It is We who relate to you, [O Muhammad], their story in truth. Indeed, they were youths who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance. 13 And We made their hearts steadfast when they stood up and said, “Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth – we shall not worship any other deity except Him – if it were, we have then said something excessive.” 14 "These our people have taken for worship gods other than Him: why do they not bring forward an authority clear (and convincing) for what they do? Who doth more wrong than such as invent a falsehood against Allah? 15 [The youths said to one another], "And when you have withdrawn from them and that which they worship other than Allah, retreat to the cave. Your Lord will spread out for you of His mercy and will prepare for you from your affair facility." 16 ۞ And [for many a year] thou might have seen the sun, on its rising, incline away from their cave on the right, and on its setting, turn aside from them on the left, while they lived on in that spacious chamber, [bearing witness to] this of God's messages: He whom God guides, he alone has found the right way; whereas for him whom He lets go astray thou canst never find any protector who would point out the right way. 17