The Cave (Al-Kahf)
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful
Praise belongs to God who has sent down upon His servant the Book and has not assigned unto it any crookedness; 1 (He has made it) Straight to give warning (to the disbelievers) of a severe punishment from Him, and to give glad tidings to the believers (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism), who work righteous deeds, that they shall have a fair reward (i.e. Paradise). 2 wherein they shall remain forever, 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 Yet perchance, if they do not believe in this tiding, you will consume yourself with grief and follow after them. 6 We have appointed all that is on the earth an adornment for it, in order that We try which of them is finest in works. 7 And indeed, We will make that which is upon it [into] a barren ground. 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 sought refuge in the Cave and said: "Our Lord! Grant us mercy from Yourself and provide for us rectitude in our affairs." 10 We sealed off their ears in the cave for a number of years, 11 Then We awakened them that We might show which of the two factions was most precise in calculating what [extent] they had remained in time. 12