English - Chapter 18 - Al-Kahf

Praise be to Allah Who has revealed the Book to His servant and did not make it complicated

It is straightforward so that He may warn about the terrible punishment for the unbelievers from Him and give good news to the believers who do good deeds that they shall have a goodly reward

which they will enjoy forever

Further to warn those who say "Allah has begotten a son

They have no knowledge about it, nor did their forefathers, this is a monstrous word that comes from their mouths. They speak nothing but a lie

O Muhammad! You probably will kill yourself in grief over them, if they do not believe in this Message (The Qur'an)

We have decked the earth with all kinds of ornaments to test the people and to see which of them do the best deeds

In the end We shall reduce all that is on it to a barren wasteland

Do you think that the Companions of the Cave and of Ar- Raqeem (this may refer to the name of their dog, or the tablet on which their names were inscribed or the mountain in which the cave is situated) were among Our wonderful signs

When those young men took refuge in the cave, they said "Our Lord! Have mercy on us from Yourself and guide us out of our ordeal

So We put upon their ears a cover (put them into a deep sleep) for a number of years in the cave

and then awakened them to find out which of the two parties (believers and nonbelievers who were arguing about the fact of life after death) could best tell the length of their stay

Now We tell you their real story. They were young men who believed in their Lord, and on them We had bestowed Our guidance

We put courage in their hearts when they stood up and declared: "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, we shall never appeal to any other deity except Him, for if we do, we shall be saying something improper

These people of ours have taken for worship other gods besides Him; if they are right, why do they not bring forth any convincing proof of their divinity? Who is more wicked than the one who invents a lie about Allah

Then in their mutual consultation they said: Now that we have withdrawn from them and denounced those deities whom they worship beside Allah, let us take refuge in some cave; our Lord will extend to us His mercy and facilitate us in disposing of our affairs

If you could look at them in the cave, it would appear to you that the rising sun declines to the right of their cavern, and as it sets, passes them on the left, while they lay in an open space in between. This is from the signs of Allah. He whom Allah guides is rightly guided; but he whom He lets go astray, you will find no guardian to lead him to the Right Way

If you could see them, you might have thought them awake, though they were asleep. We turned them about to their right and left sides, while their dog lay stretched out with his forepaws at the entrance. Had you looked at them you would have certainly turned your back and their sight would have made you flee in terror

In the same miraculous way We woke them up from sleep so that they could question one another. One of them asked: "How long have you been here?" The others answered: "Maybe we have been here for a day or part of a day." Finally they concluded: "Our Lord knows best how long we have stayed here. Anyhow let one of us go to the city with this silver coin, and let him find who has the purest food and bring us something to eat. Let him behave with caution and let him not disclose our whereabouts

For if they find you out, they will stone you to death, or force you back into their faith and in that case you will never attain felicity

Thus did We reveal their secret to the people so that they might know that the promise of Allah is true and that there is no doubt about the coming of the Hour of Judgment. (But what a pity that instead of considering the Hour of Judgment) they started arguing among themselves about the companions of the cave. Some said: "Erect an edifice over their remains." Their Lord is quite aware of them. Those who finally prevailed over their matter said: "Let us erect a place of worship over them

Now some will soon say: "They were three and their dog was the fourth." The others will guess: "They were five and their dog was the sixth," and there are still others who will say: "They were seven and their dog was the eighth." Say: "My Lord Alone knows their number. None but a few really know their correct number." Therefore, do not enter into discussion with them about their number except in a cursory way, nor ask anyone about the companions of the cave

Never say of anything "I will certainly do it tomorrow

without adding: "If Allah wills!" And if you forget to say this, then call your Lord to mind and say: "I hope that my Lord shall guide me and bring me ever closer than this to the Right Way

Some say they stayed in their cave three hundred years and some add another nine

O Prophet, say: "Allah knows best how long they stayed; He is the One Who knows the secrets of the heavens and the earth; sharp is His sight and keen His hearing! They have no protector besides Him and He does not let anyone share in His command

O Prophet! Recite what has been revealed to you from the Book of your Lord: no one is authorized to change His Words and if you dare to make any change, you will find no refuge to protect you from Him

Keep yourself content with those who call on their Lord morning and evening seeking His good pleasure; and let not your eyes turn away from them desiring the attraction of Worldly Life; nor obey the one whose heart We have permitted to neglect Our remembrance, who follows his own desires and goes to extremes in the conduct of his affairs

O Prophet proclaim: "This is the Truth from your Lord. Now let him who will, believe in it, and him who will, deny it." As for those who reject it, for such wrongdoers We have prepared a Fire whose flames will hem them in like the walls of a tent. When they cry for help, they will be showered with water as hot as molten brass, which will scald their faces. What a dreadful drink and what a horrible residence

They are the ones for whom there will be the Gardens of Eden, beneath which rivers flow; they will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold; they will wear green garments of fine silk and rich brocade and they will recline on soft couches. What an excellent reward and what a beautiful residence

O Prophet! Give them this parable. Once there were two men. To one of them We had given two gardens of grapevines surrounded with palm-trees and put between them land for cultivation

Both of those gardens yielded abundant produce and did not fail to yield its best. We had even caused a river to flow between the two gardens

He had abundant produce, he said to his companion while conversing with him: "I am richer than you and my clan is mightier than yours

When, having thus wronged his soul, he entered his garden and said: "I do not think that this garden will ever perish

Nor do I believe that the Hour of Judgment will ever come. Even if I am returned to my Lord, I will surely find even a better place than this

His companion replied while still conversing with him: "Do you disbelieve in Him Who created you from dust, from a drop of semen, and fashioned you into a perfect man

As for myself, Allah is the One Who is my Lord and I do not associate anyone with Him

When you entered your garden why did you not say: 'It is as Allah pleased; no one has power except Allah!' Though you see me poorer than yourself in wealth and children

yet my Lord may give me a garden better than yours, and may send down thunderbolts from sky upon your garden, turning it into a barren wasteland

Or its water may dry out and you may never be able to find it

It so happened that all his fruit produce was destroyed and the vines tumbled down upon their trellises, so he wrung his hands with grief for all that he had spent on it. He cried: "I wish I had not associated anyone with my Lord

He was so helpless that he could neither find anyone to help him besides Allah, nor could he himself avert that catastrophe

it was then that he realized that the real protection comes only from Allah. His is the best reward and His is the best requital

O Prophet! Give them the similitude of the life of this world. It is like the vegetation of the earth that flourishes with the rain from the sky, but afterwards the same vegetation turns into dry stubble which is blown away by the winds. Allah is the One Who has power over everything

Likewise, wealth and children are an attraction of this worldly life; yet honorable deeds that last forever are better rewarded by your Lord and hold for you a better hope of salvation

You should prepare for that Day when We will set the mountains in motion and you will see the earth as a barren waste; when We shall assemble mankind all together, leaving not even a single soul behind

They all will be brought before your Lord standing in rows and Allah will say: "Well! You see that you have returned to Us as We created you at first: even though you claimed that We had not fixed any time for the fulfillment of this promise of meeting with Us

Then the book of their deeds will be placed before them. At that time you will see the sinners in great terror because of what is recorded therein. They will say: "Woe to us! What kind of a book is this? It leaves out nothing small or large: all is noted down!" They will find all that they did recorded therein. Your Lord will not be unjust to anyone in the least

When We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourself before Adam," all prostrated themselves except Iblees (Satan), who was one of the Jinns and chose to disobey the command of his Lord. Would you then take him and his children as your protectors rather than Me, even though they are your enemies? What a bad substitute the wrongdoers have chosen

I did not call them to witness the creation of the heavens and the earth, nor their own creation, nor do I take those who lead mankind astray as My supporters

On the Day of Judgment Allah will say to them: "Call on those whom you thought to be My partners." They will call them but will receive no answer; and We shall cause animosity between them

The criminals will see the fire and realize that they are going to fall into it; but will find no place to escape

We have given all kinds of examples in this Qur’an to make the people understand this Message, but man is exceedingly contentious

Nothing can prevent men from believing and seeking the forgiveness of their Lord now that Guidance has come to them, unless they are waiting for the fate of former peoples to overtake them or the scourge to be brought to them face to face

We send the Messengers only to proclaim good news and to give warnings but with false arguments the unbelievers seek to defeat the Truth, through mocking at My revelations and My warnings

Who is more unjust than the one who, when reminded of the revelations of his Lord, turns away from them and forgets what his own hands have done? In regards to such people, We have cast veils over their hearts, so they do not understand this Qur’an, and have become hard of hearing. Call them as you may towards the guidance, they will never be guided

Your Lord is Most Forgiving, the Lord of Mercy. Had it been His Will to seize them for their sins, He would have hastened their punishment, but for that there is an appointed time, after which they will not find any refuge

All those nations whom We destroyed for their wrongdoings were given respite and an appointed time for their destruction

Now tell them about the story of Khizr to whom Allah has given special knowledge. The Prophet Moses was asked to go to him and learn from him. When Moses set out to meet him at an appointed place, he said to his young servant: "I will not give up my journey until I reach the junction of the two rivers, even if I have to spend ages in travel

It so happened that when at last they reached the junction of the two rivers they forgot about the fish they were carrying, which made its way into the river, and disappeared

When they had passed on some distance, Moses asked his young servant: "Let us have our breakfast, really we are worn out with this travelling

He replied: "You know! I forgot to tell you about the fish, which made its way miraculously into the river, when we were resting beside that rock. It was Satan who made me forget to mention this incident to you

Moses said: "That is the place we were looking for," so they went back retracing their footsteps

There they found one of Our servants (Khizr) whom We had blessed with special favor from Ourselves and whom We had given special knowledge of Our own

Moses requested of him: "May I follow you so that you may teach me from that True Knowledge which you have been taught

He answered: "Surely you will not be able to bear with me

for how can you have patience about that which is beyond your knowledge

Moses said: "If Allah wills, you shall find me patient and I shall not disobey you in any way

He said: "If you want to follow me, then do not question me about anything until I tell you about it myself

So they set forth, but when they embarked in a boat to cross the river, Khizr made a hole in it. Moses cried out: "Did you make a hole in it to drown its passengers? You have done a weird thing

He said: "Didn’t I say that you would not manage to have patience with me

Moses said: "Pardon my forgetfulness, do not be angry with me on account of this mistake

So they journeyed on until they met a boy, and Khizr slew him. Moses said: "You have killed an innocent person though he had killed nobody. Surely you have done a horrible deed

Khizr said: "Did I not tell you that you will not be able to bear with me

Moses replied: "If ever I ask you about anything after this, you may not keep me in your company; for then I should deserve it because you will have an excuse in my case

They travelled on until they came to the people of a town. They asked them for some food, but they refused to receive them as their guests. There they found a wall on the point of falling down, so he restored it. Moses said: "If you wanted you could have demanded some payment for it

Khizr replied: "That's it, this is the parting between you and me. But first I will explain to you those acts of mine which you could not bear to watch with patience

As for the boat, it belonged to some poor fishermen who toiled on the river. I intended to damage it because in their rear there was a king who was seizing every boat by force

As for the youth, his parents are true believers, and we feared lest he would grieve them with his rebellion and unbelief

It was our wish that our Lord should grant them another in his place, a son more righteous and better in affection

As for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city and beneath it their treasure was buried. Since their father was a righteous man, your Lord desired that these children should attain their maturity and take out their treasure. All this was done as a mercy from your Lord. What I did was not done by my own will. That is the interpretation of those actions which you could not bear to watch with patience

O Muhammad, they ask you about Zul-Qarnain. Say "I will recite to you some of his story

Indeed We established his power in the land and We gave him all kinds of ways and means

So one time he followed a certain expedition towards the West and he marched on

till he reached the end of the land and the start of an ocean, where the Sun was setting, he noted that it was setting in a mucky spring and found by it a people. We said: "O Zul-Qarnain! You have the option to either punish them or to show them kindness

He said: "Anyone Who will do wrong shall be punished; then will he return to his Lord and be sternly punished by Him

As for him who believes and does good deeds, he will have a good reward and will be assigned an easy task by our command

Then he set out on another expedition towards the East and marched on

till he came to the rising of the Sun, he noted it rising on a people for whom We had not provided any shelter from it (they were so backward that they did not even know how to make houses or tents for their living)

He left them as they were: We had full knowledge what priority was before him

Then he set out on another expedition and marched on

till he reached between two mountains where he found a people who could hardly understand his language

They requested: "O Zul-Qarnain! People of Gog and Magog ravage this land; should we pay you tribute in order for you to build a wall-barrier between us and them

Zul-Qarnain said: "That which my Lord has granted me is more than enough, just help me with worker-force and I will erect a fortified barrier between you and them

Bring me panels of iron." Finally when he had dammed up the space between the two mountains, he said: "Ply your bellows." They did so until the iron wall became red hot, then he said: "Bring me some molten brass to pour over it

This became such a barrier that Gog and Magog could not scale it or to dig through it

He said: "This is a blessing from my Lord. But you should know that when the promise of my Lord shall come to pass, He will level it to the ground, for the promise of my Lord is ever true

On that Day We shall let the people loose to surge like waves on one another. The trumpet will be blown and We shall assemble the mankind all together

We shall spread Hell out on display before the unbelievers

who had turned a blind eye to My admonition and a deaf ear to My warning

Do the unbelievers think that they can take my servants as protectors, to save themselves from Hell, instead of Me? Certainly We have prepared Hell for the entertainment of such unbelievers

O Muhammad tell them: "Should we tell you the worst kind of losers relating to their deeds

Those whose all efforts in this worldly life had gone astray from the Right Way, but all along they were under the delusion that they were doing good deeds

they are the ones who are disregarding the revelations of their Lord and the fact that they will meet Him for accountability of their deeds in the Hereafter, so their deeds will become null and will not carry any weight on the Day of Judgment

Thus the reward of such people will be Hell; because they had no faith and because they took My revelations and My Messengers as a joke

However, those who believe and do good deeds, they will be entertained with the Gardens of Paradise

to live therein for ever and they will never desire to go anywhere else

O Muhammad tell them: "If the ocean were ink with which to write the words of my Lord, the ocean would surely be consumed before the words of my Lord are finished, even if We brought similar quantity of ink to replenish it

O Muhammad, tell them: "I am but a human being like you; the revelation is sent to me to declare that your God is One God; therefore, whoever hopes to meet his Lord, let him do good deeds and join no other deity in the worship of his Lord