The Story of the Three Men in the Cave

Yesterday, October 15, I turn 58 years old.

I reflected on the number 58 and noticed that it is made up of two numbers: 5 and 8. The number 5 reminds me of the five daily prayers, and the number 8 reminds me of the eight gates of Paradise.

I ask Allah to make us among those who faithfully guard their prayers and among those who will enter Paradise through any of its eight gates.

I thought about all my life, and then the idea of this Hadith came to my mind.

“The Story of the Three Men in the Cave”

Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

Three men from among the people who lived before you were traveling. When night came, they found a cave and went inside to spend the night.

Suddenly, a large rock fell down from the mountain and blocked the entrance of the cave. They were trapped inside.

They said to one another, “Nothing can save us from this rock except asking Allah through our good deeds.”

The First Man: Being Kind to His Parents

The first man said:

“O Allah, I had two elderly parents, and I always gave them milk to drink before giving it to my wife, children, or anyone else in my household.

One day, I went far away to gather wood, and I returned late. By the time I came home, my parents were already asleep.

I milked the animals and brought their evening milk to them, but I did not want to wake them up. I also did not want to give the milk to my family before my parents.

So I stood there, holding the milk in my hands, waiting for them to wake up. My children were crying from hunger at my feet, but I stayed there until dawn.

Finally, my parents woke up and drank their milk.

O Allah, if I did this only to please You, then please remove our trouble and save us from this rock.”

The rock moved a little, but they still could not get out.

The Second Man: Staying Away from Sin

The second man said:

“O Allah, I had a cousin whom I loved very much. I wanted to have a sexual relationship with her, but she refused.

Later, a difficult time came, and she needed money. She came to me, and I gave her 120 gold coins on the condition that she would allow me to have a sexual relationship with her.

She agreed. But when I was about to be with her, she said, ‘Fear Allah, and do not take my virginity unlawfully.’

So I left her alone, even though I had the chance to do what I wanted. I also let her keep the money I had given her.

O Allah, if I did this only to please You, then please remove our trouble and save us from this rock.”

The rock moved again, but they still could not get out.

The Third Man: Being Honest and Fair

The third man said:

“O Allah, I once hired some workers and paid all of them their wages, except for one man who left before collecting his payment.

I invested his money for him, and it grew until it became a great amount of wealth.

After some time, the man came back and said, ‘O servant of Allah, give me my wages.’

I told him, ‘Everything you see here belongs to you: the camels, the cows, the sheep, and the servants.’

He said, ‘O servant of Allah, do not make fun of me!’

I replied, ‘I am not making fun of you.’

So he took all the wealth and left with it, without leaving anything behind.

O Allah, if I did this only to please You, then please remove our trouble and save us from this rock.”

Then the rock moved completely, the entrance opened, and the three men walked out safely.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ told this story in authentic narrations recorded by both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.

Each one of us should look back at the video of our life and ask: Do I have a good deed that I did sincerely for the sake of Allah, which I could call upon Him with if I were in the same situation? Would Allah answer my prayer because of that deed?