Legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus
c. c. 450 – c. 600
Place: ephesus
37.941, 27.342 · On the map
The text parallel is attested. Griffith argues the Qur'an reshapes the Syriac story for its own audience; the way it was transmitted is a hypothesis. Coordinates are Ephesus (the traditional grotto lies just outside the city).
In this legend, young Christians walled into a cave near Ephesus during the persecution under Decius wake up two centuries later under a Christian emperor, as proof of the resurrection. It spread quickly in Syriac (a homily by Jacob of Serugh) and Greek. Sura 18:9–26 tells the story of the 'Companions of the Cave' and adds commentary on arguments about how many they were and how long they slept.
People named here
- Jacob of Serugh
- Theodosius II
Where scholars disagree
For
- Sidney H. Griffith — 'Christian Lore and the Arabic Qur'an' (2008); JIQSA 2021
Against
No names on this side.
Links
Text and wording
Out
Qur'an, Sura 18 (al-Kahf): Companions of the Cave and Dhu al-Qarnayn
Companions of the Cave (Q 18:9–26), retold with commentary on disputes about their number.
text_parallel
attested
Report and reading
In
Jacob wrote a verse homily on the Seven Sleepers.
authored
attested
Sources
- Sidney H. Griffith, 'Christian Lore and the Arabic Qur'an: The Companions of the Cave in Surat al-Kahf and in Syriac Christian Tradition', in G. S. Reynolds (ed.), The Qur'an in Its Historical Context (2008)
Routledge. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Qur'an, Surat al-Kahf (18)
Quran.com. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Wikipedia: Seven Sleepers
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.