Question:
I listened to one of your Friday sermons. You mentioned the verse from Surah Al-Kahf (18:25) about the people of the cave staying 300 years. But in the next verse (18:26), Allahﷻ says: “Say: Allahﷻ knows best how long they remained. To Him belongs the unseen of the heavens and the earth.” So why did you mention 300 years as definite when the Qur’an says only Allahﷻ knows? Was this a mistake, or should we take it as 300 or 309 years?
Answer:
In my sermon, I was not trying to specify the exact number of years. My point was that whether they slept for 300 years or 309 years, they had no knowledge of what happened during that time. This was to illustrate that the dead have no knowledge of what happens in this world. I did not intend to assert the number as a theological fact.
The Qur’an mentions both the 300 and 309, but the deeper point is that only Allahﷻ knows the unseen. Your observation is correct—if someone is quoting precisely, it should be noted that there is a difference in opinion, and the exact number is known only to Allahﷻ. My usage was for illustrative purpose, not to finalize the number.