The Cave (Al-Kahf)
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Praise be to Allah Who has revealed to His servant the Book devoid of all crookedness; 1 A just Book, to warn of Allah’s severe punishment, and to give glad tidings to the believers who do good deeds, that for them is an excellent reward. 2 Wherein they will abide for ever; 3 And warn those who say: Allah has taken a son. 4 They do not have any knowledge of it – nor did their forefathers; profound is the word that comes out of their mouths; they only speak a lie. 5 Will you kill yourself for grief of them if they do not believe in this presentation? 6 We have appointed all that is on the earth for an adornment for it, and that We may try which of them is fairest in works; 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 those youths took refuge in the cave, they prayed: "O our Sustainer! Bestow on us grace from Thyself, and endow us, whatever our [outward] condition, with consciousness of what is right!" 10 And thereupon We veiled their ears in the cave for many a year, 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