The Cave (Al-Kahf)
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
ALL PRAISE is due to God, who has bestowed this divine writ from on high upon His servant, and has not allowed any deviousness to obscure its meaning: 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 to warn those (Jews, Christians, and pagans) who say, "Allah has begotten a son (or offspring or children)." 4 No knowledge whatever have they of Him, and neither had their forefathers: dreadful - is this saying that comes out of their mouths, [and] nothing but falsehood do they utter! 5 Haply thou art going to kill thyself over their footsteps, if they believe not in this discourse, out of sorrow. 6 Verily! We have made that which is on earth as an adornment for it, in order that We may test them (mankind) as to which of them are best in deeds. [i.e. those who do good deeds in the most perfect manner, that means to do them (deeds) totally for Allah's sake and in accordance to the legal ways of the Prophet SAW]. 7 And indeed, We will make that which is upon it [into] a barren ground. 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 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 woke them up again so that We might see which of the two groups would better calculate the time they had stayed there. 12