The Cave (Al-Kahf)
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful
Praise be to Allah, Who hath sent to His Servant the Book, and hath allowed therein no Crookedness: 1 (But hath made it) straight, to give warning of stern punishment from Him, and to bring unto the believers who do good works the news that theirs will be a fair reward, 2 In which they will abide forever. 3 And warn those who say: Allah has taken a son. 4 they have no knowledge of it, they nor their fathers; a monstrous word it is, issuing out of their mouths; they say nothing but a lie. 5 Yet it may be, if they believe not in this statement, that thou (Muhammad) wilt torment thy soul with grief over their footsteps. 6 We have made whatever exists on the earth its adornment to test and try them (and) know who acts better; 7 We will surely reduce all that is on it to barren dust. 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 [Mention] when the youths retreated to the cave and said, "Our Lord, grant us from Yourself mercy and prepare for us from our affair right guidance." 10 Then We sealed up their hearing 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