The Cave (Al-Kahf)
In the name of Allah, most benevolent, ever-merciful
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance. 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 wherein they shall remain forever, 3 And that it may warn those who say: God hath taken a son. 4 They have no knowledge of this, nor did their forefathers have any either. What they say is monstrous: they are merely uttering falsehoods! 5 But wouldst thou, perhaps, torment thyself to death with grief over them if they are not willing to believe in this message? 6 Lo! We have placed all that is on the earth as an ornament thereof that We may try them: which of them is best in conduct. 7 and, verily, [in time] We shall 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 When the youths took refuge in the Cave saying, 'Our lord, give us mercy from Thee, and furnish us with rectitude in our affair.' 10 And thereupon We veiled their ears in the cave for many a year, 11 Then roused them to ascertain which of the two groups could account for the period they had stayed. 12