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68-522: Verses 9–26 of the chapter retell the Christian folktale of the " companions of the cave ". A few young believers lived in a time when they were tortured for their beliefs. Upon the guidance of God, they fled the city where believers were persecuted, together with their dog , and took refuge in a cave where they fell asleep. When they awoke they found that the people of the city had become believers. And recite (and teach) what has been revealed to thee of

136-712: A Syriac- or Greek-speaker from the Levant. 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 . The Seven Sleepers were included in the Golden Legend compilation, the most popular book of the later Middle Ages, which fixed

204-594: A Syrian manuscript in the British Museum ( Cat. Syr. Mss , p. 1090), gives eight sleepers. Whether the original account was written in Syriac or Greek was a matter of debate, but today a Greek original is generally accepted. The pilgrim account De situ terrae sanctae , written between 518 and 531, records the existence of a church dedicated to the sleepers in Ephesus. An outline of this tale appears in

272-416: A breath into a supernatural being, but eventually humans managed to bring this being down to earth through (flawed) interpretative strategies, and in so doing they appropriated it in ways that served human ends". However, commentators acknowledged that despite feeling confident about their understanding of ruh, they ultimately did not fully comprehend it. In Islamic belief, ruh departs from the human body at

340-566: A definitive explanation of the Spirit (al-ruh). It merely says in response to the question about the Spirit, "Say, "The Spirit (al-ruh) is from the Command of my Lord, and you have not been given knowledge, save a little"" (17:85), suggesting the unknowable nature of ruh. According to The Study Quran , the term "Spirit" may refer to the source of human life, as God breathes His Spirit into Adam (32:9). This led some Muslim thinkers to believe that

408-636: A distant knowledge of the Great Wall of China (the 12th-century scholar al- Idrisi drew a map for Roger II of Sicily showing the "Land of Gog and Magog" in Mongolia ), or of various Sassanid Persian walls built in the Caspian area against the northern barbarians, or a conflation of the two. Arab Muslim historian and hagiographer , Ibn Ishaq , reported in his traditional book (oral traditions) of biography of Muhammad , Sirat Rasul Allah that

476-570: A dog, which Islamic tradition names as Qitmir , who guarded the entrance of the cave (verse 18). Early versions do not all agree on or even specify the number of sleepers. Some Jewish circles and the Christians of Najran believed in only three brothers; the East Syriac , five. Most Syriac accounts have eight, including a nameless watcher which God sets over the sleepers. A 6th-century Latin text titled "Pilgrimage of Theodosius" featured

544-689: A general concept, particularly as the inspiration for Muhammad's prophetic messages. Rūh can take several forms as a person, most commonly as a metaphysical being similar to an angel (78:38), but it can also appear in human form, such as in the case of the rūh that interacts with Mary (19:17). The Quran even describes Jesus as rūh in one instance (4:171). Additionally, rūh is referred to as Rūh al-Qudus (the Holy Spirit), al-Rūh al-Amin (the Trustworthy Spirit), or simply al-Rūh , and My/His (God's) Rūh . The Quran, however, doesn't offer

612-607: A mountain cave to pray, where they fell asleep. The Emperor, seeing that their attitude towards paganism had not improved, ordered the mouth of the cave to be sealed. Decius died in 251, and many years passed during which Christianity went from being persecuted to being the state religion of the Roman Empire . At some later time—usually given as during the reign of Theodosius II (408–450)—in AD 447 when heated discussions were taking place between various schools of Christianity about

680-453: A precise date for their resurrection, AD 478, in the reign of Theodosius . The story says that during the persecutions by the Roman emperor Decius , around AD 250, seven young men were accused of following Christianity . They were given some time to recant their faith, but they refused to bow to Roman idols. Instead they chose to give their worldly goods to the poor and retire to

748-492: A straight linear direction. Nonetheless, a trend is discernible, along with an important factor that determined its direction: anthropocentric feelings. According to Sarra Tlili, the exegetes' interpretations of ruh were influenced by anthropocentric factors, such as their belief that God granted ruh to His most favored creatures, rather than their ability to decipher the Quranic term's true meaning. For Tlili, "God’s power turned

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816-714: A way of honoring Adam, with some understanding it more literally to refer to the Spirit (al-rūḥ) of God. The latter interpretation explains why Iblīs was commanded to bow before Adam. Rūh al-Qudus (the Holy Spirit), al-Rūh al-Amin (the Trustworthy Spirit) are generally understood as references to the archangel Gabriel. In a written hadith, Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Dawud told us, Al-Hussein bin Al-Sumaid told us, Yahya bin Sulayman Al-Jafi told us, Ibn Fudayl told us, on

884-472: Is a Prophet who has been sent; if he does not, then he is saying things that are not true, in which case how you will deal with him will be up to you. Ask him about some young men in ancient times, what was their story for theirs is a strange and wondrous tale. Ask him about a man who traveled a great deal and reached the east and the west of the earth. What was his story and ask him about the Ruh (Holy spirit) – what

952-521: Is a Quranic expression that describes a source or means of prophetic revelations, commonly identified with the angel Gabriel . Quranic commentators disagreed in their identification of Gabriel with various uses of the word rūḥ . The phrase rūḥ al-qudus , commonly translated as the "holy spirit" or the "spirit of holiness", occurs four times in the Quran, in Quran 2:87 and 253, Al-Ma'idah verse 110, and An-Nahl verse 102. In three instances, it

1020-691: Is described as the means by which God "strengthened" Jesus, and in the fourth it is identified as the one who brought down God's truth to his prophet. The term Rūḥ al-Qudus is also an epithet referring to the Archangel Gabriel, who is related as the Angel of revelation and was assigned by God to reveal the Qurʼan to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and who delivered the Annunciation to Mary . In

1088-580: Is in MS Saint-Petersburg No. 4, which dates to the fifth century. The earliest known version of this story is found in the writings of the Syriac bishop Jacob of Serugh ( c.  450 –521), who relies on an earlier Greek source, now lost. Jacob of Serugh, an Edessan poet-theologian, wrote a homily in verse on the subject of the Seven Sleepers, which was published in the Acta Sanctorum . Another sixth-century version, in

1156-411: Is it? If he tells you about these things, then he is a Prophet, so follow him, but if he does not tell you, then he is a man who is making things up, so deal with him as you see fit." According to Ibn Ishaq, when Muhammad was informed of the three questions from the rabbis, he said that he would have the answers in the morning but did not say "if God wills it". For fifteen days, Muhammad waited eagerly for

1224-535: Is mentioned twenty one times in the Quran , where it is described as issuing from command of God . The spirit acts as an agent of divine action or communication. The Quran describes the Rūḥ in various ways. It refers to ruh as ( Arabic : الروح القدس al-rūḥ al-qudus) , which means "the holy spirit" and ar-rūḥ al-amin , which means "the faithful" or "trustworthy spirit", terms that are commonly understood to be references to

1292-477: Is narrated in hadith that the angel Gabriel accompanied Muhammad during the Mi'raj , an ascension to the heavens in which Muhammad is said to have met other messengers of God and was instructed about the manner of Islamic prayer ( Sahih al-Bukhari 349 ). It is also held by Muslims that the angel Gabriel descends to Earth on the night of Laylat al-Qadr , a night in the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan , which

1360-579: Is said to be the night on which the Qurʼan was first revealed. The Arabic phrase al-Qudus ( القدس ) translates into English as "Holiness" or "Sanctity". al-Quddūs "the All-Holy" is one of the 99 Names of God in Islam . God is believed to endow humans with rūḥ [رُوح] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |links= ( help ) and nafs [نَفْس] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |links= ( help ) , (i.e. ego or psyche) . The rūḥ "drives"

1428-974: The Eshab-ı Kehf Kulliye mosque to this day. The Seljuks continued to use the place of worship as a church and a mosque. It was turned into a mosque over time, with the conversion of the local population to Islam. There is a cave near Amman , Jordan, also known as the Cave of Seven Sleepers , which has eight smaller sealed tombs present inside and a ventilation duct coming out of the cave. The account had become proverbial in 16th century Protestant culture. The poet John Donne could ask,         I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I         Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then?         But sucked on country pleasures, childishly?         Or snorted we in

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1496-437: The afterlife . Further, ruh appears to be a metaphysical being, such as an angel . In one instance, rūḥ refers to Jesus . The word "ruh" appears 21 times in the Quran, and in five of those instances, it is used in conjunction with the verb "nafakha," meaning "to blow," suggesting that it is related to blowing. Additionally, its usage is linked to concepts such as peace (97:4), assistance (58:22; 2:87), and life (15:29). In

1564-562: The 18th surah of the Qur'an (which includes the story of Dhu l-Qarnayn) was revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad by God on account of some questions posed by rabbis residing in the city of Medina – the verse was revealed during the Meccan period of Muhammad's life. According to Ibn Ishaq, Muhammad's tribe, the powerful Quraysh , were greatly concerned about their tribesman who had started claiming prophethood and wished to consult rabbis about

1632-740: The 6th-century writings of Gregory of Tours and in History of the Lombards of Paul the Deacon (720–799). The best-known Western version of the story appears in Jacobus de Voragine 's Golden Legend (1259–1266). It also appears in BHO ( Pueri septem ), BHG ( Pueri VII ) and BHL Dormientes (Septem) Ephesi . Accounts of the Christian legend are found in at least nine medieval languages and preserved in over 200 manuscripts, mainly dating to between

1700-525: The 9th and 13th centuries. These include 104 Latin manuscripts, 40 Greek , 33 Arabic , 17 Syriac , six Ethiopic , five Coptic , two Armenian , one Middle Irish , and one Old English . Byzantine writer Symeon the Metaphrast  (died c. 1000) alluded to it. It was also translated into Sogdian . In the 13th century, the poet Chardri composed an Old French version. The ninth-century Irish calendar Félire Óengusso commemorates

1768-623: The Book , tested Muhammad by asking him three questions, and Surah Al-Kahf was sent down in answer to them. The mushriks inquired about the identity of the Sleepers of the Cave, the real story of Khidr , and about Dhu al-Qarnayn . The story of the Companions of the Cave ( Arabic : أصحاب الکهف , romanized :  'aṣḥāb al-kahf ) is referred to in Quran 18:9-26 . The precise number of

1836-455: The Book of thy Lord: none can change His Words, and none wilt thou find as a refuge other than Him. Translation Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938) The commentary by Ozma Nasir Makarim Shirazi says, "There is no room for diversity to enter into His Words and Knowledge. His Speech and His Knowledge is not like the speech and knowledge of human beings which, as a result of a new invention or information, has to be changed". Ibn Kathir says this verse means of

1904-564: The Cave ), is a late antique Christian legend, and a Qur’anic Islamic story. The Christian legend speaks about a group of youths who hid inside a cave outside the city of Ephesus (modern-day Selçuk , Turkey ) around AD 250 to escape Roman persecutions of Christians and emerged many years later. The Qur'anic version of the story appears in Sura 18 ( 18:9–26 ). The story appeared in several Syriac sources before Gregory of Tours 's lifetime (538–594). The earliest Syriac manuscript copy

1972-518: The Faithful Spirit, Gabriel, has put into my mind that not a single soul will die. Until it comprehends what God has decreed for it. Whoever delays anything from that, let him be diligent in his request, for you will not realize what God has except through it "obedience to him" Rūḥ al-qudus ( Arabic : روح القدس , "the holy spirit" or "spirit of holiness"), al-rūḥ al-amin ( Arabic : الروح الأمين , "the faithful/trustworthy spirit"),

2040-495: The Most Compassionate from you! ˹So leave me alone˺ if you are God-fearing." He responded, "I am only a messenger from your Lord, ˹sent˺ to bless you with a pure son." She wondered, "How can I have a son when no man has ever touched me, nor am I unchaste?" He replied, "So will it be! Your Lord says, ‘It is easy for Me. And so will We make him a sign for humanity and a mercy from Us.’ It is a matter ˹already˺ decreed." It

2108-421: The Quran, the rūh is described as having the ability to infuse life into inanimate matter and perform other tasks beyond human comprehension. Its abilities are depicted as crossing vast distances and time spans, as it ascends to the heavens in a day that is fifty thousand years long (70:4) and animates lifeless objects. The Quran portrays rūh in different ways: as a person who obeys God and brings revelation, or as

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2176-435: The Quranic depiction of ruh, they relied on the principles of God's creativity and omnipotence. Consequently, the concept of ruh evolved into a metaphysical entity with immense dimensions and extraordinary features that expressed God's majesty and the limits of human comprehension. Tlili believes that the attempt to define the Quranic ruh in early exegetical traditions as a specific entity already reveals an inclination "to reduce

2244-614: The Seven Sleepers on 7 August. It was also translated into Persian , Kyrgyz , and Tatar . The story rapidly attained a wide diffusion throughout Christendom. 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) . Gregory claimed to have gotten the story from "a certain Syrian interpreter" ( Syro quidam interpretante ), but this could refer to either

2312-569: The Seven Sleepers' den?—John Donne, " The Good-Morrow ". In John Heywood 's Play called the Four PP (1530s), the Pardoner, a Renaissance update of the protagonist in Chaucer 's " The Pardoner's Tale ", offers his companions the opportunity to kiss "a slipper / Of one of the Seven Sleepers", but the relic is presented as absurdly as the Pardoner's other offerings, which include "the great-toe of

2380-553: The Sleepers", from his book The Encyclopedia of the Dead . The Italian author Andrea Camilleri incorporates the story in his novel The Terracotta Dog in which the protagonist is led to a cave containing the titular watchdog (as described in the Qur'an and called "Kytmyr" in Sicilian folklore) and the saucer of silver coins with which one of the sleepers is to buy "pure food" from

2448-414: The Spirit is the source of human knowledge, perception, and spiritual ability. Accordingly, the Spirit is also seen as the origin of religious, moral, and spiritual responsibility for human beings. The meaning of the phrase "I...breathed into him of My Spirit" (15:29; cf 38:72, 32:9) is interpreted differently by various commentators. Most commentators believe that "My or His Spirit" refers to God's power and

2516-581: The Tree , they ride in the last battle against the Dark. The Seven Sleepers series by Gilbert Morris takes a modern approach to the story in which seven teenagers must be awakened to fight evil in a post-nuclear-apocalypse world. John Buchan refers to the Seven Sleepers in The Three Hostages in which Richard Hannay surmises that his wife Mary, who is a sound sleeper, is descended from one of

2584-634: The Trinity" and "a buttock-bone of Pentecost." Little is heard of the Seven Sleepers during the Enlightenment , but the account revived with the coming of Romanticism . 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 . It also might have an influence on

2652-421: The archangel Gabriel . The Quran also refers to ruh as God's own spirit ("My/His Spirit"), which was blown into Adam , and which is considered the source of human life. Most commentators interpret the phrase "My/His (God's) Spirit" in 15:29, 32:9 and 38:72 figuratively as God's power and way of honoring Adam, with some taking a more literal view. This spirit leaves the human body at death, and continues to exist in

2720-642: The authority of M Jalid, on the authority of Al-Sha’bi, on the authority of Jabir , may God be pleased with him, on the authority of the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, who said: “The Holy Spirit is Gabriel peace be upon him In a written hadith , Amr told us, on the authority of Al-Muttalib, that the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “I have not left anything of what God has commanded you unless I have commanded you to do it, and I have not left anything of what I have forbidden you from it, except that I have forbidden you from it, and

2788-585: The bazaar in Ephesus ( Qur'an 18.19). The Seven Sleepers are symbolically replaced by lovers Lisetta Moscato and Mario Cunich , who were killed in their nuptial bed by an assassin hired by Lisseta's incestuous father and later laid to rest in a cave in the Sicilian countryside. In Susan Cooper 's The Dark Is Rising series, Will Stanton awakens the Seven Sleepers in The Grey King , and in Silver on

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2856-401: The blades of grass but then gets separated from it in the morning, as Allah has said, The third main story within the chapter (verses 60–82) is that of Musa ( Moses ) traveling to gain knowledge from another servant of God who is never mentioned by name, in tafsir of ibn Kathir he is called Al-Khidr . Finally, the surah mentions in verses 83–98 a man who traveled a great deal and reached

2924-491: The capacity of the spirit. The more pure the spirit gets, the more it is able to interact with other souls and thus reaches a broader degree of freedom. Sarra Tlili contends that the term "ruh" had a simple meaning of "blown breath" during the time of the Quran's revelation. However, the Quran's use of the term introduces complexity as it attributes extraordinary agency and manifestations to it, which may have bewildered early Muslims. In order to reconcile their understanding with

2992-414: The cave for 300 years and nine added", resolves that "God knows best how long they remained [there]." According to the 25th verse of Al-Kahf, the Companions of the Cave have slept for 300 years in the solar calendar and slept 309 in the lunar calendar since the lunar calendar is 11 days shorter than the solar, which explains the inclusion of the additional nine years. The Quran says that the sleepers included

3060-551: The cave of the Seven Sleepers are in Damascus, Syria and Afşin and Tarsus , Turkey. Afşin is near the antique Roman city of Arabissus , to which the East Roman Emperor Justinian paid a visit. The site was a Hittite temple, used as a Roman temple and later as a church in Roman and Byzantine times. The Emperor brought marble niches from Western Anatolia as gifts for it, which are preserved inside

3128-466: The earth. How well He sees; how well He hears! The creatures have no other guardian than Him; He allows none to share His authority.'" Several sites are attributed as the "Cave of the Seven Sleepers", but none could empirically convince to be the original site associated with the legend. As the earliest versions of the legend spread out from Ephesus , an early Christian catacomb in that area came to be associated with it, attracting scores of pilgrims. On

3196-431: The earthly life. Evil souls will find the afterlife painful by receiving punishment, and imprisoned until God allows them to interact with other souls. However, good souls are not restricted. They are free to come visit other souls and even come down to lower regions. The higher planes are considered to be broader than the lower ones, the lowest being the most narrow. The spiritual space is not thought as spatial, but reflects

3264-405: The east and the west of the earth – namely, Dhul-Qarnayn ( Arabic : ذو القرنين , lit.   'the one with two horns'). In one part of the story, Dhul-Qarnayn helps a tribe of people build a massive wall of iron between two mountains to protect them from the nations of Gog and Magog. It goes on to say that this wall will be only destroyed on Judgement Day . The wall may have reflected

3332-403: The matter. The Quraysh sent two men to the rabbis of Medina, reasoning that they had superior knowledge of the scriptures and about the prophets of God. The two Quraysh men described their tribesman, Muhammad, to the rabbis. The rabbis told the men to ask Muhammad three questions: They [the rabbis] said, "Ask him about three things which we will tell you to ask, and if he answers them then he

3400-576: The motif of the " King asleep in mountain ". Mark Twain did a burlesque of the story of the Seven Sleepers in Chapter ;13 of Volume 2 of The Innocents Abroad . Edward Gibbon gives different accounts of the story in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire . The Serbian writer Danilo Kiš retells the story of the Seven Sleepers in a short story, "The Legend of

3468-417: The nafs, which comprises temporal desires and sensory perceptions. The nafs can assume control of the body if the rūḥ surrenders to bodily urges. The nafs is subject to bodily desire within the sadr (the chest), whereas the rūḥ is a person's immaterial essence, beyond the emotions and instincts shared by humans and other animals; rūḥ makes the body alive. In some accounts, some arwāḥ (spirits) dwell in

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3536-796: The opening verses of Sura Kahf" Another Hadith in Sahih Muslim states: "If anyone learns by heart the first ten verses of Surah Al-Kahf, he will be protected from the Dajjal" The story of believers falling asleep in a cave for a long time is present also in the Christian tradition, see Seven Sleepers . Companions of the cave The Seven Sleepers ( Greek : ἑπτὰ κοιμώμενοι , romanized :  hepta koimōmenoi ; Latin : Septem dormientes ), also known in Christendom as Seven Sleepers of Ephesus , and in Islam as Aṣḥāb al-Kahf (اصحاب الکهف, aṣḥāb al-kahf , lit. Companions of

3604-453: 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. He opened it and found the sleepers inside. They awoke, imagining that they had slept but one day, and sent one of their number to Ephesus to buy food, with instructions to be careful. Upon arriving in the city, this person was astounded to find buildings with crosses attached;

3672-481: The revelation. Muhammad did not answer the question until then. Doubt in Muhammad began to grow amongst the people of Mecca . Then, after fifteen days, Muhammad received the revelation of al-Kahf as an answer to the questions. There is a hadith in Sahih Muslim that states that Muhammad said (Concerning The False Messiah, Al-Masih ad-Dajjal ): "He who amongst you would survive to see him should recite over him

3740-487: The rich man also told his companion that he doubted the existence of Judgment Day. At the end of the parable, God destroys what He had given the man. Q18:45 Imam Musa al-Kadhim narrates in Kitab al-Kafi that Ali would bequeath his companions to view this world with the vision of an ascetic because it dislodges its residents. Ali provides them with the parable of a lush, green garden with scented dew that accumulates under

3808-756: The seven who has married one of the Foolish Virgins . The Seven Sleepers are mentioned in the song "Les Invisibles" on the 1988 Blue Öyster Cult album Imaginos . Several languages have idioms related to the Seven Sleepers, including: The most recent edition of the Roman Martyrology commemorates the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus under the date of 27 July. The Byzantine calendar commemorates them with feasts on 4 August and 22 October. Syriac Orthodox calendars gives various dates: 21 April, 2 August, 13 August, 23 October and 24 October. Ruh Rūḥ or The Spirit ( Arabic : الروح , al-rūḥ )

3876-548: The seventh heaven. Unlike the angels, they are supposed to eat and drink. An angel called ar-Rūḥ (the Spirit) is responsible for them. Muslim authors, like Ghazali , Ibn Qayyim and Suyuti wrote in more detail about the life of ghosts. Ibn Qayyim and Suyuti assert, when a soul desires to turn back to earth long enough, it is gradually released from restrictions of Barzakh and able to move freely. Each spirit experiences afterlife in accordance with their deeds and convictions in

3944-478: The sleepers as seven people in number, with a dog named Viricanus. Bartłomiej Grysa lists at least seven different sets of names for the sleepers: In Islam no specific number is mentioned. Qur'an 18:22 discusses the disputes regarding their numbers. The verse says: Some will say, "They were three, their dog was the fourth," while others will say, "They were five, their dog was the sixth," only guessing blindly. And others will say, "They were seven and their dog

4012-422: The sleepers is not stated. 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. To this the Quran asserts that: "My Sustainer knows best how many they were". Similarly, regarding the exact period of time the people stayed in the cave, the Quran, after asserting the guesswork of the people that "they remained in

4080-502: The slopes of Mount Pion (Mount Coelian) near Ephesus (near modern Selçuk in Turkey), the grotto of the Seven Sleepers with ruins of the religious site built over it was excavated in 1926–1928. The excavation brought to light several hundred graves dated to the 5th and 6th centuries. Inscriptions dedicated to the Seven Sleepers were found on the walls and in the graves. This grotto is still shown to tourists. Other possible sites of

4148-422: The time of death. The Qur'an implies that rūh continues to exist after leaving the body in death. However, it does not provide specific details about the period between burial and resurrection. In Islam, death is not considered to be the final end of life, but rather the termination of the appointed period during which humans are tested on Earth. As such, death is viewed as a "merely transitional phase during which

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4216-463: The townspeople for their part were astounded to find a man trying to spend old coins from the reign of Decius. The bishop was summoned to interview the sleepers; they told him their miracle story, and died praising God. The various lives of the Seven Sleepers in Greek and in other non-Latin languages are listed at BHO . The polytheists ( mushriks ) of Mecca , after consulting with the people of

4284-421: The two suras in which the Qur'an refers to the angel Gabriel, it does so by name. It appears to be indicated by the Quran in sura Maryam , ayat 17–21, that it was the angel Gabriel who gave to Mary the tidings that she was to have a son as a virgin: screening herself off from them. Then We sent to her Our angel, ˹Gabriel,˺ appearing before her as a man, perfectly formed. She appealed, "I truly seek refuge in

4352-437: The unknowable to something imaginable", indicating a shift towards a more anthropocentric mode of thought. In subsequent centuries, as the notion of soul started gaining ground in extra-quranic circles, it gradually started shaping the understanding of the quranic word ruh. Strangely, to corroborate the view that ruh in the Quran means soul, the verse that has been adduced the most is Q Isra’ 17:85 ("They ask you about ruh..."),

4420-477: The very verse that seems to say that ruh is unknowable to humans. Through the distorted prism of equating a non-quranic notion with a quranic word, ruh gradually ceased to be the elusive being known only to God, and even became the divine spark that eventually set humans apart from other animals. It should of course be noted that the process described here is gradual and long. This precludes the possibility of pinpointing any exact transitional points, or even identifying

4488-473: The words in the Quran, "no one can alter them, distort them or misinterpret them." In verses 32–44, the surah discusses a parable of two men, one of whom had been given blessings from God and the other poor. The rich one wronged his soul and started showing off with his wealth and noble lineage. And he had fruit, so he said to his companion while he was conversing with him, "I am greater than you in wealth and mightier in [numbers of] men." Verse 36 explains that

4556-452: The year 252 until 448). Other calculations suggest 195. The Qu'ran in regard to the duration of the sleep only mentions the conflicting numbers that people assigned, in Surah 18:25-26, which states, "They remained in the Cave for three hundred years; and others added nine more years. / Say: 'Allah knows best how long they remained in it, for only He knows all that is hidden in the heavens and

4624-416: Was the eighth." Say, O Prophet, "My Lord knows best their exact number. Only a few people know as well." So do not argue about them except with sure knowledge, nor consult any of those who debate about them. The number of years the sleepers slept also varies between accounts. The highest number, given by Gregory of Tours, was 373 years. Some accounts have 372. Jacobus de Voragine calculated it at 196 (from

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