The Cave (Al-Kahf)
In the name of God, The Most Gracious, The Dispenser of Grace
Praise be to Allah Who hath revealed the Scripture unto His slave, 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 They will abide therein for ever. 3 And that it may warn those who say: "God has begotten a son." 4 They have no knowledge of this, nor did their forefathers have any either. What they say is monstrous: they are merely uttering falsehoods! 5 But wouldst thou, perhaps, torment thyself to death with grief over them if they are not willing to believe in this message? 6 Verily We have made whatsoever is on the earth as an adornment thereof, that We may prove them - which of them is best in work. 7 Verily what is on earth we shall make but as dust and dry soil (without growth or herbage). 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 youths took refuge in the Cave saying, 'Our lord, give us mercy from Thee, and furnish us with rectitude in our affair.' 10 Wherefore We put a covering over their ears in the cave for a number of years. 11 and then We awakened them: [and We did all this] so that We might mark out [to the world] which of the two points of view showed a better comprehension of the time-span during which they had remained in this state. 12