The Dog That Didn't Turn

This incident sheds light on a very thought-provoking detail in Surah Al-Kahf

Question:

Why is the dog mentioned as "spreading its forelegs" in Surah Al-Kahf? And when the Companions of the Cave were turning to their right and left sides, why wasn't the dog turning?

Many of us may have recited Surah Al-Kahf hundreds of times, but perhaps we have never pondered why the Quran does not mention the dog turning even though we are told that the Companions of the Cave were turned from right to left so that wounds or decay would not develop on their bodies.

A German medical scientist said:

"One day I was traveling when a young man approached me and presented me with a translated copy of the Holy Quran. I expressed my thanks and put it in my pocket, intending to discard it in the trash without embarrassing the young man after he left.

I forgot about it and boarded the plane. The flight was long and boring, I remembered the copy in my pocket, so I took it out and began turning its pages. My eyes fell upon Surah Al-Kahf, so I started reading, and two verses caught my attention:"

Allah Almighty says:

"And you would see the sun, when it rose, declining to the right from their Cave, and when it set, turning away from them to the left, while they lay in the midst of the Cave. That is from the signs of Allah. He whom Allah guides is rightly guided; but he whom He leaves to stray, for him you will find no protecting friend to lead him to the Right Way." (Surah Al-Kahf, 18:17)

And then:

"And you would have thought them awake, while 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. Had you looked at them, you would certainly have turned back from them in flight, and would certainly have been filled with awe of them." (Surah Al-Kahf, 18:18)

The doctor said:

“It makes sense that they were being turned during their sleep so that wounds or decay would not form on their bodies, because they remained in the same position for a long time.

But what amazed me was the previous verse which stated that sunlight entered the cave, but did not fall directly upon their bodies.” This means that the sun's rays came into the cave daily but did not touch them directly.

The doctor said:

“Medically, it is proven that if a patient has to remain in the same position for a long period, the area must be ventilated and have indirect sunlight to prevent bedsores or decay on the back or body, but direct sunlight should not fall on it.” Then, when he pondered the next verse, he realized that indeed, moving the body during sleep prevents wounds and decay.

But what utterly astonished him was that the dog was not being turned it was only at the entrance of the cave with its forelegs outstretched, for 309 years yet its body did not decay or rot!

This prompted the German doctor to research further.

He studied the physiology of dogs and amazingly discovered that dogs have glands beneath their skin that secrete a specific substance this substance prevents wounds or decay from developing in the body as long as the dog is alive, even if it does not move. This is why the dog of the Companions of the Cave did not need to be turned. This very Quranic miracle became the reason for this German scientist's acceptance of Islam.

The point of the narrative:

The most astonishing thing is that this non-Muslim scientist noticed these points the very first time he read Surah Al-Kahf, while how many of us read the Quran daily but do not reflect!

Allah Almighty Himself said in the Quran:

"[This is] a blessed Book which we have revealed to you, that they might reflect upon its verses, and that those of understanding would be reminded."