Texts of Islam

The Prophets, Their Lives and Their Stories: `Uzair (Ezra) Iramyâ' (Jeremiah): People of The Cave and The Inscription (Seven Sleepers of Ephesus)

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This is a Islamic religious narrative text, specifically an exegetical commentary drawing on hadith traditions and Quranic interpretation, centered on the story of the "People of the Cave" (Ashab al-Kahf) from Surah Al-Kahf. The text retells the legend of seven young men — identified with the Christian "Seven Sleepers of Ephesus" — who flee a tyrannical Roman ruler (the king Decius) and miraculously sleep in a cave for 309 years before awakening in a Christianized city. A distinctive feature is the narrative's framing through Shia Islamic tradition: the story is relayed via the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib responding to questions from Jewish rabbis, who confirm that his account matches their Torah exactly, which serves as an argument for Ali's divinely-granted knowledge and Muhammad's prophethood. The text also addresses the mysterious "Inscription" (Al-Raqeem) of the Quranic verse, offering multiple scholarly interpretations of whether it refers to copper tablets, a valley name, or a village. A secondary story is introduced distinguishing a separate group of three men trapped in a cave who are freed through sincere prayer — a tale not found in the Quran but preserved in Shia hadith attributed to Imam al-Sadiq.

The Prophets, Their Lives and Their Stories: `Uzair (Ezra) Iramyâ' (Jeremiah): People of The Cave and The Inscription (Seven Sleepers of Ephesus)

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