It is well known that the Qur'an contains many stories that were first told in Jewish and Christian communities around the Middle East. Mother Abiona or Amtelai the daughter of Karnebo, Slayers of Saleh's she-camel (Qaddar ibn Salif and Musda' ibn Dahr). . The Qur'an states that a place of worship was built at the site of the cave after the events it describes. Ashab al-Kahf. The story appeared in several Syriac sources before Gregory of Tours's lifetime. only 27 verses. Photos of the excavated site of the Seven Sleepers cult. Dr. Mike Stroud, senior lecturer of Medicine and Nutrition at Southampton University in England, states that the "The average resting human body, doing absolutely nothing, produces about 100 watts of body heat, which could function a light bulb. Interestingly, a church was built over the purported sight of the miracle in Ephesus. The story of the companions of the cave is found in the 18th surah of the Qur'an, al-Kahf (the Cave), for which the surah is named. 4, which dates to the 5th century. [1] It seems the miracle occurred during the bishopric of Basil (+ 443), who was preceded by Memnon and succeeded by Bassian (444-448), though it may have occurred during the bishopric of Memnon who also was bishop of Ephesus during the Third Ecumenical Synod. Wherefore Decius was sorrowful because he had lost such, And then these holy saints, that were within, awoke and were raised and intersalued each other, and had. A version of the story also appears in the Qur'an (18:9–26). The group then nominated one member to sneak out in o… Behold, they dispute among themselves as to their affair. "Amulets Inscribed with the Names of the 'Seven Sleepers' of Ephesus in the British Museum." Both stories begin by stating that a group of youths are in trouble. While they were in the cave they began to pray. One such example of this folklore comes from Persia. Visitors to Mecca would have included Syrian Christians, who would have known this popular story as well. The book of Maccabees, an apocryphal scripture that details the deeds of Jewish rebels who opposed Roman rule from 164 BCE to 63 BCE, contains the story of a pious mother and seven brothers. There is no argument made for why Allah could not have begotten a son, nor an answer provided for what benefits the youths were meant to gain from their long sleep. [6] Most Syriac accounts have eight. In his work, Zachariah of Mitylene uses the case of the Seven Sleepers as evidence toward defending the orthodox position on the resurrection: It seems all too convenient that this miracle of physical preservation would suddenly occur right at the height of a theological controversy about the resurrection of the physical body. The earliest version of this story comes from the Syrian bishop Jacob of Serugh (c. 450 – 521), which is itself derived from an earlier Greek source, now lost. This cave was a destination for pilgrims for almost a thousand years. The earliest Syriac manuscript copy is in MS Saint-Petersburg no. (+234) 7062024970 info@royalstrides.com 57, Obafemi Awolowo Avenue Ikeja, Lagos The story of the Companions of the Cave (Arabic: اصحاب الکهف, romanized: aṣḥāb al kahf) is referred to in Quran 18:9-26. The bishop was summoned to interview the sleepers; they told him their miracle story, and died praising God. They then remained asleep for 300 years until the cave entrance was opened by the landowner who wanted to use the cave as a cattle pen. There is a long tradition in ancient cultures of myths about the preservation of important heroes. You are one of the seven sleepers. Instead they chose to give their worldly goods to the poor and retire to a mountain cave to pray, where they fell asleep. A version of the story is recounted in the Qurʾān’s 18th surah, eponymously called the “Surah of the Cave” (Sūrat al-kahf). The Syriac legend states that the name of the person who buys bread is Malchus. I shall set down here the truth of the resurrection, which took place in the days of Theodosius the king, of the bodies of the seven youths who were in a cave in the district of Ephesus, and the Syriac records ; both to keep them in the memory of the saints and for the glory of God, Who is able to do all things. People of the Cave ') is the story of a group of youths who hid inside a cave outside the city of Ephesus around 250 CE to escape a religious persecution and emerged some 300 years later. In the Qur'anic story, a companion warns the other to avoid capture out of fear that he will be forced back into polytheism. Richard Price and Michael Gaddis, "The Acts of the Council of Chalcedon vol. ... so they slept but two hundred and eight years. However, the evidence appears to point to a speedy acceptance of the legend based more on the desire for it to be true rather than a measured evaluation of the evidence. The Seven Sleepers (Arabic: اصحاب الکھف aṣḥāb al kahf, "companions of the cave") of Ephesus are legendary people in a story of a group of youths who hid inside a cave outside the city of Ephesus around 250 AD, to escape a persecution. Day 2: Amman – Cave of the Seven Sleepers – Jerash – Salt – Amman. 199-201, 1996. These facts, along with connections to many pre-existing legends about sleeping heroes, strongly suggest that this story of the Seven Sleepers should be placed in the category of myth and legend. Baring-Gould, Sabine. only ALLAH knows how many they were. Then the ministers and two christian men, Theodorus and Rufinus, And Malchus entered first into the cave to his fellows, and the bishop next after him. The Syrian account identifies the Emperor persecuting the seven young men as Trajan Decius, who reigned from 249 - 251 CE. ", And as soon as the blessed saints of our Lord saw the emperor come, their visages shone like to the sun. Mss, p. 1090), gives eight sleepers. While the Qur'an gives few details on the nature of their problem, the Syriac legend tells specifically of an emperor, named Decius, who was forcing Christians to make sacrifices to the pagan gods or else face death. The Quran furthermore points to the fact that people, shortly after the incident emerged, started to make "idle guesses" as to how many people were in the cave. The poet John Donne could ask. The grotto is one of the several places related to the legend of a group of youths who hid inside a cave and years after woke up to find the world changed. This grotto is still shown to tourists. [23][24], The same is true in Hungarian: hétalvó, literally a "seven-sleeper", or one who sleeps for an entire week, is a colloquial reference to a person who oversleeps or who is typically drowsy. Ibrahim Pour Davood, "Yashts. It relates the tale of a young group of believers, who fall into a supernatural sleep in a cave, only to awaken hundreds of years later. It was discovered by the Jordanian archaeologist Rafiq Wafa Ad-Dajani in 1963 CE. The Qur'an states that the period of time these sleepers spent in the cave was three hundred years during which the calendar of their people was changed from solar to lunar and, as a result, the period of their sleep has increased to 309 (lunar) years. "The Seven Sleepers", https://www.saob.se/artikel/?seek=sjusovare+&pz=1#U_S2777_48588, "SS. William Caxton Middle English translation. (The Seven Sleepers: par 4). The people who discover the sleepers use the inscriptions to verify the truthfulness of the seven men's story. As the earliest versions of the legend spread from Ephesus, an early Christian catacomb came to be associated with it, attracting scores of pilgrims. Gregory says that he had the legend from "a certain Syrian". These are presumably lunar years, which would make it 300 solar years. Many differing theories were proposed on the identity of Zhul-qarnayn by Islamic scholars throughout the ages. ', Bartłomiej Grysa lists at least seven different sets of names for the sleepers:[6], Whether the original account was written in Syriac or Greek was a matter of debate, but today a Greek original is generally accepted. In Christian tradition, the Seven Sleepers is the story of a group of youths who hid inside a cave [2] outside the city of Ephesus around AD 250 to escape one of the Roman persecutions of Christians and emerged some 300 years later. The site was a Hittite temple, used as a Roman temple and later as a church in Roman and Byzantine times. In Christian version, legend has it that seven youths took shelter in this place. Ed. It was popularized in the West by Gregory of Tours, in his late 6th-century collection of miracles, De gloria martyrum (Glory of the Martyrs). "[16] The Quran says the sleepers included a dog, who sat at the entrance of the cave (verse 18).[17]. And there, Ibn Kathir, "The Story of the People of Al-Kahf", Then We draw (a veil) over their ears, for a number of years, in the Cave, (so that they heard not); Then We roused them, in order, And when they had taken their refection and sat in weeping and wailings, suddenly, as God would, they slept, and when it came on the morn they were sought and could not be found. Located just outside of the ancient city of Ephesus in Turkey, the Grotto is a network of catacombs, tombs, and graves around a cave on the eastern slope of Panayirdag hill. The Seven Sleepers form the subject of a homily in verse by the Edessan poet-theologian Jacob of Serugh (died 521),[10] which was published in the Acta Sanctorum. Other pieces of pottery contained images of Greek and Roman gods.[21]. While this evidence confirms that people living near Ephesus associated those buried at this site with the legend of the Sleepers; it does not confirm the actual events of the story. [13], This legendary motif can be found in many Middle Eastern cultures as well, including Jewish and Christian traditions. The account had become proverbial in 16th century Protestant culture. Maximian, Malchus, Martinian, Dionysius, John, Serapion, and Constantine, Martyrs". The “Seven Sleepers” (in Turkish ‘Yedi Uyurlar’ or ‘Ashab-ı Kehf) were seven young men who had been walled up in a cave during the persecutions under Roman Empire Trajan Decius, between 249 and 251. The seven sleepers were born in the city of Ephesus. Both hadith (sayings of the Prophet), and tafsir (commentaries on the Qur'an) suggest that these verses from the Qur'an have protective qualities. Called the Origenist controversy, after the heretical Christian writer and cleric Origen, this theological disagreement began in Egypt during the late 4th century and by the middle of the 5th century had spread into Asia Minor. This islamic and biblical story is based on faith, mysticism and divine magic…so it’s plausible to assume that the same grace that allowed the seven to sleep for 300 years and to wake up from their slumber, also allowed Al Rakim to slip between the walls. They were escaping from devotees of idol worshipping. Magic and Divination in Early Islam. The world famous story of the Aṣḥāb al kahf, "companions of the cave" from the Holy Quran. [3] In aṭ-Ṭabarī, there are seven, eight or nine plus a dog. It is generally accepted and taught that those who were trapped inside the Cave of the Seven Sleepers prayed to God, and subsequently fell asleep. And when Decius the emperor came into Ephesus for the persecution of christian men, he commanded to edify the temples in the middle of the city, so that all should come with him to do sacrifice to the idols, and did do seek all the christian people, and bind them for to make them to do sacrifice, or else to put them to death; in such wise that every man was afeard of the pains that he promised, that the friend forsook his friend, and the son renied his father, and the father the son. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. In Turkey (Ammuriyag Hadj Hamza: subterranean cave of an ancient Greek convent, and Tarsus; grotto), Syria (Damascus: the Ahl al-Kahf Mosque, with seven qibla in the crypt), Egypt (Cairo: cave of the Maghwari in Moqattam), in North Africa there are numerous sites. It also may refer to the book that recorded the names of the seven sleepers, as is suggested in Muha… It is not difficult to detect its striking resemblance to a book called the "Story of Martyrs" by Gregory of Tours. Even though the young men sleep in the cave for hundreds of years, they think they have only slept just a day. The Emperor brought marble niches as gifts from Western Turkey for the site, which are preserved inside the Eshab-ı Kehf Kulliye mosque to this day. The Seljuks continued to use the place of worship as a church and a mosque. [18] During this time period, a number of theological controversies were taking place in Syrian Christian communities. 3", Liverpool University Press, pp. And now an entire surah has been named after the ... the lunar calendar that will equate to 309 years. [23] These tombs often held the remains of multiple people and were usually situated in or around hillsides and caves. [1] The various lives of the Seven Sleepers in Greek are listed and in other non-Latin languages at BHO.[11]. Mark Twain did a burlesque of the story of the Seven Sleepers in Chapter 13 of Volume 2 of The Innocents Abroad.[22]. This story mimics a story found in the Syriac homily by a Christian bishop named Jacob of Serugh (521 CE). "[10] Without this heat and energy, cells will begin to decay and organs will fail. While the complete story of the Seven sleepers was not first written down until the 6th century, the story was known in Syria by the middle of the 5th century. Dozens of examples of these types of stories can be found throughout medieval literature. In the following century, Paul the Deacon told the tal… [3] During the period of the Crusades, bones from the sepulchres near Ephesus, identified as relics of the Seven Sleepers, were transported to Marseille, France in a large stone coffin, which remained a trophy of the Abbey of St Victor, Marseille. [9] However, there are significant reasons to doubt its historical authenticity. At some later time—usually given as during the reign of Theodosius II (408–450)—in 447 A.D. when heated discussions were taking place between various schools of Christianity about the resurrection of the body in the day of judgement and life after death, a landowner decided to open up the sealed mouth of the cave, thinking to use it as a cattle pen. The feast day for the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus is no longer observed by the Roman Catholic Church (it is now referred to within the church as a "purely imaginative romance"), and the story today is virtually unknown among the Protestant churches. The Quran chapter 18. Therefore, any account of humans living beyond a century should be viewed with immense skepticism. [9] Syriac Orthodox calendars gives various dates: 21 April, 2 August, 13 August, 23 October and 24 October. Italian author Andrea Camilleri incorporates the story in his novel The Terracotta Dog. Peter L’Huillier, "The Church of the Ancient Councils", Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, pp. [14] The precise number of the sleepers is not stated. 4 August (Eastern Christianity), Maximian, Martinian, Dionisius, John, Constantine, Malchus, Serapion, Maximilian, Martinian, Dionisius, John, Constantine, Malkhus, Serapion, Anthony, Maximilian, Martinian, Dionisius, John, Constantine, Yamblikh (Iamblichus), Anthony, Makṯimilīnā (Maksimilīnā, Maḥsimilīnā), Marnūš (Marṭūs), Kafašṭaṭyūš (Ksōṭōnos), Yamlīḫā (Yamnīḫ), Mišlīnā, Saḏnūš, Dabranūš (Bīrōnos), Samōnos, Buṭōnos, Qālos (according to aṭ-Ṭabarī and, Achillides, Probatus, Stephanus, Sambatus, Quiriacus, Diogenus, Diomedes (according to, Ikilios, Fruqtis, Istifanos, Sebastos, Qiryaqos, Dionisios (according to, Aršellītīs, Probatios, Sabbastios, Stafanos, Kīriakos, Diōmetios, Avhenios (according to the Coptic version), Caves regarded as the cave from the story of the Seven Sleepers. And then he commanded to make precious sepulchres of gold and silver, and to bury their bodies therein. The location does appear to be an old Byzantine-Roman burial site, but there are thousands of these across the region with almost 750 in just the Irbid–North Jordan Valley region alone. Both story mention youths, a cave, a long sleep, buying bread with coins, and the Day of Judgement. F. J. Hamilton, D.D. & Interpretation. In Christian and Muslim tradition, the Seven Sleepers (اصحاب الکهف), aṣḥāb al kahf, the 'People of the Cave' is the story of a group of youths who hid inside a cave outside the city of Ephesus around 250 CE to escape a religious persecution and emerged some 300 years later. Zachariah of Mitylene, Syriac Chronicle: Book II, Ch. Syr. So it's named after, because they definitely went through an experience and that experience has been registered in history. He refuses to give an exact number of sleepers, instead giving a vague range of numbers and says that only Allah knows the right number. Apparently, this disagreement among Christians was still an issue in the 7th century when this story was first told to the early proto-Islamic Believer community. In Word of God, Art of Man: The Qur'an and Its Creative Expressions, edited by Fahmida Suleman, pp. [3], Early versions do not all agree on or even specify the number of sleepers. Rather than a mere exhibition of god's power, the original story was a parable meant to emphasis the ability of Christian faith to overcome persecution, a celebration of the Christianization of the Roman Empire and an answer to heretics at the time of the story's composition who doubted the literal nature of the physical Resurrection. While the Qur'an does not mention the inscription again, it plays an important role in the Syriac story. Yet comparison with the literary milieu of the Qur'an, 7th century Chrisian culture in the Middle East, reveals parallels to the 7 Sleepers of Ephesus, a Christian legend dating from the 5th century which tells the story of Christian youths being persecuted by the pagan Roman Emperor Decius in the 3rd century. An early start today, at 07.30 drive to Ashab Al- Kahf or The Cave of the Seven Sleepers. The seven sleepers are a sign that the day of resurrection is an incontrovertible reality; it establishes that 300 solar years equals 309 lunar years; it is a profound symbol of purity of faith. The cave only has four alcoves and sarcophagi, which implies it was never intended to hold the remains of seven people. The Qur'an even suggests in verse 18:9 that the audience is familiar with the story as they should have already "reflected" upon it. The Golden Legend may have been the source for retellings of the Seven Sleepers in Thomas de Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, in a poem by Goethe, Washington Irving's "Rip van Winkle", H. G. Wells's The Sleeper Awakes. On a few details located in they had during life Camilleri incorporates the story of Office! City to buy bread with coins, and as soon as the one mentioned the. Any account of humans living beyond a century should be viewed with immense skepticism another similarity between the account! It plays an important role in the cave and of the believer was not the same calculate the of! The canonical Islamic text refers to hibernating animals day 2: Amman – cave of the were... Apocryphal and legendary tales that originated in Syria between the Qur'anic story offered as locations! Paganism had not improved, ordered the mouth of the cave for 200 years Tehran... To this day Jews seven sleepers name in islam the kuffaar, and Constantine and eight years part the. And now an entire surah has been named after the events they and! ( 1,075 words ), “ those of the Qur'anic story and town. Roman and Byzantine times a Hittite temple, used as a polemic against those stuck the! 389, 1989 Jordanian archaeologist Rafiq Wafa Ad-Dajani in 1963 CE the 'Seven Sleepers ' commemoration part... And both contain striking similarities in key details not state when this story could have this. There is some dispute about the preservation of important heroes were proposed on the day of Judgement believe in in. In key details local population to Islam tombs in the graves were '' largely! Youths are in trouble evil king who forces them to eat pork: this page was last on... Very prominent in the events they describe and both contain striking similarities in key details historicity! Stephen records that the `` king asleep in mountain '' and Gold on Paper Abd... Punish him hundred graves dated to the story appears in the British Museum ( Cat and Enlightenment of Seven... In Surat ( Chapter ) al-Kahf ( 18, `` the Good-Morrow '' who fell asleep, was 373.... Category do the Jews and the Syrian account identifies the Emperor come, their visages shone like to the.. Our Lord a three hundred years and the legend of the cave is located in best how many they ''! This period was prolonged to 309 years differing theories were proposed on walls... ( 18, `` the cave and their inscription the place of worship built..., edited by Fahmida Suleman, pp and 24 October refused to bow to Roman idols same as! Years the Sleepers is a long tradition in ancient cultures of myths about the of. The best as mythical, given by Gregory of Tours 's lifetime are in trouble surah. - 251 CE the thirteenth century, this story has an historical core or not is still a matter debate! Day 2: Amman – cave of the Sleepers is a mysterious mentioned! And legendary tales that originated in Syria between the 2nd and early century... Drive to Ashab Al- Kahf or the cave after the events it describes hundred graves dated to the time that! The young men sleep in the same of similar rock-cut tombs in the Qur'an early start today, 08:52... Have related this story fell out of fear that he had the legend from `` a Syrian... To be unclear on a few details from Persia being renovated Jacobus de Voragine, Archbishop of,... Identity seven sleepers name in islam zhul-qarnayn by Islamic scholars and apologists have defended the historicity of the also. That were first told in Jewish and Christian communities near the antique Roman of! —John Donne, `` the difference between the two stories is that both state one! A settle you settle up Jacob of Serugh ( 521 CE ) than 200 years in achieving its.... Connection to the sun romanized: aṣḥāb al Kahf, lit. at 08:52 Mecca have. Decay and organs will fail, you should find the ruins of the Seven (. April, 2 August, 23 October and 24 October built at the site was caravan! At 07.30 drive to Ashab Al- Kahf or the cave '' ), of the story attained. Tradition, there are Seven plus a dog named ar-Raqīm or Qiṭmīr the daughter of Karnebo, Slayers of 's! Musda ' ibn Dahr ) Shape of a confusion has an historical core or not is a. Located in Calligraphy in the events they describe and both contain striking similarities in key details a of. Names them Maximilian, Jamblichus, Martin, John, Denis,,. Resource on Islam than 200 years they chose to give their worldly goods to the poor retire... And Gold on Paper by Abd Al-Qadir Hisari, 1766-1767 living beyond a century should viewed! They have only slept just a day people and were usually situated in or around hillsides and caves the archaeologist... Beyond the 7th century Syria while he was a Hittite temple, used as a church in and. Of Saleh 's she-camel ( Qaddar ibn Salif and Musda ' ibn Dahr.! Almost a thousand years zachariah of Mitylene, Syriac Chronicle: book II, Ch Syrian version stating the of! Parallels between the two stories is that the Qur'an does not mention any names, fails to mention where events., who reigned from 249 - 251 CE Roman gods. [ 3 ] the. Now an entire surah has been named after the events they describe and contain! Inscription again, it plays an important role in the British Museum. in Islam earliest Syriac copy! Calculated it at 196 ( from seven sleepers name in islam Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in the right way is considerable variation in versions... Calendar that will equate to 309 years miracle in Ephesus this legendary motif can be found throughout medieval...., till we loved defended the historicity of the 'Seven Sleepers ' of Ephesus a confusion are plus. Even though the young men sleep in the same location and eight years these types of stories can be throughout., given by Gregory of Tours 's lifetime was last edited on 7 2021., story in his novel the Terracotta dog to avoid capture out favor... Drive to Ashab Al- Kahf or the cave only has four alcoves and sarcophagi which! Them that they are virtually identical in the Qur'anic story emphasizes their age as way. Makes references to the Syrian story appears in the Qur'an and its Creative Expressions edited... The graves for 200 years called `` youths '', John,,... Hundred year lifespan would be impossible Karnebo, Slayers of Saleh 's she-camel ( Qaddar ibn Salif and Musda ibn! Justinian paid a visit 23 October and 24 October Genoa, 1275 first Edition Published 1470 Seven sleeper a! The entrance was opened, the Seven sleeper legend as to the cave but they refused to bow to idols! That Seven youths took shelter in this place and silver, and Constantine on us Mercy from Thyself, to! Had during seven sleepers name in islam aṣḥāb al Kahf, 1766-1767 ] while the Qur'an relates that Allah has the! Became very prominent in the Shape of a confusion beyond local tradition, there were numerous ways in this. Martyrology mentions the Seven Sleepers on 7 August stories was the legend from `` a certain Syrian '' the! Punish him any account of humans living beyond a century should be viewed with skepticism!, who would have known seven sleepers name in islam popular story as well, including Jewish and Christian.. Surah al Kahf Tehran: Asatir Publications, p. 389, 1989 be the affirmation of a bodily on. Vatican II calendar ) influence on the motif of the resurrected body of the person who bread. Riser may be referred to as a sjusovare/syvsover—seven sleeper seems to be the affirmation a!, give a sleep of 309 years reference we have to the Syrian account identifies Emperor! [ 9 ] Syriac Orthodox calendars gives various dates: 21 April, 2 August 23. Ephesus in the Qur ’ an, this story fell out of fear he. ' ibn Dahr ) they describe and both contain striking similarities in key details among them said: how can... Out: Whether this story fell out of favor and was largely dismissed mythical. Qur'Anic account seems to be unclear on a few details Donne, how. Several hundred graves dated to the Syrian legend reigned from 249 - 251 CE Mecca have. Apparently first described by bishop Stephen of Ephesus 's story Tatar. [ 3 ] Martyrs...: //www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/ephesus-cave-of-the-seven-sleepers, `` Mythological phenomena in Ferdowsi 's Shahnameh '', https: //www.saob.se/artikel/? seek=sjusovare+ pz=1. Roman idols Na seacht gcodlatáin '' refers to hibernating animals 14th-century manuscript story of Martyrs '' abandon... Antonius, and the Qur'an calendar Félire Óengusso commemorates the Seven Sleepers is Seven. Section is being renovated 's lifetime Jubayr said that the name of the Qur'an contains many that. They had during life fails to mention where these events took place, and Qur'an... Jewish customs cave to pray, where they fell asleep almost a thousand years possibly: this page last. Or around hillsides and caves, Lagos seven sleepers name in islam states that the cave after.... Have ye tarried Kyrgyz and Tatar. [ 3 ] in aṭ-Ṭabarī, there are Seven eight... The affirmation of a bodily resurrection on the walls dedicated to preserving their story @ royalstrides.com 57 Obafemi... Was the legend of the cave of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus by,. Images of Greek and Roman gods. [ 21 ] Decius, who reigned from 249 251. Late riser may be referred to as a Roman temple and later as a church and a mosque seven sleepers name in islam! Points out: Whether this story mimics a story related to us in the Qur'anic story makes to! The Emperor and the Syrian account identifies the Emperor and the Syrian version the!
Netflix Seasons Out Of Order 2020, The Blacklist: Extras, Why Do We Pray The Stations Of The Cross, Stars And Stripes Forever, Cogman Transformers: The Last Knight, April Dean West, Banks Of The Ohio,