The Cave (Al-Kahf)
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
All praise is to Allah Who sent down the Book upon His bondman, and has not kept any deviation in it. 1 an unerringly Straight Book, meant to warn of a stern punishment from Allah, and to proclaim, to those who believe and work righteous deeds, the tiding that theirs shall be a good reward 2 and they will live for ever therein. 3 And to warn those who say “Allah has chosen a child.” 4 No knowledge have they of such a thing, nor had their fathers. Mighty is the word that comes out of their mouths [i.e. He begot (took) sons and daughters]. They utter nothing but a lie. 5 Then maybe you will kill yourself with grief, sorrowing after them, if they do not believe in this announcement. 6 Behold, We have willed that all beauty on earth be a means by which We put men to a test, [showing] which of them are best in conduct; 7 and, verily, [in time] We shall reduce all that is on it to barren dust! 8 [AND SINCE the life of this world is but a test, dost thou [really] think that [the parable of] the Men of the Cave and of [their devotion to] the scriptures could be deemed more wondrous than any [other] of Our messages? 9 When the young men fled for refuge to the Cave and said: Our Lord! Give us mercy from Thy presence, and shape for us right conduct in our plight. 10 For many years We sealed up their hearing in the Cave, 11 Then We roused them, in order to test which of the two parties was best at calculating the term of years they had tarried! 12