The Cave (Al-Kahf)
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
All praise is to Allah Who sent down the Book upon His bondman, and has not kept any deviation in it. 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 Wherein they will abide for ever; 3 And to warn those who say “Allah has chosen a child.” 4 they have no knowledge of it, they nor their fathers; a monstrous word it is, issuing out of their mouths; they say nothing but a lie. 5 Thou wouldst only, perchance, fret thyself to death, following after them, in grief, if they believe not in this Message. 6 That which is on earth we have made but as a glittering show for the earth, in order that We may test them - as to which of them are best in conduct. 7 and We shall surely make all that is on it barren dust. 8 Or deemest thou that the People of the Cave and the Inscription are a wonder among Our portents? 9 Recall what time the youths betook themselves to the cave, then said: our Lord! vouchsafe unto us mercy from before Thee, and prepare for us in our affair a right course. 10 We lulled them to sleep in that 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