The Cave (Al-Kahf)
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance. 1 [a divine writ] unerringly straight, meant to warn [the godless] of a severe punishment from Him, and to give unto the believers who do good works the glad tiding that theirs shall be a goodly reward 2 wherein they shall remain forever, 3 And to warn those who say “Allah has chosen a child.” 4 They have no knowledge of it, nor had their fathers; a grievous word it is that comes out of their mouths; they speak nothing but a lie. 5 Yet perchance, if they believe not in this tiding, thou wilt consume thyself, following after them, of grief. 6 We have appointed all that is on the earth for an adornment for it, and that We may try which of them is fairest in works; 7 And indeed, We will make that which is upon it [into] a barren ground. 8 Or have you thought that the companions of the cave and the inscription were, among Our signs, a wonder? 9 When the young men sought refuge in the cave, they said, "Our Lord, grant us Your special mercy and give us right guidance in our affair." 10 So We prevented them from hearing in the cave for a number of years. 11 Then We roused them, in order to test which of the two parties was best at calculating the term of years they had tarried! 12