Q: Surah Al-Kahf, 18:18 reads as follows: And you would have thought them awake, whereas they were asleep. And We turned them on their right and on their left sides, and their dog stretching forth his two forelegs at the entrance [of the Cave or in the space near to the entrance of the Cave (as a guard at the gate)]. Some people say that it means that Christians will rise up after falling behind, leading to the beginning of the colonial era, and that they will be accustomed to rearing dogs.

A: The Qur'an was revealed in the Arabic language and through this we can understand its purpose and the explanation of its meanings. The context is telling us the story of the People of the Cave, and the wording, and the reason behind the revelation of the verses indicate that it is narrating the historical truth about a group of people from the Children of Israel. They were sincere believers in Allah Alone, who worshipped only Him. They were, therefore, persecuted by the Kafirs (disbelievers) among their people, as they were a weak minority. There are also other meanings that this story indicates to those who read it including that it was revealed regarding a previous group of believers. So those who interpret it to mean that Christian people will rise have not taken note of the conditions, and have obstinately followed their own desires, belying their Lord and attributing false claims and conjecture to the Qur'an, historical facts, and Allah's Words without knowledge.