The Role of Christian Background in Understanding the Quranic Story of the "Companions of the Cave"

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Associate Professor, Department of Quranic Sciences and Hadith, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

To understand the Quranic story of the Companions of the Cave, different aspects sometimes emerge necessary to be known and selected. Thus, Quranic interpreters need enough evidence to choose a specific aspect. In this regard, the Christian background of the "Companions of the Cave" story can serve to understand the narrative. According to the findings of the present research, the Christian background of the story confirms that in the Quranic narrative, "al-Raqim" means "inscription engraved on a tablet". The expression "azka ta'aman" indicates "food not sacrificed to false gods". The verb "li-ya'lamu" refers to the people of the city of the Companions of the Cave. The disputants about the number of the Companions of the Cave were Christians, and, according to the contrary concept of "rajman bil-ghayb", the inhabitants of the cave were seven. Examining these five points reveals the role of knowing the Christian background of the "Companions of the Cave" story in understanding the verses of the Quran. On the other hand, sometimes certain aspects of this Christian background do not match the apparent meaning of the Quranic verses. The concepts "standing" and "disputing" in the two expressions "idh qamu" and "idh yatanaza'un" are the examples of this mismatch.

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