The third then said, “O Allah, I once hired some laborers and paid each of them his wage, save one man who left without taking what was due to him. I invested his wages, and they grew until they became a sizeable fortune. After some time he returned and said, ‘Servant of Allah, hand me my wages.’ I told him, ‘Everything you see before you—these camels, cattle, sheep, and servants—has come from your wages.’ He protested, ‘Servant of Allah, do not make fun of me!’ I replied, ‘I am not mocking you.’ He thereupon took everything and drove it all away, leaving nothing behind. O Allah, if I did that solely seeking Your Face, then relieve us of the hardship we are in.” The rock opened completely, and they walked out. (Agreed upon)

[Explanation]
His statement, “Three men set out,” means three adult males. “Nightfall forced them to seek shelter, so they entered a cave”—that is, they went inside to spend the night. A cave is a hollow in a mountain into which people enter to lodge or to shield themselves from the sun and similar needs. When night compelled them, they entered this cave, but they could not shift the boulder because it was enormous. They therefore resolved to seek nearness to Allah—Exalted is He—by means of their righteous deeds. One of them cited his perfect devotion to his parents, the second his complete chastity, and the third his scrupulous honesty and sincerity.