The Cave (Al-Kahf)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise unto Allah who hath sent down unto His bondman the Book, and hath not placed therein any crookedness. 1 [a divine writ] unerringly straight, meant to warn [the godless] of a severe punishment from Him, and to give unto the believers who do good works the glad tiding that theirs shall be a goodly reward 2 [a state of bliss] in which they shall dwell beyond the count of time. 3 and also to warn those who say: "Allah has taken to Himself a son," 4 No knowledge thereof have they, nor had their fathers. Odious is the word that cometh out of their mouths; they say not but a lie. 5 Yet perchance, if they believe not in this tiding, thou wilt consume thyself, following after them, of grief. 6 Indeed, We have made that which is on the earth adornment for it that We may test them [as to] which of them is best in deed. 7 And lo! We shall make all that is thereon a barren mound. 8 Or dost thou think the Men of the Cave and Er-Rakeem were among Our signs a wonder? 9 When the youth sought refuge in the cave they prayed "Lord, grant us mercy and help us to get out of this trouble in a righteous way". 10 So We cast [a cover of sleep] over their ears within the cave for a number of years. 11 Then We roused them to find out which of the party had the correct account of the duration of their sleep in the cave. 12