا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلا مِرَاءً ظَاهِرًا — the Exalted says to His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: do not dispute, O Muhammad — that is: do not dispute with the People of the Book about them, that is, about the number of the people of the cave. The word "the number" has been omitted, since referring to them suffices for whoever listens.
In accordance with what we have said about this, the exegetes have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning فَلا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ — he said: "do not dispute about their number."
And His saying إِلا مِرَاءً ظَاهِرًا — the exegetes differed about the meaning of the superficial disputation that Allah has excepted and permitted to His Prophet ﷺ. Some said: it is that which Allah has related in His Book; he is permitted to recite that to them, but he may not contend with them by anything else.
* Mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, from his father, from Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning فَلا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلا مِرَاءً ظَاهِرًا — he said: "What I have related to you is enough; do not dispute about them."
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, from Ibn Jurayj, from Mujāhid, concerning فَلا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلا مِرَاءً ظَاهِرًا — he said: "except with what We have made clear to you of their matter."
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, from Qatāda, concerning فَلا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلا مِرَاءً ظَاهِرًا — he said: "what We have related to you of their matter is enough."
Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, from Qatāda, concerning فَلا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ — he said: "what We have related to you of their matter is enough."
It was related to me from al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Faraj, who said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd related to us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning فَلا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلا مِرَاءً ظَاهِرًا — he said: "what We have related to you is enough."
Others said: the superficial disputation is that he says: "It is not as you say," and similar statements.
* Mention of who said that:
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning إِلا مِرَاءً ظَاهِرًا — he said: "that you say to them: it is not as you say; you do not know their number — if they say such and such, then say: that is not so. For they do not know their number." And he recited: سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلاثَةٌ رَابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ up to رَجْمًا بِالْغَيْبِ .
And His saying وَلا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِمْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا — the Exalted says: do not ask anyone of them — that is, of the People of the Book — for a ruling about the number of the youths of the cave, for they do not know their number. They speak about it only by guesswork, not with sure knowledge.
In accordance with what we have said about this, the exegetes have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn ʿĪsā related to us, from Sufyān, from Qābūs, from his father, from Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning وَلا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِمْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا — he said: "they are the People of the Book."
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us — and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both from Ibn Abī Najīḥ, from Mujāhid, concerning وَلا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِمْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا : "of the Jews."
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, from Ibn Jurayj, from Mujāhid, concerning وَلا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِمْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا : "of the Jews; that is: do not ask the Jews about the matter of the people of the cave — except what I have already informed you about their matter."
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, from Qatāda, concerning وَلا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِمْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا : "of the People of the Book. We used to be told that they were sons of the Ruknā — the Ruknā being the kings of the Romans — to whom Allah had given Islam, and they had withdrawn with their religion, departed from their people, until they came to the cave. Allah struck their ears with sleep and they remained a long time until their generation had passed away and after them a Muslim generation had come, and their king was a Muslim."
