The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus

August 4 (as well as October 22) commemorates the “Seven Sleepers of Ephesus” in the Orthodox church. What is the story of these sleepers? And why are they also in the Quran?

The names of the youths varies, depending on the traditions/translations, but according to the OCA’s page (link HERE), their names were Maximilian, Iamblicus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus (Constantine) and Antoninus. They were youths who lived in Ephesus (located in what is now modern day Turkey) during the third century. The gist of the story is that Emperor Decius (whose reign was between 249-251 AD) came to the area and was demanding the people offer sacrifices to the pagan gods.

If you denied this request, you would have been tortured and/or killed. These youths were part of the military at the time and had been “snitched” out that they were going to refuse to do this. They were reprimanded but let free with the hope they would change their minds. They did not. Instead they went and hid into a cave. This information came back to Decius and he ordered the cave to be sealed. The youths were thus trapped but rather they dying they went into a miraculous sleep that lasted for around 200 years.

Jump forward to the reign of Emperor Theodosius II (402-450), there was a debate going on through some circles in regards to the resurrection of the body. A local farmer happened to open the cave in which the youths were sealed (located on Mount Ochlon, which there is a church on that site and you can read about it HERE). These youths came out of the cave thinking they just woke up from a regular amount of sleep. They were amazed at the site of various Christian sightings throughout the town. Remember, the religion was illegal when they fell asleep but when they awoke, it was the religion of the empire. They were given an audience with Theodosius and after telling their story, they fell into the eternal sleep (hence the two feast days, the October date being the second falling asleep).

The earliest manuscripts of this story date back to the fifth century and survive in various languages. Like a lot of early stories about saints, the historicity of this event is widely debated and is mainly seen as legend. I have mentioned this before on my blog but the historical aspect of a person/story is not as important as the lesson(s) one can learn from these tales. Even if that person(s) was not real, the egregore is if people keep retelling the story and learn from it. The story of the seven youths is obviously about verifying the resurrection of the body. Now what is interesting of this story is that it made it’s way into the Quran!

Surah 18 Al-Kahf (the cave) speaks of their story.

18:9  Have you ˹O Prophet˺ thought that the people of the cave and the plaque were ˹the only˺ wonders of Our signs?

18:10  ˹Remember˺ when those youths took refuge in the cave, and said, “Our Lord! Grant us mercy from Yourself and guide us rightly through our ordeal.”

18:11  So We caused them to fall into a dead sleep in the cave for many years,

18:12  then We raised them so We may show which of the two groups would make a better estimation of the length of their stay.

18:13  We relate to you ˹O Prophet˺ their story in truth. They were youths who truly believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.

18:14  And We strengthened their hearts when they stood up and declared, “Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We will never call upon any god besides Him, or we would truly be uttering an outrageous lie.”

18:15  ˹Then they said to one another,˺ “These people of ours have taken gods besides Him. Why do they not produce a clear proof of them? Who then does more wrong than those who fabricate lies against Allah?

18:16  Since you have distanced yourselves from them and what they worship besides Allah, take refuge in the cave. Your Lord will extend His mercy to you and accommodate you in your ordeal.”

18:17  And you would have seen the sun, as it rose, inclining away from their cave to the right, and as it set, declining away from them to the left, while they lay in its open space. That is one of the signs of Allah. Whoever Allah guides is truly guided. But whoever He leaves to stray, you will never find for them a guiding mentor.

18:18  And you would have thought they were awake, though they were asleep. We turned them over, to the right and left, while their dog stretched his forelegs at the entrance. Had you looked at them, you would have certainly fled away from them, filled with horror.

18:19  And so We awakened them so that they might question one another. One of them exclaimed, “How long have you remained ˹asleep˺?” Some replied, “Perhaps a day, or part of a day.” They said ˹to one another˺, “Your Lord knows best how long you have remained. So send one of you with these silver coins of yours to the city, and let him find which food is the purest, and then bring you provisions from it. Let him be ˹exceptionally˺ cautious, and do not let him give you away.

18:20  For, indeed, if they find out about you, they will stone you ˹to death˺, or force you back into their faith, and then you will never succeed.”

18:21  That is how We caused them to be discovered so that their people might know that Allah’s promise ˹of resurrection˺ is true and that there is no doubt about the Hour. When the people disputed with each other about the case of the youth ˹after their death˺, some proposed, “Build a structure around them. Their Lord knows best about them.” Those who prevailed in the matter said, “We will surely build a place of worship over them.”

18:22  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 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.

18:23  And never say of anything, “I will definitely do this tomorrow,”

18:24  without adding, “if Allah so wills!” But if you forget, then remember your Lord, and say, “I trust my Lord will guide me to what is more right than this.”

18:25  They had remained in their cave for three hundred years, adding nine.

18:26  Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Allah knows best how long they stayed. With Him ˹alone˺ is ˹the knowledge of˺ the unseen of the heavens and the earth. How perfectly He hears and sees! They have no guardian besides Him, and He shares His command with none.”

First off, I like the inclusion of their dog being with them! If I was going to be in a cave for several hundred years, I’d like to have my dogs with me. Also note that the time span is a bit longer and that the number of sleepers is debated. That being said, the end lesson is the same with that being of the resurrection of the body. I always like comparing stories from Christianity to Islam. I have written before on this subject and will do some more in the future. This is an instance where the two stories are pretty close.

I hope this post enlightens you especially if you never heard of these seven sleepers. Let it be know one can pray to these sleepers to ask for intercession if you have insomnia. 😉

Quran translation from Surah Al-Kahf: Read, Listen and Study the Full Chapter – Quran.com

Icons presented in this post are 18th century Russian based.

bP