The young men wanted to hide their belief till the time they...

The young men wanted to hide their belief till the time they could get some more people having similar opinion but Daqyanoos become informed of their intentions. As this was an extremely wonderful and interesting story its description varied from mouth to mouth which was against truth to some extent so the verses through which Almighty God described it in the Holy Quran are thus: When the youths sought refuge in the cave, they said: Our Lord!

Grant us mercy from Thee, and provide for us a right course in our affair. So We prevented them from hearing in the cave for a number of years. Then We raised them up that We might know which of the two parties was best able to compute the time for which they remained. We relate to you their story with the truth; surely they were youths who believed in their Lord and We increased them in guidance. [1] Daqyanoos summoned the youths to his court and asked, “What is the matter with you?

I have heard that you have stopped worshipping idols, which are gods. Are you worshipping any other deity?” At this time Almighty Allah strengthened the hearts of the youths. They stood up fearlessly in front of the cruel king and said, “Our God is the God of the skies and the earth. We recognize no other God except the Only One God. This is truth. Everything else is untrue. O King! You see that our community does not worship the only true God.

They are worshipping other gods and blindly following their forefathers. This is sheer ignorance. They have no clear evidence in support of idol worship.” Daqyanoos could not give any logical answer to what the youths said. He also noted that they belonged to a great noble family of the city. So he granted them a day’s respite and said, “Return now and ponder over for a night about your future.

Come here again after a day and explain your decision so that necessary action may be taken according to the prevalent law and political exigency.” [1] Surah Kahf 18:10-13 When the faithful and courageous youths came out of the cruel king’s court they perceived risk to both their faith and their lives.

So they left the city in the darkness of night and headed for a far off cave, which was already in their mind for hiding where they would be able to rest and think about future action in the light of Divine Revelation. It was a silent and safe corner where they could live calmly. On their way to the cave they met a shepherd with his sheep. He also believed in idol-worship like all others in the society.