The Cave (Al-Kahf)
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the 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 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 shall abide for ever; 3 Furthermore, [this divine writ is meant] to warn all those who assert, "God has taken unto Himself a son." 4 No knowledge have they of such a thing, nor had their fathers. Mighty is the word that comes out of their mouths [i.e. He begot (took) sons and daughters]. They utter nothing but a lie. 5 Possibly you may risk your life by grieving (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) for them if they do not believe in this narration. 6 We have adorned the earth with attractive things, so that We may test mankind as to which one is best in conduct, 7 but We shall reduce all this to barren waste. 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 We then thumped upon their ears in the Cave for a number of years. (* Put them to sleep.) 11 Thereafter We raised them up that We might know which of the two parties was best at reckoning the time that they had tarried. 12