The Seven Sleepers or Ashabul Kahf in Arabic, is a story of seven young men and a dog who slept in a cave for hundreds of years, which is about 309 years. They all fell asleep by the power of Allah SWT to hide and escape from the cruel King Decyanus.
The story begins with the existence of a leader in a land called Aphasus, King Decyanus. He was a King who reigned from 249-251 AD.
In leading a country, King Decyanus was known for his cruelty and tortured every person who worshiped Allah SWT. The King always ordered and forced all his people to join in worshiping idols. If there was someone who disobeys his order, he will not hesitate to kill them. Therefore, most of the people in Aphasus worshiped idols.
While the people in Aphasus obey the King in order to save their lives, the six noble young men without any hesitation, choose to disobey the King’s order to worship idols. Hearing this fact, King Decyanus was furious then ordered his guards to immediately bring the six young men before him.
When these young men were at the palace, King Decyanus asked them why they didn’t want to worship idols. In fact, king Decyanus offered various pleasures, such as wealth and position. However, they refused the King’s offer and remain firm in their stance to worship Allah SWT.
King Decyamus was angry after these young men refused his offer. Even so, King Decyamus still gave them a chance to think about his offer. These young men still in their firmness of faith, and they still refused the offer.
They left the city and hid in a cave on Mount Tychaius that not far from where they lived. However, on their way to the cave, they accidentally met a shepherd with his dog. The young man apparently also had the same faith and decided to go with them.
Allah SWT says in the qur’an surah Al-Kahf verse 17.
“And you would have seen the sun, as it rose, inclining away from their cave to the right, and as it set, declining away from them to the left, while they lay in its open space. That is one of the signs of Allah. Whoever Allah guides is truly guided. But whoever He leaves to stray, you will never find for them a guiding mentor”
In the cave, they freely worship Allah SWT. They also prayed and asked for protection from Allah SWT to avoid the king’s pursuit
Then, Allah SWT closed their hearing and sight. Without realizing it, they had been asleep for quite a long time, which was 309 years. After a long sleep, these men and the dog they were carrying, woke up to the sound of someone building a cage around the cave.
They wake up with a smile on their face and asked each other about how long they had been sleeping here. One of the men replied, God knows best. They decided to get out of the cave to find food and see how the city was doing. They were so surprised, their city had become religious and had changed a lot.
In the end, the youths returned to the cave and back to their sleep. Some time later, God took their souls on their sleep and returned to God forever.
The true purpose of their sleep and the narration of the story in the holly Qur’an is that Allah SWT will resurrect you again after death as stated in Surah Al-Kahf. That’s why the sleepers were brought back to life after 300 years to let the believers and non-believers see themselves that they will be brought back to life again and there is a life after death.