The Cave (Al-Kahf)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Praise be to God who has sent down to His servant -- the Book, which is free from any ambiguity 1 Rightly directing, that he might give warning of severe punishment from Him and give good news to the believers who do good that they shall have a goodly reward, 2 Wherein they shall remain for ever: 3 Furthermore, [this divine writ is meant] to warn all those who assert, "God has taken unto Himself a son." 4 (A thing) whereof they have no knowledge, nor (had) their fathers, Dreadful is the word that cometh out of their mouths. They speak naught but a lie. 5 Yet perchance, if they believe not in this tiding, thou wilt consume thyself, following after them, of grief. 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 And lo! We shall make all that is thereon a barren mound. 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 young men took shelter in the cave, and prayed: "O Lord, grant us Your favour and dispose our affair aright," 10 We then thumped upon their ears in the Cave for a number of years. (* Put them to sleep.) 11 Then We roused them to find out which of the party had the correct account of the duration of their sleep in the cave. 12