The Cave (Al-Kahf)
Allah - beginning with the name of - the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
ALL PRAISE is due to God, who has bestowed this divine writ from on high upon His servant, and has not allowed any deviousness to obscure its meaning: 1 and which rightly directs, to give warning of stern punishment from Him, and to proclaim to the believers who do righteous deeds that they shall have an excellent recompense, 2 [a state of bliss] in which they shall dwell beyond the count of time. 3 and to warn those who say, 'God has taken to Himself a son'; 4 No knowledge have they of such a thing, nor had their fathers. It is a grievous thing that issues from their mouths as a saying what they say is nothing but falsehood! 5 Thou wouldst only, perchance, fret thyself to death, following after them, in grief, if they believe not in this Message. 6 Behold, We have willed that all beauty on earth be a means by which We put men to a test, [showing] which of them are best in conduct; 7 and, verily, [in time] We shall reduce all that is on it to barren dust! 8 Do you think that the people of the Cave and the Inscription were one of Our wondrous signs? 9 When the youth sought refuge in the cave they prayed "Lord, grant us mercy and help us to get out of this trouble in a righteous way". 10 We then thumped upon their ears in the Cave for a number of years. (* Put them to sleep.) 11 We then awakened them to see which of the two groups more accurately tells the period they had stayed. 12