Why didn't the People of the Cave emerge good-looking after such a long period, even though they were young men who believed in Allah the Almighty, as stated in His saying: "If you had looked at them, you would have surely turned away from them in flight and been filled with terror of them"?

The verse does not imply that the condition of the People of the Cave upon their emergence was unsightly; rather, Allah preserved them with awe and majesty that He cast upon them, such that anyone who saw them would turn away in terror. Scholars have interpreted this by saying that Allah cast dread upon them so that no one would approach them, touch them, or see their eyes. This was for their preservation and to demonstrate His immense power. Therefore, their appearance upon awakening was familiar, and their sight was not unsightly. Rather, the awe cast upon them is what caused people to flee from them.