The Cave (Al-Kahf)
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Praise belongs to God who has sent down upon His servant the Book and has not assigned unto it 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 that it may warn those who say: God hath taken a son. 4 Surely, of this they have no knowledge, neither they nor their fathers; it is a monstrous word that comes from their mouths, they say nothing but a lie. 5 Yet perchance, if they do not believe in this tiding, you will consume yourself with grief and follow after them. 6 We have made whatever exists on the earth its adornment to test and try them (and) know who acts better; 7 and, verily, [in time] We shall reduce all that is on it to barren dust! 8 Or dost thou reflect that the Companions of the Cave and of the Inscription were wonders among Our Sign? 9 When the young men sought refuge in the cave, they said, "Our Lord, grant us Your special mercy and give us right guidance in our affair." 10 We sealed their ears in the cave for a number of years. 11 Then We raised them up that We might know which of the two parties was best able to compute the time for which they remained. 12