where the treasure is. Yamleekha said, ‘There is no treasure. This is our money.’ The king said, ‘What you are saying is totally unbelievable because the year mentioned on this coin is more than three hundred years ago and you are still young. We are old but we didn’t see this coin ever.’ Yamleekha رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ said: ‘If you answer my questions truly, the matter will be resolved. Tell me, how is the king Daqiyanoos?’ The ruler replied, ‘Today, there isn’t any king with this name in the world. However, hundreds of years ago, there was a dishonest king with this name.’ Yamleekha رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ stated, ‘It was yesterday when, due to his fear, we fled to protect our lives. My companions are in a cave that is in the nearby mountain. You people come with me. I will make you meet them.’ Therefore, the ruler and chiefs of the city reached near the cave in large numbers. The companions in the cave were waiting for Yamleekha. Seeing the delay in his return, they presumed that Yamleekha might have been arrested. When they heard the noise of people coming at the entrance of the cave, they thought that perhaps the army of Daqiyanoos had arrived to arrest them. Therefore, these people became occupied with the Hamd of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ.

In the meantime, the people of the city reached and Yamleekha related the whole story to the remaining personages of the cave. These personages understood that they had been sleeping for such a long time (for more than 300 hundred years) and that they had been awakened so that they could become the evidence and sign of resurrection for the people.

When the ruler reached the corner of the cave, he saw a copper box. The box was opened, and a wooden board was found containing the names of Ashab-e-Kahf and their dog. (Siraat-ul-Jinaan, vol. 5, pp. 542)

Number of companions of the cave and their blessed names

‘Allamah ‘Abdul Mustafa A’zami رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه has stated that when there arose the conflict of opinion amongst the people regarding the number of Ashab-e-Kahf رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ تَـعَـالٰی عَـنْـهُم; the following blessed Ayah was revealed: