﴿ سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلَٰثَةٌۭ رَّابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌۭ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًۢا بِٱلْغَيْبِ ۖ وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌۭ وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ ۚ قُل رَّبِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِم مَّا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌۭ ۗ فَلَا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلَّا مِرَآءًۭ ظَٰهِرًۭا وَلَا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِم مِّنْهُمْ أَحَدًۭا ﴾

“[And in times to come] some will say, "[They were] three, the fourth of them being their dog," while others will say, "Five, with their dog as the sixth of them" -idly guessing at something of which they can have no knowledge -and [so on, until] some will say, "[They were] seven, the eighth of them being their dog." Say: "My Sustainer knows best how many they were. None but a few have any [real] knowledge of them. Hence, do not argue about them otherwise than by way of an obvious argument, and do not ask any of those [story-tellers] to enlighten thee about them."”

((Some) will say) the Christians of Najran, al-Sayyid and his followers who were Nestorians, will say: (They were three) they were three young men in the Cave, (their dog) Qatmir (the fourth, and (some) say) al-'Aqib and his followers who were Jacobite Christians will say: (Five) they were five young men, (their dog the sixth, guessing at random) without having definite knowledge; (and (some) say) the followers of al-Malik who were Melkites: (Seven) they were seven young men, (and their dog the eighth. Say) to them, O Muhammad: (My Lord is best aware of their number. None knoweth them save a few) among the believers. Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him and with his father, said: " I am among those few: they were eight young men, and the dog ". (So contend not concerning them) so do not argue with them concerning the number of the sleepers of the Cave (except with an outward contending) unless you recite the Qur'an to them outwardly, (and ask not any of them to pronounce concerning them) do not ask any one of them about their number; enough is what Allah has clarified to you.