Thou wouldst have deemed them awake, whilst they were asleep, and We turned them on their right and on their left sides: their dog stretching forth his two fore-legs on the threshold: if thou hadst come up on to them, thou wouldst have certainly turned back from them in flight, and wouldst certainly have been filled with terror of them. 18 Likewise, We roused them in a miraculous way that they might question one another. One of them asked: "How long did you remain (in this state)?" The others said: "We remained so for a day or part of a day." Then they said: "Your Lord knows better how long we remained in this state. Now send one of you to the city with this coin of yours and let him see who has the best food, and let him buy some provisions from there. Let him be cautious and not inform anyone of our whereabouts. 19 For, if they appear in front of you, they will stone you to death or restore you to their religion. Then you will never prosper' 20 And this is how We made them known for people to know that the promise of Allah is true and that there is no doubt concerning the Last Day; when the people began disputing among themselves regarding them, they said, “Construct a building over their cave”; their Lord well knows them; those who dominated in this matter said, “We promise we will build a mosque over them.” 21 Some will say: 'They were three; their dog was the fourth' Others, guessing at the Unseen, will say: 'They were five and their dog was the sixth' And yet others: 'Seven; their dog was the eighth' Say: 'My Lord knows best their number. Except for a few none know their number' Therefore, do not dispute with them except in outward disputation, and do not ask any of them concerning them. 22